![\"\"](\"https:\/\/prettybooks.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/review_pretending.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nPretending<\/strong><\/em> by Holly Bourne<\/strong><\/h2>\nTrigger warning: sexual assault and rape. <\/strong><\/p>\nApril hates men. Well, all right, she doesn\u2019t hate men<\/em>. But she does hate the way they make her feel, especially<\/em> her abusive ex-partner. Pretending <\/em>is essentially April\u2019s personal journey to being able to deal with her past trauma. The sexual assault had a profound effect on her; it affects her relationships, how she copes with work, and how she thinks about herself. Going on dates with men who treat her badly is absolutely not helping, so she\u2019s had enough. April decides to date and portray herself as Gretel \u2013 a woman who\u2019s carefree, exciting, independent, and spontaneous \u2013 a woman that men will adore, when she meets Joshua. But what happens when Joshua starts to fall for Gretel?<\/p>\n\u201cIf men could love women the way women love each other, everything would be terribly easier.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nPretending<\/em> is a brilliant book (and I\u2019m finding myself wanting to re-read it already!). As I was reading, I began highlighting paragraphs that resonated with me as a single 31-year-old female. Pretending <\/em>has so many relatable, emotional, and funny moments mixed throughout the book. <\/p>\nA particular scene I found super powerful was when April attends a boxercise class with victims of sexual assault. It\u2019s something I can imagine helping people for real. It was also really interesting to read about someone who works for a sexual health charity, which April finds particularly difficult, almost without noticing, because she has to deal with emails from women who too have experienced sexual assault. The whole book has little moments that I thought were great, and the side characters \u2013 her friends, colleagues and her housemate \u2013 are heavily involved in April\u2019s life and are stand-out people too.<\/p>\n
Pretending <\/em>is probably my favourite book written by Holly Bourne so far!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/prettybooks.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/review_beehive-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nHere is the Beehive<\/strong><\/em> by Sarah Crossan<\/strong><\/h2>\nI was super excited to read Sarah Crossan\u2019s first novel for adults. I\u2019m a fan of her young adult books, also written in verse \u2013 check out One<\/a><\/em> in particular! It amazes me how Sarah Crossan can write so beautifully and conscientiously about a whole host of different characters with different experiences. None of her novels are alike, but all are fabulous.<\/p>\nHere is the Beehive<\/em> is about Ana, who, at the very start of the book, is told that her partner of three years, Connor, has tragically died. But Ana has to deal with his death, and her grief, alone. No one knows about Ana and Connor\u2019s relationship \u2013 they been having an affair for the past three years. <\/p>\nHow can we lose someone the world never knew was ours? How do we grieve for something no one else can ever find out?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s difficult not <\/em>to feel empathy towards Ana. The story explores the psychological toll that Conor\u2019s death, and the secrecy, takes on Ana. It\u2019s this toll that makes her welcome someone into her life that she has no right to get to know\u2026 Connor\u2019s wife, Rebecca.<\/p>\nHere is the Beehive<\/em> takes a subject like cheating and makes you feel compassionate. It isn\u2019t a subject I\u2019d usually be interested in reading about, but it\u2019s beautifully tackled and broken down. I can\u2019t wait to see what Sarah Crossan writes next.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/prettybooks.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/review_period-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nIt\u2019s About Bloody Time.<\/em> Period.<\/strong><\/em> by Emma Barnett<\/strong><\/h2>\nHow much do you know about periods? Emma Barnett\u2019s books explores the facts about periods, the cultural and political attitude towards menstruation and women\u2019s health in general, and what needs to be done to make it better for women. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s About Bloody Time<\/em>\u00a0is an agenda-setting manifesto to remove the stigma and myths continuing to surround the female body. Bold and unapologetic, Emma Barnett is on a crusade to ignite conversation among women \u2013 and men \u2013 everywhere.<\/strong><\/p>\nI read this book in a bid to start reading more non-fiction \u2013 and so I began spouting facts (\u2026 and sometimes getting them wrong!) to anyone who would listen. Emma Barnett\u2019s chatty, informal tone lends itself well to people who don\u2019t usually pick up non-fiction. Periods are a taboo topic \u2013 mainly when concerning men, who quite frankly need to know about it \u2013 and are something that is seen as \u201cunclean\u201d and \u201cicky\u201d. It really shouldn\u2019t be. It was particularly interesting to read about endometriosis, something that Emma and thousands of other women suffer from. It is an extremely a painful disease that can affect everything from your day-to-day life to fertility, and yet can take years to diagnose because it isn\u2019t taken seriously. It\u2019s About Bloody Time <\/em>is a book I began pushing into the hands of everyone, regardless of their gender or age. <\/p>\nCheck out Emma Barnett\u2019s fantastic article in the Guardian here<\/a><\/em>. <\/p>\n#gifted: All three books were obtained for free in exchange for an honest review.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nMore Posts:<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab38f231070d9e6b0570dc9f42401c15?s=100&d=blank&r=g\")
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April hates men. Well, all right, she doesn\u2019t hate men<\/em>. But she does hate the way they make her feel, especially<\/em> her abusive ex-partner. Pretending <\/em>is essentially April\u2019s personal journey to being able to deal with her past trauma. The sexual assault had a profound effect on her; it affects her relationships, how she copes with work, and how she thinks about herself. Going on dates with men who treat her badly is absolutely not helping, so she\u2019s had enough. April decides to date and portray herself as Gretel \u2013 a woman who\u2019s carefree, exciting, independent, and spontaneous \u2013 a woman that men will adore, when she meets Joshua. But what happens when Joshua starts to fall for Gretel?<\/p>\n \u201cIf men could love women the way women love each other, everything would be terribly easier.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Pretending<\/em> is a brilliant book (and I\u2019m finding myself wanting to re-read it already!). As I was reading, I began highlighting paragraphs that resonated with me as a single 31-year-old female. Pretending <\/em>has so many relatable, emotional, and funny moments mixed throughout the book. <\/p>\n A particular scene I found super powerful was when April attends a boxercise class with victims of sexual assault. It\u2019s something I can imagine helping people for real. It was also really interesting to read about someone who works for a sexual health charity, which April finds particularly difficult, almost without noticing, because she has to deal with emails from women who too have experienced sexual assault. The whole book has little moments that I thought were great, and the side characters \u2013 her friends, colleagues and her housemate \u2013 are heavily involved in April\u2019s life and are stand-out people too.<\/p>\n Pretending <\/em>is probably my favourite book written by Holly Bourne so far!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was super excited to read Sarah Crossan\u2019s first novel for adults. I\u2019m a fan of her young adult books, also written in verse \u2013 check out One<\/a><\/em> in particular! It amazes me how Sarah Crossan can write so beautifully and conscientiously about a whole host of different characters with different experiences. None of her novels are alike, but all are fabulous.<\/p>\n Here is the Beehive<\/em> is about Ana, who, at the very start of the book, is told that her partner of three years, Connor, has tragically died. But Ana has to deal with his death, and her grief, alone. No one knows about Ana and Connor\u2019s relationship \u2013 they been having an affair for the past three years. <\/p>\n How can we lose someone the world never knew was ours? How do we grieve for something no one else can ever find out?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult not <\/em>to feel empathy towards Ana. The story explores the psychological toll that Conor\u2019s death, and the secrecy, takes on Ana. It\u2019s this toll that makes her welcome someone into her life that she has no right to get to know\u2026 Connor\u2019s wife, Rebecca.<\/p>\n Here is the Beehive<\/em> takes a subject like cheating and makes you feel compassionate. It isn\u2019t a subject I\u2019d usually be interested in reading about, but it\u2019s beautifully tackled and broken down. I can\u2019t wait to see what Sarah Crossan writes next.<\/p>\n How much do you know about periods? Emma Barnett\u2019s books explores the facts about periods, the cultural and political attitude towards menstruation and women\u2019s health in general, and what needs to be done to make it better for women. <\/p>\n It\u2019s About Bloody Time<\/em>\u00a0is an agenda-setting manifesto to remove the stigma and myths continuing to surround the female body. Bold and unapologetic, Emma Barnett is on a crusade to ignite conversation among women \u2013 and men \u2013 everywhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n I read this book in a bid to start reading more non-fiction \u2013 and so I began spouting facts (\u2026 and sometimes getting them wrong!) to anyone who would listen. Emma Barnett\u2019s chatty, informal tone lends itself well to people who don\u2019t usually pick up non-fiction. Periods are a taboo topic \u2013 mainly when concerning men, who quite frankly need to know about it \u2013 and are something that is seen as \u201cunclean\u201d and \u201cicky\u201d. It really shouldn\u2019t be. It was particularly interesting to read about endometriosis, something that Emma and thousands of other women suffer from. It is an extremely a painful disease that can affect everything from your day-to-day life to fertility, and yet can take years to diagnose because it isn\u2019t taken seriously. It\u2019s About Bloody Time <\/em>is a book I began pushing into the hands of everyone, regardless of their gender or age. <\/p>\n Check out Emma Barnett\u2019s fantastic article in the Guardian here<\/a><\/em>. <\/p>\n #gifted: All three books were obtained for free in exchange for an honest review.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figure>\nHere is the Beehive<\/strong><\/em> by Sarah Crossan<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\nIt\u2019s About Bloody Time.<\/em> Period.<\/strong><\/em> by Emma Barnett<\/strong><\/h2>\n
More Posts:<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n