One Of Us Is Lying #BookClub

Hi everyone!

This time in the Book Club, I'm reviewing One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. As I'm typing this, it hasn't even been half an hour after finishing this book. I just had to get my thoughts out about this one, because it's just that good.

First, a tiny summary. Five students are in detention together, and one ends up dead. The remaining four are suspects of murder, and with the secrets that they've been bottling up, all of them seem guilty of committing the crime.

Photo by me ©

Let's start by saying that this story has kept me on my toes from beginning till' end. It's a perfect blend of The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars. The story's told from the four students' perspectives, so you get to know everyone little by little.

In the beginning, I seriously could not trust myself to rely on anyone. I told myself to not get too attached to any character, but failed miserably. The way that I got an insight in every person's life just made me feel empathy towards every single one of them. It became hard to not fall in love with them all. It simply made nearing the end of the story that much more terrifying, because if it was one of the four, I knew my heart would break.

Although I'll keep my mouth shut about the ending, it's safe to say that the entire book is sprinkled with plot twists. Some seemed so obvious afterwards that I was surprised I hadn't caught on sooner.

All in all, this was one incredible story. Very well-written, interesting and diverse characters (and their developments), and a stunning ending. Hats off to this one.

Love, Faith

Entering the New Year

Happy 2018 everyone!

It's only been 2 days into the new year, but mine has already been off to a rocky start. To begin with, I had spent my NYE at my cousin's house, playing games, drinking, bonding. I might've just had one drink too many and ended up with my head in the sink at 4 in the morning. Yes, you read that right; not the toilet, but the sink. Why, you ask? I was dizzy, I couldn't think properly, so my head just went straight to the closest thing it could reach before I barfed over the floor. The worst part was that my cousin's current boyfriend, whom I'd just met that night, went to clean up my mess. What a way to make a first impression, am I right?

So with a horrible headache, I got tucked into bed, and cursed myself when I woke up hardly 5 hours later. Thankfully, I did feel a whole lot better. After realizing the first week of Christmas break which was filled with festivities was over, stress started to settle in. The week right after break, I've got my second round of exams. I had opened a total of zero books and I had about 6 days left.

Today, I woke up late, so I had to skip my morning workout, but then still had to run errands; do laundry, buy groceries and clean the house. It's been a stress-filled day and it's not even over yet. Yet here I am, procrastinating and typing out a new blog post instead of studying. But hey, what's new? With 5 days to spare, I'm scrambling to get things done in time, and I'm seriously doubting myself. I certainly won't give up though, I still have hope.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Woelfel

So it hasn't been the best start to 2018 for me, but I strongly believe that it can only go uphill from here. I've got my resolutions written down, my room is cleaner than it has been in months, my fridge is stocked up with fruits and veggies and I've got about 10 alarms set and ready to go off tomorrow morning.

As a result of how my year has been going so far, it inspired me to write about this. Even though it's a new year, my problems, my habits, my personality, they don't change. I'm still the same person that I was three days ago. I don't magically become better, healthier or smarter. It doesn't happen overnight, it's a gradual process. With that said, a fresh start always feels nice, and entering a new year sure does feel like a new start, but there's not much that changes. You just keep going with life and keep bettering yourself, step by step. There's currently 363 days left of this year to become the person you want to be. Hell, you've still got the rest of your life. Take it slow and forgive yourself if your year hasn't begun with the greatest start you could ever imagine. It hardly ever does.

When I look back to one year ago, I do notice how much better I've been doing, but it is with hard work and some fallbacks that I've come where I am right now. It took a lot of time, but I'm truly happy with what I've achieved so far. I am planning on making more changes and improvements in 2018, and I hope I'll come through. I will keep you updated.

Love, Faith