Review: Until the Last Star Fades by Jacquelyn Middleton

Until the Last Star Fades by Jacquelyn Middleton Published: November 8th, 2018 Publisher: Kirkwall Books Genre: Women’s fiction/contemporary romance Acquired this book: From the author in exchange for honest consideration Rating: 5 stars Warning: This review may contain spoilers Goodreads || Buy now: Amazon US || Amazon Canada || Chapters

COULD YOU BE THE ONE WHO CHANGES EVERYTHING? In her senior year at NYU, Riley Hope appears to be on top of the world. With a loving mother who makes Lorelai Gilmore look like a parenting slacker, ride-or-die friends, and a long-time boyfriend destined for the National Hockey League, she puts on a smile for the world. But behind it, she’s drowning. Racked with fears for the future, she battles to stay afloat amid life in the shadows of a heartbreaking illness. And then, Ben Fagan comes crashing into her life. Twenty-three years old, British, and alone in the Big Apple after a disastrous pilot season in LA, the struggling actor is looking for an escape: booze, mischief, sex—minimum commitment, maximum fun—anything to avoid returning across the pond. As they form an unlikely bond, Riley keeps her reality from Ben so that he remains a happy refuge. But how long can she hold back the truth…and is Ben keeping his own secrets, too?

 
After reading and loving Jacquelyn Middleton’s first two books, London Belongs to Me and London, Can You Wait? her newest offering became one of my most anticipated books of 2018. Until the Last Star Fades is a beautiful story about love, loss, hope, friendship, and pursuing your passions. As with the London books, this one was full of fun pop-culture (and awesome '80s!) references, wonderful details about the setting (New York City in this case), and mentions of food that make me drool - Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Smile fries, and Fun Dip, anyone? I find myself taking my time while reading Jacquelyn’s books because there are so many layers of complex emotion. I feel like I need time to process it all and let it sink in. I found Alex in the London books incredibly relatable, and Riley in Until the Last Star Fades was equally relatable in some similar and also new ways. I was deeply touched by the mother-daughter relationship between Riley and her mom, Maggie. In many ways, it reminded me of my relationship with my own mum, who’s my best friend. It’s so rare to read about healthy mother-daughter relationships, and it was nice to see a character who would do anything for her mother because that’s how I am with my own mum. Another relatable aspect was Riley’s depression; I saw myself in her immediately - in her need to put a smile on and make people think everything was fine, and to power through no matter how difficult things got. Middleton knows how to do angst. She doesn’t shy away from putting her characters in uncomfortable, painful, awkward, and sometimes even hellish situations and letting them flounder for a bit before finding their feet. There are no easy solutions here between the secrets and lies and a healthy dose of drama, all of which is done in a realistic way, especially considering the characters’ ages. You truly get to know the characters and feel for them and root for them. Can I also just say I really appreciate the realistic portrayal of Riley’s finances? As someone who has spent her life scrimping, saving, and going without, that was just one more thing I found relatable. Riley was basically living the poor student life in a tiny place where she had to decide between eating and other necessities. We don’t see enough of this, especially in books with characters in this age range. Now...let’s talk romance. If I had to categorize this book, I’d call it women’s fiction with elements of romance. The romance isn’t the main focus of the story. I’m a total romance junkie - give me all the romance - but I have a special fondness for books like this when they’re done well, which Until the Last Star Fades was. I love books that explore relationships other than romantic and sexual ones, and I appreciated that Riley had a well-rounded life - friendships, school, her passions - and that her personality really shone through on every page. And I loved Ben. He was adorable and sweet and hard-working and selfless. He saw a kindred spirit in Riley and wanted to make her happy, keep her safe, and also encourage her to pursue her dreams. I loved Riley and Ben’s interactions, and watching them go from friends to something more made me smile, laugh out loud, and swoon. Jacquelyn Middleton has now given me two book boyfriends to love! Until the Last Star Fades is a love story in its truest form. It’s heartfelt and bittersweet and hopeful. It will take you an emotional journey you won’t soon forget. With her knack for complex characters and vibrant settings, I can’t wait to see what journey - both emotional and physical - Jacquelyn Middleton will take her readers on next.

Do you plan to read Until the Last Star Fades? What was your last 5-star read? Do you have a favourite book with a mother-daughter relationship?

 

 

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2017: A Year in Review

I just read 2016’s recap and ugh. Emotional. I spent a lot of 2016 in a very dark place; by the end of the year, I was seeing things in a different light after a lot of self-reflection, but it’s still really painful to read. For 2017, I’m doing something different: I’m going to focus on the good parts of the year and do a highlights/best of. 2017 wasn’t all sunshine and roses by any means. A lot of the things I struggled with in 2016 carried into 2017, but I want to focus on the good parts. The things - and the people - who made me happy and made it a memorable year. So here we go!

My Mum and The Littles
Every single day spent with my mum is a day I consider myself truly blessed. She’s not only an amazing mother, she’s the best friend a girl could ask for. We have so much fun living together, and even the most mundane task (like grocery shopping and hauling tons of bags home on the bus - blech) can turn into an adventure.

Then there’s the Littles (my youngest niece and nephew, 4 and 7 respectively). They brought so much joy and laughter to our lives in 2017, as they’ve done since the day they were born. Those two tiny humans are so incredibly intelligent, creative, imaginative, hilarious, and sweet. I cherish every snuggle, every funny/sweet/ridiculously smart thing they say, and every memory we make together. I’m so lucky I get to spent so many days with them drawing and colouring, snuggling, playing games, watching movies, and going on adventures around our neighbourhood.

Writing
In 2016’s recap, I wrote this: “Professionally, 2016 was a joke. All the crap going on in my life took up so much time and energy at the beginning of the year, I basically had to put my career on hold.” I wish I could say I spent 2017 writing my heart out, but there were still quite a few distractions, and my lack of motivation carried through the year. BUT...I did write a Christmas novella at the beginning of the year, which I published in November, and I finished writing the romantic comedy I started writing the year before. That feels like a huge accomplishment, especially considering I felt like such a failure after 2016.

Mistletoe Kiss was the first new book I’d published in two whole years, and the response to it was better than I could have hoped for. I talked about how I was afraid people had forgotten me and I had become irrelevant in the publishing game, but the support I received was overwhelming (in the best way possible). I owe a lot of this to the bookstagram community, and a good chunk of my sales I owe to my childhood best friend, author Athena Wright, who mentioned the book in one of her newsletters, which prompted dozens of people to buy it. (*insert me crying like a baby*) I have a lot of writing plans for 2018, and I sincerely hope I get such an enthusiastic response for those projects as well!


Travel
I didn’t make it too far from home this year, but I did take an amazing trip to Toronto with my friend Krista. We got to explore Cabbagetown (a gorgeous part of Toronto I’d never seen before), and we shopped at the Eaton Centre and Curiosa (the second being somewhere I wanted to go from the moment I heard about it but figured I’d never actually get to go...also, I still have to write about our experience and what we bought there. I mean it's only been, like, two and a half months since we visited *facepalm*). The ultimate highlight of that trip: attending Jacquelyn Middleton’s launch party for her sophomore novel London, Can You Wait? Held at the Wickson Social, Jackie’s party exceeded all my expectations. Amazing food and drink, fun people, and meeting Jackie in personal after a year of being friends online was one of the high points of 2017. Plus it was great to spend two whole days with Krista since we didn’t get to see each other much last year.

Blog Highlights
Some of my most popular posts in 2017:
Writing and Publishing: 
☆5 Things I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Publishing
☆6 Mistakes Authors Make and How to Avoid Them
☆7 Things Every Author Should Have on Their Website 
☆Instagram for Authors: Everything Authors Need to Know About Using Instagram
☆Everything Authors Need to Know About Beta Readers
☆5 Tips for Surviving NaNoWriMo

Book Recommendation Posts:
☆Books Set in England
☆Books Set in France
☆Books Set in Italy
☆LGBTQ+ Books
☆Book Recommendations for Romance Lovers

All the Rest 
☆I spent some super fun days with my friend JaimeKristal while she was home between travels. She arrived back in town in November 2016 after 2 years of living in London, and left again in August 2017, this time for 2 years in Ireland. In the months we had together, we went to a Harry Potter event at Chapters, saw a local production of Pride and Prejudice, had a fancy tea party, watched the Canada Day fireworks by the bay, and spent hours chatting, watching movies, and shopping (mostly for books and Funko Pops, naturally). I enjoyed my time with her so much and was sad to see her go, especially since I’d initially hoped to go with her. It puts a lump in my throat just thinking about it, so I won’t get into it again, but I talked all about it in a post called Pity Party: Table of One. This wasn’t an easy post to write, but the response I got to it made me feel so much better, and the embarrassment and shame I felt over potentially coming across as a whiner was completely washed away by the support I got.

☆I saw my college best friend Missy for the first time in almost ten years. We spent the day with our mums and her three kids at the park. It was an unexpectedly emotional experience seeing her again after so long, and we unpacked a lot of baggage and reminisced about our college days, plus caught up on a lot of current news.

☆I read a lot of great books in 2017. Added several new favourite books to my shelves, and discovered new authors. I hit my GoodReads goal of 85 books read in 2017 (completed this goal 2 hours before midnight on the 31st!). If you’re looking for some recommendations to kick off 2018, I shared my 17 favourite books of 2017 as my last post of the year.

☆Bookstagram continued to be a great source of pleasure for me. I’ve made so many friends in that community, and I love that I get to share my passion for books there, and that I can be my nerdy self. It’s also been an absolute joy to continue being a rep for NerdyGrlDesigns (who’s in the process of moving from an Etsy shop to a standalone webite, which is why I linked her Instagram rather than the shop; you can keep an eye out there for updates) and seeing Melisa branch out and turn her business into a thriving one, plus she created a Society6 shop with her designs. I also co-hosted my first ever photo challenge in December with my wonderful friend Caryn, which exceeded all my hopes and expectations. We had so much fun, we’re hosting another challenge for January. I also had a lot of fun with my personal/author/blog Instagram in 2017. I posted there more consistently and created more of a focus for my feed. I did most of this with the help of Helene Sula’s blog, Instagram, and her course Instagram for Success. Her tips and advice helped me more than double my following on my personal account, and I’m continuing to grow and learn and improve slowly but surely, as well as apply those things to my bookstagram account. Let me just say, one thing that was a massive game changer for me: Lightroom.

☆I changed the direction of this blog from a book blog to a more general blog...but still with an emphasis on books! I know some people say having a niche is important and there are all these things you ‘should and shouldn’t do’ on your blog, but you know what? Screw that. I want to talk about what I want to talk about. I want to help other writers (especially those who choose to self-publish like me), I want to gush about books, I want to talk about travel and photography and life, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I basically just want to be my nerdy, quirky self, and hope I find other nerdy, quirky people who will appreciate what I have to say.

So, that’s my 2017 in a nutshell - the good parts, at least. It was a year of ups and downs, as most years are, but it was certainly better than 2016! I have a lot planned for 2018, which I’ll talk about in an upcoming post. Watch for that soon!

What were some of the highlights for you in 2017? Did you travel? Read some great books? Start a new hobby? Have great things happen in your personal life? I’d love to know! Tell me in the comments below, and if you posted a yearly recap, feel free to leave a link so I can check it out. Wishing you a wonderful 2018 full of laughter, light, hope, and love.

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Previous Yearly Recaps:
☆2016: A Year in Review
☆Looking Back on 2015
☆Reflecting on 2014 and Looking at the Year Ahead 
☆2012: A Year in Review
☆2010: A Year in Review

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Jacquelyn Middleton’s London, Can You Wait? Book Launch in Toronto

A post shared by Marie Landry 🍁📚🎶 ✈️ (@sweetmarie_83) on Oct 19, 2017 at 7:41am PDT

It’s been a little over a month since Jacquelyn Middleton’s launch party for London, Can You Wait? and I’m finally getting around to writing about it. Between real life stuff (including what seems to be a fun new problem with chronic headaches that I’m getting checked by my doctor today), and launching my own book, I just haven’t had time for blogging. But...better late than never, right?

I met Jacquelyn on Instagram shortly after she released her debut novel, London Belongs to Me. I always hoped to meet her someday, especially since she only lives a couple hours from me, so I was thrilled when ‘someday’ turned out to be much sooner than expected. Getting invited to Jacquelyn's launch party for London, Can You Wait? was exciting enough, but I didn’t actually expect to be able to go since I don’t drive and my anxiety prevents me from travelling solo. Enter my friend Krista, a proposition for a mid-week mini vacation to the city, and an invitation to what promised to be an epic party, and things came together perfectly.

And it really was an epic party. Held in the Nest (a very cool, intimate party room) of the Wickson Social, the launch was the best party I’ve ever been to. Before we went, Krista and I joked about getting to attend a ‘grown-up party’; despite both of us being close to our mid-thirties, neither of us truly feels like ‘proper adults’. The few parties I attend or host usually involve little kids, not chic adults in stylish surroundings, with free-flowing booze and delicious food. But that’s exactly what Jacquelyn’s launch party was.

Meeting Jackie was definitely the highlight of the night. She’s so fun and bubbly and sweet. There was a lot of squeeing and giggling and talking about books and it was just perfection. We were there to celebrate her and her books, so what I didn’t expect was for her to gush over me. She told anyone who came near us about my bookstagram pics of London Belongs to Me and London, Can You Wait?, even whipping out her phone a few times to show people my pictures. I’m not used to people gushing about me or singing my praises, so it was unexpected and wonderful!

Photo by Amy Buck Photography

Besides meeting Jaquelyn, we also got to meet and chat with her husband and several of her friends. I have major social anxiety and I’m terrible at small talk (and talking to strangers in general), but everyone was so welcoming and lovely, and I was actually really proud of myself for being able to carry on conversations. It didn’t hurt that a lot of said conversations included topics like writing, books, and fangirling over celebrities.

Then there was the food. Oh. My. God. The food. Mini fish and chips, beef sliders, mushroom and scallions on crisp bread, puff pastry with cheddar, and much more. There was also an open bar, so Krista and I both tried a cider, and then she tried an ameretto sour while I had a rum and coke. Then there was dessert! Jacquelyn had a table of beautiful chocolate sprinkle cupcakes from Dlish Cupcakes, plus platters of cookies and brownies, and at the end of the night, there were mini ice cream pots! On top of all that amazingness, there were also goodie bags, filled with British treats from the book. Did I mention this was the best party ever?

Because Jacquelyn is amazing and generous, she’s allowing me to host a giveaway on Instagram for signed copies of both London Belongs to Me AND London, Can You Wait? I really do love these books so much and I’m constantly pimping them, so I’m thrilled to have the chance to give them away, and I’m so touched by Jacquelyn’s endless generosity and how amazing she is to her friends and fans. Head over to my Instagram to enter the giveaway. It runs from today until next Monday the 4th, and is open internationally.

All the amazing treats in the goodie bags

London Belongs to Me ~ Read my review || Buy: Amazon US  / Canada - Chapters

London, Can You Wait? ~ Read my review || Buy: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters

You can see more pictures in Jacquelyn’s recap of the launch party

Find Jacquelyn online: Website || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook

Have you ever attended a book launch? How about a book signing? Have you read either of Jacquelyn's books?

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Review: London, Can You Wait? by Jacquelyn Middleton

London, Can You Wait? by Jacquelyn Middleton

Series: London Belongs to Me #2

Published: October 26th, 2017

Publisher: Kirkwall Books

425 pages (paperback)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for honest consideration

Rating: 5 stars

Warning: May contain spoilers

GoodReads || Buy the book: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters

Alex loves Mark. Mark loves Alex. But is love enough?

Since moving to London from the US, twenty-four-year-old Alex Sinclair seems to have it all: a coveted job writing for the theatre, supportive friends, and the man of her dreams—gorgeous Irish actor, Mark Keegan. But in the year since the acclaimed debut of her play, Alex and Mark’s lives have been turned upside down.

Thanks to his role on a smash-hit British TV show, Mark is catapulted to stardom. Alex couldn’t be happier—until her boyfriend’s popularity and insatiable drive to succeed means they’re apart more than they’re together. Forced to share Mark with showbiz heavy-hitters, intrusive press, and unrelenting fangirls, Alex’s hopes for a stable and committed life with him start to fade. Her struggles with panic attacks, career uncertainty, and Mark’s increasingly worrisome behaviour make her wonder: how much more can she bend before she breaks?

It’s no secret I loved London Belongs to Me. All you have to do is look at my bookstagram account and the dozens of pictures I’ve posted featuring this beautiful book. I was excited when I learned there would be a sequel, and yet also nervous because while I was curious where Alex’s story would go, sequels can be so hit or miss. I shouldn’t have doubted Jacquelyn Middleton, though; I loved the continuation of Alex’s story.  

London Can You Wait picks up a year after where London Belongs to Me left off. Alex is settled in her life in London and in a committed relationship with Mark. While she still loves the city and her hot Irish boyfriend, things aren’t perfect. Mark’s work schedule, paired with his people-pleasing personality, plus Alex’s own personal issues, create a lot of tension and anxiety for the young playwright, and just as much strain on Alex and Mark's relationship.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. There were so many twist and turns and unexpected events. It dealt a lot with secrets, half-truths, lies, and omissions, and the repercussions that come with all those things. Several really upsetting things happened that made parts of the book difficult to read. Certain things made me angry, but I also had to appreciate how those things were realistic. Middleton took a gutsy risk and it paid off. Life can be messy and complicated. Unexpected things happen all the time, and they’re not always good things. People sometimes make bad, stupid, destructive decisions, or even decisions that seem right in the moment. These things are all part of life, and especially part of growing up. Alex experienced a lot of growing pains, but her struggles made her a stronger person, and I loved seeing her find her way. I also appreciated that Alex’s anxiety, which was a big part of London Belongs to Me, was still a big part of London Can You Wait.

Many of the things I loved about London Belongs to Me were present in London Can You Wait, like the nerdy references and the strong friendships. I loved Lucy and Freddie just as much in this book, and I loved how they each had their own storylines, too. I also enjoyed getting to see more of London and Manchester, as well as a few new settings. It’s obvious Middleton did her research when it comes to locations because I always feel like I was right there with Alex and the others.

My favourite type of books are ones with a strong emphasis on character growth and development, which is part of why I love London Belongs to Me and London Can You Wait so much. They focus on Alex’s journey - as an artist, as a woman, as someone with anxiety, as someone falling in love and learning it’s not always sunshine and roses. I love the romance between Alex and Mark, but it’s Alex’s personal journey that resonates most with me.

London Can You Wait is full of heart and humour. It’s a must-read for all the nerdy Anglophiles out there, as well as lovers of romance and women’s fiction. I’d love to see these books made into a TV show featuring a diverse cast of twenty-somethings.

Read my review of London Belongs to Me

Buy: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters

Have you read London Belongs to Me or London Can You Wait? What did you think? What's your favourite place to read about? Do you like coming-of-age books?

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Mental Health Awareness Month: Books That Deal With Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is something I try to talk about openly and honestly as much as possible, both in real life and online. I’ve been dealing with depression and anxiety since I was in college, which equals about a third of my life. It can be exhausting, frustrating, and disheartening, but I don’t let my mental illness define me. The beautiful thing about being part of the online world is it’s easy to find people who share my struggles. Who understand. Who have been there or are there. Alternately, it can be hard for people who have never dealt with mental illness to truly understand what it’s like, but when you find people who are willing to listen and try hard not only to understand but also to help, encourage, and be someone you can lean on, it’s an incredible thing. I've been lucky to have many of those people in my life.

When I started writing my first Young Adult novel, Waiting for the Storm, I didn’t set out for it to be a book about mental health. In my mind, it was about grief and family. I was drowning in my own grief at the time after the death of my grandmother, and I needed an outlet. In many ways, Charlotte is me. All of my characters end up with at least some of my traits, but Charlotte is the most like me - her grief, her anxiety, that was me. Her love of U2: me. Her love of books: me. Her fear of open water: me. Big and small, she's me. Writing this book made me feel vulnerable. I cried through a lot of it. I felt like I was cutting myself open and bleeding all over the pages. Because of those things - because of the vulnerability and putting so much of myself into the story and the main character - writing Waiting for the Storm was an extremely cathartic experience. It kept me going during a very difficult time.

Every person with mental illness or mental health issues experiences it differently. No two people will have the exact same experience with anxiety or depression or bi-polar or PTSD, etc. There is no universal experience. There will be relatable aspects, and it can be freeing and also comforting to discover there are people who go through the same thing and can truly understand what it’s like to feel as if your own brain is your worst enemy. 

It’s so important to talk about mental illness, and not just to show people they’re not alone, but also to help end the stigma associated with mental illness. To show people there’s no shame in seeking help. There’s no shame in being on medication or talking to a doctor or going to therapy. Remember: mental health is as important as physical health. Just like you take care of your physical health, you need to take care of your mental health, whether that’s practicing self-care, seeing a professional, or talking to a friend. You’re not alone. You don’t have to ‘suffer in silence’.

I, unfortunately, haven't read that many books yet that deal with mental health issues, but I do have a few favourites that I recommend often:

London Belongs to Me by Jacquelyn Middleton ~ The main character, Alex, has anxiety and deals with panic attacks

Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes ~ The main character, Maguire, has anxiety and PTSD

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone ~ The main character, Samantha, deals with purely-obsessive OCD

Upside Down by Lia Riley ~ The main character, Talia, has OCD 

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli ~ The main character, Molly, deals with anxiety

And, finally, my little book, Waiting for the Storm, where, as I mentioned before, my main character, Charlotte, deals with anxiety

Have you read any books that deal with mental illness? Have you been able to relate to a character because of their mental health issues? Can you recommend any books that deal with mental health or neurodiversity?

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