Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart

Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver

From E. Lockhart, author of the best-seller We Were Liars, and the highly-acclaimed The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, comes this hilarious and heart-warming series.

Ruby Oliver is in love. Or it would be love, if Noel, her real live boyfriend, would call her back. Not only is her romantic life a shambles:
* her dad is eating nothing but Cheetos
* her mother's got a piglet head in the refrigerator
* Hutch has gone to Paris to play baguette air guitar
* Gideon shows up shirtless
* and the pygmy goat Robespierre is no help whatsoever

Will Ruby ever control her panic attacks? Will she ever understand boys? Will she ever stop making lists? (No to that last one.) Ruby has lost most of her friends. She's lost her true love, more than once. She's lost her job, her reputation, and possibly her mind. But she's never lost her sense of humour.

The Ruby Oliver books are the record of her survival.


This is the final book in the Ruby series and wow what an ending, over the course of the 3 books we have followed Ruby through her teen years and learning about herself and others, there have been laughter and tears at times but she has always come through in the end. Reading these books we as readers have been on a journey with Ruby and we have grown up with her.

Everyone will have been able to relate to Ruby, she is your typical teenage girl who has similarities with all of us. Ruby has to deal with real life situations and some of which we may think now looking back are silly and not worth worrying about, to your teenage self you will remember how it felt like the end of the world. This makes her really easy to relate to.

These books are so easy to read, you must make sure you read the others in the series in order to really get the full enjoyment of this book, remember it is part of a series and shouldn't be read as a stand alone.

I don't really want to say much about this due to it being the last in the series as I don't want to spoil it. All I would say is that I think this is the perfect ending for the series and I am a little sad to see the Ruby Oliver series over. This would be a great series for any teenage girl to read, I am sure they will enjoy it as much as I have.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart

Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

At the Manhattan School of Art and Music, where everyone is unique, Gretchen Yee feels ordinary. It doesn't help that she's known as the shy girl who sits alone at lunch, drawing pictures of her favourite superhero, just so she won't have to talk to anyone.

It's no surprise that Gretchen isn't exactly successful in the boy department. Her ex-boyfriend is a cold-fish-sometimes-flirty ex who she can't stop bumping into. Plus, she has a massive crush on a boy named, Titus but is too scared to make the first move. One minute he seems like a sensitive guy, the next, he's a completely different person when he's with his friends. She can't seem to figure boys out!

Gretchen has one wish: to be a fly on the wall in the boy's locker room. What are boys really like? What do they talk about?

This is the story of how one girl's wish came true.


When I heard e.lockhart had another one of her books rebranded by Hot Key books and it was one I hadn't read I couldn't wait to get my teeth stuck into it. My favourite has been We Were Liars of hers and to be honest I haven't read another that has come close yet. Unfortunately this doesn't make it into the same league of that book either.

I thought this sounded really interesting 'fly on the wall' scenario, when has anyone not wished they could be a fly on the wall at some time in their lives. This was just that though, the story was split into three sections. To be honest I found it difficult to link these all together and how they fit together. The first section we learn about Gretchen, who is a normal girl who goes to an artsy school, she knows little about boys and is always falling out with her friends. Gretchen makes a wish to be a fly on the wall and for some reason this actually comes true. This is the major issue for me, it is completely unbelievable, which would be fine if this was explained as to how this happened and for me this was a big fail.

The whole middle section is about Gretchen being this fly on the wall, the things she sees and hears on the wall of the boys locker room. Some of this is amusing, however some of the language used to describe parts of the anatomy I found was very immature.

The third section links a little more with the first but we still didn't know exactly how this all happened. This was a very short read at just over 170 page. I read this in a couple of hours and it did pass the time. I would not recommend this to older teenagers as I think they may find it a little irritating.

This book was O.K and only O.K I wouldn't be reading this again, which is a shame as I loved e. Lockharts We Were Liars, I am still trying to find another of hers, which holds up to this.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review. 

Ruby Oliver 2: The Boy Book by E. Lockhart

Ruby Oliver 2: The Boy Book by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Study of Boy Habits and Behaviours from me, Ruby Oliver

From E. Lockhart, author of the best-seller We Were Liars, and the highly-acclaimed The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, comes this hilarious and heart-warming series.

Here is how things stand at the beginning of newly-licensed driver Ruby Oliver's junior year at Tate Prep:

Kim: Not speaking. But far away in Tokyo.
Cricket: Not speaking.
Nora: Speaking--sort of. Chatted a couple times this summer when they bumped into each other outside of school--once shopping in the U District, and once in the Elliot Bay Bookstore. But she hadn't called Ruby, or anything.
Noel: Didn't care what anyone thinks.
Meghan: Didn't have any other friends.
Dr. Z: Speaking.
And Jackson. The big one. Not speaking.

But with a new job, an unlikely but satisfying friend combo, additional entries to "The Boy Book" and many difficult decisions help Ruby to see that there is, indeed, life outside the Tate Universe.


I took this book away with me on holiday for some light reading. I enjoyed the first book in the series and I was looking forward to jumping into Ruby's world again.

This book is very quick and easy to read, the characters from the first book feature in this and it is a continuation from the previous. I would say you should read the first in order to have a good understanding of what is going on in this book.

This book features more on Ruby's friendships rather than the boys, they do still play an important part in the novel, however we see Ruby trying to deal with the fall out of her friends, how she feels isolated at times and trying to make amends. This covers all aspects of high school life and how raw feelings are. Things feel like the end of the world when you are Ruby's age and Lockhart has portrayed this well. You feel the rawness of the fallouts and really can connect to Ruby's feelings. You go through the journey with Ruby to try and not be a leaper anymore and patch up friendships. This is a true journey of growing up and having to deal with things life throw at you as a teenager.

I really enjoyed this instalment, I think better than the first book, the characters already being developed allowed the reader to just enjoy the story. It is short and I ended up reading it in one sitting on the plane during a 2 and a half hour journey. I would recommend you to start this if you are looking for an easy to read series.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Ruby Oliver 1: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Ruby Oliver 1: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From E. Lockhart, author of the New York Times bestseller and Zoella Book Club 2016 title, We Were Liars, comes this hilarious and heart-warming series. 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver Ruby Oliver is fifteen and has a shrink. But before you make up your mind about her, you should know that she has had a pretty awful (and eventful) past ten days. She has: lost her boyfriend (#13 on the boyfriend list), lost her best friend, lost all her other friends, did something suspicious with a boy (#10), did something advanced with a boy (#15), had an argument with a boy (#14), drank her first beer (someone handed it to her), got caught by her mom (ag!), had a panic attack (scary), lost a lacrosse game, failed a math test, hurt Meghan's feelings, became a social outcast, and had graffiti written about her in the girls' bathroom. But don't worry, Ruby lives to tell the tale. Through a special assignment to list all the boys she's ever had the slightest, little, any-kind-of-anything with, comes an unfortunate series of events that would be enough to send any girl in a panic.



I have a couple of E.Lockhart's books and enjoyed them all. When I was offered the chance to read and review this book, I started straight away. I managed to read this in a couple of sittings, it is just over 200 pages and a relatively light read.

This is a story about Ruby Oliver, who seems to alienate herself from all her peers due to choices she makes. Ruby has had a series of panic attacks and it is not until her parents experience one that she is sent to see a Dr. The story is told through her eyes at her therapy sessions with Dr Z, as you read you begin to discover the reasons for her panic attacks. Ruby is a fifteen year old, who goes through the regular of issues most fifteen year olds deal with. Unfortunately for me, she was not a likable character.

The story as I have mentioned is through Ruby's eyes in the form of a list, that her Dr has asked her to complete, to try and get to know Ruby better and for her to begin to identify with herself. I found it difficult initially to follow due to the footnotes, some of these are quite long on the pages.

Ruby came across a little shallow during the story and not really worried about who she hurt along the way. I felt sorry for Angelo and would loved to have seen more of him. I also wished he had perhaps confronted her about her behaviour on that night.

There was no resolution to the story and we were left hanging some what, I would have liked to have found out what happened with Kim. Saying this, this is part of a series and so I am hoping to find out more when I continue reading. Although I have only given this book 3 1/2 stars it does not mean it was awful, it kept me entertained, it was a light read but just left me feeling a little deflated, it didn't really set me on fire. Saying this it has kept me interested enough to want to read the next in the series.

I would recommend this is for you want a quick light read. I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

How to Be Bad - E.Lockhart

How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When you've had enough of being good, sometimes you've got to try a little bad... Jesse, Vicks and Mel couldn't be more different. Jesse, a righteous Southern gal who's as thoughtful as she is uptight, is keeping a secret that she knows will change her life forever. Vicks is a wild-child: seemingly cool, calm and collected on the outside, but inside she's furious at herself for being so anxious about her neglectful boyfriend. And Mel is the new girl in town. She's already been dismissed as just another rich kid, but all she wants is to get over some of her fears and find some true friends. But for all their differences, the girls discover they've got one thing in common - they're desperate to escape. Desperate to get the heck out of Niceville and discover their true 'badass' selves! Even if it's just for the weekend... One 'borrowed' car later, it's time to hit the road and head for Miami. Hearts will be broken, friendships will be tested, and a ridiculously hot stranger could change the course of everything.

I read We Were Liars last year and I thought it was a really clever book and whizzed through it, this I was drawn to just because E.Lockhart, I was hoping for another cleverly written book with a bit of a shock perhaps.

This is a book about three girls who go on a road trip to Miami for the weekend. Each have their own reasons for wanting to go, some of which we don't find out until quite far into the book. Vicky is a fun, always up for a laugh type of girl, who is missing her boyfriend. He is currently studying at Miami university, although he has only been away for two weeks, he hasn't called Vicky and she is beginning to wonder why. Jesse is Vicky's best friend and a christian, this is where I begin to have an issue with this book. Jesse was constantly trying to bring her views and values into everything Vicky said, she was portrayed as being uptight most of the time and I just couldn't warm to her. I also really disliked the way she seemed to have a problem with Mel. Mel is the final girl on the road trip, the new girl, who moved from Canada. Mel has very few friends and is portrayed as a little insecure rich girl, she seemed to use her money to buy friendships. All the girls are waitresses at the Waffle store, this is how they all know each other. Unfortunately I don't think the characters were that well developed, I felt that even at the end of the book I still didn't know an awful lot about them.

The book is told through the perspective of all three girls along their road trip, and it spans a period of three days.

I did enjoy reading the road trip, however I think that some of the situations the girls find themselves in are a little unbelievable, the alligator close call towards the end I think was a little silly. My favourite parts were going to the keg party, meeting Marco and their trip to Disney.

This was a super quick book to read, I read it in just two sittings. This is a light, summer, contemporary read that is going to be perfect for the beach or during the holidays. I did feel a little disappointed at the end, I didn't realise that it was the end to be honest and I was left wanting a little bit more as I thought it didn't feel finished. Saying this I did like the ending, it was sweet. I am still left with quite a few questions though about a couple of the girls and it would have been nice for these to have been answered, unless this is going to be the first in a series? I haven't heard anything about that though. But then again I don't think this was meant to be a deep book, it was just a light easy going read.

Even though I did have a few issues with the book, overall I enjoyed it and believe it set out to do what it was intended for.

The three different authors I am assuming have written a character each, I personally do not know who wrote which character, however I have only read one book by E. Lockhart and nothing by the other authors. You can find out if you want to know once you have finished reading.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

We are the Liars.

We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.

We are cracked and broken.

A story of love and romance.

A tale of tragedy.

Which are lies?

Which is truth?

This book I am finding difficult to review without giving anything away. I promise I won't give anything away so stick with me.

I bought this book on the strength of other peoples recommendations on Twitter and Booktube. This is THE talked about book this summer, and although everyone won't tell you anything about it; to not spoil your enjoyment, it is a book that has been raved about.

So, starting off I love the fact there is a little map in the front of the book, this to me gives it a great big thumbs up. This helps you visualise the island and the ground that is covered.

To be honest I found this book a little difficult to get into at first, knowing what was going on and who was who. I feel having a few hours to get into first would help you and enable you to enjoy the book more. It is beautifully written and this gave me the urge to continue reading; the nice thing about this book is that the chapters are so short, so you can always squeeze an extra one in!

At times I felt the story was a little slow and not a lot happened throughout of it until the last part of the book, this was a huge shock and although the suspense was being built towards the end, I didn't see that outcome coming. I also felt that once I had finished the book, this is the type of novel I would want to go back and re-read as I feel I would experience different emotions knowing what was coming.

Throughout the story there are 'fairytales' which are adapted as it goes on. To begin with I couldn't make the link between these, or even why they were part of the book. However at the end I worked them out and although they were nice to include, again I cannot really see the significance of them. This is something I feel that if I was to re read the story I may understand their presence.

This is a very clever and sophisticated book, which I believe is better suited to older teens and those who are in their early 20's. I am older than this and I enjoyed the book too. This is unlike any book I have previously read, due to the background of the characters; there are many issues that arise in this and I feel a younger teen would struggle to understand some of the politics that occur.

I personally did not read any reviews before hand of this book, neither did I read the inside flap or blurb. I feel that this helped me know absolutely nothing about the book and perhaps how I didn't see the ending coming.

Overall this is a very interesting book and I do suggest you give it a go. The only reason I have not given it 5* is down to the fact I struggled to get into it initially.