Hey everyone!
I’m Alana, and as part of the CHÁE Media team, I’m going to be providing you guys with some book reviews/recommendations so you can find your next read.
The first book we are starting with is While You Were Reading by Ali Burg and Michelle Kalus. This book is definitely for the book lovers who also love a bit of romance, and while romance is a main part of the book, there is so much more praise for the love of books than anything else, and how books can influence our lives and decisions in a variety of ways.
But onto what the book is about. While You Were Reading is set in Australia and focuses on 29 year old Beatrix “Bea” Babbage, who moves across the country for a new start after accidentally ruining her best-friends wedding. *insert grimacing face emoji here*
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Since moving, her life quickly becomes boring as she follows the same routine day-in-day-out. And along with that, romance pretty much doesn’t exist. But one day Bea finds a second-hand novel with all sorts of inscriptions across the many pages, which makes her determined to find the author and starts an instagram page to do so, and somehow manages to get caught up in a major love quadrangle.
Now, enough about the book before I accidentally spoil the ending. But one thing i absolutely loved about this book is the way Bea’s connection to the words written in the book she has found, impacts her life, almost in the same way a particular quote can resonate with someone.
I also loved the way in which the authors have shown that perfection is only a standard set-by society that is not achievable by anyone, and the true value friendship holds in our everyday lives, and how that as a result makes us who we are.
One exciting thing is that in the novel, Bea creates an event called “The Next Chapter” which is essentially speed-dating for books - where you go to the event, bring along your favourite book and have one minute to pitch the book to other people at the event - which the authors have now made into a real life event.
Overall I would give this book 5/5 stars!
Let me know if you’ve read it, or are checking out the book by tagging me via my social media handles below:
Twitter: im_alana_
Instagram: lanabooks_
Hope you enjoy!
Alana