Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Revival Review + MAJOR SPOILERS

If you haven't been living under a rock, then you probably know that last Friday, the highly-awaited revival to Gilmore Girls came out. The revival featured four mini movies, each representing a season in the year of 2016 for our beloved Gilmore Girls.

This show is my life, my soul, so just everyone else, I was anxiously awaiting to see what the last four words were. I finished the entire series in the day it premiered, and I just realized that I had so many feelings that I just needed to review it. So I'm sorry if this isn't book related, but I just need to vent, rant, and SCREAM over all the events.

Also, this review will contains TONS OF SPOILERS! It would not be worth whiting out that many spoilers, so I WILL NOT BE CENSORING THE SPOILERS! Everything is on the table here, so PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Lastly, this post will be LONG! I have a lot of feelings ok?!

Ok, so let's start with Winter:

Here, we've got the "pilot" to the series. We get to see what everyones been up to since 2008 when the series ended. Lorelai and Luke are living together, but un-married, Rory is splitting time between London and The States, with no permanent residence and picking up any journalism gig she can get. Sookie has abandoned the Independence Inn, Lane is living in one happy, musical family, Kirk is up to his usual antics. And Richard Gilmore has sadly passed away. Really, there weren't any major surprises here.

I really enjoyed this episode. I thought that it really set up the scene well, and everything seemed to have that usual Stars Hallow magic. I especially like how Richard's funeral was handled. Once again there was a major fight between Emily and Lorelai, because really, what else is new, and Richard's death seemed to be the spark that ignites this emotional rollercoaster of a year.

I really liked how all of the characters acted in this episode, except for Rory. I never liked Rory. I know, how can you love a show without liking the main character, but hear me out. Rory was little miss perfect. That town worshipped the ground she walked on and to be honest, if I lived in her town and was her age I'd be pretty pissed that she was basically the only teen anybody cared about. In the revival, not only was she incredibly all over the place, but she was a mistress to Logan!!!

Now this seriously ticked me off. Rory, first you broke up Dean and Lindsay by being the mistress, and now Logan of all people?! I freaking HATE Logan. He is a rich-entitled white boy who did not respect Rory or her family. And now she's friends with benefits with him??? That did not resonate well with me. Rory, get some morals, you can't get any boy you want.

I also didn't like how they portrayed Sookie as being the bad guy? I get that Melissa McCarthy couldn't find the time to join the revival until the end, but I wished she had a better reason for leaving the Inn! I missed Sookie and Loralei's friendship :(

Episode Rating: 4/5 stars

Spring:

In Spring, Lorelai and Emily are attending therapy, Rory is struggling to find work and still giving Logan the time of day. But Paris comes back and better than ever!

Paris was the saving grace for me in this episode! She was so hilarious at Chilton and I loved every one of her lines. She was basically the only funny part of this episode.

Everything else was pretty boring. There's a lot of Rory's career business with a lot of new characters, which was just really random. I also have a complaint about Luke as I've noticed throughout the two episodes. He lost most of his sarcasm!! He was a lot more dry and emotionless than the funny Luke we all know.

Lastly, WHERE IS DEAN AND JESS?! Logan is my least favourite boyfriend and why is he getting most of the screentime??? Give me Jess already!!

Episode Rating: 3/5 stars

Summer:

This episode was one emotional rollercoaster. Lorelai and Emily are once again fighting, as is Rory and Loralei towards the end of the episode. Lorelai finally realizes that she doesn't like where her life is going and so she decides to "do Wild". As in go on a spiritually moving hike to find herself. Also, Stars Hallow: The Musical is a thing???

This episode was kind of a let down. What was with the ten minutes worth of musical footage?? It was stupid and boring and not funny at all.

This episode was not that funny. It was may more philosophical and dramatic. However Jess finally comes back and has a heart to heart with Rory, which I found very sweet. I love you, Jess.

Episode Rating: 2/5 stars

Fall:

Finally the finale!! This episode was funny, sad, sweet and left me in a puddle of mess. Lorelai shares a heart to heart with her mother about her father, then goes back to Luke and he proposes. They're getting married!! Rory comes back to help the preparation. Also, Sookie comes back finally! And for such a short time too, but it was worth it.

One thing that did it for me in this episode was Dean. Dean and Rory's part was so CUTE and I loved how they were on good terms. Plus, that CORNSTARCH LINE! Ugh I love those two.

Jess was my sweet little cinnamon roll in this and I could not have felt more sorry for him. He was the one who pushed Rory to write her book and she barely gives him a glance. You could tell he still has feelings for her and I just :(((((

I loved how Luke and Lorelai's wedding was shown. The dancing montage, the decorations, the hat, everything was just perfect. I also loved that Kirk moment, I was a crying mess at this point.

Emily and Lorelai are finally on good terms. Emily moves to Nantucket to embrace a simpler life, and you can tell she's a lot happier. It was so sweet.

And finally, the last four words. With about 10 seconds left in the show, the four words are.....

"Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm pregnant."

AND THEN THE CREDITS ROLL! What the actual hell???? You do not end a series like that! This freaking MESSED ME UP AND LEFT ME WANTING SO MUCH MORE! I need more episodes, I need to see what happens! More importantly, WHY IS LOGAN THE FATHER??? Rory doesn't technically choose any of the boyfriends in the revival, but it is implied that Logan is the father since he is the only one she sleeps with. It PISSED ME OFF that once again, Logan reigns supreme. I hate those two together and I never will like Logan.

Overall, I understand the four words. I knew they were coming, I even predicted it throughout the show, but I hated Logan's position on it. Also I hated how it ended on a cliffhanger, no "10 years later" thing or anything to show me how this plays out. It was cruel to leave us hanging!

Episode Rating: 5/5 stars

Despite it's ups and downs I actuallly really liked the revival. It made me all happy inside to see all the characters again, although I was not happy with the ending. If anything, I was more happy with the original series ending, as I could have been happy not knowing that Logan fathered a child with Rory. This is the problem with revivals. They leave you hanging and then you're left with nothing. While there were some boring parts, I did like how *most* of the characters ended up and I can only wish that there will be some sort of update. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go rewatch the series.

Have you watched the Gilmore Girls revival? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

The Thanks U Give Blog Hop: Top 10 Reasons Why I'm Thankful for the Book Community!

I'm so excited to be participating in this week-long Thanksgiving inspired blog hop, hosted by Mishma @ Chasing Faerytales and Hazel @ Stay Bookish! Be sure to head on over to the masterpost and look at all the other posts happening this week! It's such a positive time :D There is also a giveaway going on so be sure to enter that at the end of this post!

Seeing as I'm Canadian, I actually celebrated Thanksgiving in October, but it's never too late to give thanks to my favourite group of people ever: The Book Community!

This isn't just for the people with blogs, this is a shoutout to all the booktubers, book tweeters, authors and just anyone on social media that shares the same love for books that I do. I love you all. So without further adieu, here are the top reasons why the book community is awesome, along with some amazing links to people/organizations/accounts in the book community that you should follow:

1. DIVERSITY! The book community is one of the most socially-aware fandoms out there. We are constantly calling out the bullsh*t, and we never fail to speak up to injustice! I am so thankful that people in this community are willing to make change.

Some awesome advocates for diversity:  Ava, Naz , Heidi , Nuzaifa 

2. THE HUMOUR! Seriously, the book community is hilarious. With witty tumblr posts, funny tweets about our favourite characters, the book community never fails with the bookish humour!

Some hilarious bloggers that'll brighten up your day: Tika, Alwyn, Jenny, Cait

3. THE AESTHETICS! Book aesthetic accounts are one of my favourite aspects of the book community. Seeing pretty little pictures of your favourite books and characters can be so satisfying!

Some great book aesthetic accounts: Character Aesthetics, All Caps Books, HP Aesthetics 

4. BOOKSTAGRAM! Bookstagram is definitely a talent, something that I don't have, but those who do are so appreciated! And oh-so-beautiful.

Some great bookstagram accounts: True Confessions of a Book Lover, Not Gary Cooper, Seelie Knight, Brown- Eyed Bookaholic

5. THE RAVEN CYCLE FANDOM! Getting specific here, I freaking love this fandom. I love how artsy it is, how diverse it is, and how we all agree that Reece King would be the perfect Ronan Lynch.

Some great Raven Cycle Fan Accounts: The Raven Queen, Trc Aesthetic, WikiTRC 

6. THE AUTHORS! Of course, where would we be without the people who started this all? I am so thankful to authors and all that they have given me.

Some of my favourite authors to follow: Sabaa Tahir, J.K. Rowling, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Rick Riordan

7. THE BLOGGERS! Of course, my heart will always hold a special place for the book bloggers. Thank you all for taking the time to craft quality, amazing and inspiring posts.

Some of my favourite book blogs: Veronika and Ruzaika, Charlotte, Denise, Geraldine, Mishma, Cee

8. THE BOOK EVENTS! When bookworms get together, chaos ensues. (but in a really good way.) Although I don't attend a lot of them, I am forever grateful for the opportunities for bookworms to come together and meet in real life.

Some great Book Events: BEA, Bookcon, Comic-Con

9. NERD-FEST! I love that I'm in a community that's so proud to be nerds! I love how we've established nerds as being a positive thing that we all proudly are.

Some of my favourite booknerds: Sierra, Em, Breanna, Brittany

10. WE HAVE EACH OTHER'S BACKS: No matter what, there is always someone to talk to in the book community. Thanks to time zones, there's someone to talk to at 5:00 in the morning, to 5:00 in the evening. People are always willing to listen, and it's like having thousands of best friends. And for that, I am so grateful.

And now for the giveaway! Harper Collins are generously giving away FOUR 2017 ARC's, so be sure to enter on The Masterpost

So thank you, thank you book community, for being awesome. I don't know what I'd do without you.

What are you thankful for?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Anatomy of Misfit by: Andrea Portes

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: September 2, 2014 by: Harper Children's
Pages: 336
Rating: 3/5 stars

From the outside, Anika is the most popular girl in school. She gets what she wants and would make any girl jealous. But on the inside, Anika's thoughts run wild, sometimes about imagination, but also about dark thoughts that would seem troubling. Anika is a full on misfit, but she keeps it hidden from the outside world. But when her former crush Logan comes back to town, Anika wonders if it's worth opening up to someone for love, or keeping everything concealed like she usually does.

I have been wanting to read this book for a while. I'm not sure what really appealed to me, but I just saw it everywhere but never actually picked it up until now. And to be honest, I was a little underwhelmed.

First things first, I really liked how Anika was the narrator of the story. It gave me a first hand look into her thoughts that was a lot stronger than if the author was the narrator. I felt like I was in her head, which was a really cool thing.

I definitely appreciated the mental health aspects of the book. It's very poignant and real, and could definitely relate to a lot of teenagers. I feel like a lot of teens, myself included, can keep some things hidden from the rest of the world, so I could really relate to Anika in some strong ways. Maybe not with her dark thoughts, but in many other ways.

But other than these aspects, this book kind of fell flat. I didn't enjoy the romance aspects, I thought that it was forced an unnecessary, and I think I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if it just dealt with Anika's mental health and her family life. Idk it just didn't click with me.

I also found it kind of hard to understand. There was so much slang from the 60's and 70's which would suggest that the book was from that time period, that I was just lost at times. The way Anika talked was just really odd that I couldn't follow at points.

So overall, good but not great. But I definitely don't like it when I've been anticipating reading a book for so long and I don't love it :(

Have you read Anatomy of a Misfit? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Paperback's Pondering's: It's Ok to be a Social Justice Warrior

I'm sure that due to recent events, you've all read your fair share of empowering, motivating, and uplifting blog posts. But I just wanted to share my thoughts on all of these issues, as well as remind everyone that it's ok to stand up for what you believe in, because I think that a lot of people are afraid of that.

First things first, to my US blog buddies, I am here for you, we are all here for you, and now is the time for you guys to get your voices heard. I'm sure you've heard this all before, but I just wanted to remind you that if you ever need someone to talk to, you've got a whole world of people that want to support you. Now, I want to talk about a growing issue not only in the book community, but in real life as well, and that is being afraid to stand up for the real issues.

I see it in my own school everyday. Feminism is known as the "F" word. You don't mention it, and nobody gets hurt. If someone makes a racist remark, you're kind of afraid, myself included, to speak up because it's "freedom of speech". In my class, being a social justice warrior is something to be ashamed of, something that should be made fun of, because it means that you're sensitive and get offended at everything. A guy in my class actually uses SJW as an insult.

Even in the book community, I've noticed a lot of people saying that when they post about diverse books they are unfollowed, or not followed as much anymore. Diverse books are usually the best books out there, so personally it baffles me that people actually would rather only follow cookie-cutter, white-washed books. Does that not get boring?

So I just wanted to make this post to finally remind myself, and other people, that it's ok to be a social justice warrior. It's not an insult, it doesn't mean that you get offended at everything, and it should be something to be proud of. I've spent a lot of time this year putting up with a lot of crap from other people in my school, but I'm finally ready to not be ashamed of speaking up. Because I know now that by not speaking up, I am apart of the problem and preventing the change from happening. I know that some people may seem so narrow minded that you won't be able to change them, but at least you know that you did the right thing. I keep telling myself that it will be hard, but it's part of the process.

So I will finally wear my SJW badge with pride and I hope that many will accept it as well. Because at the end of the day, an SJW is as simple as being kind. As my good friend Cee @ Diary of a Reading Addict says: just don't be a jerk ;)

Emily @ Paperback Princess

The Start of Me and You by: Emery Lord

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: March 31, 2015 by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 384
Rating: 4/5 stars

When Paige Hancock's boyfriend tragically died in a swimming accident, she thought that she would never love again. Now two years later and back at high school, Paige is determined to convince everyone that she is perfectly fine, so she decides to try and get her long-time crush Ryan to like her. But when Ryan's cute, nerdy cousin Max comes to town, Paige builds up a friendship with him, and she will need to learn whether it's worth holding onto the past, or looking towards the future.

I really, really liked the concept of the book. I'll admit when I first read the synopsis, I was a bit dubious. I thought that Paige would be really annoying and pushy, and that the plot would be boring and unoriginal, but what I got was a really sweet story about love and loss. It was really quite cute.

I actually really liked the characters in this book. I think in contemporaries the characters are usually hit or miss, but here they were definitely very well-rounded and likable. Paige seemed very relatable and not at all flat or boring, and Max was so incredibly cute! He was so kind and fun and really seemed like my dream type of guy. This book is definitely fluffy.

I really liked the concept of this as well. You would think that it would be very sad and dark, but it was actually very uplifting. You don't usually think about how a person gets back into the dating game after the loss of a partner, so I think that this book brought a unique take on a really sad issue. I think it could have been very motivating for people going through the same issue.

I guess the only thing I didn't like about this book was the stereotypical nerd/hot guy trope. I think because Max was nerdy and Ryan was the hot jock, it took Paige a long time to give Max the time of day, which kind of annoyed me. Why is there the stereotype that nerds are less attractive than jocks? this is coming from a fellow nerd.

Overall, I really liked this! It was cute and unique and also very easy to get through. Definitely a great contemporary read. Although watch out for stereotypes.

Have you read The Start of Me and You? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

What I Learnt from NaNoWriMo Last Year

NaNoWriMo. It could be every writer's favourite time of the year, or their worst nightmare. For me it was kind of in the middle, so I decided to make this post offering some (hopefully helpful) tips to all those participating this year, and my overall thoughts on the program.

Now I am no NaNo veteran, I only participated last year, but my experience is still pretty vivid that I thought it was worth telling. For starters, it was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. For me, I just thought that I would definitely be able to finish way before November ended and that I wouldn't need to prepare. Boy was I wrong! I went in with no rhyme or reason to my story whatsoever, that I suffered about five boughts of writer's block and left so many plot holes. I would advise, DO SOME PLANNING! Definitely sort your story out.

I also was kind of intimidated by it? I saw all of these older 20-something people on the website that were on their fourth year participating, all with published books and projects, and I just missed my teen blog buddies more than ever. I didn't really find any YA writers to connect with, which left me kind of overwhelmed, so I would say to definitely go out of your way to find other people participating that you're comfortable with talking to, it makes the experience a whole lot more enjoyable.

It seems like I'm making it out to look like I hated most of it, but I actually really took a lot of positive things from it! It's such a great motivator to look at your word count, update your progress, and meet your goal. If you're someone like me who is completely unmotivated all the time, setting a goal on a website like this really helps you to sit your ass down and write!

Once you complete your goal, you also get a lot of cool perks that make the hard work really worth it. You get all of these discounts on publishing websites, plus t-shirts, a certificate and more! Again, if you like the idea of rewards for your accomplishments, this really keeps you going.

Overall NaNoWriMo is a great way for you to practice your writing. It's an amazing tool for aspiring writers to complete a challenge, and kickstart their careers through publishing perks. However it was very overwhelming for me and also quite stressful, that for me, I definitely needed a year's break. However if you're up for the challenge, it can really pay off.

Have you participated in NaNoWriMo? What did you think about it?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Since You've Been Gone by: Morgan Matson

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: May 6, 2014 by: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 449
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Emily's best friend Sloane brought her out of her shell and into the light. However what was supposed to be the summer of a lifetime for the girls turns sour when Sloane mysteriously disappears. The weird thing is, Sloane left Emily a list of things to do while Sloane was gone. Determined to find her friend, Emily embarks on the journey of a lifetime, finally surviving life without Sloane, and going after her longtime crush Frank Porter.

This was a very good summer read. I guess this review comes a bit late since it's November, but hopefully you'll get the summer vibes from it. Overall this book was a good, easy read for on the beach or something, but I wouldn't say that it was anything special.

I really liked the vibes from this book. The atmosphere was really nice, and while reading this in the summertime, I could really imagine that I was in the character's place. This book was very bright and happy and definitely puts you in a good mood.

I would say that this book is easy to get through. It is kind of long for a contemporary book, but it's still very easy to read and understand and the story is interesting. It will keep you entertained on a beach or on a long road trip, that's for sure.

I guess this book just didn't "wow" me. It was nothing that I hadn't seen before, and the character's weren't really that exciting or diverse. They were just your typical white teenage girls, which kind of bothered me. I would have liked a POC in there or something.

So I guess if you want to read this book, read this in the summertime when you just want something to get you through the hot days, but don't really expect to be amazed. And definitely don't read this if you're expecting something diverse.

Have you read Since You've Been Gone? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess