Review: All I Know Now

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

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HELLO, FRIENDS! This week I've got a book written by one of my favourite online personalities--All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

For many, Carrie Hope Fletcher is already a familiar name. She's touched the hearts of thousands, through chilling performances as Eponine in Les Misérables, her quirky and charming YouTube videos, and her long-running blog entitled All I Know Now, rightfully earning her the title of everyone's honourary big sister.

Now, she's ready to conquer the literary world, as her ever popular blog becomes a work of published nonfiction. From dating to friendship, bullies to the ever-terrifying future, this 22-year-old offers advice as she reflects back on her own teen years, what she thought she knew, and all she knows now.

She may not know everything, but who really does?

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Another nonfiction book! Who'd have thought, eh?

I've been looking forward to this book for quite some time! I've been actively watching Carrie's videos for upwards of two years now, and she rarely disappoints! Her videos never fail to put a smile on my face and improve my mood immensely. So, needless to say, when I heard that her boundless energy was going into a book, I was extremely excited!

Confession time: I cheated a bit to get my hands on this book. It was released in the UK--and only the UK--in late April, whereas the North American release isn't scheduled until September. We all know that I suck at waiting, so waiting an extra four months while so many others were already displaying it proudly on their shelves simply wasn't gonna fly. So while my fellow North Americans lamented over the wait, I went on to the Book Depository and sneakily ordered my copy online.

(I'm sure some other people did this, as well. The UK-based, free-shipping-worldwide website isn't exactly a secret. But I felt sneaky nonetheless.)

Knowing ahead of time that it is an advice book, I went into it not expecting to find use in everything, and I was right. Like any advice, you should take what you need and leave the rest--I had no need for advice on friendship or how to deal with bullies. But even so, I genuinely believe that there's something in here for everybody--I, for one, rather enjoyed the section on following your dreams. Carrie has become somewhat of a role model for me, and hearing her advice and thoughts on a subject that is rather important to me was something to take inspiration from. 

So even though this is marketed towards teens, don't be afraid to pick this up if you're a "grown up". I'm sure you'll still enjoy it!

The only real issue that I had with this book was the chapter length. More often than not, I felt like the chapters were too small, and they felt too compact for my liking. I also thought a lot of them had rather abrupt endings; they could have used a couple extra closing thoughts before moving on to the next chapter.

Even so, Carrie's anecdotes were wonderful, and her narration style made it feel like I was reading transcripts from her actual videos--very natural and well done!

THE STAR-Y BIT

If you need a gift for a teen or young adult, this book is definitely the way to go! I give it a solid four stars.

Be sure to leave your own thoughts on this week's book in the comments below!

Until later,

- Justyne