Book Corner | Ask Elizabeth by Elizabeth Berkley

Rating: 4/5
Pages: 240

Ask Elizabeth is a survival guide for what is primarily aimed at girls but I believe is relatable for any teenager struggling to well... be a teenager. Elizabeth Berkley is most well known for her role as Jessie is Saved By The Bell.
This book is comprised of anecdotes, facts from experts and stories from Elizabeth herself. It focuses on a wide range of topics such as bullying, body confidence and dealing with death.

Overall I feel this book would benefit most from teens who are at school such as 12-16 as I feel this is the time you most struggle with your feelings and dealing with stress as a teenager. I felt despite the fact that there were stories from girls my age (18) I didn't benefit from some of the topics as I have already gone through school and the experiences that come with it.

As you can see from these pictures the book is laid out like a scrapbook and really gives the feeling of opening a diary or girls survival guide. As novel as this is at times it did make it hard to read some of the stories due to the fonts used which were made to look like handwriting. In the picture above and below you can see pink writing which is Elizabeths on notes and opinions on a subject or story which was a nice personal touch. However due to the ever changing fonts it made it hard to know when Elizabeth was speaking and I feel it would of been easier for all her text to be in one font or colour.

Despite feeling that I couldn't relate to certain subjects anymore such as loosing friends and dealing with bullies I did feel that there was advice on subjects that I could use in years to come. No doubt there will be a breakup that I'll need to get over or a passing of a family member that I'll have to grieve for and I know that I can come to this book to see how other girls have dealt with these situations.

I feel that this book really reminds you that you're not alone in what you're feeling and that many other girls and even boys share the same experiences. I feel this would be a lovely book to give a niece, daughter or younger sister to help them with the struggles of puberty and ultimately being a teenager in such a modern society. 

Over on my YouTube page I've filmed a review on Ask Elizabeth which you can see below.

Until next time, Sophie x

A Book Review | Just Between Us by Mario Lopez

Pages: 272
Rating:3/5

For Christmas I received Mario Lopez's autobiography "Just Between Us" and this month I finished it and therefor wanted to review it. Firstly I'll start off by saying I'm a huge fan of Mario and Saved By The Bell and he even replied to my tweet on twitter! Major fangirl moment. 

I found this book to be a very quick read and it was nice to read an autobiography that was so recently written.

Mario's book follows him from growing up in southern California to being on Saved By The Bell and then to the present day and having his two children. 

I found it interesting to read about how Mario was expected to die as a baby yet his dad took him to Mexico to see a witch doctor and subsequently survived defying doctors opinions. It was intriguing to read about such an experience and how sometimes out of the ordinary remedies can work.

I found that Mario was extremely open about his life which I find admirable and shows that he was really willing to put everything into this book. Two events in particular show this the first being when Mario got a girl pregnant at quite a young age. Even though he knew they were probably too young to have a child Mario was willing to stop his acting jobs and get a "proper job" to help support this girl and their baby. He knew either way that it was the girls decision to abort the baby or not and he was about to fully stand behind her whatever her decision, (Spoiler she had it aborted). The second event was when Mario invested $60k into a bar business in Mexico that eventually was unsuccessful and a waste of money. However despite these two things happening Mario has always taken responsibility for his actions and he seems very down earth because of it. 

One part of Mario's life that I did want to hear more about was his time on Saved By The Bell. I was intrigued to find out about the shows schedule (which we did) but also about the cast dynamics and the gossip that went on around set. We did hear a little about what Mario thought of his cast mates and lifelong friends however we of course can't ask for more than what he has written. 

I found myself enjoying the book more towards the end when the events he were talking about were more recent including his time on Extra, interviewing celebrities and meeting his future wife. In particular it was interesting to read about the struggle they faced to have their children and how happy he seems to now be a father.

Overall I gave this book 3/5 stars on my Goodreads page which you can see here. I found it one of the better autobiography's to read and is a nice light read. Like I said I would of liked to hear more about his time on SBTB and all the gossip from his interviews but it was also nice to hear how he got to that stage in his life and how he still values his Mexican roots.

That's all for today's post so until next time pick up a book and read! Sophie x