LIFESTYLE // Steering the Stars: Autumn Doughton and Erica Cope

Hello! How are we all doing?

Have you ever waited for a book with such anticipation that you put all of your deadlines behind reading said book even though they were actually incredibly important, and you were VERY likely to regret it a week down the line? Yep, me too - with this book. I have just adored all of Autumn's books so far and could not wait to get my hands on a copy. Fortunately, she had a few copies to give away before the official release and I managed to get my mitts on one (Thanks Autumn!) Either way, it's just £2 on Amazon so you might as well go buy it now - who needs to read a review anyway!

In short - I loved this book. I was in Canada at the time and could not relate to this book more. All of my friends were back in the UK, finishing off their degrees, whilst I was thousands of miles away and unable to be involved in their lives as much as I wanted to. I missed their breakdowns, gossip, exciting news and, if anything, their company. It's hard enough to keep in touch when you are in different cities without throwing a time difference in the mix.

Anyway - both lead characters, Hannah and Caroline, were utterly lovely. They had their moments but they were genuinely nice characters. They weren't overly angsty or stupid or infuriating like some characters in NA novels. Their friendship was so beautifully written. It was so realistic. Best friends have small fights but the point (in my opinion) of  a best friend is that you will always forgive each other. We all have our off days. We all need to be told we're wrong sometimes.

More importantly, we need to step out of our comfort zones. That is such a strong theme in this book but it is so true! Whether that is moving to university, talking to that guy, taking more shifts at work, starting a blog, meeting new people - you need to do something new. It's great to meet new people and try new things and this book (for me anyway) is that gentle bit of encouragement.

Overall, this book is wonderfully written with characters that are realistic in very believable situations. Yep, you heard it here folks - none of this vampire/undead/fantasy business here! Yes, there's sadness and romance but that's really not the point of the book. First and foremost, this book is about friendship and it made me really miss my friends. I haven't read any of Erica's work but I have added a few of her books to my reading list (they do seem to be a bit more fantasy based by the looks of it fyi).

Have you read Steering the Stars or any work from Autumn Doughton or Erica Cope? Let me know!

Steering the Stars is available on Kindle and paperback via Amazon for £2.00 here.