Friendsfest 2016 is the place to be if you love Friends. Myself and my friends truly do. (I feel like I've already said friends too many times, bear with me on this one...) So naturally Haggerston Park Friendsfest was our destination on the 26th August. For £25 each, we were invited to visit the sets of Monica's apartment, Joey and Chandler's living room and Central Perk itself. No one who knows that Ross and Rachel were on a break and that Joey doesn't share food would be able to say no. Here's a sort of picture diary of what we got up to.

Our first point of call was our tour of Monica's apartment. In true Friends style, we were invited to take a seat on the couch and re-create the title sequence. We tried our best to think of something hilarious, but instead opted for the casual ladylike look...

Walking into Monica's apartment was surreal. We managed to take a photo in pretty much every corner of the apartment (the staff must have been sick of us by the end!) But hey, when in Monica's apartment! I couldn't help but notice how small it was compared to how it looked on screen. Even in our photos it looks huge! I also loved that we were actively encouraged to touch everything, sit at the kitchen table and on the sofa. I even looked for ugly naked guy out of the window, but alas, he didn't come in the ticket price...

Joey and Chandler's apartment was next on our list. Their living room was created for us to enjoy, including two super comfy lazy boy armchairs. We didn't get too many pictures here, purely because we were having too much of a good time. Here's one of us all goofing around in Joey and Chandler's canoe though...

Just a yellow taxi ride away was Central Perk, home to Rachel's questionable waitressing skills and Phoebe's inaugural performance of Smelly Cat. It didn't take us long to feel right at home and land ourselves a part time job... 

We all then got the chance to pose with an artfully placed cup of Central Perk coffee. I've heard that its the best coffee in New York... Someone was also singing a beautifully out of tune rendition of Smelly Cat, which definitely added to the Friends atmosphere!

Friendsfest didn't just offer tours around sets and unique photo opportunities. No! On the hottest day of the year we were also treated to reclining deckchairs, parasols and stage entertainment. Comedy Central were playing the best bits from the TV show throughout the day, along with hosting competitions and games for us all to enjoy. I'm pretty sure we spent 3 hours reclined, eating 'Mockolate' waffles and crepes, chatting and singing Smelly Cat. We also took part in a silent disco, hosted by Joanne Joanne and Right Said Ted (*cringe*) from MTV Tracks. They taught us how to dance Ross and Monica's club dance. I'm pretty sure we all looked silly, but I'm going to crack that dance out at every wedding... 

Our Friendsfest came to a close at about 6:30pm when we realised that we probably should start to make our way back to Kings Cross. If Friends has a special place in your heart, I'd 100% recommend that you experience what Friendsfest has to offer. Friendsfest 2016 is completely sold out, but 2017 isn't that far away! 

“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” 

This book was kindly given to me by Headline publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I'm in a bit of a limbo at the moment in terms of reading. Sometimes exploring new corners of the world every day via non-fiction leaves me tired and restless, so I love to reach for a cosy YA from time to time. They put me at ease whilst reminding me of my hectic A Level days and downright obsession with John Green's novels. Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick was offered to me by Netgalley at just the right time; my holiday was over, I needed something to occupy my nights again. For just under 24 hours, I became immersed into the world of Nanette O Hare. 

Matthew Quick's writing style is fresh and conversational, it truly felt like I was reading a long letter from a well-loved friend. A well-loved friend who was struggling with their identity. At the end of her high school career, Nanette O Hare feels suffocated by her success. She's a renowned football player, with colleges fighting over the right to give her a full college scholarship. She's a good student. She's a high achiever. But Nanette no longer wants to be one of those things. She wants to be herself. After reading The Bubblegum Reaper, Nanette decides to change her identity. She doesn't fit in. Every Exquisite Thing follows her downward spiral, her mistakes, triumphs and lessons learnt about the adult world she is about to enter.

Quick's writing forte seems to be removing the stigmas surrounding mental illness but also shedding light on the realities. Nanette is flawed, flawed beyond belief. She's short-sighted in her thinking, insecure, naive, all too trusting whilst not trusting enough, obsessed with fantasy etc etc. Every Exquisite Thing would have no purpose without these flaws. Who wants to read about a girl whose got her life together and has no obstacles in her way? 

Death, loss, separation, disappointment and love all bear down heavily on Nanette and co. Yet there's glimmers of hope throughout Every Exquisite Thing that echo real life. Yes the ending of a story may not be exactly what you expected, but sometimes a hint of the unexpected is whats needed to change your identity and in turn your life.

“In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your pain. To suffer is as human as to breathe.” 

Much like every other person born in the 90s, I was bouncing off the walls on July 31st. Why? The eighth installment of the Harry Potter franchise hit bookshelves, coinciding with it's official opening night in the West End. Boy oh boy, was I excited. Resigned to the fact that I would have to sell an organ in order to buy a ticket to see the Cursed Child live, £10 on a hardback copy of the script was the next best thing. If you haven't already guessed, The Cursed Child was (in my eyes) the perfect end to the Harry Potter series, an end that was full of surprises. Surprises I promise not to spoil during this review!

I suppose we should first acknowledge the elephant in the room, JK Rowling did not write the script, she simply provided the original story which Jack Thorne magicked into a play. Some readers have argued that the play is therefore not truly Harry Potter at all, but simply inspired by the series. That's simply not the case in my eyes. An original story written by Rowling herself is good enough for me, especially as parts of the play contains dialogue directly lifted from previous books and films. There is certainly a clear continuation of story-line and in some respects writing style.

I'm not going to detail the story to you, as I'm very aware that there are some of you waiting to read the book/see the play for yourselves on stage. However, I can tell you now that it involves Harry and Draco's children, Cedric Diggory and Hogwarts. Vague enough for you? There are some huge surprises at every turn, but I was most impressed with the character development. Harry, Ron, Hermionie, Ginny and Draco all appear as adults - they have children, responsibilities, fears. They're simultaneously exactly as we left them after the Battle of Hogwarts, and completely different. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ticked all the boxes for me. The story made sense, the characters were exactly as I imagined they would be 19 years on, and the constant throwbacks to pre- Battle of Hogwarts events were the icing on the cake. If you've travelled beside Harry and friends for all these years, it would be a shame for you not to pick this up and complete your journey.

Beth x

Hands up if you love Instagram. Yep, that's nearly all of you. I'm not surprised. Over 400 million people a month use Instagram, accumulating 3.5 billion likes and sharing 80 million snaps a day. That's basically everyone right? I love to share little snapshots of my life on Instagram, but its also a goldmine of creative inspiration. Blog photography, motivational quotes, beautifully crafted themes and stunning cityscapes all fuel my creative side. Here are a few Instagram accounts I love to scroll through All. The. Time.

@meowitslucy - Lucy Moon

I have such a soft spot for Youtuber and general all round gem Lucy Moon. She's just graduated with a 2:1 in History, loves succulents and speaks so candidly about mental health, equality, gender, sexuality, just everything. Her Instagram is a direct representation of the above. I love her artsy, edgy London shots, beautifully posed outfit selfies, and candid photography. Her theme is a perfect mix of mottled greys, greens, maroons - all the autumnal colours I adore. If I could take shots of London that are half as good as her, I'd be over the moon.

@ivonnespinoza - Ivonne Spinoza

Ivonne is a fairly recent follow for me, but I'm obsessed with her creative mind. I'm constantly referring to her flatlay pics for blog inspiration and simply cannot get enough of her motivational calligraphy posts. 

@marvellous.reads - Becca

I have serious bookshelf envy whenever I step into the world of Marvellous Reads. Becca's a fairly new kid on the bookstagram front, and she's certainly my favourite. I love her daily reading updates, her bookshelf tours and her love of classics. She makes me want to read more and drain my bank account in Waterstones.

@curlyandwordy - Bethany Austin

Bethany makes the everyday look beautiful in her posts. A rainy day inside? Brunch and blankets are the answer. Fancy an ice cream, Bethany will carefully cover a Mr Whippy cone in marshmallows, find the perfect lighting, and take that perfect shot. Her pastel theme is beautiful. You should check out her account and flick through her blog Curly and Wordy pronto. If you don't find inspiration here, then I can't help you! 

Beth x