July 2026 reading round up

July is my birthday month, and while I didn't get any books for my birthday (shock horror!) I still read a fair few. Without further ado, here they are with quickfire reviews and ratings...

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones

This was a free audibook I listened to, and it was fine - one of those domestic thrillers where somebody turns up claiming to be a family member, and everyone is left to unravel the truth of the situation before danger hits. It was fine, nothing spectacular but a good listen! 4 stars from me.

Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent

I absolutely love Lizzy Dent and have read all of her previous books, and as a big F1 fan I was really looking forward to this. I do think it might be time for me to just admit I can't read F1 romances - because there are always so many things that just don't add up when you actually know and love the sport. But that aside, this is a really cute and fun romance read for sure. 3 stars!

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

I decided on a whim to start Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters series and as you'll see, I've been flying through them. For context, this is an epic series following a group of sisters who were individually adopted by a wealthy, mysterious man named Pa Salt. When he dies, he leaves each of the women a letter with a clue to their birth heritage. Each book is a split timeline, between the sister in question and someone from history with a strong link to them - so we follow two stories in each book.

Book one follows Maia, the oldest sister, as she discovers the death of Pa Salt and sets up the initial story for us. Her letter leads her to Brazil, and we see her story play out alongside that of a young woman called Izabela in the 1920s. This story is told to Maia by her biological grandmother, who she finally finds, and it's a fascinating tale that takes place in both Rio and Paris. 

Overall I think this is a great opening to the series and it really drew me in; the series as a whole is not without problematic characters/descriptions etc and you do have to really suspend your belief while reading, as the whole thing is a bit odd, but I enjoyed it a lot. I gave this one four stars!

The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley

Book number two follows Ally, the second oldest sister - who was out on a yacht when Pa Salt died, and comes back to the family home to get her letter and begin her own journey to finding out her heritage. Ally's story, marred by tragedy, takes her to Norway; here she learns the story of a young singer called Anna, which takes place 100 years ago and is linked to Ally's own heritage. At this point I started to realise how formulaic the books would be, but that's fine - they're just whimsical historical stories, and not everyone in them is good. But again it was an enjoyable read and I was still keen to continue the series! 4 stars for this one.

The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley

I was racing through the series at this point and book three was no exception; this one follows Star, a really meek sister who is joined at the hip with CeCe of book four. The two are living in London, and Star's letter from Pa Salt directs her to an old bookshop in the city - here she meets a man called Orlando, and learns about a family history that goes back to the Edwardian times. The historical portion of this book follows Flora, thrust into London society when she least expected it, which sets off a chain of events that really change the course of history quite a bit. I absolutely adored Flora and her story - Star's side of things, not so much... overall I also gave this one 4 stars!

It should be said that in all of the books in The Seven Sisters series, the characters make really quite dreadful decisions when it comes to love and loyalty, at least in a romantic sense. You'll find a lot of reviews on Goodreads that will criticise the unlikeability of the characters, and honestly this is mostly true, but something about the series just really has me hooked.

The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley

Book four was one I really wasn't looking forward to, as everything I'd seen of CeCe in the previous three books was just not doing anything for me. However, I was surprised to find myself really loving this one and I thought her character development was much better than most of the other sisters'. CeCe drops out of art college and heads to Sydney to follow her letter from Pa Salt; en route, she has a strange affair with a mysterious man, which isn't really relevant, but once in Aus she begins to learn about her heritage. The historical story, set 100 years earlier, follows Kitty - a clergyman's daughter who also ventures to Auatralia, where she marries the heir of a pearling company, and rallies against the mistreatment of Aboriginals. This history trickles down to CeCe herself and honestly I adored both halves of this story - I gave it 5 stars.

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

I listened to this as an audiobook, and as always with Lisa Jewell I thoroughly enjoyed it. We follow Jane, who finds a missing dog in her garden which leads her on a whirlwind amateur investigation into a missing girl, a creepy man, and a story that ties back to her own youth. It has a dual timeline, and a LOT of characters, but it's a really interesting plot and a great book.

The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley

Back into The Seven Sisters with book five, which follows the second youngest sister: Tiggy. Working on an estate in the Scottish Highlands, Tiggy is very spiritual and after a near miss with death decides to head to Granada - which is where the historic portion of the story starts, following a younger dancer named Lucia in the poor gypsy community who live in cave houses in the hills. Lucia grows up to be insufferable, but her family is intertwined with Tiggy's story and overall the historic side of this book is still quite interesting. It was my least favourite of the series so far, and I gave it 3.5 stars.

One element that's really common in this series is infidelity; as I said earlier, the characters throughout do make a lot of poor decisions when it comes to love. There is also another really random recurring character called Zed who has featured in a few of the stories (though not all) so far, who is a creep and an awful man, and will presumably become more relevant later down the line - if not, it's been an entirely pointless addition!

The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley

The sixth book in the series follows superstar/addict Electra in NYC as she makes a series of terrible decisions (shock) and ultimately takes herself off to rehab, which is the making of her. This is interwoven with a historic story about a society girl called Cecily who heads to Kenya with her godmother in 1939 as the world is on the cusp of war - and honestly, I really enjoyed both the present day AND the past elements of this particular book, which made me happy. This was also the only one so far to make me cry and I gave it 4.5 stars!

As always, the characters do things that are totally unrealistic, but it is what it is. And there's a huge twist in this one at the end which had me so excited to read the next book.

Broken Rival by Tessa Bailey

I adore Tessa Bailey for her rom coms and sports romances - and this is completely different, but still fantastic. It's a sci-fi romance about a young girl who's parents figured out time travel and got in a LOT of trouble over it, so she's stuck in the wrong time and dealing with the consequences. When something tragic happens to the boy she loves, she finds herself trying to travel back in time to fix things - with very unexpected events along the way... I really really enjoyed this, it's a great concept and as always has excellent spice but a lot of plot. 5 stars!

The Nile Cruise by Caroline James

It's always been my dream to go on a Nile cruise, but alas - reading about it is as close as I'll get for now. This was a really strange book in all honesty, featuring a private detective who takes some time off to go on a Nile cruise, where she meets a whole cast of fascinating characters and takes plenty of inspiration from her favourite author Agatha Christie. This is definitely character-driven rather than plot driven, and overall it's just quite a sweet and charming book. Not for me, but has great reviews! 3 stars.

That was such a long blog post, as honestly there is so much to say about The Seven Sisters series - I might even write a full blog post once I've finished the whole series, just to get all of my thoughts out properly. Anyway, onto August...

B&B HOTEL Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe | Review

Earlier this month I went to Paris for two nights, combining a Disneyland Paris visit with a day exploring the city itself. We booked through easyJet Holidays and stayed at B&B HOTEL Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe - so how was it?

B&B HOTEL Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe: location

The hotel is located in Serris, and it's in quite an empty area which really just has other hotels, apartments and housing. It is, however, well connected when it comes to access Marne-la-Vallée, the Val d'Europe shopping mall, and of course Disneyland Paris itself. The drive from CDG airport took around 40 mins, and it didn't take long to get to Disney either. On our non-Disney day we got an Uber up to Montmartre, which would have taken ages on public transport but was just under an hour by car.

Getting from B&B HOTEL Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe to Disneyland Paris

We decided to get the bus to Disneyland; it was about a 4-5 minute walk from the hotel to the bus stop, and we got the 2231 bus which took around 15 minutes. The bus tickets cost €2.10 per person and we used the RATP app, where I could buy both of our tickets using one device. It stops a couple of times along the way, and mostly seemed to be picking up Disneyland Paris cast members!

We'd planned to get the bus back at the end of the day too, but by this point we were absolutely dead on our feet and ended up falling into the first taxi we saw as we left the park. This cost €20 and took around 10 minutes door to door.

Amenities at B&B HOTEL Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe

We'd booked a double room without breakfast; we checked in and were given a code for our door rather than a key, which was interesting but worked without a hitch. The room had a double bed, TV, USB plugs as well as normal sockets, free WiFi, a desk, full length mirror, and space to hang clothes. There was also a bathroom with toilet, sink and a decent shower. Our room also had air con (something which was definitely necessary given the Paris heatwaves this summer...) and a hair dryer; reception is available 24h a day and there is secure private parking on site too. B&B HOTEL Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe is pet friendly, too.

Downstairs there's vending machines with soft drinks, coffee and snacks - and breakfast, if you book it, is an unlimited buffet. Breakfast is €13.90 per adult, FYI!

B&B HOTEL Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe - our thoughts

All in all, I was really happy with our choice of Disneyland Paris hotel - we stayed two nights here, the night before and the night after our day in the parks. The rooms were clean, fresh and spacious with comfortable beds and everything we needed for somewhere to literally lay our heads in between activities. The location is handy for a Disney trip, though I wouldn't stay here if I wasn't visiting Disneyland as it is of course quite out of the way of Paris city centre. Of course, there is no Disney theming like you'd get with Disney's own hotels but for us this really didn't matter at all.

If you want to know the full cost breakdown for our one day Disneyland Paris trip, I've shared it here!

How much does one day in Disneyland Paris cost?

I've not long got back from a weekend in Paris to celebrate my birthday, and this included one day in Disneyland Paris! I thought I'd break down the cost as best I can, so you know exactly how much one day in Disneyland Paris costs...

Getting there

As we live "up North" and don't drive, the ferry/eurostar don't really work for us. We flew with easyJet, and this was part of one of their easyJet Holidays package breaks. For our flights and two nights in a Val d'Europe hotel, we paid £562.40 - a £120 deposit, and then the balance one month before travel.

This included small under seat cabin bags (I always use this one for a hand luggage only trip) and seats together, and our hotel was room only basis. We then got a private transfer from CDG airport to our hotel, which was kindly offered to me in exchange for some social media content, but would cost €70. You can do public transport, of course, which would have been our plan had we landed earlier - but our flight got in after 10pm, so the train was a no-go. Uber & Bolt are other really popular ways of getting from CDG airport to Disneyland Paris and surrounding areas!

Our transfer was with Disneycab who were just brilliant; our flight was delayed slightly on the way out, but they had our flight details so it was no problem at all. They met us at arrivals with a sign that had my name on it, and then it was just a 5 minute walk to the lovely, comfortable, spacious minivan. The van had twinkly lights in the ceiling bringing some instant magic to our trip, plenty of bottles of water for us, and they played Frozen on the TV in the back so we could get ourselves in the mood! Our driver was lovely and dropped us right at the door of the hotel, and I would book with Disneycab again in a heartbeat if we went back as the process was so smooth.

Disneyland Paris tickets

I booked our Disneyland Paris tickets through AttractionTix which was really easy and the best price I found; our park day was a Saturday in the summer, and we paid £103.69 per person for a one day, two park ticket. These came directly to my email, and I was able to link them to the free Disneyland Paris app so we were good to go on the day!

Getting around

To get from our hotel in Val d'Europe to Disneyland Paris we got the bus, which was €2.05 per person and only took around 20 mins - it was so easy and we used the Bonjour RATP app. We'd planned on getting the bus back at the end of the day too, but by this point we were so tired we just rolled into a taxi just outside the entrance. It was €30 to get back to the hotel, which we were honestly happy to pay.

Food and drink at Disneyland Paris

I hadn't booked breakfast at the hotel as I knew we'd be up and out early, and when we arrived at Disneyland the only thing really open was the McDonalds. I'd actually say avoid it like the plague as the service was dreadful, but that's another story. Throughout the day we bought plenty of soft drinks and a couple of waters, as well as a sandwich, a hot dog, an ice cream, a cookie, some crisps and a beignet. This totalled €80 which was roughly what I'd expected to be spending on food and drink!

I also bought a keyring and a magnet, which came to around €12. I was very restrained when it came to buying merch, if I do say so myself...

Our total spend for one day in Disneyland Paris was £965.78, and I have included the private airport transfer in that. Is it a lot of money? Yes, absolutely, but you only turn 31 once! And of course we spent an additional day in Paris, so the cost of the package holiday itself wasn't just about Disney. I'm tracking everything I spend on travel in 2026 as a travel blogger if you're interested in seeing that...

June 2026 reading round up

I was really suffering with my ongoing migraines during June, so the month got off to a bad start reading wise - but then we had a fair bit of travel going on, so I managed to make up for it! Without further ado, here are all the books I read in June with quickfire reviews and star ratings...

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

I honestly don't know why I continue to put myself through it, but Freida's books always pop up in my recommendations on Spotify so I do tend to listen to them on walks, while I'm doing housework etc. This was honestly one of her weirder books, just so slow paced and the twist was SO late on, I was just bored by this point. 3 stars.

Blocked Shot by Rachel Anthony

I had this as an ARC from NetGalley but I'd obviously left it lingering on my kindle for a hot minute because this is already published; I read it start to finish in one 3 hour sitting, so I clearly very much enjoyed it! A sweet but spicy hockey romance, with my only gripe being that I felt like I didn't get to know any of the characters quite well enough... 4 stars!

Lies by T M Logan

I love a T M Logan thriller and I listened to this as an audiobook when I was really struggling to physically read; the plot felt very familiar to me, so I'm not sure if I've read it before (?!) but overall I enjoyed this. It's a domestic thriller about a man who follows his wife into a hotel car park, and ends up in an altercation with one of their family friends who disappears soon after. It's a race against time to figure out the truth behind what's actually going on... 4 stars from me.

The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver

This was our book club pick for June, and I read it with a day to spare - it was a bit of a slog as it has a LOT of technical jargon in it. It's the first in a (very long) series featuring quadriplegic ex-forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme, who is sick of living but gets roped into helping with a serial kidnapper/killer causing havoc in NYC. It's a twisty case and a very interesting one, but I really did struggle with how detailed (though very cleverly written) this was. I will probably continue the series at some point but for now, 3 stars for this one.

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware

I picked this up at a lovely little independent book shop I had a voucher for (West Kirby Books) as I love Ruth Ware's books - this was no exception! A really enjoyable mystery thriller, following on from The Woman in Cabin 10. We're following travel journalist Lo, still reeling from the trauma of the first story, as she heads to a luxury hotel to hopefully write a profile on the businessman behind it all - there, she runs into a bunch of people from book one, including the woman who had put her in grave danger but also save her life. Now planning an escape of her own, Lo ends up helping her - but at what cost to her own safety and freedom? Very well written and an all round really good read, with great pace and some surprising twists! I gave it 4 stars.

And that's all I read in June; a slow month for me, but I'm at 52 books for 2026 so far, so ahead of schedule for hitting my 100 books this year!

Food on board the Marella Explorer 2 (May 2026)

I'm recently back off my fifth cruise, this time on board the Marella Explorer 2, and I thought it would be worth talking about all of the food we ate on the ship - the great, the good, and the not so fantastic! Without further ado, here's our thoughts on the all inclusive food on Marella Explorer 2...

Marketplace - the buffet on Marella Explorer 2

Every ship has a buffet, and on Ex2 this is Marketplace on Deck 11. We had breakfast here every day, lunch and dinner a couple of times, and I even went for afternoon tea one day! Honestly, we couldn't fault the buffet at all. The food was always plentiful, hot and varied; for breakfast there was an omelette station, sausages, bacon, different types of eggs, hash browns, pastries, fruit and more. At lunch there would be salad, pizza, hot options, a carved meat, ice cream, beer & wine, desserts, chips... everything you could want! Dinner was usually very similar to lunchtime but with a themed option too like Greek, American or tapas - and of course, beer/wine on tap, delicious desserts etc. Afternoon tea was sausage rolls, little sandwiches, scones, cake... YUM! We never struggled to get a seat in here, didn't find ourselves queueing for the food we wanted, never really had to wait for anything to be brought out etc. There is also a terrace right at the back of the marketplace where you can eat outside, and there was rarely anyone else there which felt like such a treat.

Nonna's - Italian food on Marella Explorer 2

One of our favourite places to eat on board was Nonna's on Deck 11, which is the resident Italian - it's small, with indoor seating and some on-deck seating too, and we never struggled to get a table. You help yourself to pizza (which was 10/10 honestly) and then you take a slip of paper to build your own pasta dish, choosing the shape, the sauce, the meat/veg and the cheese. This is freshly prepared and comes out piping hot, and we couldn't fault it whatsoever!

Latitude 52 - Marella Explorer 2's MDR

The main dining room on Marella Explorer 2 is called Latitude 53, located on Deck 5. We ate here once during our cruise, on the dress to impress night - it simply had to be done! We did have to queue for around 10 or so minutes, but it was a busy night so we didn't mind. The service was actually really slow on this night, again putting it down to the busy dress to impress night, and we did wait ages for drinks and bread. But there was also a baked Alaska parade which was so nostalgic to me! Overall the food was fine (I had a salad to start, truffle mac & cheese for main and baked Alaska for pudding) but it didn't wow us enough to return to Latitude during our cruise.

Vista - more Italian food on Marella Explorer 2

The upper section of the MDR, accessed by Deck 6, is now split into two other restaurants, one being Vista. It was super busy when we went, so we had to take a buzzer and wait in one of the bars for our table, but that was fine; service here was quicker than our experience at Latitude, but again the food just didn't blow us away. I had the meatballs to start, which were lovely, but the lasagne I had for my main just really wasn't for me. I did then have a delicious cheesecake though, so swings and roundabouts for sure! It's a lovely setting and I'm glad we tried Vista for sure.

Piccadilly's - British food with a twist on board Marella Explorer 2

So nice we went twice; this is the other half of the upper section of the MDR, and it's brand new for 2026. Piccadilly's serves British food with a twist, and has an alternating menu - for us, the menu swapped over each night. We actually went on two nights that had the same menu, which was great for me because I'd fallen in love with the haddock and leek pasty they offer for a starter! You get an amazing bread selection to share, three unique types of bread with three flavoured butters, and they were unreal. For my main the first time I had the beef dinner, and the second time I opted for a vegetarian curry pie situation. I absolutely loved the food in Piccadilly's and I think it's such a welcome addition to the ship!

Snack shack - poolside eats on Marella Explorer 2

We spent a lot of time on Deck 12, which is quieter than the pool deck but still allows for time spent in the sunshine sipping on mocktails and joining in with afternoon trivia. From here, we would often wander down to 11 and grab some food from the snack shack and hands down, this was some of the best food we ate on the ship. Prepared freshly in front of you, for the most part, there are chicken burgers, hot dogs, fish & chips and more - as well as packaged sandwiches, boxed salads, brownies, cookies, fruit pots... so much variety, never a queue, made quickly and genuinely SO tasty. We were so pleasantly surprised by the snack shack on Marella Explorer 2! Sorry it seems I didn't get a singular photo of any snack shack food...

There were a few food options we didn't try, like the speciality dining restaurants, but honestly we were more than happy with the all inclusive options and didn't feel the need to spend extra money.

There are so many options when it comes to restaurants and food on Marella Explorer 2, and you'll never go hungry. This is just our experience from when we were on board, and we were overall really impressed with the variety, taste and temperature of the food. Chef's kiss, as they say.