The Dry Spell

Having had such a well enriched literary childhood, I look back now and am quite surprised that I drifted away from reading as I started secondary school. I look back now and regret it deeply. All that free time I had on my hands that could have been used to read. My school had a library with plenty of books, and I did read a few of them occasionally in year seven and eight but by the time I got to year nine I barely read a thing.

During this dry spell there were very few books I recall reading. The few I do remember were a handful of Jacqueline Wilson books (the only specific name that comes to mind is Little Darlings), and the Chocolate Box Girls by Cathy Cassidy.

The Chocolate Box girls series was the only thing I read between 2014-2018. I read them multiple times, usually during difficult moments as they quickly became a comfort to me. My school library only had Marshmallow Skye, Summer's Dream and Coco Caramel. Coco Caramel was the first one I read, probably at the beginning of 2014, shortly followed by Summer's Dream. Marshmallow Skye was added to the school library towards the end of 2014, and I read it at the beginning of 2015. I liked the idea of a dysfunctional family of sisters each having their own story to tell.

Following this, I didn't read at all. When I started to have some troubles at school mid 2016, I found myself returning to the school library after so long without so much as a glance at it. There were so many books to choose from but as I ran my fingers over the shelves, I felt compelled to reread the three books I had already read. This time in order.

Again, a few months went by and as I came into 2017, I thought about the books that had given me comfort in my time of need, and really wanted to read all the books from the start. So I ordered the entire collection and it was worth every penny. The first book in the series Cherry Crush very quickly became my favourite.

Cherry Crush follows the story of Cherry Costello and her Dad as they move to Somerset where a new mum and a bunch of brand-new sisters await. On Cherry's first day there she meets Shay Fletcher - the kind of boy who should carry a government health warning. But Shay already has a girlfriend, Cherry's new stepsister, Honey. Cherry knows her friendship with Shay is dangerous - it could destroy everything. But that doesn't mean she's going to stay away from him.

Who doesn't love a story about new beginnings and forbidden love?

The rest of the series follows the lives of each sister, the second being the younger of the twins, Marshmallow Skye. It is centred around Skye solving the mystery of her distant relative, Clara, and getting out from her sister's shadow.

The third book is the elder twin Summer's story. Summers Dream is centred around Summer's desire to get into a prestigious dance academy and her struggles with an eating disorder, all the while trying to balance her determination to secure her future, with trying to enjoy being young and present.

Coco Caramel is book four and has a special place in my heart, what with it being the first book from the series that I read. When Caramel, her favourite pony at the stables, is sold, Coco scopes out the new owner - and she's not happy about what she discovers. With big sister Honey running off the rails and Summer only just recovering from her eating disorder, there's no-one at Tanglewood to help Coco out. Can Coco save Caramel alone - or will a new friend help her?

Sweet Honey is the fifth book in the series and follows Honey as goes to live with her dad in Australia. Her new life is a dream come true - until school begins. The girls are different from Honey's friends in England and the only person who seems to understand her is the cute boy from the beach she's chatting to online. But when he, the girls at school and even her dad start breaking promises, who can she trust? All alone on the other side of the world, Honey's past is about to catch up with her.

SPOILER ALERT!

The sixth and final book in the series comes after a revelation about a half-brother in the fifth book. Fortune Cookie follows the story of Jake Cooke who has just had the surprise of his life. He's got four half-sisters that he never knew existed. When Jake's talent for trouble causes chaos at home, he runs away to meet his new family. Life at Tanglewood is amazing, where the days are filled with beach parties and chocolate festivals. But Jake's about to realize he can only escape his future for so long. However far you go, you can't outrun destiny.

I love the idea of seeing the same few characters again and again, and seeing them each come to the forefront one at a time (this is probably the reason I adore the Bridgerton books too). After you read each sisters story, their actions and words in the books after theirs make so much sense. By the time you get to the last book, you can almost predict how each sister will react to a situation.

Towards the middle of 2017 and continuing all the way until now, I started writing on Wattpad. I had a tough ending to five years of school and I needed an outlet. To this day, writing stories, creating characters, building a world, all of it has been my outlet when life gets tough.

Coming into 2018, I wanted to improve my writing and so I reread the Chocolate Box Girls, and it was the start of my return to reading. I read when ever I can now, which at the moment isn't often, but when I do get the time, I adore it.

I have Cathy Cassidy to thank for that. And of course, Cherry, Skye, Summer, Coco, Honey and Jake.

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