I don’t typically do book reviews, I leave that to the book bloggers. But this one I just had to share my thoughts on. I used to watch PointlessBlog and Zoella’s videos on YouTube all of the time until this year. When Alfie Deyes posted a video about going an entire day without spending a pound but ended up getting tons of free things, complaining about not being able to have filtered water, and doing shopping anyways. It kind of pissed me off. And I stopped watching both of their videos as they just didn’t seem to be in the real world anymore so it just wasn’t something I wanted to spend my time on anymore. Before that all happened Zoe Sugg announced she was going to be releasing a book called Cordially Invited, and I pre-ordered a copy as it sounded like something I wanted to read about. That being how to host a party, something I wanted to getting good at especially since I’m starting to get out of the college/broke time in my life (I think, fingers crossed) and I wanted to get some tips on how to host adult parties. Something I see Zoe throw a lot and they always look incredible and Instagram worthy. So I wanted to learn how to do something similar myself.
In comes the Cordially Invited book, months past since the announcement where it was merely something that was still being written and I completely forgot about it since I don’t consume their content anymore. And once I got into the book, it was even more of a reminder why I thought they were out of touch with the real world. And would seem like they are just in it for the money these days. You couldn’t really place who the audience of this non-fiction book was supposed to be. A lot of the pages were fillers or something you could already find on her blog (that’s never updated anymore) or on Pinterest. Including how to make paper chains, yes the craft preschoolers and toddlers make. Not how to write up a proper invitation or chalk board/place makers with how to make it look elegant. It was just crafts for children, but then a few pages later you get how to style a bar chart. So which is it? A book for children being a host/hostess or a book for young adults learning how to transition to throwing adult parties.
Also for a book about hosting there are multiple, MULTIPLE pages on how to go for a walk with your dog. Don’t get me wrong it’s a cute idea for a blog post but not for a how to be a host/hostess book. And you don’t need one for every single season. Like maybe if it was hosting an event for dog walking to raise money for something, but that’s not what it is at all. It’s literally just put on your coat, boots, hats, and get your dog ready then walk. Like no, why? Anything would be better than that.
And as I said, some of the things are like a quick blog posts that everyone writes at the start of a season. Hell, I’ve made them on my blog. There was one just a few days ago. That being seasonal to-do lists. These took up multiple pages with the list on one half and a massive photo on the other. Not only that, but multiple of the days and photos from the book are posts that were directly from her blog. So absolutely no new information. Some of the recipes are new for Zoe Sugg (Zoella), but they just felt really out of place. It was more like oh I need something for autumn, well this recipe I make then so there’s another two pages. And the other pages for how to plan a party are just stating the obvious:
- How Many Guests?
- Do You Have Food and Drinks? Then she just lists off a grocery list rather than anything of substances, and the main section I can think of for this is the cereal party section as it’s literally just someone walking down the aisles writing down what food they see.
- What’s Your Budget?
- What will you use as your invite?
And every party includes this, hell that’s all that’s mentioned for those parties. Nothing of substance, it’s not like those questions are a mystery. You already know that info, but that’s all it is. And it’s not just the question, they have paragraphs with nothing of substance in them. I’m sorry but no. That’s not going to be helpful to someone reading the book. Again the book would be appear to be for an adult but all the hints and crafts and everything are for children.
I’m trying to stay positive about the book, since I did spend $15 plus shipping from the United Kingdom. But the only use I can see from this book at this point, is ideas of how to style some lifestyle photos as that’s not something I’m great at. Beauty I can figure out along with food. But lifestyle, I’m constantly at a loss though I love to write lifestyle type posts and end up always just using some nature photo to accompany them as it’s the only thing I had. And even just stating that for this book is a stretch to find something positive. I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t this. It’s an utter waste of money printed on A3 paper. I wish I never bought it, but I already bought it and I don’t really want to deal with returning it.
If you know any actual books on what this book was supposed to do? Let me know in the comments, as I would love to check them out. But honestly I might just stick to Pinterest.
Love ya,
Mae Polzine
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