i am not a bookworm!: London Belongs To Me by Jacquelyn Middleton

London Belongs To Me

by: Jacquelyn Middleton

Published Date: October 14th 2016

Publisher: Kirkwall Books

A New City A New Start. Same Old Demons.

Your flight is now boarding! Join Alex Sinclair for a life-changing, trans-Atlantic journey. London Belongs to Me is a coming-of-age story about friendship, following your dreams, and learning when to let go … and when to hang on.

Meet Alex, a recent college graduate from Tallahassee, Florida in love with London, pop culture, and comic cons. It’s not easy being twenty-one-years-old, and Alex has never been the most popular girl. She’s an outsider, a geeky fan girl … with dreams of becoming a playwright in a city she’s loved from afar, but never visited. Fleeing America after a devastating betrayal, she believes London is where she’ll be understood, where she belongs. But Alex’s past of panic attacks and broken relationships is hard to escape. When her demons team up with a jealous rival determined to destroy her new British life, Alex begins to question everything: her life-long dream, her new friends, and whether London is where she truly belongs.

I won an Amazon gift card in one of the giveaways which I used to buy this ebook. I had been wanting to read this since I read the blurb. I am happy I bought this because this was a very enjoyable read.

Like the main character Alex Sinclair, I too was planning to move to a different city. I first did it about ten years ago and I stayed there for more than seven years. I moved back to my home city because the traffic was too much, it was too stressful and I think I needed a change. Now, for the second time, I am in another city in a different country. I have planned this for a long time and it is only now that it has come to fruition. I hope, like Alex, everything will turn out for the best for me in this new place. I consider this a change of perspective and starting over. Forget all the misfortunes, just looking ahead with a renewed sense of hope for the future.

Readers like me who have moved to a different city to follow their dreams will surely relate to this story. It resonates with so much familiarity that the story felt like my own. In truth, anyone can claim the story as their own. Alex's story is anyone's story. Whether you have made it big in a city away from home or is still struggling or working to reach a goal or is just starting on building that dream, this is your story too. Alex represents all dreamers and transplants.

This story reminds me of when I was Alex's age. Fresh out of college and filled with hopes and dreams. I remember, I felt like I can do anything. I felt like the possibilities are endless and the world is waiting for me. The world is mine for the taking. And then, reality hit and I realized that it was not that easy. Like Alex's experiences, there are people who will intentionally and sometimes go out of their way to stop you from reaching your dreams. It maybe out of jealousy or it might just be that they enjoy seeing other people suffer. I have met those kind of people and the best thing you can do is hold on. Keep reminding yourself what you want. Hold on to your dreams and purpose. And most of all, don't forget your values. Remember who you are and what you stand for. Never compromise anything just so you will get to where you want to be faster. There is no shortcut. Everything comes with patience, perseverance, hard work and time.

I give this story 5/5 London play tickets. This story is a great reminder of how we should not give up on our dreams no matter how hard the odds against. I have been in this new city for a week and so far, I have not received any responses to my job applications. But I am not losing hope. In fact, I am feeling so hopeful. The fact, that I am finally here, after some delays, is real proof that this is the best time for me to be here. I am meant to be here and things will work out just as I have hoped for. I am praying so hard for this and now that it is here, I will not be easily discouraged or thrown. I will prosper in this new city just like Alex in London.