The book synopsis for Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

Phoebe Dean was the most popular girl alive and dead.

For the last ten years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe?

Someone knows what really happened the night Phoebe died. Someone who is ready to tell the truth.

With Phoebe's memorial in just three days, grief, delusion, ambition, and regret tornado together with biting gossip in a town full of people obsessed with a long-gone tragedy with four people at its heart—the caretaker, the secret girlfriend, the missing bad boy, and a former football star. Just kids back then, are forever tied together the fateful rainy night Phoebe died.

Perfect for fans of Jane Harper and Celeste Ng, Tate's literary suspense Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping debut about what happens when grief becomes unbearable and dark secrets are unearthed in a hometown that is all too giddy to eat it up.

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4 stars

Discussing Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

Where to find Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate online:

 Amazon affiliate link

Goodreads

Want to know what others thought about this book? Check out these book reviews:

• "A heavy and suspenseful book that has a satisfying ending and a good twist!" Read the full review by PHD Diva
• "This book took me a bit of time to get into; none of the four narrators were compelling and the story didn’t grab me at first. As with most suspense books, it did catch fire for me about halfway through and I was turning the pages quickly after that." Read the full review by Dear Author
• "Twenty-Seven Minutes is not for the faint hearted, or those who do not want to fall into a pit of despair." Read the full review by Down the Rabbit Hole

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Fitness 

Review: The 30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

In February I did the 30 Day Squat Challenge and reported on my experience doing the challenge. As I enjoyed doing it and was pleased with the results, I decided to do another squat challenge but this time upping the level a little.

For March I decided to do the 30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge. I found a pin for this challenge on Pinterest but unfortunately couldn't get the 30 Day Fitness Challenges website to work. 

This challenge basically kicks off where the 30 Day Squat Challenge finished (at 250 squats) so it's consistently building the repetitions I was doing for that one. 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information provided on www.JoLinsdell.com does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.

How to do the 30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge

30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge Results

Like I did with the previous challenge, I think it's important to show you what I was starting with to give you a better idea of the changes made during the challenge so you can see my before and after. 

I've also made sure to wear the same active wear for all the weekly progress photos to make comparisons easier. 

Now on to the challenge. 

This is the week by week of how my 30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge experience went...

Week 1

During this first week I tried to do the total number of daily squats all in the one session. Doable but afterwards my legs felt like jelly. 

Week 2

I'm definitely building up more resistance now and feeling stronger.

Week 3

I'm definitely getting into the habit of doing squats now. 

I've already been mixing up different types of squats to work different muscles but this week I got the resistance bands I'd ordered online and so added those to make the squats work even harder. 

Week 4 

Conclusion

Having done the 30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge for a full month I can report back that it has made a difference. I've seen an improvement on my cellulite and definitely gained more strength in my legs during this challenge. Legs and butt are both more toned now and lower stomach is also a little flatter. 

Here's the before and after side by side so you can see the difference more clearly:

Have you done this 30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge? How did you do? 

Fitness 

Review: The 30 Day Crunch Challenge

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

In February I did the 30 Day Squat Challenge and reported on my experience doing the challenge. I was really pleased with the results and surprised at how much it helped flatten my stomach.

For March I decided to do the 30 Day Extreme Squat Challenge (which I will be reporting back on to share my results with you) but I wanted to try a challenge that worked specifically on my abs too. 

I decided to do the 30 Day Crunch Challenge as it looked good for beginners like myself with small numbers of repetitions and rest days. The number of crunches is the total for each day and so can be broken down into smaller sets if needed.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information provided on www.JoLinsdell.com does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.

How to do the 30 Day Crunch Challenge

30 Day Crunch Challenge Results

Like I did with the previous challenge, I think it's important to show you what I was starting with to give you a better idea of the changes made during the challenge so you can see my before and after. 

I've also made sure to wear the same active wear for all the weekly progress photos to make comparisons easier. 

Now on to the challenge. 

This is the week by week of how my 30 Day Crunch Challenge experience went...

Week 1

It became very clear to me even in this first week how much I need to work on my core. I felt every single crunch even with the low number of repetitions. 

Week 2

I'm already starting to see the difference both physically (already looking more toned) and strength-wise. Don't get me wrong, I'm still feeling each crunch as the neglected muscles get reactivated, but I can now do a larger number in a row without keeling over.

Week 3

I'm really happy with my progress. My stomach is looking much flatter and even my love handles have reduced considerably. It's getting easier to do the crunches now too as I have more strength in my core. 

Week 4 

Still a long way to go but I've seen a huge improvement during this month's challenge. 

Conclusion

Having done the 30 Day Crunch Challenge for a full month I can definitely see a difference. Overall I feel my core strength has improved too. It's also had a positive impact on my rib flare which makes me very happy. 

Here's the before and after side by side so you can see the difference more clearly:

Have you done this 30 Day Crunch Challenge? How did you do? 

You might also like: 30 Day Fitness Challenges for Beginners

Product Review: Schwarzkopf Brillance 862 Hair Dye

My hair seems to have grown super fast the past month and unfortunately the number of white hairs seems to be multiplying super fast too. Bring on the hair dye!

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

I really liked the Cocoa Blonde I did last time but I like change and experimenting with my hair so wanted to do a different colour this time. I would however definitely consider doing the Cocoa Blonde again in the future.

This time I opted for another hair dye I've not used before, Schwarzkopf Brillance in the 862 shade (which is light brown). 

I was torn about whether to go for the darker chocolate brown or this one but decided on the light brown as I can always go darker next time if I want and should I change my mind again and want to go lighter it'll be easier to do with this one.

You might also like: A Guide To Different Hair Dye Colours: Tried and Tested

Product details

The professional quality of the Intensive Colouring Cream formula will allow you to obtain incredibly intense colour for up to 10 weeks and up to 100% coverage of grey hair.

The Diamond Shine Nourishing Conditioner with cold-pressed oil fixes the colour pigments, giving the hair greater protection, for a strong and healthy appearance with a gloss effect. It is available in a practical tube so it can be used several times.

Benefits 

• Permanent colouring for a rich, intense and brilliant colour 
• Perfect coverage of white hair 
• Intense colour for up to 10 weeks 
• Maximum brightness 
• The Nourishing Balm can be used several times Vegan formula (without ingredients of animal origin) 
• 100% recyclable aluminium tube

Package contents 

1 tube of Brillance colouring cream 60 ml, 1 applicator bottle of revealing emulsion 60 ml, 1 tube of conditioner 40 ml, 1 pair of gloves, 1 instruction sheet

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Review

I'm really impressed. It covered all my white hair (so many that advertise 100% coverage fail to deliver so this is a major plus point). It also gave a nice rich colour and it left my hair feeling super soft. 

I will definitely try more shades in this range in the future.

Have you tried any colours in the Brillance range? What box dyes have you tried that do a good job of covering white/grey hair?

Click here for more hair and beauty related reviews and posts.

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Health & Fitness

Product Review: Bob and Brad C2 Massage Gun

My Review

More info about the Bob and Brad C2 Massage Gun 

Lightweight & Portable Design 

Bob and Brad massage gun is only 1.5lbs, easy to carry anywhere, and easy to pack into any gym bag in the home gym office. Bring your own case to increase the portability of the massager. It’s easy to hold with its ergonomic silicone handle design. Carry the massager with you and use it anytime. 

Powerful Performance 

Brushless motor, super blocking torque energy output without interruption, and dual shaft drive structure offer stable operation. The max speed up to 3200rpm can help muscle recover faster, reduce muscle pain, muscle fatigue, and lactic acid build-up, encourage blood flow, improve range of motion and flexibility, help with muscle stiffness, and more. Because of the stronger percussion of this massage gun, more suitable for professional athletes. 

5 Massage Heads & Speeds 

5 massage heads and 5 speeds are suitable for different parts of the body and can meet different needs. Massage heads in different shapes can be used on different muscle groups and provide targeted therapy for fast recovery. 

Type-C Quick Charge 

Type-c fast-charging port can be charged to a 5 V/2A adapter or power bank, providing greater portability. Any regular phone adapters will be able to charge the massage gun without a problem. 

Smart Chip and 10-Minute Timer Auto-Off Protection 

Built-in intelligent chip, working for 10 minutes automatic shutdown, to avoid harm from overuse to the human body. Ultra-quiet muscle massage gun. It uses the latest noise reduction technology to reduce the noise of the massage gun during use, the sounds are less than 60dB even at max 3200RPM.