Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander basically follows our protagonist Clair in the year 1945, who is a former combat nurse as she reunites with her husband for their second honeymoon. During their honeymoon, she walks through standing stones in one of the ancient circles that mark the British Isles. Suddenly, she's hurled back in time -- to 1743 where she is now an "outlander" or "Sassenach" in Scotland tore by war and boarder claims. Whilst figuring out how to get back "home", she meets Jamie Fraser, a young Scottish warrior that makes Clair wonder what life she really wants.

I absolutely loved this book.

As one from a fandom would say, I am "complete trash" which means I very much so love this book and the characters in it.

I've seen Outlander all over BookTube and Bookstagram for a while now, possibly a couple of years; and I've seen so many people hype this book like there was no tomorrow.

Sasha Alsberg is one of my favourite BookTubers and I remember her always talking about Outlander, always talking about Jamie Fraser and a one point when I stumbled across this book at my local Chapters, I read the synopsis and thought it wasn't really for me because at that time I wasn't really a huge fan of historical fiction.

Obviously time went on and I began interests in genres I didn't think I would ever like, I saw they had the show adaptation on Netflix. Yes, I watched the show first, sorry.

Once I saw the show, I automatically fell in love. And Sam Heughan just adds onto the love, what a beautiful person he is.

From there, I decided to actually pick up the book and read it. And honestly, wow.

Firstly, as much as I love the show, the book is a million times better - if that is even possible. I love Diana Gabaldon's writing. I feel like her writing is a mix of poetic writing and straight forward, get to the point kind-of writing which I really enjoyed.

I also loved the characters - obviously. That might be because I was introduced to them in a visual aspect before reading the book where I got to envision how the characters would look but regardless, I thought they were well written as well. They had great backstories, great dynamics with other characters. There are a handful of characters in this novel but I'll admit, it's very easy to tell which character is which.

I also love the incorporation of Scottish terms and vocalizations, if that makes any sense. Usually, when a novel is based in another country, the conversational texts are normal, standard English writing. Diana Gabaldon made sure to add a little Scottish accent twist during conversations and I loved that.

Like I said earlier, I wasn't a huge fan of historical fiction prior but I definitely loved Outlander as it brought a new twist I didn't know I needed.

But I'll admit, as amazing as I find Outlander, it is definitely meant for someone with an acquired taste because I can see how some readers might find Outlander boring. That is just a personal heads up.

Overall, I love Outlander and I cannot wait to dive into the series even more in the future!

If you love Outlander or even dislike it, definitely let me know in the comments or on my Instagram. I'd love to hear your thoughts!