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Girls*Heart* Books: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Group Book to Movie Review & Giveaway

Monday, June 4, 2012

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Group Book to Movie Review & Giveaway

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite. (from Goodreads)


“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.”~Twilight



Let's get serious for a moment here, shall we, readers? If you don't know what Twilight is, I want to know what rock you've been hiding under for the past several years. That said, all four of us have different opinions on the book & the movie. So buckle up, readers and we hope you enjoy our thoughts on Twilight the book vs. the movie!


I had heard so much from so many people about this book and honestly, I didn't think anything could EVER live up to the hype that surrounded Twilight.  I held out for a long, long time. It was the summer before New Moon was released in the movies when I finally broke down (after running into my dear cousin Mary; she made me promise I'd give it a try) and grabbed the book from a garage sale. 


I read Twilight in an afternoon. I could not put it down; I ignored my husband, the  tv, the phone and pretty much everything but this book.  I was absolutely hooked. What girl hasn't felt like Bella at some point? Feeling like you're completely out of sync with everyone else on the planet, how very normal of her! I was drawn in by the suspense and the love story. I didn't even know there were three more books, I was just plowing through the book to get to the climax, because I knew the end was going to be phenomenal. I was right!


I thought the book was absolutely perfect; really and truly perfect.  Edward & Bella's relationship was like the literary form of crack and I had to have more. I had never considered myself to be a big vampire fan but Meyer's vamps were so totally unlike any I'd encountered in literature before that it was almost easy to forget there were vampires in the book.  My focus was the blossoming relationship; that first love feeling, the all-encompassing fixation on that one person. Meyer brought it to life beautifully. 


I don't think there was a female alive who read and enjoyed Twilight and didn't fall at least a little bit in love with Edward Cullen. I know I was definitely a hardcore Team Edward proponent from the start. Honestly, at this point it had never crossed my mind that there could be anyone else for Bella. When I found out there was a love triangle coming I was beyond confused. 

Other than the love story,  one of my favorite part of this book was the blood-typing scene, it was just hilarious and I thought that moment was really the turning point in Edward & Bella's budding 'friendship'.  Also, the meadow scene was just amazing, in my opinion. And then we have Alice. I adore her. She is quite simply, fantastic and (I think) the most interesting character in the book. Who wouldn't want  a friend like her around? 


I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good love story, because honestly, that's all this is; a wonderfully funny & addictive love story. 

My Rating: 


“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb..." he murmured.
I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word.
What a stupid lamb," I sighed.
What a sick, masochistic lion.” ~Twilight


And now on to the movie review. I really and truly wish I could say that I enjoyed the movie as much as I did the book; alas, I cannot. In my opinion, the movie was just terrible. I have tried time and time again to sit through it and not get angry and pick it apart. It has not happened as of yet. First, let me apologize to you lucky souls who can separate the book from the movie and enjoy them as two separate stories. I really wish I had that ability. I don't know if it's because I loved the book SO much or what but I was totally disgusted with the movie. The script is my biggest issue. It was awful, in a word. In my opinion, they (Melissa Rosenberg & Catherine Hardwicke) took Bella ( a character I loved) and turned her into a sometimes blathering idiot.  And then we have the absolute low point of the movie in my opinion; 'hang on spider monkey' Really?? (Ick!) 

The casting could have been way worse, I try to comfort myself with that thought. I loved Peter Faccinelli as Carlisle Cullen. He was fantastic. Gil Birmingham was perfect as Billy Black. But the best casting choice, I think, would have to be Billy Burke as Charlie Swan. He was superb; he had the look, the mannerisms, everything I pictured Charlie to be. Another positive was the baseball scene. I thought that was well done.

My biggest complaint with the movie is all  the fantastic parts they left out. They added crap (the field trip??) and left out the brilliance of the blood typing scene. Also, would it have been so hard to have Alice & Bella become friends? And I know it sounds trivial, but I really wanted to see the shoes Alice put Bella in for the prom. Edward was very happy with those shoes in the book. I'm nitpicking, I'm sorry. I really don't want to go on and on about how much I hated the movie and everything they did wrong. (Even though I am) . I'm just very glad the movie didn't make me hate the book. One last complaint and then we'll move along to the other ladies. Why did they cast a short young man to play a character who was supposed to be almost 7 foot tall? I love Taylor Lautner as much as the next girl, but really? 

My Rating:



“Don't be self-conscious, if I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it.” ~Edward Cullen~Twilight


Twilight is the first novel in The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, about a girl, Bella Swan, who moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father, from Arizona where she’d lived with her mother, and her new husband. For me, Bella was really not a likable person from the start, doing one hell of a lot of whining and pouting from the very first page. And me? I just cannot stand when the main character falls all over a guy, like she did, but I could actually get into her head quite easily and relate to those feelings, though I’ve never had them (and I hope I never do).

In Twilight, Edward and his family are a totally different perspective of vampires. I’ve never read of vampires like that, and even though most everyone refers it to fairies (and sometimes I agree, depending on my mood), no one can deny it was new.

I gotta say again, though: Why can’t relationships develop and be drawn out to the point where you are biting your nails and screaming because you want these two to get together already because it’s obvious they’re endgame? What happened to such long stories? I suppose I can understand for Edward – he’s only wanted a girlfriend for what? 100 years? And apparently Bella smells to him like old books and vanilla candles do to me (good) – but Bella pretty much fell all over him when he fixed her with a look. And while it made for a cute scene or two, how does one go from, “You’re a bloodsucking killer whom of which I have hardly spoken to ever” to “but you have great hair so I trust you completely! Here! Look at my neck! Lookit!” …No.

But I digress (A Jacob/Bella shipper shouldn’t talk about Edward/Bella publicly, we tend to offend somebody). Point being, I did enjoy the story, and the writing, and the new perspective of vampires, even if the love-story was absolutely ridiculous. All in all, I enjoyed it. And it definitely made me want to pick up New Moon and see where the story continued!


My Rating:


Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan and Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen


On to the movie; I’ll be honest; I saw it before I read the books. I actually didn’t know it was a book when I saw the commercial. I just saw it, looked at Robert Pattison and went, “Huh, he’s kinda cute” and rented it. So, that was actually kind of cool, to be able to watch the movie and not judge it for every missed step it took, mumbling, “Wrong…wrong…wrong…” like I normally would. I thought it was actually very good, so when I saw “Based off the novel by Stephenie Meyer” I figured, eh, why not, and picked it up.

Mind you, it was a few weeks later that I got to read the book, so I didn’t realize how much got left out, and readjusted, or just plain screwed up. So, when I watched the movie the second time, I just wasn’t as impressed. I was actually shocked to see how much was incorrect, considering how much I liked it the first time.

So, as a movie, I think it was fantastic. In comparison to the actual book, I’m… sick. Though I shouldn’t be- it’s Hollywood; they don’t actually read the book before they make a movie out of it! Pfft.

My Rating:



“You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever.” ~Edward Cullen


There's a reason more than 5 million Twilight Saga series books are out there. Twilight, the first book in the series, is the addictive story of two teenagers, Bella, a normal girl and Edward, a vampire. This is the type of book you might read in just a few sittings, becoming so lost in its fantasy world that you forget your physical surroundings. It's a fun book to get lost in and comes to an end much too quickly.
Twilight is a very entertaining, fast moving story of romance and suspense. I found the concept of good vampires odd and yet intriguing at the same time. I loved this book. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good love story. I have nothing negative to say about it at all!
My Rating:



I wish I could say I didn’t have anything negative to say about the movie.  I must say, though, I was not happy with it at all. They left so many key things out. There were whole scenes from the book that were so good, how could they leave them out?? For instance, the blood typing scene! Also, why didn’t we get any of Alice’s backstory? I thought that was pretty significant to why James was so intent on getting his way at the end. 

My Rating:






“So what you're saying is, I'm your brand of heroin?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
He smiled swiftly, seeming to appreciate my effort. "Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin.” ~Twilight



 I think the best part of this book is seeing the relationship between Bella and Edward blossom and grow as the story progresses.  It was interesting to me how falling in love for Edward changes him so much, and yet, so little. I seriously adore that Bella was written so normal; a very awkward, unsure, unaware teenage girl.  And yet, as the series progresses, she becomes a woman.  Meyer’s definitely created a wondrous strange world for our Bella, sparkly vampires, hot werewolves, and blissfully ignorant humans!  Charlie for instance; his best friend is a werewolf and his daughter is in love with a vampire AND the two are sworn enemies.  He had no idea?  I call BS!  I do love the way he and Bella want so badly to develop a relationship and are completely clueless how to do it; and the awkwardness that ensues as they try.

Another great aspect of this book (all of them actually) is the relationship that develops between Bella and the Cullen family; how they interact and her impression of them.  I did not like that in the movie, Twilight, they attempted to play down the unique bond and friendship that was forming between Bella and Alice; (thank god they revamped that for the next movie)! 
In short, I love all things Twilight, it's an excellent book. 

My Rating: 



Let me start with the truth, I read this book last.  Saw the movie with my bestie and our kiddo’s, then read New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.  Thought I must be missing something and went back and read Twilight; I was right.   Two words, video camera!  Mel and I disagree about this often; Twilight is my favorite of the movies.  I am a B-movie fan all the way.  I love the cheesy, low budget scary movies and if there is a zombie or 100 included in the cast, BONUS!  (Must we go over the whole Cold Kiss fiasco again; it was NOT a zombie book!)  Anyway, I digress………………

Twilight the Movie; LOVED IT!  It’s hard to pick a favorite scene but I will try; “Your scent, it’s like a drug to me; my own personal brand of heroine.”  JeanClaudeGoddamn!  Where is my Edward?? 

“So, you and Cullen?  I don’t like it; he just looks at you like your something to eat.”  LOL!  Gotta love Mike Newton, forever trying to get into Bella’s britches.  Flash forward to BD Part 1 “Enter the love child of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe!”  Mike Newton has some of the BEST lines in all the movies. 

Since I hadn’t read the books yet I didn’t really have any judgment on any of the actors playing the characters, it just seemed to flow very well.  The counterparts complemented each other perfectly (Carlisle and Esme; Rose and Emmett; Alice and Jasper; Bella and Edward) as well as the quirky secondary characters like Mike Newton and the kids at school, Charlie, Victoria and James.  Love them falling in love, love the struggle with humanity and Edward’s never-ending struggle with what he is, love the interaction between characters. Love, love, love this movie! 

Such a fabulously stupid movie, you can’t help but love it.  Having read all the books and watched all the movies to date I am utterly convinced that Stephenie Meyer had a bigger role in the movies than we are aware of; the movies, much like the books, grow and transform with each one.  It’s fabulous to watch some of your favorite characters grow and become what they were meant to be all along.
My Rating:


And now for our 1st Twilight giveaway! 
*Reminder-winners will have 24 hours to respond before they forfeit their prize*
a Rafflecopter giveaway

41 comments:

  1. I love this giveaway!!!

    I definitely agree that the books are WAY better than the movies. The movies down right made me angry actually. Casting was horrible. I never liked Kristen Stewart. Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli were my favorites by far.
    I write vampie YA and I'm hoping that the agent I submitted to will be all in for the Eternal series. Although I did like that Stephenie Meyer's vamps were different, they didn't capture me. Sparkling and no fangs? come on!

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    1. Billy Burke is AMAZING :) Thanks for the support Amie & good luck!!

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  2. I do enjoy the movies but they are so different from the books. I liked all of your opinions,even shared some views. For a favorite part in the movies I have to say when they show up at school together for the first time and everyone is like wtf! Haha that rocks.

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  3. The movie that was most like the book I would say is New Moon. I totally loved this movie! Twilight is classic, Eclipse followed through & Breaking Dawn Part 1 was great & covered what it needed with awesome CGI. New Moon really filled out what it needed & went beyond!

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  4. I would have to say the honeymoon scene in Breaking Dawn was exactly how I pictured it in my head while reading the book.

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    1. Just an fyi, we were talking exclusively about the first book/movie in this post. The other installments are going to be tackled over the next three weeks! :)

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  5. I loved the car accident. I think they did really well with that. There are a lot of things I wish they would have put into the movie. For example: I really wanted to see when Bella was trying to leave the school parking lot and the boys kept coming her to ask her out.

    I will forever love the Twilight series. It is what got me back into reading. Thank you for the giveaway!

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    1. Cynthia, that was another fantastic part of the book they left out. I think that would have been absolutely HILARIOUS!! Thanks so much for your support! Good luck!

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  6. I agree with some of the reviews here and unfortunately I read the books before I watched the movies and quite frankly the cast kind of sucked :P I loved a few characters like Alice/Carlisle and some of the characters I liked even if I didn't love them.. but I thought Bella/Edward were horrible picks.. I like to watch the movie and make fun of Kristin's acting when she was in the hospital bed... I mock the screen at home "No, NO, NO, you can't leave me!!!" LOL I'm sorry but horrible acting.. Edward is NOT what I pictured.. but if he'd had a better partner I might have liked it... she's gotten a tiny bit better throughout the movies but not much....

    The scene that went well to me is the scene where those guys stalk Bella through town and Edward comes in to save the day.. I also think the fight scene in the Ballerina studio was pretty awesome... its been awhile since I picked up the books but that's what stand out to me ;) <3

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    1. Oh Chelsea, you and I would get along wonderfully lol :) I don't care much for Kristen or Robert either, BUT I have to say he, at least has grown on me :)

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  7. Okay so I read Twilight before I even knew there was a possibility of a movie! So when I heard the movie was going to be made I was SO excited to see what they could do with one of my favorite vampire books. I remember sitting there in the jam packed theater feeling so disappointed. My husband (God Bless him, he went with me) Was getting so irritated with me because I was "filling" in all the missing parts and how it actually happened in the book. He whispered back "Shall I get you a book light so you can read it instead?" I really tried to separate it from the book, but my imagination was swept away with the characters I built and there were soooo many key points left out, I just couldn't.

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    1. Jessy! I swear you and I are SO much alike lol :)

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  8. Thnx for the giveaway guys!!!! It's awesome!! As for the series, I've never read the books, only watched the movies. Except for Breaking Dawn. And I must say, wow!! I used to be such a Twihard (still am) but now I realize what people are complaining about. The movie was nothing like the book. And I looooved Edward in the book so much, I gotta admit. Robert and Kristen are such BEAUTIFUL AND PRETTY actors but they made the characters look so wimpy and... I can't even describe it. However, there was times when I thought their acting was quite cool. Best thing in the movie is Alice and Jacob, I feel like they were the closest thing to the book.

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    1. Just an fyi, we were talking exclusively about the first book/movie in this post. The other installments are going to be tackled over the next three weeks! :)

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  9. I love the books and the movies equally! I never have any expectations about movies being just like books! I have yet to see that happen with anything, even the great classics of old! So i go to movies with untainted eyes, and I am usually well pleased with movie results! I know it is going to be different than the books plain and simple, and I celebrate those differences most of the time! This is assuredly one of those times! I love the books and have read all of them more than thirty times! Translated to film exactly as written would not work for me! Great as books, but many of the details wouldn't have worked on film and so changes had to be made! This was the right decision all the way! People complain about the casting; and it is true that the actors were not who Stephenie herself had envisioned! However, the actors chosen took the roles and owned them! They made the characters their own, and no one, I mean no one could have done them better! They earned their roles! As for some of the great parts getting cut out, that was a little sad but it always happens and did not surprise me! In Harry Potter half of everything or more was cut out! The books and movies are both great there also! So i am a Twihard, of both the books and movies! They have enriched my life a hundred times over and they finally gave me the courage to pursue my true passion in life; writing! Thank you Stephenie forever for that!

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  10. I loved how the baseball scene translated into the movie, the background music was the best.

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  11. The accident translated really well to the screen i think

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  12. Earlier I didn't see the part about our favorite scene! There are too many to choose from for me, so I will just go with one of my absolute favorite scenes from the movie that left me wondering if there could ever be an Edward for me, to make me melt like that; the scene on the mountain where Edward leans forward in the tree and say's; "Your scent is like a drug to me, it's like my own personal brand of heroine"! In the book there are also too many, but one that stands out as a personal favorite is a scene where Edward holds Bella while sitting in her rocking chair and says simply, powerfully, and truthfully; "You are my Life now"! Woa I thought; that is Love! That is the very essence of Love!

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  13. I absolutely loved the baseball scene. I mean, it was great in the book but seeing it on the big screen really brought it to life!

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  14. I think you have to go into any book to movie situation without the expectation of being verbatim. I think the abduction of Bella by James was well done.

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  15. I think the scene where he reveals himself to her was pretty well done and went with the book. It's been forever since I've read the books so I might very well be wrong :P lol My favourite part would be the Spider monkey part haha I love that scene!
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!! I'd LOVE a Twilight book thong to go with my Hunger Games one!! :D
    GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

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  16. The part where she walks into clasas and Edward's reaction to her sitting next to him is the part i always think of when i think of twilight. I think it went well with the book. But there is also a book she never finished that was written from Edward's point of view that even tho it never got finished.. i think the part she wrote every fan should read.
    It is called Midnight Sun and you can find it on her website. Explains so much more with what Edward is thinking and more explanations of his actions when it comes to Bella, some that are not in the movie but are in the twilight book and vice versa. In my opinion is a must read to go with twilight and once you read it you will understand so much more believe me.

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  17. The wedding in Breaking Dawn was amazing, when I read it in the book I pictured it perfect and when I saw it in the movie it was!

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    1. Just an fyi, we were talking exclusively about the first book/movie in this post. The other installments are going to be tackled over the next three weeks! :)

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    2. My bad... :o) Ok so if we're talking about the first book then I'd have to say their first meeting... I that that scene was perfect!

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  18. Thanks so much for this giveaway. I loved the book apart from the fact that the vampire sparkles, never liked that but the movie for me was a let down, the only bit I thought translated well was when she first saw Edward. I just felt Bella was portrayed as a weak, couldnt do anything by herself sort of person. I entered as Natalie Cleary :)

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  19. I loved all the books much so,, But me being me.. I watched Twilight first !! then went out and read all the books in 5 days ;) if that.. I must say as much as some of the movie scenes arent perfect I loved all the movies to.. The baseball scene - the cd and the movie went well together. The honey moon - the lovin the bed scene well it did it for me ** blushes ** Exaclty as I had imagined.. ** mabye a bit longer would have been good ** lol.. Overall. I LOVE TWILIGHT ;) GREAT REVIEWS !! and of course everyone has an opinion.. Even though vampires may not spose to sparkle I think that Edward was put forth true and correct for each book.. thanks for the great giveaway Kat ;)

    katrina whittaker

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    1. Just an fyi, we were talking exclusively about the first book/movie in this post. The other installments are going to be tackled over the next three weeks! :)

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  20. I really love the way they did the wedding and the first night of the honeymoon. But I think overall they have done a pretty good job with the movies.

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    1. Just an fyi, we were talking exclusively about the first book/movie in this post. The other installments are going to be tackled over the next three weeks! :)

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  21. Thanks for another awesome giveaway! I really liked the baseball game and the events directly after with the "bad vamps". Overall I enjoyed both the books and movies.

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  22. I loved the scene in the recent film with the broken bed after a night of passion, ohhh yes and also the scenes after where she was trying to tempt him to bed again with the different underwear and outfit's thought that was fab!!!! I love the films but don't associate them too much to the books as like it's been said sooo much is missing in the films from their feelings, backgrounds and relationships xx

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    1. Just an fyi, we were talking exclusively about the first book/movie in this post. The other installments are going to be tackled over the next three weeks! :)

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  23. I have never read the books, so I can't really answer the question. However, I do look forward to read them as soon as I can buy the books, at least ebooks. :-)

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  24. I read the books a long, long time before I saw the movies... I literally only watched them earlier this year, haha. I just remember thinking about how awful the scene was where Kristen Stewart walks into the classroom and steps in front of the fan, and RPattz makes a face which is something akin to constipation/vomitting/being in ridiculous pain. I wasn't a fan of the acting at all, to be honest!

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    1. Meagan I might love you lol. I wasn't a fan of the acting at all either, honestly. Except for Billy Burke and Gil Birmingham in the first one. :) You're a girl after my own heart! I TRIED to be nice in my review of the movie..honestly, I didn't want Tammy to stop speaking to me lol :) Thanks for the comment & good luck!!

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  25. Ok, so here I go :) I remember the first time I heard from Twilight was a preview of the movie. So after I saw it I was totally in love it and of course Edward. I have to admit I like Rob playing him, but that's just me. I saw the movie like 20+ times and I loved every time. But once I read the book....come on, It's so much better. I have to say the where scene that not made totally happy, for instance the hospital scene. That didn't make happy. And also I would've love more kisses here and there between E&B. I know they weren't all over each other but they sure had more then 2 kisses in Twilight. I also loved the love story. You know was a different story with the all girl/vampire without fangs and it was cool. I totally want a real Edward for me own. In all I love them both but adore the books more the movies :)

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  26. I think the best part would be when Edward shows himself to Bella. It happenes exactly how i read it would and i wasnt dissapointed at all. I love the whole series! Good luck everyone!

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  27. I think the big fight scene in the Ballet studio from the first book was translated the best :D Thanks for the giveaway!

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  28. Thanks for the giveway looks like Rafflecopter picked me ;) Shame im overseas though the first prize would have been just sparkly !!! lol.. Thanks heaps for the ;) wonderful prize.. kat

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