january reads
Man, I kicked 2021 off with a bang and read 12 books in January! I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up that momentum all year long but we shall see. Ok here are my honest reviews of my January reads…
You Had Me At Hola – Alexis Daria
This was a good first read for 2021! Jasmine and Ashton are cast as exes on a new American telenovela. They get off to a rocky start but in time begin to really get to know each other. I loved the behind the scenes aspect of filming a TV show and I’m a big fan of books that give you perspectives from both leads. My only con with this book is that it’s semi-predictable but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing! *I listened to this via audiobook.
Genre: Romance (forced proximity + secret lovers trope)
Steam rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Rogue of One’s Own – Evie Dunmore
Ok, I am now obsessed with a good regency romance. This is the second book in Dunmore’s A League of Extraordinary Women series. Lucy is a hardcore suffragette who has taken ownership of an English publishing house. She and her fellow suffragettes are hoping to help women all over England by publishing essays against the marriage property act, that is, until Lucy’s childhood nemesis makes a reappearance as the co-owner of the publishing house. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and I do appreciate when a man swoons after a woman! I loved this one and can’t wait to read the rest of the series (Bringing Down the Duke is the first and the next one comes out later this year). *I listened to this via audiobook.
Genre: Romance (enemies to lovers trope), Historical Fiction
Steam rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas
Agh. If you are a fantasy fan, this is a MUST READ. Feyre is taken to the magical land of Prythian for killing a faerie. She becomes a captive of the Spring court, where everyone is masked and no one seems particularly pleased by her presence. Tamlin is the head of the Spring court (there are 7 courts – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Day, Dawn, and Night) and is under a curse that can only be broken by Feyre. That’s all I’ll say about that! This book is long but it kept me hooked from the beginning. Since it’s the first in the series, there’s a lot of set up and introduction to this magical world but stick with it. Feyre is a strong and fierce female lead so I was all about the girl power and such. There’s also so much action and adventure and tension and triumph. It does get a bit dark so I haven’t been able to read the second one yet but I still highly recommend. *I listened to this via audiobook.
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Steam rating: 🔥🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love Your Life – Sophie Kinsella
I might be alone in this, but I don’t think I’m a fan of Sophie Kinsella. This book was so weird. Like, SO WEIRD. I’m all about a slightly unrealistic meet cute/romantic comedy but Ava and Matt fall in “love” at a week long writing retreat in Italy and then continue to see each other once they get back to the real world. However, they couldn’t be more different. I think Kinsella wanted us to root for their differences but to me it just seemed like a bunch of red flags that they didn’t belong together. IDK, I guess they learn more about one another but if Ava were one of my best friends, I’d be telling her to run. Bleh. .
Genre: Romance
Steam rating: 🔥🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem – Manda Collins
Another great option for those of you who love a regency romance! Lady Katherine wants other women to be able to defend themselves while there is a murderer on the loose so she writes a report about the latest murder. This report gets Inspector Andrew Eversham kicked off of the case due to missing a key piece of evidence in the latest murder. Katherine heads out to a house party for one of her long time friends and becomes the witness to the next murder victim. Eversham comes out to the party to investigate and together they work to find this mysterious serial killer. I loved the mix of mystery and romance! I am excited for more from Manda Collins. *I listened to this via audiobook
Genre: Romance, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Steam rating: 🔥🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Right Across the Street – Kathryn Freeman
This one was SO CUTE. Our heroine, Mia, moves to a new town where she knows no one. She’s a self proclaimed computer nerd with an ever changing hair color who loves ogling the guy across the street as he works out every morning. Low and behold, the guy across the street, Luke, is also the owner of the bar downstairs. He begins showing her around her new town in a series of non-dates that obviously turn into dates. But there’s more to Luke than what meets the eye and it makes things a little more complicated. Again, this book was just super sweet and I love when a man is pining after a woman. I was a big fan! *This was an advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley but it’s out now!
Genre: Romance (friends to lovers), Contemporary
Steam rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Thousandth Floor – Katharine McGee
The Thousandth Floor is a fun and futuristic! Set in 2118 Manhattan where a thousand story tower now soars over the city. Not unlike today, there are the haves (upper tower) and the have nots (lower tower) and Katharine McGee is great at writing the teenage mind from several different perspectives. There is a LOT going on in this book. Some of it is cringe but I will keep reading the other two in the trilogy. More opinions to come!
Genre: Science Fiction, YA
Steam rating: 🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Dimple Met Rishi – Sandhya Menon
Y’all know how important diverse reads are – especially diverse romance. Fans of Indian Matchmaker on Netflix will love this one! Dimple’s parents have found a match for her, the only problem is that they failed to let her in on that fact until after Rishi introduces himself. Dimple is set against being matched but gets partnered with Rishi on a big project in a summer program they are attending. Young love ensues! This book was sweet and innocent and I would definitely recommend it! *I listened to this via audiobook.
Genre: YA
Steam rating: 🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Just Last Night – Mhairi McFarlane
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Mhairi McFarlane can do no wrong. Just Last Night broke my heart and put it back together again. The book begins with Eve’s life-long friend getting hit by a car which totally changes the trajectory of Eve’s friend group. I don’t want to give away too much because this book did not go the direction I thought it would and I loved that! Pick it up as soon as it comes out in May 2021! *This was an ARC from NetGalley.
Genre: Romance (forced proximity)
Steam rating: 🔥🔥
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Alright those are my January adult reads! I also read three upper elementary chapter books that I am counting in my books for the year but figured y’all didn’t really care about them. 😉 Ok PLEASE let me know if you read one of these because I need to talk about themmmmm. And also, should we bring back the virtual book club?? Let me know!
