I feel like January always has my highest reading count. I have time to relax, work on projects, puzzle and list to lots and lots of books! Here is the round up and ratings for this month’s books. If you’re looking for other reads, check out my reading list.
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
This book will make you believe in love. It gives small town/Gilmore Girls vibes and has you rooting for the connection the second it starts! This book takes you back to 1997 in a cozy autumn in small town Vermont. At the passing of her mother, Michelle who recently divorced, steps in to run the Bed and Breakfast in small town. Her business mindset has to mesh with her hospitality at the Inn. She learns lots of lessons from her single neighbor Cliff and you witness the slow burn romance of opposites-attract. The story focuses on healing, second chances and finding happiness. It was a happy read and I gave it 4 stars.
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
This book was on so many people’s best read lists and so of coarse I had to see what the hype was all about. I had no idea what it was about going into it and was a little hesitant at first but really learned to love the characters and the opportunity for a second chance. PJ, a divorced, drunk, ex-mailman, and lottery winner goes about life in a very dysfunctional way. When he reads an obituary of his old romantic rival, he realized his high school sweetheart is single again. He decides to take a road trip to see her. “A darkly comic and warmhearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush- bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death.” It really is the most random story but will make you laugh, cry, and love cute PJ. I gave this one 4 stars.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
I know I’m a few years late to this series but I don’t love fantasy books. I have a young woman who is obsessed with this series and so I told her I would read them. Fourth Wing is a series of the adventures in a War College. Young adults wanting to join the ranks of different quadrants, scribes, healers, and riders have to attend Basgiath War College, however most don’t survive the brutal tests. Violet Sorrengail is the daughter of the current war commander and is small is size but that doesn’t stop her. She out smarts many with her knowledge and quick intuition. She even bonds with a dragon. Not only that but she falls in love with someone she should hate. If you love a good enemy to lovers adventure, than this is the book for you. There is some language and a little sexual encounters but I felt like it caught my attention. I gave this book 4 stars.
The Life we Bury by Allen Eskens
This was a book club book. College student Joe Talbert has the simple task of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. Joe is away from home and family and so he heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and his life will never be the same again. This book is all about past life struggles, and overcoming. Read how Joe with the help of his neighbor and autistic brother help solve a murder case. It will keep you on your toes and rooting for the hero. I gave this one 4 stars.
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
The new year barely began when Grace and Henry both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, their mothers scheme to matchmake their widowed children. This book confronts grief through the eyes of two people and brought them together through holiday movie marathons. I loved watching them make little gestures to help the other grieve and how simple acts of kindness/service brought them close together. It is a great read for over the holidays. I gave this one 4 stars.
Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston
Joni Lark is living her dream! She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA but she can’t seem to write. She is having a major writers block until she returns home to Vienna Shores, North Carolina. Her family owns a music venue and all of her best memories are associated with Revelry, the family venue. Suddenly she hears a melody in her head and with it a voice. Unknown to her the voice is of a real man who actually shows up in her home town. Watch how their lives are connected through the music they make and the people who inspire them. It is a delightful rom-com that I gave 4 stars.
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
Do you ever read books that have patterns? This month I read 4-5 books about a spouse dying. This one was darling especially because I read it during the final stages of my cute neighbor’s life. Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her husband to dementia, she is grieving, solo parenting and working like a mad woman at her job. When an inflight problem on a plane with her boss, they find themselves stranded in Australia for a weekend. Can she let go of the love of her life and find love again? It took me a minute for the story to get set up but once it did, I was hoping for the happy ending. This is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and believe in love. I gave this one 4 stars.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
I have never read or watched The Outsiders but I really want to see the musical, so I figured it was time to see what the hype was all about. I had no idea what it entailed but came out with West Side Story vibes. I read that the author wrote it so that teens would have a book they could relate to and I am grateful I do not relate to this! Ponyboy is a greaser, the outsider with his gang of friends, who can count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes it too far and his world is turned upside down. Read how this band of brothers/friends work hard to defend and support each other through better and worse. I gave this one 4 stars.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
This is the second book in the series and although I liked it, I thought the first one had more adventure and interest for me. It is a continuation of their time in the War College but things are rocky and trouble awaits. Read how Violet and Xaden work together to keep their Wing Quadrant united. I gave this one 3 stars.
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Macy Sorensen is a woman with a plan. She is a new pediatrics resident, planning her wedding and certain her life is on the perfect track. Until she runs into Elliot Petropoulos, the first and only love of her life and best friends for years. Her bubble is about to pop and she will be forced to confront some big items from the past. This book is filled with loss but the beautiful things that come from love. I gave it 4 stars.
The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
This the perfect friend to lovers story. Bree Camden has forever been in love with her best friend and the star quarterback, Nathan Donelson. She is always around making his relationships suffer. Until one day, she divulged her secret to a reporter while drunk in a bathroom. When her confession goes viral, Nate’s manager decides it’s time to play with the attention. So they begin a fake relationship for publicity sake. This book will make you laugh and wish you had a long time friend/lover. It is clean and cute. I gave it 4 stars.
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
This was a reread for me but it was so long ago I couldn’t remember the story. Lucy Young is 26, tired of life not going as she expected. From horrible roommates, to friends moving on, she is ready for her life to change. One night she found a wishing machine and wished to skip to the good part. Little did she know her dream was about to come true. She woke up in a life that she was unfamiliar with and had to learn to who and what was a part of her “good part.” As she embraces her new life she’ll have to ask herself: can she go back and if so, does she want to? It gives a little “Big” feeling if you’ve ever seen that movie but will leave you wondering about life. I gave it 4 stars.
