Y’all this is the first monthly reading wrap up on the blog! Considering I started this blog mid-December I’m really excited to have one of these! It’s been a trying month with my grandmother passing the previous month, my grandfather going into the hospital, and then passing on the last day of December. Long story short I’ve been reading a lot, especially happy romances because they are necessary. Here’s what I’ve done:
Wrap Up Statistics:
Books Read: 9
Pages Read: 3,138
Average Rating: 4.11
Monthly Reading Wrap Up:
1.) Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Get it Here | 4/5 Rating | Finished 12.14
So I got this book on a whim from the Book Loft in Columbus (if you’ve never been here I highly recommend it if you’re in the area!). I didn’t realize that it was part of a series until after I had started it. It’s cute and sweet. I actually really liked both Alexis and Noah. I really connected to their families and enjoyed watching them figure out their own demons together. Noah’s past was really moving to me, as my father is also in the military and so it hit me hard. Alexis was such a great main character too. Her troubles were understandable and I felt for her. I am looking forward to the next one coming out on Vlad, the Russian (!!!), and I’m curious to see how it will go. I’m also planning on reading the first two novels… whoops.
2.) Left For Wild by Harloe Rae
Get it Here | 3.5/5 Rating | Finished: 12.15
A wildly unique plot of social worker and ex-con being captured and sent to the Canadian Wilderness with only each other. It’s a steamy story that I found to be entertaining. The Rae’s writing is captivating and places you directly in the wild with Halder and Blakely. The style was just one of those that you can lose yourself in the story without being jarred between syntax, word choice, or plot. All in all it was an easy, enjoyable read. I rather enjoyed Halder’s entire story and honestly wish that there had been more. Halder did get a little annoying with his caveman-like thoughts and actions, but overall he was an excellent character. The ending felt awkward with the rest of the book, but overall it was good. It is a great winter read! My full review is here.
3.) Falling For Your Best Friend’s Twin by Emma St. Clair
Get it Here | Rating: 3/5 | Finished 12.16
Overall I did enjoy this novel and found it to be a great way to spend a couple of hours reading. I really wanted to love this novel. I LOVE secret romances, longing from a distance, and conflicting loyalty—all of which you would assume would be in this novel. It’s not really. Abby and Zane didn’t have much of a history before Abby started working for him. To be honest, this was really shocking to me because I thought there would have been some interaction or interest before, but no. I liked it but it wasn’t a love. I do recommend it to people who like sweet-sugary romance novels are PG romance. The next novel in the story I hope will be just as good and I look forward to reading Zoey’s story. Read my full review here.
4.) Curvy Girls Can’t Date Billionaires
Get it Here | Rating: 3.5/5 |Finished 12.18
Jordan and Kai both have a load of unresolved problems and interest in each other. I liked Jordan. She was steadfast in her personal beliefs and worked for everything that she had. She did have some moments that I questioned, but it was still good. Kai was a little more elusive for me. It’s not that I didn’t like him, I just couldn’t really care about him. I get that this is a YA novel but it tried to tackle some heftier issues of income disparity and healthcare costs, but it didn’t really go anywhere. Their relationship felt awkward and naive, which went against a lot of what the book told us about their relationship. I have a ‘meh’ feeling about this one.
5.) Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Get it Here | Rating: 5/5 | Finished: 12.18
Marcus is my December book boyfriend. He’s so sweet and deserving of all the love that anyone could possibly want to give. Ok, but in all honesty I really loved this novel. I thought that April and Marcus had a solid relationship with a great build to it. They acted like adults. There was fun fandom moments throughout the novel and I liked that Marcus and April ‘knew’ each other before they met, it made their relationship feel much stronger. I felt like the reason Marcus was keeping his secret was entirely understandable and April’s reaction was also understandable. I 100% plan on rereading this in the future and also getting the next book in the series. Read my full review here.
6.) Falling For Your Boss by Emma St. Clair
Get it Here | Rating: 3/5 | Finished: 12.20
In the series with Falling For Your Best Friend’s Twin comes Zoey’s story. Her brother and best friend just got together and she’s head-over-heels in love with her boss, Gavin. She doesn’t know, but Gavin is totally into her too. There’s just the issue of coworker relations, a 19 year age gap, Gavin’s past, and the insecurity of trusting. I liked this book. It was a simple and short read with a lot of plot to it. Actually it felt like there were two novellas in one. There needed to be more development of the characters and their relationship. I get that they had worked together for almost two years, but going from professional to intimate is a bit of a jump and one that needed more fleshing out. I liked the plot twists, even if they were a little unbelievable. It’s a cute series, but not a I-NEED-TO-READ series.
7.) Faker by Sarah Smith
Get it Here | Rating: 3.5/5 | Finished: 12.23
I wanted to like this one more than I did. I love the enemies-to-lovers coworkers moments. They’re fun and secretive and exciting. This one fell a little flat. Emmie is charming and down to earth. Her family is amazing. I just didn’t like Tate all that much. I understand that he was a shy person, but still. Make him at least a little interesting and give him some personality. Plus, it felt like they went from disliking each other to making out too quickly and their relationship progressed without a ton of development. The ending was a little rushed and felt different than the rest of the novel. It’s a good read, just nothing outstanding. Read my full review here.
8.) You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
Get it Here | Rating: 4.5/5 | Finished: 12.29
You Had Me at Hola was such a great novel. The plot was phenomenal, the characters were well developed, the side characters had life, and their relationship was spectacular! I ran through this book so fast, which is a shame because I wish it could have gone on forever. Jasmine and Ashton were such lovely characters and I wanted both of them to succeed so badly. I loved Ashton’s vulnerability and the way that Jasmine was trying to overcome her history of dating. And I’m in love with both of their families so I really wish the book had been longer just to sustain my need. So good. I highly recommend this one! Read my full review here.
9.) The Roommate by Rosie Danan
Get it Here | Rating: 5/5 | Finished: 12.31
I think was my favorite book I’ve read all year, which is a little ironic because I read it on the last day. I loved Clara and watching her try to unlearn toxic traits from her family. Josh was amazing too. He was kind, understanding, and tried to help Clara learn to be herself. I found their relationship to be amazing. It was nice watching it develop over time and for them to learn to trust each other. I wish Clara would have developed as a character a little more and the outcome of her choices had been shown, but beyond that this book was perfect. I am looking forward to Danan’s next book considering this was her debut!
Long Story Short
Like I said, December was a really hard month for me. But I found many great reads and authors that I will definitely be following up with because their styles are just amazing! I’m also learning to put books down if I’m not liking them. I don’t have to finish everything. Here’s hoping to a good new year!
What books have you read in December? Any similar ones? Let me know what I haven’t read that I need to! I love growing my TBR;)
