Wrap Up | January 2018

As hard as it is to accept the fact we are already a month into 2018, it is time for the first wrap up of the year. I had a pretty good start to the year, reading 6 books, despite having a lot going on, and rating all of them above 3 stars! I had hoped to read more but I am more than happy to read less books but enjoy every one of them.

Unboxed by Non Pratt -

I picked this up completely on a whim as I wanted to read more UK YA and Non Pratt is name mentioned a lot in the UK YA world. Unboxed is a very short book following four friends who reunite years after hiding a box within the grounds of their school and open in together as the fifth member of the group, who died a few months previously, had wished. This was such an emotional, impactful read that covered a whole range of topics and featured some great characters. My only complaint is that I wanted more so I will definitely be reading more from Non Pratt in the future.

Rating: 4/5 | Review

The Selection by Kiera Cass -

If you have seen my 2018 goals post you will know I want to reread more books this year, with 5 being my goals, so what better way to make a start on that goal than with one of my favourite series. I have been wanting to reread this series for a while now and this just seemed like the perfect time. I picked up the first book in January and loved it just as much the second time around. I cannot wait to continue this reread.

Rating: 5/5 | Review

Lucky Girl by Amanda Maciel -

Despite being a 2017 release, I hadn't heard anything about this book until I saw it on Netgalley at the beginning of this year and read the synopsis, which immediately intrigued me. This book follows a girl who is known for being the 'pretty girl' and has a bit of a reputation for being with a lot of guys. One night at a party she is sexually assaulted and has to come to terms with that and try to deal with the situation she finds herself in. There is also a strong friendship theme running through the story. I ended up loving this book and I think it deserves so much more hype surrounding it. It has such an important message that is incredibly relevant to today's society and it really gets you thinking.

Rating 5/5 | Review To Come

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows -

Speaking of hype surrounding books, this one has loads of it! I wasn't really interested in reading this at all until everyone stared raving about it and then I had to know what all the fuss was about. This is the almost but not quite true story of Lady Jane Grey who was queen of England for 9 days. However, in this version of the story her husband turns into a horse, so it's not really all that close to the true history. It's a very unique, hilarious take on history and I admire these authors for what they managed to do with this story. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did, particularly as it is not my genre at all, but I had so much fun reading this and it is one of the most unique books I have read.

Rating: 3.5/5 | Review To Come

By Your Side by Kasie West -

I'm making my way through Kasie West's many books and managed to tick another one of the list in January. This one is about a girl who gets stuck in a library over a long weekend with the school's mysterious bad boy. It may not sound like much but there is so much more to this book than I anticipated. Everything that happens after the library I was not expecting but really loved. It was Kasie West, of course I loved it.

Rating: 4/5 | Review To Come

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare -

I did really well with the rereads in January! This one wasn't planned but when I picked up City Of Ashes and realised I didn't have a clue what was going on as I couldn't remember much of what went down in the first book, I realised I would have to reread book one before continuing. I decided to get this one on audiobook for the reread and that was definitely a good idea. I really enjoyed reading this again but reading it in a different format was even better, I think I even enjoyed it more on audiobook. 

Rating: 4/5 | Review

I would say that was a pretty good way to start the year. Having a 5 star read already this year is especially great for me as I am very particular when it comes to giving out 5 stars, it doesn't happen often. Here's hoping the rest of the year can be just as good as January.

How was your reading month? Is your year off to a good start?

Sophie :)