December 2021 Wrap Up

 And just like that, it's the end of 2021! December has been another crazy month to finish the year off with, as it always is. Despite having so much going on over the month, I still managed to read a total of 7 books in December. I read almost exclusively Christmas books, which was great, discovered a new author whose books I binged and, most importantly, really loved reading again. So let's chat about the final seven books I read in 2021.

Falling For Christmas by Kate Hewitt -

This is a Christmas novella about a woman who leaves a Christmas party after her ex brings his new girlfriend and ends up driving for miles with no destination in mind, when she ends up stranded and completely unprepared in a small town. She is rescued by the local carpenter and has no choice but to stay in his house with him over Christmas. This was a fun festive novella but really nothing particularly special. I enjoyed the small town setting and I like a snowed in together story, but the romance wasn't that well developed so I couldn't fall in love with it.

Rating: 3/5

Underneath The Christmas Tree by Heidi Swain - 

This is a cozy, festive read about a woman who returns to her late father's Christmas tree farm to spend one last Christmas before she sells her shares. This is not something I would typically pick up. It is much more women's fiction than romance, although does feature a romance, but turned out to be exactly what I wanted. The Christmas tree farm is the perfect setting for festive fun and I loved being immersed in this little community. It was lovely to get to know all of these characters as our main character does and just fall in love with the place along with her. The romance was a dull, which did affect my rating, but it wasn't the main aspect of the book. Overall, this was a lovely Christmas read and just what I needed at the time.

Rating: 3.5/5

Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone -

Now that I have an Audible membership again, I have been wanting to try out the many Audible Originals. I had heard great things about this one so decided to pick it up. It follows a woman who sparks up a friendship with the customer service representative she ends up on the phone to for hours while trying to get her business website fixed. It seems like such an odd concept but I thought it worked so well. Vera and Cal end up getting to know each other through this phone call and the connection they have is so clear, even without them ever having me. It was such an adorable romance, with two really great characters that were such fun to follow. There is a bit of a twist at the end that I managed to work out pretty early on but it was still a lot of fun to read about. This was written for audio so the audiobook was a full production with sound effects and everything. It was the most fun and immersive audiobook that made for a great reading experience. I can't wait to listen to more like this.

Rating: 4/5

Mince Pies And Mistletoe At The Christmas Market by Heidi Swain -

I have gone down a Heidi Swain Christmas rabbit hole. I want to read every Christmas book she has written because they give me all of the cozy festive vibes. This one follows a woman who drops out of university and returns to her home town to run a market stall for her friends cafe over Christmas, but things get complicated when she discovers she is working next door to her ex-boyfriend. This one was just as festive as my first Heidi Swain as the stallholders all come together to make this the best Christmas ever and save their struggling small town market. It was just so sweet and I loved it. Again, this is more women's fiction but does involve a romance. The romance takes a definite backseat and while it was quite sweet, I wasn't all that bothered about it. What I really loved was getting to known all of the characters in this small town and experiencing the magic of Christmas alongside them. It seems that this is all I want this festive season.

Rating: 4/5

Sleigh Rides And Silver Bells At The Christmas Fair by Heidi Swain - 

Yet another Heidi Swain Christmas book! This is in the same series as the previous book and follows Anna who takes a job at Wynthorpe Hall in an attempt to avoid Christmas. However, when the Christmas plans at the hall change, Anna finds herself thrust into the festivities she has tried so hard to avoid for many years. This is a really adorable found family story featuring a great cast of characters who all bring so much to the story. Anna has had a really tough past and the characters in this sweet little town all help her to move on from that and look to the future. There is also some change and uncertainty at Wynthorpe Hall involving the owner's youngest son, Jamie, who has an instant connection with Anna. This was another fun and heartwarming Christmas story from Heidi Swain, with an adorable romance and lots of festive spirit. It was another perfect read to get me in the Christmas mood.

Rating: 4/5

Snowflakes And Cinnamon Swirls At The Winter Wonderland by Heidi Swain - 

When I say I fell down a Heidi Swain rabbit hole, I mean I really fell down a Heidi Swain rabbit hole. This was my fourth and final Heidi Swain Christmas book of the month and it takes us back to Wynthorpe Hall for more festive fun. This follows Hayley, the Wynthorpe Hall housekeeper who we met in the previous book, after her engagement has ended dramatically and she has moved into the Hall with others. Also moving to the Hall for this Christmas season is Gabe, a friend of Jamie who has come to work in the grounds and has baggage of his own. This has all of the heart, mayhem and festive fun I have come to expect from these books and it was great to spend another Christmas season in Wynthorpe Hall with the characters we met in the previous book. I didn't love this one quite as much as the others I have read this month, which I think is a lot to do with the romance. Hayley has just ended her engagement when she meets and feels a connection to Gabe, which is fine and I would have enjoyed a nice slow burn romance between them. What we actually got was a lot of angst followed by everything moving very fast. I also felt as though Gabe's past wasn't explored as much as it could be. I enjoyed the festive activities and the side characters just as much as I knew I would, but the rest fell a bit flat for me.

Rating: 3/5

Christmas At Carly's Cupcakes by Jessica Redland - 

I moved on from Heidi Swain to something with similar vibes. This is another women's fiction-y Christmas book with a bit of a romance thrown in. This follows Carly who own a small town bakery and has given a job to her struggling younger sister, despite her lack of skills in the baking department. She is also discovering her long held feelings for her childhood best friend who is coming home on leave from the Army over Christmas. This was a little all over the place for me and didn't quite hit the mark. I liked the small town bakery setting and loved seeing how all of the business owners worked together and became good friends. I liked the family aspect and how Carly was trying to help out her sister. I also liked the idea of the childhood friends to lovers romance. However, all of these aspects of the story felt half done and could have all been executed better. I constantly felt while reading that Carly's sisters storyline would have been better told from Bethany's point of view as it felt like the main focus of the story and took away from Carly's own storyline. The romance was really poorly executed, in my opinion, as Liam, the love interest, didn't appear until the last quarter of the book meaning we had such little time to see the couple together that is was difficult to be invested in them. It also meant that everything moved very quickly and felt rushed. This could have been great but ended up being pretty average.

Rating: 3/5

Those are the very last 7 books I read in 2021. I would say a load of Christmas books and a Heidi Swain marathon was a pretty good way to end my reading year. As I said, I have really fallen back in love with reading in December, which I am hoping will continue into the new year. I have also been getting back into blogging and I'm ready to jump back into things with the end of year content in January!

What was the best book you read in December?

Sophie :)

Five Christmas Reads At The Top Of My TBR

 I am all about the Christmas romance in the month of December and my list of Christmas books I want to read is pretty extensive. I thought I would share the five that I really hope to get to before the end of the month, mainly to help me not forget about them among the mountain of other books on my TBR. 

1. The Boss Who Stole Christmas by Jana Aston - This was on my list last year but I never got to it. This is the first in a series of Christmas novellas and features an employee-boss workplace romance.

2. Mistletoe And Mr Right by Sarah Morgenthaler - This is the second book in the Moose Springs, Alaska series that I started a couple of months ago. This follows the best friend of the heroine from book one and has the typical Christmas movie/book storyline of the rich person buying the small town.

3. The Fake Santa Apology Tour by Julie Olivia - A heroine who only dates fake Santas ends up snowed in with her grinchy santa-lookalike enemy in a small town. This sounds like a lot of fun.

4. A Cross-Country Christmas by Courtney Walsh - A Christmas road trip with her brother's best friend, who she also happens to have had a crush on for years, this definitely sounds like my kind of thing.

5. Kiss The Girl by Melanie Jacobson - This is a small-town, fake dating romance following our heroine who has returned to her hometown temporarily and has vowed never to fall for a small-town guy.

Those are five of the Christmas romances on my TBR this year that I am most interested in at the moment. I am really excited for all of these and I'm hoping I can get to at least a few of these before the end of the month.

What is your favourite Christmas book?

Sophie :)

December 2020 Wrap Up

 It's the last wrap up of 2020! I really can't believe 2020 is over, it still feels like March to me. December was a very busy month, as it always is, so I didn't get to read quite as many books as I had wanted to. I did manage to read 6 books, which is still pretty good, and everything was Christmas/holiday related. I even really enjoyed almost all of them as well.

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren -

This is the newest release from Christina Lauren and it's their first Christmas book. It follows a woman whose family are spending their final Christmas at the cabin they go to every year, but after an accident on the way home she wakes up back on the plane on the way there. She ends up reliving the holiday period over and over again until she can discover what makes her happy. It's a really fun, Christmassy book with the most adorable friends-to-lovers romance. The Groundhog Day element isn't something I usually enjoy but it was done so perfectly in this book that I loved it. I also really loved the family, and found family, dynamic and all the characters. It is filled with festive fun, which made it the perfect December read. I had some small issues with the ending, which is why I knocked off a star, but overall I really loved it. I shared more of my thoughts in my Christmas New Releases post if you want more detail.

Rating: 4/5

All I Want For Christmas by Joanna Bolouri -

This is another fun Christmas book, following a man who takes a job working as Santa at his local mall and ends up meeting a young boy who's Christmas wish is for his mother to be happy. He ends up setting the boy's mother up with his best friend, but soon starts to develop feelings for her himself. This was such an adorable book and completely exceeded my expectations. It is the love triangle trope done so well, with really well developed friendships and strong chemistry. I loved all of these characters, particularly our main character Nick, and their relationships with each other. This takes place throughout the year, bookended by Christmas, so isn't as festive as some of the other Christmas books I have read, but it did still feature prominently. Again, I have more detailed thoughts in my little review in my Christmas New Releases post.

Rating: 4/5

The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward -

This is a Christmas romance novella that I picked up at random. It is an enemies-to-lovers, fake dating romance, following two colleagues who take each other home for Christmas pretending to be dating. This was such a surprise, I loved it! It's super short, so a very quick read, and loads of fun. Our main characters have such great chemistry and their banter is very entertaining. I did feel like they stopped being enemies pretty quickly but I didn't mind too much. There are a few little twists thrown in to keep things interesting and it kept the plot moving. We didn't get any steamy scenes in this novella but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. It was a really sweet romance and a very entertaining, enjoyable read.

Rating: 4/5

All About Us by Tom Ellen -

This was another surprise for me. I picked it up at random and wasn't really sure what to expect. It follows a man whose relationship with his wife is on the rocks when, on Christmas Eve, he finds himself thrown back into the future to the day he chose his now wife over his university crush. He then finds himself thrown around his past to see the path his life has taken and where he is heading. I ended up really enjoying this. It's another love triangle in a way but also focuses a lot on their troubled marriage and if it could be salvaged. I enjoyed the time travel aspect in this one as well, which as I said is not something I usually enjoy. I thought it did a great job in this book of really developing the characters and the relationships between them. This was a much more serious book than the other Christmas books I have read and touches on some really important topics, such as grief and the importance of talking about feelings. I did have a little bit of an issue with the way one of the female characters was portrayed towards the end, I think it took away from the story a bit. However, I did really enjoy this story and loved the way things wrapped up.

Rating: 4/5

The Naughty List by Ellie Mae McGregor -

This was everything I never knew I needed. It is a smutty novella involving a romance between a single mother and sexy silver fox Santa. This is super short, super steamy and super fun. It was only around 50 pages and was exactly as it sounds so I don't really have too much to say about it. I enjoyed it, the steamy scenes were very well done, Santa was just perfect and I liked the relationship. I just wanted a little bit more of everything. Another 50 pages and this would have been perfect.

Rating: 4/5

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens -

After a month full of 4 star reads, I unfortunately ended the year on a bit of a low. This follows a man and a woman who were born on New Years' Eve, in the same hospital, just minutes apart, who end up meeting at a party on NYE 2019. The book follows them throughout the year as they keep bumping into each other and, despite being complete opposites, start to develop feelings for each other. I just didn't love this. I found both main characters incredibly annoying and kept getting frustrated by the decisions they made. There's a whole 'jinx' aspect of the story that I just couldn't deal with. However, the thing that really got me was the anxiety portrayal. The mother of one of the main characters has severe anxiety and has spent years struggling to even leave the house, until she is suddenly rid of her anxiety in a few months because she got some tough love. There was a good overall message to this book, and some really great friends who help deliver that message, but I just couldn't get past the things that annoyed me.

Rating: 2.5/5

And those are the last six books I read in 2020! I know I said it already but I really cannot believe that year is over. December was a pretty good month in terms of quality of the books I read and I loved finding some great Christmas books. It was a really good end to my reading year. Hopefully January will be an even better month for reading.

What was the best book you read in December?

Sophie :)

Reading Three 2020 Christmas Releases

I have been in the mood to read Christmas books since about October and after managing to hold off until November (mostly), I am now reading all of the Christmas books I can find. A few of the Christmas books I have picked up recently have been new releases, a couple of which I was lucky enough to receive eARCs of through Netgalley (marked with *). There seem to be so many Christmas books out there, and it seems like quite a lot being released this year, so I wanted to share my thoughts on three of the ones I have read. 

The Twelve Dates Of Christmas by Jenny Baliss*

(Published on 12th Nov 2020 by Pan MacMillan)

The Twelve Dates Of Christmas follows Kate, a single 34 year old from a quiet little English town who's best friend signs her up for a dating event promising her twelve dates for twelve chances to find love before Christmas. 

As you can probably guess from the premise, this was a really fun Christmas read. We have a genuine and loveable main character in Kate, who is perfectly happy with her life, her great job, and her two best friends. It was nice to read about a single woman who is satisfied with her life as it is and sees a relationship as something that could be a nice addition rather than a main goal. I loved reading about her small town life and the relationships she has with the people in the town, in particular her relationship with her father. It was all just very wholesome and heart-warming. I enjoyed the friendships Kate has, although found the 'big secret' from the past and the conflicts that created to be a bit blown out of proportion, I expected what happened in the past to be something more for the outcome it had. 

The twelve dates aspect of the story was the most fun part for me. It was really enjoyable to read about some of the disastrous dates as well as the more successful ones. I did feel, though, that some of them were just kind of skimmed over and could have been more developed. 

I did really enjoy this book for the most part, even thought it was quite predictable at times. However, I struggled with some of the decisions Kate makes at points and felt that some things could have been handled differently. I would also have liked the relationship to have been more developed, it was a sweet romance and I enjoyed it but it could have been done better.

Rating: 3/5

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

(Published on 6th Oct 2020 by Gallery Books)

I discovered this author duo this year so was very excited to discover they were releasing a Christmas novel. This is a romance with a bit of a sci-fi twist, following a woman whose family are spending Christmas at their cabin for the last time, but after getting into a car accident on the way home she wakes up on the plane on the way there all over again. She then relives the days over Christmas until she can find what makes her happy. This also features a friends to lovers romance with her childhood crush. 

I really enjoyed this book! The Groundhog Day/time travel element was an interesting addition but it didn't overshadow the romance. It only happened a few times, which I appreciated as I think it would have taken me out of the story too much had it been done more. I really loved the snowy cabin setting and all of the traditions the families had over the Christmas period. I felt so festive reading about all of their fun activities. There were a lot of characters introduced in this book as three different families are staying at the cabin. This was a little confusing to start with but once I worked out who everyone was I began to really love the dynamic. Most of the characters were well-developed and had a unique personality by the half way point, although there were a couple I would have liked to have gotten to know a bit better.

The romance was, as is to be expected from a Christina Lauren book, the real highlight of the story. I love a friends to lovers romance, and this one was incredibly sweet. The relationship was adorable and developed really nicely throughout the story, though maybe a little too quickly, and I was constantly swooning. 

While I really enjoyed this, the conflict annoyed me a little as it felt like a bit of an overreaction and I could have done without the epilogue. I also didn't like the way Mae was perceived to have lead Theo on just by being friendly, as I feel like it really plays into the idea that people of the opposite sex can't just be friends.

Rating: 4/5

All I Want For Christmas by Joanna Bolouri*

(Published on 29th Oct 2020 by Quercus)

This was my surprised standout of the Christmas books I have read so far this year. It follows Nick who becomes Santa at a local shopping mall after both losing his job and being dumped by his girlfriend. When a young boy tells him his Christmas wish for his mother to be happy again, Nick decides to arrange a date between the boys mother, Sarah, and his best friend. However, when things begin to get more serious between the couple, Nick realises he might have feelings for Sarah himself. 

I'm still not over how adorable this was! It's the love triangle trope handled incredibly well and a storyline with quite sad undertones made a lot of fun. Nick is a really great main character. He is going through a really tough time and coping with it through self-depreciating humour, which I both related to and found very entertaining. He is very loveable from the outset but grows so much throughout the book. He really is just a great guy who is willing to put his the happiness of his friend about his own. 

The friendships within this book were great. Nick's friendships with both Matt and Sarah were just lovely. Nick and Matt's friendship really highlighted the importance of talking about the serious stuff within male friendships and the fact that it is good to talk about your feelings, as it is mentioned that the two have helped each other through the toughest times of their lives. The friendship between Nick and Sarah was also really sweet, even before Nick realised there were any feelings there. It was just lovely to have very genuine friendships that weren't completely ruined by stupid conflicts. However, the importance and strength of these friendships are what makes the love triangle aspect of the story so difficult. I was worried about how the love triangle would be handled but it was written so well. 

There were so many things I really loved about this book, Sarah's son Alfie was a particular highlight, but the ending just didn't live up to my expectations. Things wrapped up a bit too conveniently for my liking and then the last few chapters felt like a bit of a whirlwind. Other than that, this was a really great read.

Rating: 4/5

Three quick reviews of three very enjoyable reads. I would definitely recommend giving any of these books a go if they sound interesting, I have fun reading all of them. I have so many more Christmas books I want to get to and not enough time to read them in, but hopefully I can fit in a few more in the next few days.

Sophie :)

TisTheSeasonAThon 2020 TBR

It is very nearly my absolute favourite time of year and this year I can finally take part in a Christmas themed readathon! I should be relaxing in the sun right now but, since Covid has meant that is not happening, I now have a whole week off work with no plans just in time for TisTheSeasonAThon, a holiday themed readathon starting today (November 30th) until December 6th, hosted by Bookables and A Court Of Crowns and Quills.

This readathon has both reading challenges and a bingo board. I am going to be trying to complete the challenges, but I would also like to get to some of the bingo board squares if I get the chance. I have so many Christmas books I want to get to but I'm trying not to be too over-ambitious with my TBR.

1. Group Book - In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

I discovered Christina Lauren earlier this year so I am super excited that they have released a Christmas book. This follows a woman who is spending Christmas in a cabin with her family for the last time, but ends up reliving the Christmas over and over again. I am so glad this is the group book for this readathon as I was definitely wanting to get to it at some point this year.

2. Read a holiday themed book - All I Want For Christmas by Joanna Bolouri

This is a Christmas ARC that I didn't quite get to in time for it's release but still want to read soon. This is a romance following a Christmas grotto Santa who sets a single mother up on a date with his best friend but begins to develop feelings for her.

3. Read a book you meant to get to this year but didn't - The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

This one might change, I haven't completely decided what I want to read for this prompt yet. I do really want to read The Flatshare before the end of the year but I will most likely read whatever I am in the mood for at the time. The Flatshare is a romance following two people who share a bed but have never met, as one works during the day and the other works at night.

4. Read a diverse book - Written In The Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

This is another one that could change if I can get some recommendations of good LGBTQIA+ Christmas stories to add to my TBR. This one is a f/f fake dating romance following an astrologer and an actuary who pretend to date over the holiday period.

5. Read a book with lights on the cover - One New York Christmas by Mandy Baggot

Yet another Christmas romance, but this one takes place in New York. Two friends decide to spend the Christmas season in New York after one has a bad break up and I think there is a romance involving a famous actor. Christmas and New York are two of my favourite things, so I'm excited for this one.

6. A cozy read - 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Any of the books I am hoping to read for this readathon could probably count for this prompt, but for me nothing is more cozy than a YA contemporary. This follows a girl who's boyfriend breaks up with her just before Christmas and her family decide to set her up on blind dates to help her get over him.

Those are the books I am hoping to get to for each of the readathon challenges. I expect I will probably need to double up on some of these challenges, especially as I am wanting to fit in some novellas to meet some of the bingo board challenges. To be honest though, I'm really not bothered if I don't read all of the books and complete all of the challenges, I'll just be happy to start my December and holiday season off with a week of Christmas themed reading.

I am just in the mood to read all of the Christmas books at the moment and definitely need some recommendations. What are your favourite Christmas books?

Sophie :)

Five Books I Want To Read By The End Of The Year

There are only six and a half weeks left of 2020, which is absolutely mad, and despite having read over 60 books so far this year, there are still books that I've been meaning to pick up but still have not gotten around to. My reading plans for the final two months of the year are pretty ambitious, so why not pile on the pressure and remind myself of five books I really do want to get to by the end of the year. I'm not holding my breath that it will happen but the intention is there.

 

1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare -

We were all expecting to see this book, right? This has been my highest priority book for the last few years and yet here we are again. I'm going to try and get to it by the end of the year but I'm doubtful at this point.

2. Know My Name by Chanel Miller -

I have started this one twice but it keeps getting returned to the library before I get very far in. This is the memoir of Chanel Miller, who's sexual assault case saw worldwide outrage when her attacker was sentenced to just six months in prison. What I have read of this was incredibly brave and impactful, I definitely hope to be able to finish it by the end of the year.

3. 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston -

This is a YA contemporary that takes place over Christmas and I was disappointed to run out of time to read it last year. It follows a girl who's boyfriend breaks up with her and her family take it upon themselves to set her up on 10 blind dates over the holiday season. This sounds like so much fun, I hope I can get to it this year.

4. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary -

This was one of the most popular books of 2019 and I had really hoped to get to it earlier this year. It follows Tiffy and Leon who share a flat, and a bed, but have never met as one works during the day and the other works at night. I'm interested to see how this plays out so hopefully I can fit it in somewhere soon.

5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley -

I was planning to read this last month but with everything going on in my personal life I just didn't manage to. This is a thriller, set on an island off the coast of Ireland, in which members of a wedding party start being killed. I've heard so many amazing things about this one! I might be out of my thriller mood by now but maybe I can fit this in before I get into full Christmas mode.

Those are five books I would really like to get around to reading before the end of the year. I know it probably won't happen, I'm pretty incapable of actually reading the books I put in these lists, but I might get to a couple.

What book on this list do you recommend I pick up first?

Sophie :)

December 2019 Wrap Up

And just like that, it's 2020! December has flown by in a complete whirlwind, I can't believe it's wrap up time already. I'm super happy to say I managed to get back into reading during December, despite it being as busy as it always is. I read a total of 5 books, which is actually the most I have read in a month since February!

Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire - 

To be honest, I had very little intention of ever picking this up until I did. I was looking on Scribd for short audiobooks that I could listen to in an attempt to get me out of a slump and to get me that bit closer to my Goodreads goal. I had heard a lot about this first book in the series, which follows children who have visited portal worlds, think Narnia, and attend a school designed to help them adjust to the struggles of returning to this world. It was such a unique concept that I was immediately intrigued, and the murder mystery plot really drew me in and kept me hooked. While this isn't a book I would typically reach for, I found myself really enjoying the world and wanting to discover more about the characters. It is amazing what Seanan McGuire managed to do in such a short book, I can't wait to see what the rest of the series holds.

Rating: 4/5

Your Life In My Hands by Rachel Clarke -

As I had only read one other medical non-fiction book earlier in the year, I decided to fit another in before the year was over. This is a memoir of a junior doctor in the NHS, primarily focusing on the situation surrounding the junior doctor strikes of 2016. As can be expected from the time period this book covers, it is far more politically focused than many other similar memoirs. This is not the book to read if you are looking for some fun stories of life as a doctor, this is the hard-hitting truth of the struggles facing the NHS. As an NHS employee, I found this book to be very interesting and full of really important information - in particular, it looks at the junior doctor contract dispute and subsequent strikes from the true perspective of the doctors, rather than that portrayed by the media at the time. However, I feel this could be a pretty boring, dry read for those not overly interested in the politics of it all or the struggles facing the NHS and it's staff.

Rating: 3.5/5

What Light by Jay Asher -
This one was a reread. I first read this back in 2016 and thought it was an adorable Christmas read, but since then have read a lot of negative reviews. I decided to give it another go to see if my opinions would be different a few years later. This follows a girl whose family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, where she lives for the majority of the year, but every Christmas they run a Christmas tree lot in California, where she lives a second 'Christmas' life. One Christmas she meets a boy with a bit of a bad reputation and, of course, starts to fall for him. I was happy to discover my feelings on this book did not change the second time around. I still really enjoyed this story, it really got me into the Christmas mood, and thought the romance was cute. It's nothing special, nothing that hasn't been done many times before, but it was a really sweet Christmas romance with added friendship and family elements that I enjoyed.
Rating: 4/5

Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay -
Adam Kay's previous book 'This Is Going To Hurt' was one of my favourite books of 2019, so when I saw that he had written this Christmas book I was desperate to pick it up. This is another memoir of Adam Kay's time as a junior doctor in the NHS, but this features many a funny story from working over the Christmas period. This was a super short, quick read, but still filled with laugh out loud stories. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as This Is Going To Hurt, probably because it was so short and simply a collection of funny stories, but it was a lot of fun.
Rating: 4/5

Verity by Colleen Hoover - 
At the very end of the last month of the year, I discovered Amazon's prime reading feature. It was like a Christmas present in itself to discover that I have the option to borrow Kindle books from the somewhat limited selection at no extra cost. Though, like I said, the selection is limited, this was one of the books available, which just happened to be a book I was interested in. I had not read any Colleen Hoover previously, though I do own some and have been wanting to for a while, but I was really interested in her mystery/thriller novel having heard such great reviews. This follows a woman who accepts a job finish a successful book series after the author is in a car accident and unable to finish it herself. She moves in to the family home in order to sort through the authors' notes and begins to think not everything is quite what it seems. I went in to this totally blind and was completely surprised. I was hooked from the start and it constantly kept my attention. It was just the right amount of creepy and though the mystery was quite easy to predict, it kept reading as I always needed to know what happened next. I thought it was written well and the characters were so well done; mostly unlikable but with the little hint of some redeeming quality. As I said, I found the mystery a little easy to predict and the ending fell a little flat, but overall I really enjoyed it.
Rating: 4/5

I had a pretty good end to my reading year. I read more in December than in most other months of the year, and they were almost all 4 star reads. I don't think I have anything to complain about there.

What was the best book you read in December?

Sophie :)

5 Books I Want To Read Before The End Of The Year

I haven't had the best reading year in 2019, as I have been so busy with everything else going on in my life to read as much as I would have liked. However, I am wanting to try and make up for that a little bit in the last few weeks of the year and read as many books as I can. There are some books that are high on the priority list to read before the year is over, so let's talk about them.

1. Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay - 

I mentioned this in the End Of The Year book tag as one that I definitely want to get to before the end of the year. I absolutely loved This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay and this is essential a festive follow-on to that. It is another 25 stories from Adam's time as a junior doctor in the NHS, but with a festive twist in that they are all Christmas stories. I can't wait to read this!

2. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare -

On every 'books I want to read before...' list I do, there is always a Cassandra Clare book. I finally read City Of Glass this year, after putting it off for a year, and I am reading Cassandra Clare's books in publication order, so this is the next one I need to get to. I have been saying that since February but I really do hope to get to it before the end of the year.

3. Christmas With The Bomb Girls by Daisy Styles -

This is the third book in a series I haven't read that was sent to me for review two years ago! I don't know why I accepted it for a start, but I also really should have read it before now. It is historical fiction, which isn't always my cup of tea, but it is also a Christmas book and it is no secret that I love Christmas. I'm going to give it a go, even though I haven't read the rest of the series and don't have a clue what it's about. 

4. Girl Made Of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake -

This was another one I mentioned in the End Of The Year book tag. I have heard so many people rave about this book for the past year and a half and haven't seen a single negative review. I am very intrigued to see if I enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to, so I'm really hoping to get to it before the end of the year. I think it has the potential, judging by all the opinions I have seen, to be a favourite of the year.

5. What Light by Jay Asher - 

Again, this is one I mentioned in the End Of The Year book tag. This is a reread, so I'm not sure if it really counts. I read this a few years ago and really loved it, but I have since seen a lot of negative reviews. I thought it was a really sweet, fun romance with some Christmas fun thrown in and I had a great time reading it. I really want to read it again and see if I have the same thoughts the second time around.

Let's be honest, there are only a couple of weeks left of the year so I'm most likely getting to none of these books before the end of the year, but sometimes it's nice to set unrealistic goals for yourself.

What books are you wanting to get to before the end of the year?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | December 2018

Happy New Year! Can you believe it's 2019 already? December flew by in a complete whirlwind so I didn't get to read quite as much as I would have liked, but I did manage to read 6 books. I even managed to get in some Christmassy books, which I always hope to do but usually forget, so I'm pretty happy about that. This was the first year for a while that December wasn't spent struggling to meet my Goodreads goals, I got to enjoy my reading rather than fly through the shortest books I could find. Unfortunately, this was probably my worst month of the year in terms of ratings, but I did read a couple of stand outs.

Follow Me Back by AV Geiger -

This is the first book in a YA mystery/thriller duology involving a famous singer, social media and a girl with agoraphobia. This was quite an interesting read as I didn't really know what to expect from it. As quite the twitter fan and fangirl myself, I was intrigued by that aspect of the story, as it surround a fangirl who is basically catfished by the singer she supports. However, that was the one aspect I didn't really like. The plot was engaging and wasn't too predictable, but I really didn't like the way fans on twitter were portrayed and some of the discussion surrounding them was not nice. Overall, it was a pretty average 3 star read, with a half star docked for the talk about fans.

Rating: 2.5/5

Tell Me No Lies by AV Geiger -

This is the sequel to Follow Me Back, which I'll be honest I only picked up because I was trying to reach my goal of completing 5 series in 2018. This follows on from the events in the first book and honestly that is about all I remember about it. This was quite forgettable and definitely not as engaging as the first book. It was very fast paced and the mystery was fine but nothing was particularly shocking. The ending wasn't predictable but it wasn't the kind of twist you could never have seen coming. Again, this was pretty average but overall quite forgettable.

Rating: 2.5/5

Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella -

I have had this sitting on my shelf for years so I figured it was about time to finally pick it up. It is about a woman who reveals all her secrets to a stranger on a plane, only to discover he is the CEO of the company she works for. Everyone raves about this book, and Sophie Kinsella in general, but after this one I think I'm giving up on her. I just don't seem to connect with her books. I thought this was fine but I was bored for a lot of the book. I might enjoy this as a cheesy rom-com movie (which I believe is in the works) but I didn't enjoy it as a book. I think Sophie Kinsella just isn't for me.

Rating: 3/5

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle -

This is another book I have been wanting to read for a while and finally got around to in December. This is three holiday stories, each about a different couple, set in a small town during a snow storm. I had heard mixed things so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying it. Maureen Johnson's story was my favourite; I thought the characters and plot were both fantastic. John Green's story I also really enjoyed; it was great fun and the characters were a blast to read about. Lauren Myracle's story was my least favourite; I didn't really like the main character and the plot was a bit boring and predictable. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and it definitely got me in the holiday mood.

Rating: 4/5

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern -

It's no secret that Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors but there are a lot of her books I have yet to read. This is her one Christmassy book and as I hadn't read anything from her in the year, this seemed like the perfect book to pick up. It follows a man who struggles to juggle his work and family life, always needing to be two places at once. He meets a homeless man outside his office and gets him a job, but not everything about his is as it seems. Cecelia Ahern is an amazing author who can tell stories like this one so cleverly. It isn't at all what you expect it to be but it is brilliant. The plot is quite slow-paced and the focus is much more on the characters, but it doesn't drag or get boring. This would have been 5 stars but the ending made me bitter.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Twelve Days Of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan -

This is the sequel to Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares, which I read last year. I wasn't sure about reading the sequel but since I was trying to finish 5 series in 2018 I decided to give it a go. To be honest, I found it pretty boring. Lily was annoying and felt much younger than she is meant to be. The plot was dull and didn't get me in the holiday mood like I expected. In fact, it didn't really feel at all necessary to have a sequel.

Rating: 2.5/5

Those were the last 6 books I read in 2018. Not quite the great end to the year I hoped for, 2.5 seems to be my rating of choice in December, but I did read a couple of books I really enjoyed. 

Did your reading year end well? Did you read any new favourite books in December?

Sophie :)

Top 5 | Books I Want To Read Before The End Of The Year

I can't believe it's that time of year already when I'm thinking about those last books I want to get to before the year is over. This year has completely flown by! I'm happy that this year I am not rushing to get in those last books for my Goodreads challenge, since I completed that a few months ago. However, there are still some books I would like to squeeze in before the end of the year.

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle - I like to read at least one Christmassy book and this is one I have been meaning to get to for the past couple of years. I always love holiday themed books so I can't wait to give this one a go.

The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan - I wasn't really sure if I wanted to read this after only giving Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares 3 stars last year. However, I set myself a challenge of finishing 5 series and this is the only one I have time for. I guess I'm almost cheating to complete my goal but I might love this one, who knows!

The Start Of Me And You by Emery Lord - I don't know how many TBR lists this book has been on but I was determined to read it this year. Except I haven't. I would say it's probably more of a summer read but I guess I'll just have to pretend it's July.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge - I have read hardly any fantasy (or anything other than contemporary really) this year and I want to change that. So maybe I don't have time to read as many as I would like, but this is one that I have been wanting to read for a while. It was also a Christmas present a couple of years ago so this seems like a good time to finally get around to it.

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout - Again, I haven't read as many mystery/thriller books as I would have liked this year. This is a YA mystery/thriller that I have had on my shelf for a while but never picked up. BooksandLala recently reread this for Lalathon, which gave me the push to finally want to give it a go.

Those are the five books I really want to get to before the end of the year. There is a very good chance I won't get around to all of these, my track record with TBR lists is not that great. However, I will try my hardest. 

Which of these should I pick up first?

Sophie :)

Haul | December 2015

As you may have noticed I am currently trying to catch up on all of the posts I should have been posting during the time I was MIA, including my December haul. I was so busy in the month of December that I didn't actually purchase any books myself, however I was fortunate enough to be given a few books for Christmas that I thought I would share.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - 

This is one that I would probably have never picked up if I hadn't received it as a gift. This is a historical fiction novel set during the Second World War. Having never read historical fiction, this is way out of my comfort zone but it does sound very interesting. I have heard nothing but good things about it, as you would expect from a Pulitzer Prize winner, so I am excited to give this one a try.

The Year I Met You by Cecelia Ahern -
Everything I have read by Cecelia Ahern so far I have loved so this is one gift I was really excited for. This is about a woman who loses her job and must find something to fill that void in her life. In true Cecelia Ahern fashion, I expect this book to be hilarious, heart-warming and heart wrenching all at once. Considering the first Cecelia Ahern book I read is now probably my favourite book of all time, I have such high hopes for this book and I am excited to get to it.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins -
This is the first book in a trilogy that I know very little about, other than the fact it is a paranormal romance about angels. I have heard really great things about this series so despite it being a little out of my comfort zone, as I have never read about angels before, I am really looking forward to starting it.

On The Fence by Kasie West -
I read The Distance Between Us by Kasie West in 2015 and really, really enjoyed it so I just had to read more from her. This is about a girl who is a bit of a tomboy, having grown up in a household with just her father and brothers, and I don't really know much else. I have really high hopes for this one considering how much I enjoyed my first Kasie West read.

The Kiss Of Deception by Mary E Pearson -
I have wanted to read this since it first came out so I am so excited to now own this. This is about a girl who runs away on her wedding day and is being chased by two guys, one of whom is the Prince she was to marry and the other is an assassin trained to kill her. I have heard so many great things about this as well so I cannot wait to read it.

That is all the books I got for Christmas this year. What was the best book you got in December?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | December 2015

You may have noticed that I have been totally MIA recently. I have had the busiest December and have spent the first days of January recovering from the madness. My reading didn't improve any in December because of me being so busy but I really hope to get back on track for 2016.

My Life In December...

- I started the month by submitting what will hopefully be the last essay of my law degree.

- I had a great trip to Carlisle to get to see one of my favourite guys perform at a charity gig.

- The majority of the month was spent working constantly, got to love retail at Christmas.

- I took my grandmother out for her 80th birthday and have a nice lunch.

- Christmas was nothing more than a day off work this year, but that was good enough for me.

- I spent a great few days away between Christmas and New Year with my mum and some close friends.

- I had the best time celebrating my 21st birthday with my best friends.

- I had a great New Years Eve with some great people.

Watched In December...

- The Christmas Secret - 4/5

- The Grinch (rewatch) - 5/5

- Let It Snow - 3.5/5

- Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - 4/5

- Silver Bells - 3/5

- The Holiday Heist - 2/5

- The Polar Express (rewatch) - 5/5

- Paper Towns - 5/5

Read In December...

Where She Went by Gayle Forman -

I put off reading this after hearing some negative reviews. I really enjoyed If I Stay, though I did prefer the movie to the book, so I didn't want to be disappointed by the sequel. When I finally picked it up it completely exceeded my expectations, I absolutely loved it! I wasn't a huge fan of Adam and Mia's relationship in If I Stay, which I mentioned in my review, however I loved Adam in this book and definitely felt the relationship was better developed. Though many others disagree, I think this is the best of the duology and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first book. 5/5

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord -

I finished this audiobook slightly out of season as I forgot I had started listening to it. I started listening to this in the summer as I felt a fun road trip style story with a summer romance would be perfect. I did really enjoy this, though the main character reminded me a lot of Taylor Swift and the story did have similar aspects to her story. Despite this, I thought this was a great debut novel and a really enjoyable summer read. I definitely want to read more of Emery Lord's work. 4/5

Blogged In December...

- I reviewed Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson.

- I wrapped up the month of November.

- I hauled the books I bought in November.

- I reviewed My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins.

What did you read in the month of December?

Sophie :)

December 2014 | Wrap Up

December may be my favourite month of the year but it is also the busiest, and this year was pretty stressful.

My Life In December...

- I did a whole lot of Christmas carolling with my church.

- My uni classes finally finished but I had two horrible essays to write.

- I turned my house into Santa's grotto, I love decorating for Christmas!

- I got to spend a lot of time with my family which is my favourite thing about Christmas.

- I had my one and only final exam of the semester and it was terrible.

- I watched a whole lot of Christmas movies.

- I finally got completely caught up with Grey's Anatomy.

- I was ill for the majority of December, and still am now, boo!

- There was Christmas, of course, and my birthday a few days after.

Read In December...

Dancing In My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison -

This is the fourth book in the Georgia Nicholson series, and the first that was not a reread for me. The thing I really like about these books are how quick they are to read. This one was super short, I think the shortest of the series, at just over 200 pages so it didn't take long to read. I enjoyed this book but had the same problem as with the previous books in that it is a little too immature for my liking. 3/5

My True Love Gave To Me by various authors - 

My True Love Gave To Me is a collection of short holiday stories written by various authors, edited by Stephanie Perkins. I read this as part of a read-a-long and so was reading one story over two days. I loved reading it this way as it meant I took my time to read the stories and they didn't all merge into one. Overall, I enjoyed this book but I did love some stories more than others. 4/5

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan -

A couple of my friends have been pressuring me to read this series and I finally got around to reading it. Having studied Latin and Classical Studies for 6 years, I wanted to read this due to the Greek Mythology aspect and that was my favourite thing about this book. I really enjoyed the Greek mythology but also the characters and the action packed story. 4.5/5

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens -

Due to my love of Christmas I wanted to read some Christmas books and this seemed like the obvious choice. With this being the first classic I have read, not including those for school, I had a bit of a struggle with the language and had to concentrate quite a lot while reading it. Despite this, I enjoyed the story, even though I have seen the various film adaptations so know it well, and did like the writing style. 3/5

Please, Nurse! by Joan Lock -

This is one of the books I have just recently hauled in my December Haul. I bought this because I am looking to study nursing or midwifery in the near future and this is the memoir of a student nurse in the 1950s. I picked this up as my last book of 2014 as I needed something small to reach my Goodreads  goal in time. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. I found it to be very scattered and confusing. 2.75/5

What have you been reading in December?

Sophie :)

December 2014 | Book Haul

With Christmas and my birthday in December, there was definitely going to be a lot of books coming into my possession this month. A few of these books were ones I asked for for Christmas, a couple were surprises and the rest were bought with some Christmas/Birthday money.

Medical Terminology For Dummies by Beverley Henderson & Jennifer Dorsey - I am very interested in all things medical and as I am hoping to go on to study either Nursing or Midwifery, I am trying to get a bit of basic knowledge. For that reason, I asked for this book for Christmas. I haven't looked at it yet but I find the 'For Dummies' books to be very helpful.

Anatomy & Physiology For Dummies by Donna Rae Siegfried - This book is along the same lines as the last. I asked for this for some basic medical knowledge.

New York City For Dummies by Myka Carroll - My main gift for Christmas was a trip to New York so my mum also got me this to help us plan the trip. Since we are only going for 5 days, we want to make the most of the trip and this book is very helpful for giving advice on what attractions can be avoided, for example.

Throne Of Glass by Sarah J Maas - I have heard so many great things about the Throne Of Glass series and had planned on getting around to it eventually so when my best friend got me it for Christmas I was so excited. It's one that she has also been wanting to read so I think we will be reading it together at some point this year.

The Selection series by Kiera Cass - The first book in the series, The Selection, was on my Christmas list this year as I was intrigued by the plot and had heard some good things about it. My mum decided to get me the box set for Christmas, which also includes The Elite, The One and The Selection Stories, a collection of novellas.

Please, Nurse! by Joan Lock - Amazon had a 3 for £10 offer on paperbacks so I took advantage of that and picked up a few books. One of those was Please, Nurse!, the memoir of a student nurse in the 1950s. Like I said, I am looking to go into Nursing or Midwifery so I am interested in books like this one.

One Born Every Minute by Maria Dore and Ros Bradbury - Along similar lines, and also from Amazon, I got the book tie-in to the Channel 4 TV series, One Born Every Minute. This book includes several stories memories from the Maternity Ward. I absolutely love the TV show so I am looking forward to reading this.

The New Arrival by Sarah Beeson - This is another book along the same lines as the last two. This is another memoir of a student nurse, this time in the 1970s. 

You're The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher - This was another Amazon purchase in their 3 for £10 offer. I have been wanting to read Giovanna's books for ages but just haven't got around to it. I had hoped to read them in order of publication but Billy And Me was, unfortunately, not included in the offer.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty - Another in the 3 for £10 was one that I have been after for a while. I have been really getting into thriller type books recently and this is another of them. I don't know a lot about this book but I have heard some great things about it.

Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes - This is the last of the books I got in the Amazon 3 for £10 deal and it is another thriller type book. This is another one I have been wanting to read for a while but I know very little about it, other than it is about a pregnant woman who hires someone to help her after her baby is born.

Ignite by Lily Paradis - For some reason I have been wanting to read this book ever since I first heard people talking about it. The synopsis intrigued me so I decided to go ahead and buy the ebook for my Kindle. 

Have you read any of these books? What one should I read first?

Sophie :)

December 2014 | TBR

It's almost the middle of December and I am only now getting to my TBR for the month but the first week of this month was so crazy it took another week to recover. I am ambitious for this month considering the first week was taken up with essays and I have an exam on the 22nd that I need to study A LOT for but if I read all 5 books on my TBR, I will reach my Goodreads goal of 45 books.

Dancing In My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison - 

This was in my November TBR but I never got around to reading it so I have carried it over to this month. I am in the process of rereading and then finishing this series and this is the fourth book of the ten. This is a really quick read and it has taken me so long to get around to doing my TBR post that I have already read this, so that's at least one book down so far.

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan -

This is another one that I have carried over from last month after I didn't get to it. My friends have been getting at me to read this for ages now and it is finally happening. I have started this book and I am loving it so far. I'm only about a quarter of the way through it so far but as soon as I get a chance to sit down and read for a decent amount of time I think I will fly through it.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales - 

Again I didn't get the chance to read this last month so I am going to try and get it read this month. I know very little about it but it is quite a short book so hopefully I can get to it and get through it quite quickly.

My True Love Gave To Me by various authors edited by Stephanie Perkins -

I could not wait to get my hands on this as soon as I found out it was happening and now I have it there is no way I am waiting to read this. I am reading this amazing collection of Christmassy short stories at the moment and I am taking part in the read-a-long hosted by Megan and Signe (goodreads group here) so I am reading one story over two days from the 1st of December to the 24th. I am really loving it so far.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens -

I wanted to read some Christmas books this month and A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite things to watch around Christmas so I thought I would read it this year. It is pretty short and I got it for free on the Kindle store so I am definitely going to be reading this at some point, even if it has to be Christmas Eve.

Those are the books that I plan to read this month although there is a very good chance this may change after Christmas as there are a few books on my Christmas list this year that I am really looking forward to reading. What will you be reading this month?

Sophie :)