March 2021 Wrap Up

 March was a very busy month for me! I changed jobs a bit, nothing too drastic but still stressful, so my work life has been crazy. It has meant I haven't had a lot of time to dedicate to this blog, but thankfully I have been in such a reading mood so still managed to get some books read. I read 8 books again in March, so I seem to be pretty consistent each month, and enjoyed most of them. I ended up having exactly the same ratings as February; a five star, a two star, and the rest split evenly between three and four stars. I also continued with a couple of series I started at the beginning of the year. I really enjoyed my reading month in March.

Southern Storms by Brittainy C Cherry - 

I fell in love with Brittainy C Cherry in February, when I read my first of her books, so I obviously picked up another one in March. Southern Storms follows a woman who flees an abusive marriage and moves to a small town, where she finds herself drawn to the town's mysterious loner. As expected, I loved this. It is heartbreaking at times, which I have come to expect from this author, but is also a really sweet romance. I loved both our main characters and the great grumpy-sunshine dynamic they had. I'm a sucker for a bad boy and a hero who hates everyone but the heroine, which was done so well here. Both our main characters horrible things, so a lot of trigger warnings here including abuse, loss of a loved one, loss of a child, child abuse and anxiety, but the way they help each other through their situations is great and really demonstrates how much these characters care for each other. I adored this book and can't wait to read more from Brittainy C Cherry.

Rating: 5/5

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone -

I have been trying to pick up some of the books that I have physically owned for way too many years, and this one had been on my shelf since 2014. This is a YA time travel romance, following a girl in 1995 Chicago and a boy from 2012 San Francisco who has travelled back in time. The two become close, which obviously makes for a very difficult relationship. Time travel romances are not something I have ever been interested in, I think is one I picked up because it was popular at the tim, so I had low expectations going in to this. I knew I probably wasn't going to love it, but I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. It was boring at times and didn't grab my interest, but I enjoyed it enough while I was reading it. I wasn't completely sold on the relationship. It was very much instalove and I don't think the author did enough to convince me of a connection between the two characters for me to be invested in the relationship and feel for their struggles. I did quite like the ending, though.

Rating: 3/5

Settling The Score by RS Grey -

I have seen a lot of hype surrounding RS Grey's books so decided to give her a go. I love the Olympics, so this sports romance set at the 2016 Rio Olympics sounded like my perfect book. It follows a US female soccer star going to her first Olympics, who is excited to see if the rumours of a sex-crazed athletes village are true, and a British swimmer who is also royalty, who develop a connection despite his complicated personal life. I started off really loving this, everything about it was exactly what I wanted to be reading. However, it ended up getting really disappointing. I think I would have loved this if it was as simple as a sports romance set at the Olympics, but all of the royal stuff and his complicated situation just annoyed me. The fact that Andie had dedicated her life to her sport and was getting her big shot at the Olympics but seemed to forget about that fact the second she met Freddie made me so angry. This book also had a bit of the jealous ex trope, which is probably my least favourite trope, which just annoyed me even more. I want to give the sequel a go, hopefully that will be the Olympics book I have been waiting for.

Rating: 2/5

Always Only You by Chloe Liese -

This is the second book in the Bergman Brother's series that I started back in January. This one follows Ren, a professional hockey player who is an absolute sweetheart, and Frankie, the social media manager for the team. This is the perfect slow burn, grumpy/sunshine romance and I loved it. Our main characters are so complete opposites, but understand each other so well and really bring out the best in each other. Ren is just the sweetest and he adores Frankie, and has done since he met her, but she has always been off limits as staff and players are not allowed to date. Frankie has spent much of her life feeling like a burden. She is on the autism spectrum and has rheumatoid arthritis, so often feels like she is problem for someone to look after, rather than a person to be loved. I loved both of them individually, but once they are forced together and start to really develop a relationship I just couldn't get enough. It was also great to see the Bergman family again as the family dynamic was one of my favourite aspects of the first book. I can't wait to carry on with this series and get the rest of the family's stories.

Rating: 4/5

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout -

This is another one that I picked up because I have owned it for so long. This is a YA mystery about a girl who turns up a few days after going missing, with no memories of what happened or of much of her life. When she discovers that her best friend is still missing, she is determined to get her memories back to help find her. I was surprised that I enjoyed this one as much as I did. It usually takes a lot for me to enjoy a YA mystery, especially is the mystery part is pretty obvious. I could see everything coming and guessed the person responsible very early on, but there was enough to the story that I wasn't bothered by that. I enjoyed the main character, in particular her struggle with coming to terms with who she was before and how to not be that same person. She didn't annoy me and didn't make too many stupid decisions, which is always a bonus. I also enjoyed her love interest and how their relationship developed. It wasn't perfect but it was a pleasant surprise and I had a good time reading it.

Rating: 4/5

What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam -

I wanted to try something completely different for my non-fiction book this month so picked this one at random on Scribd. The audiobook turned out to only be about 40 minutes long so I can't say I really took much from this one. It's basically a self-help book about making the most of your mornings and shares how some successful people use their mornings. It was fine, it was interesting enough, but I didn't really take anything away from it. It is mostly aimed at parents with 9-5 jobs, so as a single shift worker it wasn't really relevant to me. It might help someone but I was obviously not the target audience.

Rating: 3/5

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn -

This is the second book in the Bridgertons series, the book series that inspired the Netflix show. I started this series back in January after watching the show and finally continued to the second book in March. I enjoyed this book even more than the first book, and was happy to see this book didn't have any scenes quite as problematic as we had in the first book. Book two follows Anthony, the oldest Bridgerton sibling, as he sets out to find a wife. However, as he is sure he will die early just like his father did, he is determined not to marry for love. I absolutely loved the enemies to lovers romance between Anthony and Kate, they were just completely perfect. They had great banter and a clear connection from their first interaction. I also loved getting to see the rest of the Bridgerton family again. I adore the family dynamic and the scenes with Anthony and his siblings are some of my favourites. I'm so excited to carry on with this series.

Rating: 4/5

Good Girl by Piper Lawson -

I got this one for free on Kindle a while ago and then picked it up on a whim at the end of March. This is a rockstar romance following Haley who applies for a college internship with a record company and ends up on tour with a heartthrob rockstar after her first day. He is very private and comes across as a bit of an ass, but of course is secretly lovely and shows his softer side to the random girl he has just met. It's very predictable with a lot of drama, but it was a fun read. This is the first book in a series that is essentially one book told over three parts and this part ends on a cliffhanger. I'm not that interested to find out where the story goes, so probably won't pick up the next book.

Rating: 3/5

Those are the 8 books I read in March. I had a few real hits, some pleasant surprises and a couple of disappointments, but overall it was a good reading month. I didn't get as much read as I wanted to with being so busy, but I'm really hoping things will slow down soon and I'll get more time to read. 

What was the best book you read in March?

Sophie :)

Hauling More eBooks

 I haven't hauled any eBooks since November and it's no secret that I tend to acquire a fair amount of them. I did get a Kindle Unlimited subscription so I have cut back a bit on buying or downloading free ebooks outwith KU, but I have still picked up some. I'm not including any KU books in this haul, mainly because I tend to just download them as I want to read them. I did still get my hands on almost 30 books that were either free or on sale in the last few months.

1. Paper Princess by Erin Watt - A girl moves in to a posh mansion with a bunch of rich brothers after her mother dies. I've heard a lot of mixed things.

2. Hero by Lauren Rowe - A romance between a firefighter and a physical therapist. The first book in the Morgan Brothers series.

3. Duty Of Care by Dr Dominic Pimenta - A memoir of a doctor during the Covid pandemic.

4. Deep In The Heart by Alexa Padgett - A romance with an up-and-coming country star.

5. Send Me Crazy by T Gephart - A romcom involving a firefighter and a pair of panties sent to the wrong address.

6. Wicked In Winter by Jennifer Bernard - A romance set in Alaska that sounds like enemies-to-lovers.

7. Drive Me Wild by Julie Kriss - A second chance romance with a bad boy hero and lots of secrets.

8. You're The One by Layla Hagen - A friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience romance.

9. Royal Player by Katie McCoy - A sports romance featuring a tennis player who is also a Royal.

10. The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn - An enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a DIY wedding reality TV show.

11. Columbine by Dave Cullen - A non-fiction discussing the events of the school shooting at Columbine High School.

12. The 24-Hour Cafe by Libby Page - A story following two best friends over the span of 24 hours in the 24-hour cafe they work in.

13. The Roommate by Rosie Danan - A forced proximity romance between a good girl heroine and the stranger she ends up with as her roommate.

14. The Only Plane In The Sky by Garrett M Graff - A non-fiction discussing the events of 9/11.

15. Shipped by Angie Hockman - An enemies-to-lovers romance between two colleagues who are forced to go on a cruise together.

16. Like A Boss by Logan Chance - A romance in which the heroine discovers her one night stand is her new boss.

17. Resisting Roots by Audrey Carlan - A sports romance between a baseball player and a yoga instructor.

18. Push The Envelope by Rochelle Page - A NA sports romance with a rugby player hero.

19. Weekend Wife by Erin McCarthy - A fake engagement romcom with a billionaire hero.

20. My Twisted Fortune by Piper Rayne - A small town, second chance romance set in Alaska.

21. My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding by Erin Nicholas - A small town, fake dating romance.

22. One Night Only by Lauren Blakely - A MFM menage between an heiress, her bodyguard and a rockstar.

23. Shutout by Jami Davenport - A second chance sports romance with a hockey player hero.

24. Chicago Blaze Books 1-2 by Brenda Rothert - A bind-up of the first two books in a sports romance series following a hockey team.

25. Baby Mine by Kennedy Fox - A roommate romance between the hero, who's best friend recently died in an accident, and the best friend's girlfriend.

26. Say You'll Stay by Corinne Michaels - A second chance romance between a struggling single mother and the man who broke her heart.

27. Co-Ed by Rachel Van Dyken - A NA reverse harem romance.

28. Exes & Goals by Heather C Myers - The first book in a sports romance series following a hockey team.

My eBook library is never ending. As always, I have no idea when I'll get around to picking these up but hopefully I'll get to some of them soon. 

Do you recommend any of these? What should I read first?

Sophie :)

Down The TBR Hole: Version 2, Round 5

 

I took a little break from Down The TBR Hole posts over the new year, and from blogging in general over the past few weeks it seems, but I'm bringing them back today. Down The TBR Hole was created by Lost In A Story as a way of clearing out your Goodreads Want To Read Shelf. If you haven't seen it before, the idea is to sort your Want To Read shelf by date added, oldest to newest, and taking 5-10 books at a time, decide if you're still interested in reading it or not.

You can take a look at my previous rounds here:

Version 2, Round 1

Version 2, Round 2

Version 2, Round 3

Version 2, Round 4

1. The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn

This is an interesting premise; five teens carrying various burdens accidentally trade their burdens during a ritual and have to spend the week experiencing the trials of another person. It could be good but it doesn't seem like something I would ever get around to picking up.

Stay/Go

2. The Boy Next Door by Katie Van Ark

This is a YA contemporary romance following two figure skating partners. I know I added this to my shelf because of the figure skating element, and usually I would be really interested to read a book about skating. However, for some reason reading the synopsis has made me think I wont enjoy this.

Stay/Go

3. The Wrong Side Of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

Another YA contemporary, but this one follows a girl who, after the death of her mother, learns about the father she never knew, who happens to be running for president. This is just not something I am interested in anymore.

Stay/Go

4. From Where I Watch You by Shannon Grogan

I'm not entirely sure what this book is. It follows a girl who wants to become a professional baker, who is finding notes written to her following her sister's death and then it sounds like she thinks she starts seeing the ghost of her sister. I have no idea, but I will never read this.

Stay/Go

5. Lessons In Falling by Diana Gallagher

This is one that I think I would have loved if I had read it back in 2015 when I added it to my Goodreads shelf. It is about a girl who is struggling after both quitting gymnastics due to an injury and her best friend's suicide attempt, but meets a boy who wants to help her achieve her dream. I used to be a gymnast, so that aspect of the story still interests me. However, I just don't think I would enjoy this now.

Stay/Go

6. Volition by Lily Paradis

This book was plagiarised so goodbye.

Stay/Go

7. When Reason Breaks by Cindy L Rodriguez 

This is compared to Thirteen Reasons Why and that is enough for me to never want to pick it up.

Stay/Go

8. Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

I have read a few Sarah Dessen books and liked some more than others. I'm still interested in reading more from her.

Stay/Go

9. Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino

This is a New Adult romance that looks like it has a strong focus on music. This is definitely something I would still be interested in picking up now.

Stay/Go

10. Near & Far by Nicole Williams

This is the second book in a NA romance companion series that I started years ago. I don't remember anything about the first book but I really enjoyed it. I'll keep this for now, I might get round to it at some point.

Stay/Go

Three staying, Seven going. Want To Read shelf at 570.

I was obviously feeling pretty brutal this round. I have added quite a few books to my Want To Read shelf over the last few months though, so the number is now higher than it was after the last round. Hopefully I can get that number down in the next few months.

Did I get rid of a book you love? 

Sophie :)

Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR

 

After a little bit of a break, I am trying to get back into the swing of things with blogging. This seemed like the perfect way to do that, especially as this week's theme is books on your Spring TBR. I am so glad we are moving away from the snow and closer to a bit of sun, I can't wait to enjoy being outside again! As usual, I am terrible at sticking to TBRs so probably won't read most of these books. I enjoy making them though, so here are the books I am most interested in getting to at the moment.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. The Wreckage Of Us by Brittainy C Cherry - I have just discovered, and fallen in love with, Brittainy C Cherry and now I want to read all of her books. This is a NA rockstar romance.

2. Goodbye Perfect by Sara Barnard - Another favourite author of mine. This is the only one of her books that I haven't read yet and I want to get to it before her new release this year. This is a YA contemporary about friendship.

3. The Locker Room by Meghan Quinn - I've been loving sports romance recently and have been recommended this series, and this author in general. This is a NA sports romance following a baseball player.

4. A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J Maas - I have been wanting to read this for a while and now that my real life best friend won't stop raving about it, I definitely need to pick it up. This is a fantasy romance, which I don't really read.

5. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas - A NA boyfriend's dad romance, which is unlike anything I have read before. I have heard great things about this one so I think I'm ready to dip my toe into more taboo romance.

6. Dare To Fall by Estelle Maskame - Just like Goodbye Perfect, this is the only book by one of my favourite authors that I have yet to read yet and want to pick up before her newest release. This is a YA contemporary romance, but I think a bit more hard hitting than her other books.

7. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - I have had this on so many TBRs and haven't read it yet. This is a mystery/thriller about a wedding party on a deserted Irish island.

8. The Initiation by Nikki Sloane - This is another one a lot of people are raving about at the moment and I have FOMO so want to read it. I think this is a bit of a darker romance.

9. The Simple Wild by KA Tucker - This one has been on my radar for a couple of years now but I seem to be really in the mood for it recently. This is a NA romance set in Alaska.

10. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn - I really need to carry on in this series. As always, I have started a series and taken my time to continue it. This is a historical romance and the second book in the Bridgertons series.

Those are the ten books at the top of my TBR at the moment. Hopefully I will get to at least a few of them in the next couple of months. 

What books are at the top of your TBR list for Spring?

Sophie :)

February 2021 Wrap Up

 February is always a bad month for me and this year was no exception. My mental health was at a pretty low point at the beginning of the month and then, just when that was improving, my physical health became the issue. Blogging just wasn't even on my mind, but thankfully I did still manage to read a bit. I didn't read quite as much as I would have liked, mainly because I was so exhausted when I was ill that I couldn't concentrate to read more than a sentence or two. Novellas and shorter books were my friends in February and I managed to read 8 books. 

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevado - 

This was given so much hype last year, and won the YA fiction category of the Goodreads awards, so I had been putting it off a little as I was scared I wouldn't love it as much as everyone else. This is a novel written in verse following two sisters, one living in the Dominican Republic and the other living in New York City, who only discover the existence of the other after their father dies in a plane crash. I am very new to novels written in verse, I have only read one other, so that took me a little time to adjust to. However, once I had I ended up really loving the way this book was written. I listened to the audio book while reading it physically and found the narration to be perfect. The story itself was incredibly powerful. We are introduced to these two very different sisters, living very different lives as they come to terms with the tragedy that brings them together. The relationships within this book, both the relationship they have with each other and those they have with others, are what makes this such a beautiful story. I loved getting to know these sisters and watching them grow and develop on their journey throughout this book. It was just really beautiful and I highly recommend it. I only wish I had read this at a different time, I really feel like I would have rated this higher had I been in a different mindset, as I can't really think of much I disliked.

Rating: 4/5

Higher Love by Alexandria House -

This is one I picked up at random because the audiobook was pretty short and I just wanted something quick and fun. It is a romance following a travel blogger who discovers her fiance is engaged to another woman via facebook while she is at a music festival as part of a work trip. She decides to throw herself into the festival fun to forget about her heartbreak, which ends in a bit of fun with a mysterious handsome man. When a business deal brings them back together, they decide to give things a go. I really loved the first half of this book. I loved the festival fun, the beginning of the relationship and seeing the characters develop in the beginning. I also really enjoyed how they were brought back together and how they handled the situation they found themselves in. However, there were a lot of things about the latter half of the book I did not enjoy. I hated the jealous ex trope in here and couldn't deal with just how crazy things got with Derek's ex. The drama that ensued and how over the top the conflict was just got too much for me.

Rating: 3/5

Set by Alexandria House -

Since I really enjoyed the writing in Higher Love, just not quite how the story played out, I decided to give Alexandria House another go. Set is the first novella in a series following three brothers. The first book deals with a friends with benefits arrangement between two former school classmates who meet again as adults. This was super steamy and a lot of fun. Once again, I really loved the majority of this but the ending really let me down. I was so ready to love this, but Set just became far too overbearing and possessive for my liking. He was making decisions on Kareema's behalf without even a conversation, and she would just go along with whatever he said. I was really disappointed that I didn't end up loving this as much as I thought I was going to.

Rating: 3/5

Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C Cherry -

This is easily my favourite book I have read in 2021 so far! I have heard so many amazing things about Brittainy C Cherry so decided it was finally time to pick up one of her books. Eleanor & Grey follows our main characters as they first develop a relationship in high school as they bond over similar tragedies in their lives, before they are separated for a number of years. The two later find themselves back in each others lives as adults, but circumstances are very different than they used to be. This is an emotional read. It deals with topics such as cancer and loss of a loved one, so be aware going into it that these feature heavily. I adored this book! I loved watching their relationship develop as teenagers and how they helped each other through their difficulties. It was such a pure love story and I just completely fell in love with both characters in the first part. The second part was hard to read. Yes, the first part deals with difficult topics, but the second part broke me. Grey is broken, and the difference in his character from the first part is just heart-breaking. The way Eleanor came back into his life was perfect. I loved the relationships she formed with his children as their nanny. I love children in books and I completely fell in love with these ones. I basically just loved this book and I still can't form coherent thoughts about it so I will stop before I just gush about it forever.

Rating: 5/5

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory -

From a new favourite to a disappointment, unfortunately. I have owned this ebook for years and finally got around to picking it up. It follows two strangers who get stuck in an elevator together, during which time Alexa agrees to be Drew's fake girlfriend at his ex-girlfriend's wedding. I love fake dating, I love books about weddings, this should be my ideal book, right? Sadly, all the things I love that feature in this book were over within the first quarter of the book. This couple fake dated for a whole weekend! After that I had another 200 pages of weekend trips back and forth, bad communication and a whole lot of inaccurate medical stuff. If you're going to make your hero a paediatric surgeon, at least know what the job actually involves and get the basic medical facts correct! I could have gotten over the medical inaccuracies if the plot had been interesting (I am a Grey's Anatomy fan after all) but it just wasn't for me. I really thought I would love this one, I'm so sad I didn't.

Rating: 2/5

Worship by Jack Harbon -

After having success with my first Brittainy C Cherry book, I decided to pick up something from another author recommended by Bree from In Love And Words. I had heard her raving about this novella from Jack Harbon, so I gave it a go. This follows two former classmates who reunite at their ten year high school reunion and things get steamy. This is really short but absolutely adorable. It is childhood friends to lovers, small town, and is the definition of a hero worshipping the ground the heroine walks on. I absolutely adored this relationship and really loved Jack Harbon's writing. My only complaint, as is often the case with novella's, is that I wish it was longer. I would happily have read a full length novel about these characters.

Rating: 4/5

The Babysitter by Jack Harbon -

Of course, after enjoying my first Jack Harbon novella so much I had to pick up another. This one is even shorter and is a M/M romance between a babysitter and the father of the child he looks after. This is super steamy with a bit of an age-gap to make it even more taboo than just the boss-employee relationship. I really liked this for the most part. However, I haven't read a lot of age-gap romances and I'm not entirely sure they are for me. I just wasn't a fan of the age gap, although that may have been more to do with the image I had in my head of Victor, the father. I just can't picture a 'Victor' that is not a super old guy! I did really like the ending though and I enjoy Jack Harbon's writing a lot.

Rating: 3/5

Year Of Yes by Shonda Rhimes -

So technically I finished this one on March 1st but we're counting it for February because I make the rules here. This was my non-fiction book for the month and once again I think I accidentally picked the perfect book that gave me exactly what I needed to hear and think about at that specific moment in time. I picked this up because I adore Shonda Rhimes. I think she is an incredibly talented human being and I wanted to know more about her personally. This book follows her journey on the year in which she said yes to all the things that scared her. This was exactly what I needed to be reading about and thinking about at that time! I really enjoyed this book. It not only gave me more of an insight into who Shonda Rhimes is as a person and how she manages to her success, it was an inspiring read about breaking out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself to do what scares you the most. As a very introverted person, I could relate to so much of what she had to say and it has really helped me to see that someone who struggles with some of the same things I do managed to so the things that scared her the most and is still here to tell us all about it. Another really great non-fiction read.

Rating: 4/5

Those were all 8 of the books I read in February. I wasn't at all focused on my goals this month, but I'm still interested to see how I did. You can see all of my yearly goals here.

I, for some reason, decided it would be a good idea to up my Goodreads goal for the first time ever and challenge myself to read 100 books in 2021. This will most likely go back down to 50 when I realise I am never going to manage that. For now though, I am one book ahead of schedule.

I did managed to read February's Buzzword, which was a colour, with Eleanor & Grey.

I didn't read any books from my physical TBR in February, but I am going to make more of an effort to do that in March.

The Black Author Readathon took place over the month of February to celebrate Black History Month, meaning every book I read in the month was by a Black or mixed race author. 

I did try reading something new to me, which was a sci-fi novella that I ended up having to DNF as it just wasn't for me. I would consider a novel written in verse to be pretty new to me, as well as an age-gap romance.

I don't think I am doing too badly with my 2021 goals, although I am definitely make some more of a priority than others. It will be interesting to see if this continues throughout the year.

Did you discover any new favourite books in February?

Sophie :)

Top Ten Books With Love Titles

 

Look at me doing a Top Ten Tuesday post on a Tuesday! This week's theme is a Valentine's Day/love freebie, so I thought I would share some of my favourite books with love related titles. These books all include some variation of 'love' or 'heart' in the title, and are all books I really enjoyed and would recommend.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Love, Life And The List by Kasie West 

2. How To Fall In Love by Cecelia Ahern

3. Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame

4. Out Of Love by Hazel Hayes

5. Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard

6. To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

7. Love And Other Words by Christina Lauren

8. Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby

9. PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

10. The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

What is your favourite book with a love related title?

Sophie :)

January 2021 Wrap Up

 How are we already wrapping up the first month of 2021? As is often the case at the beginning of a new year, I found my love of reading was rejuvenated in January and I just wanted to read all the books. However, I was still working full time and work, as always, has been crazy, so I didn't quite manage to read as many books as I would have liked. 

I read a total of 9 books in January, which is more than I read in any month of 2020. I read predominantly adult or new adult romance, with a couple of adult and YA contemporary fiction books thrown in, and one non-fiction. I didn't rate anything lower than 3 stars, which is always good, and even had a 5 star read.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary -

My first read of 2021 was one I had every intention of reading at the beginning of last year, but just never did. It was incredibly popular when it was first published, so I'm probably one of the last people to get to it. It follows Tiffy and Leon who share a flat, and a bed, but have never actually met, due to their opposite work schedules. The two develop a friendship through notes, which of course develops into a really adorable relationship. I loved these characters, their relationship and how it develops, and their friendships and family relationships. I enjoyed that there were some more serious topics dealt with in the story, including Tiffy's toxic past relationship and Leon's brother's imprisonment, which added another layer to the story. My only issue was the way Leon's chapters were written. I just didn't click with the unusual writing style, it kept pulling me out of the story. I have a full review for this book where you can find out my more in depth thoughts.

Rating: 4/5

Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese -

This is a new adult sports romance, featuring the best frenemies to lovers slow burn relationship. We follow Willa, a college soccer star who is struggling with a Professor not accommodating her athletic schedule. Instead, he encourages her to ask Ryder, a fellow student, for help. However, when he ignores her in class, Willa can't believe he could be so rude. Their banter-filled battle ensues from there, but when Willa discovers Ryder is actually deaf, their relationship dynamic changes. I really enjoyed this book. I loved how sassy Willa was, but also the fact she struggled to address certain situations due to her anxiety. That was an aspect I very strongly related to and I really saw myself in her. Ryder was a really great hero, he was so sweet, but snarky, and just adored Willa so much. I loved that we got a deaf main character, I can't speak to the representation but it was a very interesting aspect of the story. Basically, I just loved these characters and their relationship. I was let down by the fact a lot of the conflict could have been avoided with communication, which is something that gets on my nerves a bit in books. I did really like this book though, and can't wait to read more from this author.

Rating: 4/5

The Duke And I by Julia Quinn -

I picked this up after bingeing, and loving, the Bridgerton Netflix series. This was my first ever historical romance and will not be my last. For anyone that hasn't experienced the Bridgerton hype yet, The Duke and I follows Daphne, the middle child and oldest daughter in the Bridgerton family, who embarks on a fake courtship with The Duke Of Hastings, one of London's most eligible bachelor's and the best friend of her eldest brother. There is a lot of negativity surrounding this book, and a specific scene, which I will get to. That aside, I did enjoy this book. My feelings on the book and TV series are mixing together, as I read the book immediately after finishing the show, so I can't get into too much detail. I liked the characters, especially the Bridgerton family as a whole, and enjoyed the relationship between Daphne and Simon. This would have been a solid 4 star, maybe even 5 star read has it not been for that one scene. I won't go into detail in case anyone feels this is a 'spoiler' but there is a rape scene within this book. That scene in itself, though obviously not enjoyable, was not where I had an issue. My issue was the repercussions, or lack of, of what happened. I don't feel like it was dealt with well, or even really addressed, which was where my issues lie. I will still continue with this series and hopefully have a better experience going forward.

Rating: 3/5

One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London -

I talk about this book in quite a lot of detail in my last post, in which I read some of my favourite Booktuber's favourite romances of 2020, so I'll not say too much here. This follows Bea, a plus size fashion blogger who is approached by the producer of Main Squeeze, a bachelorette style reality show, and asked to be the show's first plus size 'main squeeze'. I really enjoyed this initially. Despite a small issue I had in the beginning, I loved Bea as a main character. She is so real and this book focuses a lot on her struggles and fears, and we follow her journey as she begins to overcome them. I really enjoy fiction about reality TV, so found that aspect a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I ended up getting quite bored towards the end. I didn't care enough about the men to be bothered about who Bea ended up with and I found the ending a bit dull. I did have a few other issues, which I discuss in that post I mentioned previously, but this was an OK read.

Rating: 3/5

Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven -

This was the only YA book I read in January, which seems so strange to me as someone who used to read almost exclusively YA. It is a YA contemporary following Libby, who is infamous for being 'America's Fattest Teen', and Jack, who can't recognise faces and is keeping that a secret from his family and friends. The two develop a friendship after Jack essentially bullies Libby quite horrifically and the two end up in group counselling together. I felt pretty much the same about this one as I did about the previous book I have read from Jennifer Niven. I liked some aspects of it and really disliked other aspects, so it ended up just being pretty average. I liked the friendship between the characters and how that develops despite the not so great way it starts. I didn't like the fatphobia and bullying that is really prevalent. It has some good messages but is generally quite forgettable.

Rating: 3/5

Inevitable Conclusions by Christina C Jones -

This is another one that I read as part of my reading booktuber's favourite romances of 2020 post, so again I wont go into too much detail. This is a friends to lovers second chance romance. It follows Kora and Tariq who have been best friends since childhood and remained friends after a previous attempt at a relationship that didn't work out. The pair have a friends with benefits arrangement but neither of them want to take things further and risk their friendship. This was such a sweet romance. It is clear to see how important this friendship is to both of them and why they are so scared to risk ruining it with a relationship. I loved seeing how much they cared for each other, and how they helped each other to deal with their traumatic pasts and difficult family lives. It was just beautiful to see the way that lovely friendship developed into something more. I also really enjoyed the relationships with other characters, in particular both main characters' relationships with Kora's teenage daughter. I can't wait to read more from Christina C Jones in the future.

Rating: 4/5

Dream A Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher -

This is my third Giovanna Fletcher book and, unfortunately, my least favourite so far. It follows Sarah who has been having dreams involving a handsome man, but things get awkward when he makes an appearance in her real life. I love Giovanna as a person so it pains me to say I was disappointed by this book. It felt quite juvenile. Sarah, our main character, is still a part of the same friendship group as the ex-boyfriend who left her several years ago and is struggling with the fact she has to see him be so happy with the woman he left her for. The way she treated his girlfriend just felt very immature, although this was addressed later on in the book. I really loved Sarah's friend group and particularly her friendships with her best girl friends. The way they all support each other through the difficulties that arise throughout the story was really great. Everything else was just really average for me. I don't even have much to say about this - it was fine. 

Rating: 3/5

Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) In Song by Sara Bareilles -

This was my one non-fiction read of the month. It is a collection of essays written by Sara Bareilles about her life. They cover her childhood, discovering her love of music and songwriting and her journey throughout her career. I really like Sara Bareilles, mostly because I am a huge musical theatre fan and she is the person behind the music in one of the best musicals. I didn't really know much about her personal life before reading this so I was very surprised by how much I got from this book. This talks a lot about Sara's personal struggles, a lot of which are things I have struggled with on some level. Each of the essays are related to one of Sara's songs, which I really loved as it gave the songs an even greater meaning. My favourite part of this book was the section in which Sara reads letters to her younger self. As someone who has been, and still is, struggling with a lot of the same things she struggled with, it was as if she was talking directly to me. I really didn't expect this book to have such an impact on me, but I loved it so much and it was exactly what I needed to hear when I read it.

Rating: 5/5

Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills -

Again, I read this as part of my reading booktuber's favourites romances of 2020 post. It is a high school NA romance involving a girl, Ava, who is sexually assaulted at a party by one of the 'Sharks', the most popular people at her prestigious school. Upon returning to the school a year later, Ava is paired up with the head of the 'Sharks', Knox, for a class project. She also finds a letter from a secret admirer in her locker. There is a lot of background plot in this book, but the main story is a 'enemies' to lovers romance between Ava and Knox. I say 'enemies' as the enemies aspect was just not there for me. They 'hate' each other for all of about ten seconds before realising they both like each other. I liked the two of them together, I really enjoyed their banter and the fact they could be vulnerable and be themselves around each other. Everything else seemed very background. The secret admirer aspect, that seemed from the synopsis to be the main plot, was hardly touched on at all. This was another one that I got a bit bored of towards the end and really didn't like how many epilogues we had. I really thought I would love this but it ended up being a bit disappointing.

Rating: 3/5

I thought it might be good to check in on my goals in my wrap ups to stop me from forgetting about them until the end of the year. You can see what my 2021 goals are here.

So:

I am currently 5 books ahead on my Goodreads challenge, which makes me happy. 

I did read January's buzzword with Dream A Little Dream.

I completed 5 of the Year Of Smut prompts.

I read 3 books from my physical TBR, which is the most I have read in a while.

I read my minimum of one book by an author of colour with Inevitable Conclusions. I'm disappointed I didn't read more than that.

I tried a reading something new with The Duke And I, which was my first historical romance.

I kind of participated in a readathon as I read The Duke And I during the Historical Romance Readathon.

I'm so glad I'm doing okay with my goals so far, although we are still only in the first month of the year. January was a pretty good reading month, both in quality and quantity. I'm hoping for an even better reading month in February.

What was the best book you read in January? 

Sophie :)