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 :)