October 2021 Wrap Up

 How in the world are we at the end of October already? I genuinely cannot comprehend that 2021 is nearly over! We are getting to my favourite time of year, which is obviously great, but it has come around far to fast. 

After a very slumpy past few months, I have finally started to get back into reading in the month of October. I read a total of 7 books in October, including quite a few that have been on my radar for years now. I have been trying to prioritise the books I already own, either physically or as an ebook, and managed to get 3 books off of my ebook TBR and 2 off of my physical TBR, so I'm very happy about that. I also got a surprise 5 star read this month for the first time since July! This was definitely a much better reading month, so let's get into the books.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley -

This is a book that has been on countless TBR lists over the past year and I finally got around to reading it in October for my 'reading three popular thrillers' post. It takes place on a secluded Irish island during a wedding and we follow the wedding party both in the lead up to the wedding, and on the wedding night when someone turns up dead. I shared more of my thoughts in that three thrillers post, but I ended up really enjoying this book. The setting was so creepy and atmospheric, the characters were a really mixed bunch that were all interesting to read about and for the most part had unique voices. I think the flipping between the past timeline in the lead up to the wedding and the present timeline of the wedding night worked well for this story as it kept the suspense building and the reader hooked. The thing that worked the best for me with this book, however, was the various points of view. This story was told from multiple different perspectives and that made for a really fast paced read, but also helped the reader find out more about the characters and made you question who you could trust. The ending was full of twists that kept me hooked and despite managing to guess who was responsible I still thought the reveal and how everything wrapped up was very well done. I would definitely pick up more from Lucy Foley in the future.

Rating: 4/5

Pucked by Helena Hunting -

From a nice surprise to a bit of a disappointment, this one did not live up to the hype for me. It is a book I have heard such great things about over the years so finally decided to pick it up when I was in the mood for a sports romance. It follows Violet who has sworn off hockey players having seen the player behaviour of her professional hockey player stepbrother. However, when she meets his new teammate Alex and the two have a connection, she starts to question that decision. I love sports romances, no matter the sport I am here for it. This one, though, was not for me. It was an instalove romance, which I don't always hate but I couldn't see much of a connection between these characters in the beginning, and it had no plot. This book was entirely sexy times and discussions about each others genital area, things I can enjoy in moderation when there's some plot mixed in but that wasn't the case with this book. Don't get me wrong, the steamy scenes were great and very well written, but it was just a bit much. I also found Violet to be an incredibly annoying heroine and thought her reaction surrounding the conflict in the story was completely over the top. I definitely had some issues with this book but I didn't hate it, it was just fine. I'm still undecided about whether I want to continue with this series.

Rating: 3/5

Final Girls by Riley Sager -

This is another book I have had on my shelves for a while and finally picked up for the reading popular thrillers post. This follows Quincy who is known to the media as a 'final girl' after she was the sole survivor of a massacre. When one of only two other 'final girls' is found dead, the remaining two are brought together. However, things are not what they seem. This is another book that has been pretty hyped since it's release and didn't totally live up to my expectations. Again, I share more of my thoughts in that reading popular thrillers post. This was hard for me to get into as I found the first half to be really slow. I struggled to care about these characters much to begin with and just wasn't interested in the story much at all. However, when things started to pick up in the second half I did start to enjoy it a bit more. It did get quite intense, this is definitely a darker read and not for the faint hearted. While a lot did happen towards the end, I didn't find much of it particularly shocking and had guessed a lot of the twists quite early on so they didn't make as much of an impact on me. I did really enjoy Riley Sager's writing, though, so would read more from him in the future.

Rating: 3/5

Rush by Kandi Steiner -

After a pretty intense read, I decided to pick this up on a complete whim as it seemed like the perfect lighter read. This is the first book in a NA series following a group of college students as they navigate both Greek life and life in general. This was a lot of fun and exactly what I needed as a bit of a palette cleanser. It is told almost in the form of a TV show in episodes. This first book is comprised of six episodes and we follow seven different characters and all of the drama that they are involved in. It is very dramatic and it reminded me a lot of shows like Gossip Girl, which I love. It's nothing that will blow your mind but it is a lot of fun and a super quick read. I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series.

Rating: 3/5

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler -

This is the first book in a series of companion novels set in a small town in Alaska and it has been on my radar ever since I fell in love with The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. I know that I love an Alaska setting, I know that I love a small town grump, this sounded like exactly my kind of book. It didn't quite live up to the very high bar set by The Simple Wild, but it was a fun read. It follows Graham, the grumpy diner owner in this small town who hates tourists, and Zoey, a big city girl who is on her dream trip. The pair meet and have an instant connection. This was very much instalove and was another instance in which I just couldn't see why they were so obsessed with each other so quickly. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much had it not been set in Alaska as the plot wasn't anything special. It was made clear that Zoey was 'not like other girls', which is something that annoys me in book, especially as all that really seemed different about her was the fact she wasn't rich. Overall, this was a fun read made a bit better by the Alaska setting but didn't blow me away. I will probably continue on with this series at some point.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh -

This was the third book I read for the reading popular thrillers post and was the biggest surprise of them all. It is a legal thriller following the high profile murder trial in which an actor is being accused of murdering his wife and head of security. The book is told from two perspectives, one the lawyer who has become involved in the case and the other the serial killer who has made his way on to the jury. This was unlike anything I have ever read before and I loved every second of it. It was intense and graphic at times, we are seeing into the very twisted mind of a serial killer who is not afraid to do what he needs to do to get his way. I found the trial from the perspective of the lawyer really interesting and enjoyed following his investigation. This was full of twists, none of which I saw coming, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was such a cleverly written, well crafted book that I couldn't put down. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Rating: 5/5

Thicker Than Water by Tyler Shultz -

I have recently started another Audible free trial, after cancelling my membership years ago, so wanted to try out some of the Audible originals that come with the membership. This is a short non-fiction audiobook, that felt more like a podcast, detailing the Theranos scandal from Tyler Shultz perspective a the whistleblower in the case. I had never heard anything about this so it was interesting to learn something new. It felt very informal and more like a chat, which threw me off a bit as I was not expecting more of a podcast vibe. It was interesting enough but as someone who knew nothing about this situation going into it, I found some points hard to follow and could have done with a bit more explanation. 

Rating: 3/5

Those are the seven books I read in October. My reading was a bit mixed this month, with a few different genres thrown in there. I think I was starting to get a little burnt out on romance and that was causing me to be slumpy. I found that when I was breaking up my reading with different genres I could enjoy what I was reading a bit more.

I'm really excited for my reading in November, so hopefully that means I can read all of the books! 

What was the best book you read in October?

Sophie :)

Reading Three Popular Thrillers

 Before I started reading predominantly romance, I used to read a decent amount of thrillers. Whether they were YA or Adult, I found myself reaching for them regularly but started to get annoyed with them being so hit or miss. I have only read a handful of thrillers over the past couple of years so I thought, given the time of year, I would give a few popular thrillers a go. I decided to pick up three books that I have heard a lot of great things about and see if I could find the book to make me fall in love with thrillers again. I decided it might be interesting to share my thoughts before, during and after reading to see how my feelings changed throughout.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Initial Thoughts: This is a thriller that has been so hyped in the book community, both by thriller readers and those who don’t typically read this genre, so I’ve been a bit scared to pick it up. I have had it on so many TBRs but just kept putting it off. It takes place on a secluded island during a wedding where someone is found dead. I love the idea of a wedding party on a secluded island, it has the potential to be so atmospheric and intense. This is probably the one I’m most excited about. 

50% Thoughts: I am completely hooked. This book sucked me in straight away with the atmospheric setting and flipping between the wedding night and the days before. I really enjoy the various POVs, I think it makes for such a fast read. The mystery is still so unknown at this point, we don’t really know much about what has happened yet. I like that as I can’t make any guesses, which is usually what ruins a mystery/thriller for me if I manage to guess correctly. I’m really enjoying this so far and I just hope nothing happens to change my thoughts. 

Final Thoughts: I am happy to say that this is a thriller that was worth the hype for me. It was full of twists that kept me reading on and I just loved the way it was written. We are following the bride, groom, various members of the wedding party and the wedding planner in the days leading up to the wedding and the wedding night. The multiple POVs made for such a fast paced read and kept the mystery going as you didn’t know who you could trust, as did the jumping between past and present timelines. I enjoyed how the ending was set up as even though I did manage to guess who the killer was, the journey to get to the reveal was still so intense and intriguing. This was exactly the kind of thriller for me and I will definitely be looking for more like this in the future.

Rating: ★★★★

Final Girls by Riley Sager

Initial Thoughts: This has been on my TBR for the longest time! I remember seeing the synopsis for this book and being instantly interested. It follows a group of women who are all the sole survivors of horrific events. When one is found dead, the others’ lives start to get more complicated. This just sounds like such an interesting premise and I’ve heard that it gets really intense. 

50% Thoughts: The first half of this book was boring. I hate to say that as it was not what I was expecting from this. All I have heard is how thrilling and intense this book is but I haven’t felt any of that so far. Despite the slow start, the characters are interesting and the plot still has potential so I am hoping it picks up a bit from this point. I’m pretty sure I’ve guessed the twist though, I hope I’m wrong. 

Final Thoughts: I wasn’t wrong. I guessed the twist the second a character was introduced. It doesn’t bother me too much when I guess the twist if getting to it is exciting and the reveal is worth it. Sadly, this was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t live up to the hype for me. It did pick up a bit in the second half and things got more exciting and intense but never enough for me to be all that invested. As I said before, the characters were interesting and just as twisted as I like to see in my thrillers. While the pacing was slightly off, the plot itself wasn’t bad. It was a unique concept and the author did a great job of throwing in red herrings and keeping you guessing; It’s just a shame that I made a good guess early on. Although this one was a bit of a disappointment for me, I would be interested in reading more from Riley Sager now as I did enjoy the writing.

Rating: ★★★

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Initial Thoughts: I would probably say this is the book out of the three that I am most unsure about. I picked this one up before I had heard anything about it because the tagline ‘the serial killer isn’t on trial...he’s on the jury’ had me hooked when I read it. I then saw a lot of people rave about it but just never got around to reading it. I think this is more of a legal thriller, which I don’t think I’ve ever read before. I have no idea what to expect going into this one.

50% Thoughts: This one has been a bit of a surprise for me because so far I am really enjoying it! It is unlike anything I have read before and has me completely hooked. This is following a high profile murder trial of a movie star following the murder of his actress wife and their head of security and is told from two perspectives. The first is of the lawyer who becomes involved in the case, the second is that of the killer who has gotten himself on the jury. I am so in awe of how cleverly written this is. Maybe it is just because I don't read a lot of books like this but I don't think I have ever been this hooked when reading a thriller. It is intense and pretty graphic and gory, which are not things I really love to read, but it is all just so intriguing. The twists keep on coming, I have no idea where this is going and I can't stop reading. I really am loving this so far!

Final Thoughts: In a surprising turn of events, this was my favourite of the three and probably the best book I have read in months. I loved it! I am now questioning my reading tastes; am I actually a romance reader or should I now be reading legal thrillers and crime novels? My final thoughts are pretty much the same as my thoughts from the half way point. This book just continued to keep me interested and shock me with the twists it took. I never knew what would come next, it was so cleverly written. It was intense and gripping, I was completely immersed in this story and couldn't put the book down. I'm a lover of true crime documentaries and this read in a similar way, to me at least. I will definitely be reading more from this author and I might have to start asking my family for some book recommendations as they are all big crime readers. 

Rating: ★★★★★

This was something a little different for me as I have been reading so much romance this year. Even though I love romance, I was starting to get a little burnt out and found myself getting slumpy and rating everything around the 3 star mark. This has definitely gotten me out of my reading slump and I even found a new five star book. 

If you have any thriller recommendations based on my thoughts on these three books, please let me know so I can find some more new favourites.

What is your favourite type of thriller?

Sophie :)

Five Books That Give Me Autumn Vibes

 Now that we are officially into Autumn/Fall/Spooky Season, I am feeling all of the Autumn vibes. I just want to wear oversized jumper and drink hot chocolate while I curl up under a blanket and read. This is the time of year where my reading taste get a bit all over the place. I go from reading almost entirely contemporary romance to reading a little bit of everything. So I thought I would share five books, from various genres, that give me autumn vibes.

 

1. The Simple Wild by KA Tucker - If I remember correctly this is technically set in the summer, but the Alaska setting just gives me the autumn vibes. This is a hate to love romance following Calla, who travels to Alaska to spend time with her estranged father after finding out he has cancer and meets grumpy pilot Jonah. This is one of my favourite books of the year, I can't recommend this book enough.

2. Verity by Colleen Hoover - If you're not into scary but want a bit of creepy this time of year, this is the book you need. This book took me on a ride! It follows a woman who is hired to complete the book series of a bestselling author. She goes to stay in the authors home with her family and discovers some secrets. I went into it knowing nothing and enjoyed every intensely creepy second of it.

3. Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C Cherry - This is another one that probably takes place in the summer but gave me all the cozy, autumnal vibes. This is romance following two teenagers who form an unlikely friendship to help each other through some rough times, which of course develops into more. It then jumps into the future when the two have lost touch but Eleanor ends up becoming the nanny to Greyson's children after the death of his wife. I would recommend this one if you want to shatter your heart and spend your autumn sobbing.

4. Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire - This is a great book if you're not a fantasy reader but want something just a little fantastical around this time of year. It takes place in a home for children who have returned from other worlds (think Narnia) and are having a difficult time readjusting. There is a bit of a mystery element to it, which gives some creepy undertones as well. It's very unique and a great quick read for this time of year.

5. Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese - I'm pretty sure this only gives me autumn vibes because of the colours on the cover but I will take any opportunity to talk about this series so I'm going with it. This is a romance between a college soccer star and the grumpy guy in her class who the professor tells her to get help from, but he just keeps ignoring her. After she discovers he not actually ignoring her but is deaf, the two have the cutest frenemies to lovers romance ever. 

Those are five books that give me very autumnal vibes. My reasoning for that might not always be completely solid, but they are all great books that I would definitely recommend picking up sometime soon. 

What book always gives you autumn vibes?

Sophie :)

September 2021 Wrap Up

 I know I only shared my July and August wrap up a few days ago but it is already time to wrap up September. I can't believe how fast this year is flying in! September was a really busy month for me, and on top of that I was ill for basically all of it, so I didn't get a lot of reading done at all. I only read 3 books in the month, which is more than August but still not enough for me to be happy with. None of my September reads were really stand-outs for me but let's talk about them

Hate Notes by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward -

When I'm feeling slumpy, I tend to pick things up on a whim in the hope it can keep my attention long enough for me to finish it. That is what happened with this book. It is a hate to love workplace romance, which I seem to be reading a lot recently, following a woman who finds a note inside a wedding dress and ends up becoming the assistant to the writer of the note. The premise of this didn't actually excite me all that much so I'm not sure why I thought the book itself would. It was an average book for me, with a decent hate to love romance between two kind of dull characters. I didn't gel with the main characters, but I did enjoy their banter and the romance was pretty sweet. I thought the whole letter storyline was a bit odd and made our heroine seem a bit creepy, and it didn't really add a whole lot to the story. I also wasn't a huge fan of chronic illness being thrown in as a twist or a plot device, I felt as though that could have been incorporated a bit better. Overall, it wasn't anything special or exciting but I would read from this author duo again.

Rating: 3/5

Lessons In Corruption by Giana Darling -

I was in the mood to pick up something totally different so I went with a MC romance. This is the first book in Giana Darling's Fallen Men series, which is raved about within the romance community. The first book is a forbidden romance between the 18-year-old son of the MC club president and his young teacher. I'm not into age gap and I'm not into student/teacher romances, but I didn't hate this. I really enjoyed both King and Cress as characters and loved getting introduced to the world of the Fallen Men. I am definitely invested in this series and the Fallen Men already. However, I don't think this was ever going to be my favourite in the series. While I really did enjoy the relationship between King and Cress, that was mostly because a lot of the time I could ignore the student/teacher part. It did cross a bit of a line for me at times in terms of that aspect, though, which did make me uncomfortable but that is totally a me thing. I also found myself getting a bit bored in the middle and feeling as though it could have been shorter. Other than that, I enjoyed the relationship, the bit of action at the end, and getting an introduction to the Fallen Men MC.

Rating: 3.5/5

Dark by Penelope Bloom -

This is another book that is totally different from what I usually read and I only picked it up as I am trying to complete BooksAndLala's Buzzword challenge this year and the buzzword for September was 'Dark'. This is the third book in a mafia romance series that I have never read before. It follows a therapist who ends up sleeping with one of her patients, who happens to be involved in some bad stuff, and of course she gets pregnant and he disappears before she can tell him. I enjoyed this more than I was expecting to. I know a lot of people hate the secret baby trope but I don't mind it and actually enjoyed it in this book. I wasn't really invested in these characters because the book was so short and full of action that we didn't really get to know them. This also meant that their romantic connection wasn't really developed much, so I wasn't that invested in their relationship. I did find the action fun and gripping, it kept me reading to know how their story would end. Overall, this was better than I expected and I had fun with it, but it definitely wasn't the best book I've ever read.

Rating: 2.5/5

Those are the three books I read in September. Thankfully, I seem to be getting out of my reading slump and I'm now in the mood to read again. I'm hoping I can make up for my lack of reading in the coming months.

What was the best book you read in September?

Sophie :)