Hello Everybody! How has your January been?
I can just feel that this is going to be another good year for reading and I already have about 10 books on my to be read pile. I have decided not to set a reading goal this year as, though I achieved my reading goal in 2021, I got to busy towards the end of 2021 to continue to read loads of books. So this year I am going to aim for at least 2 a month.
Have you set a reading goal this year? If so, what is it? And what books are already on your to be read pile?
This year I am going to continue my monthly book reviews like last year because that seems to work for all of us and I like how it looks on my blog page.
DISCLAIMER: May include SPOILERS! Read at your own risk! I am not trying to claims any of these books of my own. All rights go to the authors.
1) ’The Lovely Bones’ by Alice Sebold.
Disclaimer: Mature themes. 16+
My name was Salmon, like the fish: first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighbourhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertilizer. This is Susie Salmon, speaking from heaven – which looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets, councellors to help newcomers asjust, and friends to room with. Everything Susie wants appears as soon as she thinks of it – except the one thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on earth. Watching from her place in heaven, Susie sees her happy, suburban family devastated by her death, isolated even from one another as they each try to cope with their terrible loss alone. Over the years, her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love, do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But life is not quite finished with Susie yet…
Date Started: 08/09/2021. Finished: 03/01/2022. Rating: 3/5.
Some parts of this book were really interesting and the themes were very important, however, for the most part, this book was quite boring and dragged quite a lot. I read this book for my English A-Level and if I hadn’t had to read it for that I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up at all. Very mature themes are present throughout the whole of the book and it can be rather upsetting/angering.
2) ‘It Only Happens In The Movies’ by Holly Bourne.
Disclaimer: 14+ (Spoiler Alert).
Bad boys turned good, kisses in the rain, climbing through bedroom windows… it only happens in the movies. When Audrey meets Harry, it’s the start of a truly cinematic romance – or is it? Audrey knows that Harry is every movie cliché rolled into one. But she still chooses to let him into her heart…
Date Started: 28/12/2021. Date Finished: 07/01/2021. Rating: 4/5.
Well, what do I say? At times I found this book rather sad and depressing. In the beginning Audrey seemed like such a whiny character who had too many problems but as the plot continued I saw how she grew and began to like her more and more. I routed for her self-development and realisations in the end. Harry was confusing. I mean it was inevitable that he would end up cheating on Audrey but he was so up and down, I actually found him quite annoying and didn’t trust him much at all. Audrey’s mum constantly being all over the place made me want to cry for Audrey a little bit. Her mum was a whirlwind of madness that left people dizzy in her wind. I could feel through Bourne’s words where that hurt came from for both of them. Audrey’s brother infuriated me. He was the older sibling, he should have known better and yet he put all of the responsibility to look after their mum on Audrey. ‘You should look after mum better.’ Sorry but I don’t see you coming back often to help her and Audrey has a life too. His realisation of this towards the end made me proud though. And Audreys dad. What a guy, right? Choosing his new girlfriend over his own children… The ending was the unusual thing for me. I both liked and disliked it. I liked what it stood for. This book is rather pro-feminist and I liked how the ending – Audrey turning down Harry and choosing to go down her own path rather than do what any other person would do in a typical romance and get back with him – really remained with the theme of the book which is how a romance/relationship is in real life (a.k.a. not a typical movie romance). I disliked it because the ending was quite romantic and they both ended up a little bit heartbroken and it was slightly bittersweet and a small, niggling part of me does kind of wish they had gotten back together. So many different emotions flowed through my veins while reading this book; anger, sorrow, happiness, pride. And there were so many different emotions and perspectives and sides shown by every character in the book. I can’t wait to read Bourne’s other books.
3) ‘Pictures of Lily’ by Paige Toon.
DISCLAIMER: SPOILERS.
‘Will you marry me?’ I think of you, then. I think of you every day. But usually in the quietest part of the morning, or the darkest part of the night. Not when my boyfriend of two years has just proposed, I look up at Richard with his hopeful eyes. ‘Lily?’ he prompts. It’s been ten years, but it feels like only yesterday that you left. How can I say yes to Richard with all my heart when most of it has always belonged to you? I take a deep breath and will myself to speak… Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really shouldn’t have fallen in love with. Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can’t forget the one that got away. Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart – and the heart of at least one of the men who love her.
Date Started: 07/01/2022. Date Finished: 17/01/2022. Rating: 4/5.
Stunning! I didn’t know how I felt about this book in the beginning. I found Lily quite annoying and skittish, however, I persevered and I’m glad I did because the ending was PERFECT!! I had been rooting for Lily and Ben from the start and thought that the way Paige Toon tied up the loose ends towards the end of the book was brilliant. From the middle of the ‘now’ part, I was hooked and all my emotions flooded me as I felt everything along with Lily! I also loved all the small connections to Paige Toon’s previous books! She’s got such a cool, little interconnected universe in there that’s amazing!!! Splendid book which will be a re-read in the future!
4) ‘Chasing Daisy’ by Paige Toon.
Daisy has been dumped, unceremoniously jilted. Not by any ordinary guy, no… Daisy has a secret in her past that she won’t even tell her best friend, Holly. She’s given up on men – and on her own family. But life still has to be lived and where better to recover than as far away from home as possible. Grabbing a chance to see the world, Daisy packs her bags and joins the team catering to the world’s highest-paid, supercharged racing drivers on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. From Brazil to Italy, from Melbourne to Monte Carlo, life passes in a dizzying whirlwind. But nothing – and no one – can stop Daisy from falling again… this time for a man who is prepared to risk his life, and his heart, for the sake of speed, danger and ultimate success.
Date Started: 03/12/2021. Date Finished: 18/01/2021. Rating: 5/5.
This book DEVASTATED me! My emotions were all over the place. Though this book took me a while to get into, once I did I was hooked and I couldn’t stop reading. I read about 65% of this book in one day which I don’t usually do. The last few chapters had me in tears had me in tears but I think the ending was perfect! Having already read The Longest Holiday (a later book by Paige Toon) I had an inkling that the Will referred to in that book was the same Will in this one which once I figured that out the rest was kind of straight cut for me of how Luis and Daisy would end up together. Reading The Longest Holiday will now be very interesting to say the least! Throughout this book, though I thought Will was a great guy, I couldn’t help but have my attention drawn to Luis. I thought he was actually quite misunderstood and I liked how his relationship came together with Daisy from the start to the end with an enemies-to-lovers kind of trope. Daisy was, from time to time, hard to contend with. That girl is all over the place and I did sometimes find it a little bit far fetched but that could be down to my lack of experience of having a significant other pass away. Also the fact that Luis and Daisy had found exactly what they had wanted in each other was heart-warming! He wanted someone that didn’t just want him for his money and with Daisy coming from a wealthy background anyway, she wasn’t interested in his money. Daisy wanted someone who would accept her for who she was and wouldn’t care about her past. Luis found out about her past and became someone she trusted and confided in, making it obvious that they were the star/perfect couple! I completely adored this book and couldn’t help but give it 5 stars. It truly deserves them!
5) ‘The Love Hypothesis’ by Ali Hazelwood.
When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. As a third-year PhD candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is on her way to a happily ever after was always going to be tough; scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting woman, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when he agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire and Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support (and his unyielding abs), their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. Olive soon discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
Date Started: 18/01/2022. Date Finished: 24/01/2022. Rating: 5/5.
I was quite nervous about reading this book to begin with because of they hype surrounding it. I was skeptical of whether it would actually live up to its name or not. At the beginning I found it hard to get stuck into but once I was a few chapters in, I was completely absorbed! It’s set in a science-y atmosphere which at the beginning I didn’t think I’d like (I’m more of an English brain myself) but if you ignore the long words you don’t understand (that’s mostly what I did) it’s actually a very nice read. I loved being in Olive’s headspace. She reminded me quite a lot of myself. Completely invested in her work but also a little scared of the world too. A little lost yet completely present. We see a ‘grumpy-meets-sunshine’ trope the whole way through and I loved it! This way that you could clearly see Adam’s feelings for Olive throughout made me melt. He was so clearly in love with her and the way he had a soft spot for her and only her was very sweet. I had a feeling Tom was a character to keep an eye on from the start and I’m glad it ended the way it did with him. Chapter 20 is a good one folks. The ending is what really stole my heart though (but I won’t ruin it for you!) Brilliant book1 100% worth the read!
What have you read this January? I would love to know so please leave a comment.
Have an amazing February!
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