January 2017 Book Reviews

It’s time for my quarterly book roundup featuring mini book reviews! Looking at this list I wonder what else I was doing for the past three months, because that is a lot of books! I’m thrilled because I felt like I was in a rut and not finishing nearly as many books as I would have liked.

Let’s jump right in!

First Comes Love – I have liked many Emily Giffin books, but this wasn’t one of them. I never really connected with the characters and so much of the book felt unfinished. I’ve been waiting for the announcement that there will be a sequel to this book, like her chain of Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Babyproof, but so far I’ve heard nothing.

It Ends With Us – Oof. It would be wrong to say that I enjoyed reading this, but I couldn’t put it down.

Sisters One, Two, Three – You know when a book keeps a secret and it draws out the reveal of that secret for almost entirely too long? Yeah, that’s this book. I started reading faster and faster just to find answers and found several of the characters infuriating. Perhaps I am too harsh a critic when the world is topsy-turvy.

Everything, Everything After reading this book along with The Sun is Also a Star I will probably read everything Nicola Yoon writes. Her YA writing is right in my lane. I loved this book in spite of wanting to go back in time and right some serious wrongs in the life of the main character.

The Sun is Also a Star – This was one of my Book of the Month books and it’s been my favorite pick so far. Almost the entire book takes place over the course of one day and I just loved this book.

Winter Street, Winter Stroll, Winter Storms – Elin Hilderbrand is one of my favorite distraction reads. These books are set during the holidays and take place over the course of three years. I devoured each one in a day and would absolutely read them again on a December weekend.

Dashing Through The Snow
Starry Night
Twelve Days of Christmas – I went on a tear of Christmas love stories and ended up borrowing so many from the library that I started dropping several of them after only a chapter or two. I finished these three and if you’re looking for the book equivalent of Lifetime movies in the month of December, look no further than these three books. In fact, Dashing Through The Snow IS a lifetime Christmas movie.

Before the Fall – I think I was meant to get caught up in the suspense of wondering why a plane crashed on a short flight from Martha’s Vineyard to New York City. Instead, I got annoyed with a book populated by so damn many unlikeable characters.

Falling – Jane Green is usually a safe bet, but I found myself totally betrayed by this book twenty pages until the end. I put the book down and walked away angry. When I was finally able to finish I will say that I enjoyed the resolution of the book, but man was I MAD.

Lola and the Boy Next Door – Read everything Stephanie Perkins has written and then come back to thank me.

The Unexpected Everything – Another perfectly good YA summer novel.

The Secret Life of Violet Grant – Loved this. LOVED.

When I’m Gone – This is a story of a man who starts receiving letters from his deceased wife. The letters begin as a series of her last words to him, but eventually reveal that she has a secret. None of this is original and yet I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Eligible – Yep, loved.

The Vegas Diaries – Holly Madison’s first book, Down the Rabbit Hole was dishy and fantastic. This one is just as dishy, slightly less fantastic.

Where She Went – This is the sequel to If I Stay, which I read and liked years ago. While I don’t think this one lives up to the first book, I am glad to have the full story.

Maybe In Another Life – This is my second Taylor Jenkins Reid novel (After I Do being the first) and I enjoyed this story. The story shows two possible scenarios play out – the result of a split second decision. I thought I might hate it but really liked it.

All the Breaking Waves – Oh man, my memory is running short. A quick perusal of the Goodreads synopsis of this book reminds me that I liked this. It didn’t blow my mind, but I liked it.

The Hopefuls – I listened to this on audio, and I think that sometimes colors my opinion of the book, but I really enjoyed this. The novel features a couple in Washington, D.C. during the Obama administration and the husband works both on Obama’s campaign and then a smaller local campaign. I think the timing of this was just right for me, but it was a fun read.

The Grownup – This was a novella included as a bonus with my Book of the Month subscription. I was so happy for the free book, but I think I’m not just the biggest Gillian Flynn fan.

Phew! I am sure that I missed something, but I think that’s a fairly comprehensive list of what I’ve been reading since the last time I did one of these! I’m going to be writing monthly book roundups going forward, rather than quarterly ones, to give myself a better chance of remembering what I’ve read and what it was about. I’ve also set a Goodreads challenge for myself of 50 books this year. I think my total was 46 for last year, so I’m hopeful that I can hit 50 again this year.

Most of these books were read at the end of last year so I’m only counting three of these toward my 2017 total. I’ve got to get reading!

Finally, every month I’m going to choose a book that I read as my Book Club Choice of the Month. These are books that I think would make a great choice if you’re in a book club, or if you’re just looking for a book that will offer you a lot to think about and discuss with a friend. My choice for this month is The Sun is Also a Star.

As always, if you’ve read anything great lately, please leave it in the comments below as I’m always adding to my reading lists.