Friday, February 7, 2020

December & January Book Reviews

Well hey there. I am so happy you came to my blog today to talk about books.It is pretty much my favorite thing. I went to write about my January reads and then realized I never got around to sharing my December reads, whoops. I thought I would combine both into this blog post. 
Let's dive into what reads were good, bad, and everything in between.





Winter Garden by: Kristin Hannah
Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn't know her mother? Winter Garden is about two vastly different sisters who both move back home when their father becomes ill. During this time, they find no comfort or connection to their mother, but instead hear the same Russian fairy tale they have heard all their life. Is there more to this story than they originally thought?

Y'all know Kristin Hannah can wreck me. Her books The Nightingale and The Great Alone were two of my favorite books of all time. This one fell a little short for me. I think it fell short predominately because I have unreasonably high standards for her books. The story line will definitely stick with me, but it felt like it took a little while to get going. It was good though, and I think many of y'all would like it!

Rate: 4 Stars!



American Royals by: Katharine McGee
American Royals can be summed up in this one sentence: What if America had a royal family?

This was listed as one of my favorite books of 2019, so you already know I love it! I love all things royal so this was an auto-read for me. I loved the different characters in this book and really liked that even though it is considered an alternate universe fantasy, it is written like a contemporary. However, this book does end on a cliff hanger. The second book isn't coming out until later this year, so I was pretty mad, ha! You NEED this book.

Rate: 5 Stars!



The Silent Patient by: Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient is about a young and happy wife who one day appears to shoot and kill her husband. By all accounts, she was content with her life and in love with her husband. After the murder, she goes completely silent. She was labeled as crazy and has been living in a mental institution ever since. The book takes place many years later as a psychotherapist moves to work at this institution in hopes of getting her to talk.

WOAH. This book was a LOT y'all. There were a couple rated R parts that I could have done without so there is your warning. This book was very gripping and I couldn't put it down. The ending was really the best part and I didn't see it coming AT ALL. I liked this one a lot, and would have given it 5 stars if it didn't have some of the inappropriate scenes. 

Rate: 4 Stars!



Something in the Water by: Catherine Steadman
This book is about a young and happy couple who, when enjoying their tropical honeymoon, find something in the water. It changes their lives forever.

I felt like the story line was weird and very unlikely, but think I could have gotten on board had the characters been the least bit interesting. I wasn't attached to the characters at. all. Therefore, I couldn't really care what happened to them. It was just eh.

Rate: 2 Stars



Frankly in Love by: David Yoon
This is the story of Frank who is a Korean-American. His parents immigrated to America before he was born so he has only ever spoken English and lived in America. He falls in love with an All-American girl but must pretend to date another Korean girl to please his family. Frank struggles throughout the book with relationships, identity, and family drama. 

I wanted to like this book so much because I love reading about people who have a different point of view than me. I thought it would be interesting to read about an American teenager who comes from a very traditional Korean family. The characters for some reason fell short. I wasn't attached to them and therefore it didn't get many stars from me.

Rate: 2 Stars



The Last Time I Lied by: Riley Sager
This is the story of Emma who is returning to Camp Nightingale as a camp instructor 15 years after she attended as a camper. This time around however, Emma is determined to get answers about the disappearance of her friends 15 years ago.

AGH WOW WOAH Y'ALL!!! I was in such a reading slump and was desperate for an enthralling read. I should have known Riley Sager would be my guy. His book Lock Every Door was listed as one of my top books of 2019 and this one might have been even better. He did such a great job of making you feel connected to every single character and I felt fully immersed in the setting of this camp. I stayed up until 2 am finishing this book. I highly recommend this one. Possibly a favorite of 2020 even though it is early in the year.

Rate: 5000000 STARS!!!




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