BY RACHAEL
Welcome to our first monthly reading wrap up! We thought we would share what we read in January, we read a whole variety of things – including romance, thrillers & non-fiction. There is something for everyone.
READ IN JANUARY..
RESCUE ME BY SARRA MANNING // LINK
We follow Margot & Will who both want to adopt the same rescue dog, Blossom & they share custody. It is every bit as cute & wholesome as it sounds. I loved the two characters so much, their snarky banter at the beginning that slowly develops into more. Their developing relationship is one of the best i’ve read in a romance. It wasn’t rushed at all and you saw their feelings grow organically, which I really appreciated. The book does tackle slightly deeper topics such as childhood trauma & the whole “i’m getting to old & my eggs will be all dried up” stigma that surrounds being a SLIGHTLY older woman. If you are after a really sweet & easy romance that is quick to read then this is for you! Plus, there is a dog! What more could you want?
THE GIRL WHO… BY ANDREINA CORDANI // LINK
The Girl Who.. tells the story of Leah, who has been masking her rage over the tragic deaths of her mum and sister for years. Now, with the killer released from prison, it’s time to see how far Leah will go to silence her anger…
I was so intrigued by the plot & I loved multiple perspectives – I am a huge fan of these as I feel like it adds so much more depth to a story. However I just didn’t find myself completely hooked. Characters are a huge plus for me & they all fell kind of flat. It was a really quick read as the writing style flowed really nicely, amazing for a debut book! I found the ending to be a slight anti-climax, I definitely expected a slightly more sinister ending but as this book is a young adult, it is understand me why the author took the specific route she did.
This book definitely gave me Karen M McManus vibes, if you liked One Of Us Is Lying (and the others in that “series”) I’d highly recommend this.
THE DUKE & I (BRIDGERTON BOOK 1) BY JULIA QUINN // LINK
First book in the well known Bridgerton series. Well, mainly well known for the Netflix adaptation. Which is excellent by the way. In the first book we follow Daphne & Simon, fake dating trope. I only read this book because I wanted to watch the tv show and I knew I would regret not reading the book first. The book was… okay. Nothing special, just an easy breezy historical romance. There are some slightly… questionable scenes regarding a male rape – it is definitely down played in the adaptation & Daphne is a lot more annoying in the book.
THE OTHER MOTHER BY JEN BRISTER // LINK
A honest account of what it is to be a mother, following Jen’s journey as a non-biological mother to twin boys. I listened to this via audible and it was so good! It was incredibly funny & really honest. I did find the middle of the book slightly repetitive but it didn’t take away from the narrative. I highly recommend the audiobook if you fancy giving this a go.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? BY JAKE JONES // LINK
Non-fiction following a paramedic, I love medical memoirs usually but this one fell really flat for me. The chapters flit between time lines but the writing was really disjointed & jumpy so it didn’t make any sense. It just didn’t flow. The authors narrative wasn’t engaging enough and I found it quite dull in points.
ADULT VIRGINS ANONYMOUS BY AMBER CREWE // LINK
Katie & Freddie are (almost) 30 year olds who meet at a self help group for virgins. They think they will be able to “help each other out” if you catch my drift… so they can both get on with finding their true romantic destinies. This book is so much more than the synopsis makes you think. I was expecting a sexy, friends with benefits romance but what I actually got was so much more.
The book explored toxic friendships from teenage years (which I could really relate to), how sex can JUST be about sex and battling mental health – in particular OCD. I fell in love with both the main characters but especially Freddie. I just wanted to give him the biggest hug. His family dynamics were so interesting to read and I feel like so many people will be able to relate to the sibling rivalry and not feeling good enough. The LGBTQIA+ rep in the book was incredible, I only wish it had been explored slightly more and we had been able to see more from the various characters.
THE PASSENGERS BY JOHN MARRS // LINK
Now for the last book I read in January. My favourite book of the month & one of my favourite authors! Set in the future, 8 self driving cars are hacked into and set on a collision course. It is up to a select panel and social media to decide who lives & who dies…
It is every bit as fucked up as it sounds but it is INCREDIBLE! So fast paced, clever & every chapter ends like OH MY GOD. So many twists & turns that you just don’t see coming. John Marr’s writing style is so addictive. I recommend ANY of his books but I think this is my new favourite of his.
There you have it – all the books I read in January. I managed 7 books which I am thrilled with. What have you read this month?
