Book-ish.

January was a busy reading month for me and I was able to get five books in! I am an huge fan and long time member of Book of the Month Club and get 1-3 books from them monthly. I also supplement with reading others on my Kindle. I will break this down by section.

See below for my condensed (and honest) reviews of each book I read this month.

  

January Book of the Month Reads

3.5/5 Stars

• Thriller
• This book has been getting a ton of hype and was my main January BOTM pick but it was not my favorite unfortunately
• First of all, this isn’t your typical thriller – think more of like a Knives Out type of story (without giving too much away)
• This story is told from the perspective of the narrator about what happened when 5 friends spent a holiday on a Greek island and one of them ends up dead
• It took me a while to get into this and it was slower to start but it did pick up towards the end
• This book was definitely entertaining – just not what I was expecting
• Don’t let this sway you though – read for yourself and let me know thoughts!

  

5/5 Stars

• Literary Fiction
• I really loved this book and it was my other BOTM pick this month
• It’s 1990 in Mercury, PA and 17 year old Marley is the new girl in town and meets the Joseph family shortly after her arrival
• The Joseph family consists of 3 brothers, their parents, and their roofing business – Marley becomes a part of the family right from the start
• This story follows the family over a decade so we really get to know them
• This is slow burn – it took me a while to read this book but not in a bad way
• I felt really connected to the characters and immersed in the story – highly recommend if you like a slower more descriptive read!

  

4/5 Stars

• Romance
• This story takes place when two children meet at the age of 5 years old and explores their relationship up until their 40s by looking at where they are once every five years
• I really enjoy books that span large periods of times so I loved that aspect of this story
• This is very much a case of “right person, wrong time”
• The ending may be controversial to some readers
• Overall, I really enjoyed this story – it was not your typical romance and read a bit more like contemporary fiction IMO!

  

January Kindle Reads

3/5 Stars

• Romance
• This is a classic enemies to lovers trope – more specifically, it is a friends to enemies to lovers situation
• Two co-authors that were once great friends and wrote a bestselling novel are forced to put their differences aside to finish out their contract and deliver a second novel
• This book went really in depth in the writing process and that world which I did find to be interesting
• Ultimately, this book just felt too LONG and it wasn’t long – it was just slow
• This is an average but forgettable romance!

  

4/5 Stars

• Contemporary Fiction/Romance
• This is a story about a tumultuous relationship between a young MFA student and a recovering herion addict that takes place in the Midwest
• I read this book very fast and found it hard to put down – which to me is the sign of a good book
• I really enjoyed this and thought it portrayed the complexities of the relationship really well
• The ending felt slightly abrupt to me which is my only real criticism – otherwise this was a solid read!

 

I hope you enjoyed my January reviews. Check back next month to see what I read in February!