Whoops, totally missed getting this posted sooner! I only read five books in November, but that still puts me well ahead of pace to hit 100 books this year. While many of my goals have changed this year due to COVID19, I’m thrilled that my 100 book goal is one that I am definitely going to hit.
4 stars:
Christmas at the Island Hotel, by Jenny Colgan: I hadn’t read the Mure books in a little while, but Jenny Colgan did a fantastic job pulling me back into the world and the characters even if I didn’t remember every single one of the specifics. I loved continuing along with some of my favorite characters, as well as getting to meet some new ones – this was definitely a feel-good read that was very enjoyable 🙂
I Was Told It Would Get Easier, by Abbi Waxman: Loved this sweet read! I think any woman can relate to the trials and tribulations of mother-daughter relationships, and while I cringed at some of the things they each said to each other, it was in part because I’ve said the same to my mom. I really liked how the author flipped back and forth between the two viewpoints, though since they were written in the first person, I was annoyed we didn’t find out what Emily’s secret was for a while (which felt inauthentic given that we were reading Emily’s thoughts directly). All in all a really fun read, though I didn’t love it quite as much as The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.
Jingle All the Way, by Debbie Macomber: This was a really sweet and fun light read; I really related to Everly being overworked and needing a vacation, although her lack of gumption with standing up to her business partner drove me nuts. No way she could have been this successful in business in spite of that! But if I ignored her making some silly / dumb decisions (as pretty much every heroine in a rom com novel does), I enjoyed it 🙂
The Lost Love Song, by Minnie Darke: I found this a little bit slow to get into, particularly since I got really attached to a character who dies. But it picked up as the book progressed, and by the end, I couldn’t put it down. I also thought the little “interlude” short stories were odd, but by the end, loved how they helped bring everything together.
Ten Rules for Faking It, by Sophie Sullivan: Loved this sweet novel, which also had a good bit of depth to it addressing Everly’s anxiety. I loved how accepting most of the characters were about mental illness; it served as a great model for how the world ought to view it (as a personality trait rather than a major flaw to hide). I also loved the bachelorette-style competition, which added a lot of fun to the plot!
Any book recommendations for me? Follow me here on Goodreads to keep up with what I’m reading in real time.