Wooo, I’m back and what better way to reintroduce my entry to the blogging world than with a monthly reading recap? This month I read a total of NINE books — keep in mind that the first week of Jan was still winter break which is why I think I was able to knock out so many titles. Amongst the 9, I liked most of them, LOVED two of them, and really didn’t like one of them. Read on to find out which is what!

none of this is true

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell was the first book I read and I gave it a solid 3.5-4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

This book was VERY well written and super compelling. I think I read it in one day while I was staying at my sister-in-law’s house over break. I couldn’t put it down and kept thinking about it after finishing the book. Buuut it had a few plot holes and was a little confusing at the end… I also wish it had a different ending; the ending brought the rating down to 3.5-ish instead of a full 4 stars.

divine rivals

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross was gifted to me a few months ago on my birthday by my book bestie and she kept telling me I HADDDD to read it so naturally I did. I gave it 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

FROM AMAZON:

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

I gave it a solid 4 ⭐️ rating even though this wasn’t the best fantasy ever. It felt a little slow and hard to get into in the beginning but once I finished the book, I feel like I was able to look back and appreciate the pace the author set a little better. I LOVED that the main characters were journalists and the letter writing component definitely bumped the rating up in my eyes.

ruthless vows

Ruthless Vows was the sequel to Divine Rivals and because book 1 had been so hyped up to me, I preemptively purchased book 2 before I even started reading book 1 😅. I do regret that a little bit now (purchasing it instead of waiting to just get it from the library) because this book landed at just 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

FROM AMAZON (SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 IF YOU HAVEN’T READ YET):

Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.

Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.

So here’s the thing. This book was not terrible but not amazing either. I felt like the first book overall was better BUT I did read book 2 faster if that means anything to you. This duology was “just fine” but definitely not my favorite and not a series that I’d recommend to others. That said, I’m not mad at all about my time spent reading it!

lessons in chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was next up on my reading list and honestly, I see the hype now. There’s a reason why this book was a #1 New York Times Bestseller AND got made into a TV series. IT WAS AMAZING. First 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read of 2024.

FROM AMAZON:

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

I could NOT put this book down!!! Ramus has a compelling storytelling voice and the protagonist of this book was SO unique. I was riveted from the first few pages… DEFINITELY add this book to your TBR pile!

the unmaking of june farrow

After finishing the last book, I didn’t think The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young could step up to the plate but BOY was I wrong. Two back to back 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!? Yes ma’am!

FROM AMAZON:

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’sdecades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

The first thing I wrote in my Notes app on my phone when I finished this book was: “Wow. Just, wow.” This book was SO good and SO unlike anything I normally read. It’s a little bit of sci fi mixed with a murder mystery… and the sci-fi is not Star Trek sci-fi but like … Interstellar sci-fi if that make any sense. I did not have any expectations when starting this book – I didn’t even really remember what it was about – but I was drawn in from the first chapter, and couldn’t put this book down either! Even after finishing the book, I found myself thinking about the characters and the storyline.

house of marionne

House of Marionne by J. Elle unfortunately broke my reading streak of excellent books and landed at 1.5-2 ⭐️. This is a genre that I love and so it should say a lot that I absolutely hated it. I’m not even sure how J. Elle is a NYT Bestselling Author.

FROM AMAZON:

17-year-old Quell has lived her entire life on the run. She and her mother have fled from city to city in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell’s veins. 

Until someone discovers her dark secret.

To hide from the assassin hunting her and keep her mother out of harm’s way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever. 

If caught, she will be killed.

But becoming the perfect debutante is a lot harder than Quell imagined, especially when there’s more than tutoring happening with Jordan, her brooding mentor and assassin-in-training. 

When Quell uncovers the deadly lengths the Order will go to defend its wealth and power, she’s forced to choose: Embrace the dark magic she’s been running from her entire life, or risk losing everything, and everyone, she’s grown to love.

Still, she fears the most formidable monster she’ll have to face is the one inside.

Ugh. This was such a chore to read and a hard book for me to get through. You hear about mainstay fantasy authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros who are known for their excellent world building, right? If you want an example of UNexcellent world building, read this book. I was legit just confused for the first third of the book (and not in a good way). It’s extra sad because this story had all the required elements to be FANTASTIC but I firmly believe it’s the author’s failure that made the book such a flop in my eyes. I managed to finish the book but this is the first of a series and I will NOT be reading the rest of it.

archer’s voice

I followed up the disappointment of the last book with Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan because I had a feeling that it would be an easy read that would hit all the things that I like my books to hit. And I was right! A solid 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for this one!

FROM AMAZON:

I wanted to lose myself in the small town of Pelion, Maine. To forget everything I had left behind. The sound of rain. The blood. The coldness of a gun against my skin. For six months, each breath has been a reminder that I survived–and my dad didn’t. I’m almost safe again. But the moment I meet Archer Hale, my entire world tilts on its axis . . . and never rights itself again.

Until I trespass into his strange, silent, and isolated world, Archer communicates with no one. Yet in his whiskey-colored eyes, something intangible happens between us. There’s so much more to him than just his beauty, his presence, or the ways his hands communicate with me. On me. But this town is mired in secrets and betrayals, and Archer is the explosive center of it all.

So much passion. And so much hurt. But it’s only in Archer’s silence that we might just find what we need to heal . . . and live.

This was not your typical romance novel set-up so I gave it an extra half star for that. It was also a little spicier than I like my romance books so I skimmed through quite a lot of this book … but if you LIKE spicy books, you’ll def like this. I kept seeing this book pop up in my TikTok feed of top romance novels that people love (rated up there with the ACOTAR series!?) so I had to see what all the buzz was about for myself. It doesn’t live up to ACOTAR IMO but it’s pretty good still. I could def see this book being made into a movie because the characters are distinct and different from what we see in other romance stories.

the ins-n-outs of in-n-out burger

I finally got my hands on The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger by Lynsi Snyder (the line for this was forever in Libby!) and it got 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

FROM AMAZON:

When Lynsi Snyder’s grandparents founded In-N-Out Burger in 1948, they built it with a passion for quality and service that Lynsi embraced at a young age. After starting as a store associate at age seventeen, she then worked in other departments, gaining first-hand experience with almost every aspect of the family business until she became president in 2010. She has led the company through explosive growth––today, there are three-hundred and eighty stores and counting––and is deeply committed to the well-being of the In-N-Out Burger family.

In The Ins and Outs of In-N-Out, you’ll:

• Gain key insights into why In-N-Out has maintained its very popular and limited menu for more than seventy-five-years and why it has refused to franchise or go public
• Hear behind-the-scenes stories from In-N-Out Associates, including from one gentleman who worked in the very first store
• Learn about the Snyder family’s Christian faith, including her grandmother Esther’s belief in the gospel and her uncle’s “born-again” experience that shaped his life and leadership at the company
• Discover why Lynsi has been ranked as one of the top presidents in the restaurant industry and how her personal challenges have fortified her faith and shaped her dedication to servant leadership

In-N-Out Burger has drawn fiercely loyal fans––from professional chefs and burger aficionados to celebrities and scores of everyday customers––who not only crave the burgers, fries, and milkshakes but also come back again and again for the community.

I found this book SUPER interesting even though the writing wasn’t the most sophisticated. I loved reading the history behind this beloved fast food chain and reading this book gave me a newfound appreciation and love for In-N-Out… and also made me crave it like crazy LOL. If you love In-N-Out like I do, you’ll probably enjoy all the behind the scenes tidbits and trivia this book gives you!

the perfect marriage

The last book I read this month was The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose. I was a little torn about this book but decided to give it 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

FROM AMAZON:

Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. As a named partner at her firm, life is going exactly how she planned. The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He’s a struggling writer who has had little success in his career and he tires of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.

Out in the secluded woods, at the couple’s lake house, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers. But one morning everything changes. Kelly is found brutally stabbed to death and now, Sarah must take on her hardest case yet, defending her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.

Because I read a lot, I can usually suss out a murder mystery culprit pretty quickly but I gave this book a higher rating than I typically would have because it was a cleverer plot than your average murder thriller; it definitely kept me guessing until the very end. I do feel like the end/plot twist/reveal was a little rushed and the author left a TON of plot holes so that was super annoying. She spent so much time crafting this amazing story with twists and turns and then sort of fumbled it for me with how she executed the ending. I wish she’d taken the time to be a bit more detailed in explaining the twist, how the murderer carried everything out, etc.

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All in all, I have a GREAT month of reading and guess what? I have SO many books that are coming in from the library already queued up in my Kindle so I have a good feeling about next month’s book, too! I MISS YOU GUYS! I am going to try and blog a little more this year … maybe not as regularly as I was before I started working but I’ll try to do little posts here and there along with my monthly reading recaps. Make sure to add your email and subscribe if you haven’t already!