It’s a new year, with hopefully lots of good books in my future! I ended my year reading a total of 98 books, which surpassed my 2020 book goal of 75. I again set this year’s goodreads goal for 75 books, which seems doable. While December seems so long ago, I’m sharing my reads from last month. It was a mixed bag of different genres and mostly good reads. Here are my December reads that I’m sharing with Steph and Jana’s monthly book linkup:
3 stars:
Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam (October 2020, Suspense/Thriller) – A family leaves NYC for a week and rents a house out in a remote part of Long Island. A few nights into their stay the couple who owns the house arrive on the doorstep with news of a blackout in the city. Strange things start happening, but with no TV, internet or cell service, no one has any idea what is going on. This book was disappointing. I have no idea why it’s labeled suspense/thriller and even horror on goodreads. I’m not going to give away spoilers, but I hated the ending.
The Girl In The Mirror by Rose Carlyle (October 2020, Suspense/Thriller) – Two identical twins, one who has always been jealous of the other. Now she has the opportunity, to live her twin’s life and gain a huge inheritance. But can she keep the truth from being exposed? This was an okay, not very believable read for the most part. But it did have some interesting plot twists.
White Ivy by Susie Yang (November 2020, Contemporary/Suspense/Literary Fiction) – A coming age of story of a young Chinese girl who tries to fit in white suburban American. She develops a crush on a classmate, who ends up making a reappearance in her adult life. There are several plot twists, but I would not categorize this as a suspenseful read. In fact, it was such a slow read for me that I wish that I had given up on it earlier than making myself finish it.
4 stars:
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (October 2020, holiday/romance) – A young woman makes a plea to the universe, “Please. Show me what will make me happy.” At the annual family and friends holiday get together at a cabin in Utah, she ends up in a loop where she relives the same holiday vacation over and over. This was a cute holiday romance read. I hadn’t read a Christina Lauren book in awhile and think I’m ready to get back into some of their more recent books that I had skipped.
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (October 2017, Middle Grade/Fantasy) – On the night she is supposed to die a young girl finds herself being whisked away to Nevermoor. There she discovers that she has been selected to compete for a spot in the exclusive Wundrous Society and must pass the four trials. This book has been compared to Harry Potter and I can vaguely see the connection. It’s a fun and whimsical read. I couldn’t interest my son in reading it, but I may continue the series.
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal (July 2019, Contemporary Fiction) – A woman thinks that her sister is dead. But then she sees her on a news clip. So she travels from California to New Zealand to try to track her down. Will she find her? The book alternates between the two sisters POV as we discover their tragic past and secrets that they are keeping. This was an engrossing and enjoyable read.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (June 2020, YA/LGBT) – A poor, black teen has big plans to go to college to become a doctor and continue playing music. But financial aid is not providing enough money for her to attend. One of the few options she has is to try to win the scholarship for Prom Queen, despite the fact that there has never been a black or queer queen in the school’s history. This book portrays modern teen life in a realistic manner. I’m jealous of the diverse YA books available to teens today, so I have to read some of them!
I loved Mermaids.
White Ivy was a very slow read for me too. I considered not finishing a few times.
I need to read more of O’Neal’s books!
I liked Holidaze, it wasn’t as cheesy and over the top as a lot of Christmas novels are. Christina Lauren is one of my favorites, so I have a hard time saying anything bad about their books. I have Mermaids on my TBR, I need to get to it.
Agree that In a Holidaze wasn’t too cheesy! I took a break from reading their books because I found them to be too formulaic. But this was an enjoyable holiday read.
When We Believed in Mermaids sounds really interesting, especially that there are the differing points of view.
Yes, it was a good read!
I just picked up Morrigan Crow at the library yesterday! My son has the other books in the series but was missing the first one so I’ve had to wait for it to come in on hold.
It’s a fun read!
I think this might be the year I finally read the Nevermoor series. it always sounds so fun but I never think to put it on hold. I have White Ivy from Netgalley, but I haven’t been in a rush to start reading it for whatever reason.
I have to continue with the Nevermoor series. The first book was a fun read!
I could not get into Leave the World Behind at all… glad to know I didn’t miss much.
No, you did not miss out on anything!
When We Believed in Mermaids was such a fantastic book. And I’m making note of You Should See Me in a Crown.
If you give it a read, hope you enjoy it!
I really want to read You Should See Me in a Crown! Leave the World Behind is on my list too, but I keep hearing mixed things. I thought In a Holidaze was really fun too, a perfectly light read for Christmastime.
I recommend skipping Leave the World Behind, but just my opinion.
Books about twins can always be kind of weird and twisty. I saw The Girl in the Mirror on BOTM and passed on it.
Yes! I’m reading another book about twins now and it’s also weird and twisty!
I liked In a Holidaze well enough, but it wasn’t a favorite.
I really loved Nevermoor though. I finally got the second book and need to start that when I have a chance.
-Lauren
I need to read the second Nevermoor book!
Nevermoor is on my BCBE list for this year and I’m looking forward to it. I’m currently listening to In A Holidaze and it’s super cute!
Yes, In a Holidaze is a cute fun read. Hope you enjoy Nevermoor!
I’ve heard good things about When We Believed in Mermaids. Glad you liked it too 🙂 I’ll be getting Holidaze from the library soon… Christmas in February, anyone? LOL Thanks for sharing and enjoy your month!
I really enjoyed In A Holidaze also!