It took me typing “What I read in October” in the title bar for it to actually hit me that we are in fact in November. I mean I knew but like, 2020 is almost over, and it feels like it just started. I could say a lot about that in general but reading wise, it was such an up and down year. Anyway, I read a tonne last month, and this month actually, so I’m finally on track to complete my Goodreads challenge. For most of the year, I was not. I count that a win and 2020 has taught me to count wins.
I’ve also been writing again. Since I started this blog years ago I spoke about writing my first novel. I’m determined to finally complete it. Ive been elbows deep into my story since the beginning of November, writing every day since I’m doing NaNoWriMo, and guys, I remember why I loved writing and I cant wait to finish it.
Anyway, these are the books Ive been reading lately.
Loved it:
The honeymooner ~ Melanie summers
Received from Netgalley for an honest review
Control freak and workaholic Libby is finally about to start life with her fiancé until she receives a text 10 minutes before the wedding. He’s not coming (this isn’t a spoiler). Libby goes on her caribbean honeymoon at paradise beach and plans to devise the plan to get her fiancé back (and to negotiate the acquisition of the resort from its handsome owner).
Witty and cute. The characters are very stereotypical but I really liked them anyway. From a glance at the goodreads page, the reviews are mixed but I honestly believe that this should have way more hype than it does and I can’t wait to read the second one in the series.
4/5 stars
Goodreads link here
Good Girls Lie ~ J.T. Ellison
Received from Netgalley for an honest review
I was hooked from the first page. It was suspenseful from the beginning to the very end. There are mixed reviews on this one but I really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the least predictable thrillers Ive read in a while. The tangled web of lies was so intricately spun in this book.
I went to an all girls prestigious school (not a boarding school though… and not murderous) and I always love to see how these schools are portrayed in thrillers. The story follows Ash who moves from her troubled life in England to attend the prestigious (and secretive and creepy) Goode school in Virginia. Girls who go to The Goode school always turn out good and Goode girls don’t lie. Except they do. When people start dying mysteriously, the secrets of the school, and there are many, are slowly revealed.
I’m not usually a fan of an entire book taking place in one setting, but it worked here. Almost the entire book, and certainly all of the major action, was set on the grounds of the Goode school, yet it felt like a whole world. I thought that was brilliantly done.
I will say that it was a tad too long. Yes. But still good. Really good.
4.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
The vanishing half ~ Brit Bennett
I had a slow start with this one but once I found my groove I blew through it.
The story, spanning several decades, follows the lives of coloured twins Desiree and Stella, from the Deep South. Having run away from their small hometown, one twin reinvents herself as a white woman and one lives as a black woman.
There were so many moving parts and they all fit together to make a strikingly thought provoking novel. In a raw and very vividly described way, it hit all the hard topics: Race, white supremacy, prejudice based on skin tone, gender, lgbtq+ issues and of course, family.
Two words. Read it.
4.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
The girl you left behind ~ Jojo Moyes
I happened upon the prelude novella a few weeks ago and decided to pick this book up. It’s been on my kindle for a while.
The first 1/3 of the book follows Sophie in WW1 Paris. Sophie’s husband Edoardo, ab artist, was fighting in WW1 and we follow her as she tries to keep her family protected from the Germans. Several years earlier her husband painted her and a German commander took keen interest in the painting and its subject.
Almost a century later, in the present day, the painting is in the possession of Liv, who we follow for most of the middle of the book, a widow whose husband bought her the painting on their honeymoon before his early death. The painting and how it became to be with Liv, and it’s value, was the center of this tale and I loved every second. I loved Sophie’s story and was also quite fond of Liv’s. Both women were ruined and ridiculed and persevered through it.
I an unabashedly reserved about giving books 5 stars. I really only do it when a book is unforgettable to me or when it affects me to my core. I realized this was a 5 star read when I went to lunch early and stayed out late just so I could finish it on my lunch hour… just so I could know what happens. I was led to tears a couple of times and I’m not a crier. That’s 5 star worthy.
5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
Liked it:
Big summer ~ Jennifer Weiner
I walked into this expecting a chick flick and at some point it morphed into a whole other genre. That alone makes it worth reading. I didn’t love Daphne (main character) but I found her unnecessarily secretive and thought she made dumb decisions about what she chose to disclose.
Anyway it’s a great thought piece on friendship, forgiveness, the multi faceted nature of humans and what really matters in life.
I enjoyed it and would recommend.
3.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
Nothing to see here ~ Kevin Wilson
Short, quirky, cute and very unique. I mean there were quite literally kids spontaneously combusting into flames every time they were agitated. It’s also story of loneliness, unfairness and redemption.
You know those books that are really difficult to rate? well this was one of those for me. I mean I really enjoyed it but didn’t know how to rate it. It was really good but will I remember it in 5 years? I’m not sure. Do I recommend? Absolutely.
3.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
The girls in the garden ~ Lisa Jewell
It wasn’t my favourite Lisa Jewell but still a good read even if it is always difficult to read about violence against children.
That said it was a quick read and I do recommend.
3.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
Not my vibe:
N/A
In more “What I read in October” news, I also read a few novellas this month, Maybe not by Colleen Hoover, Honeymoon in Paris and Paris for one by Jojo Moyes. Yes I read quite a bit of Moyes this month.. I love her writing and it inspires me when Im writing.
Linking up with Steph and Jana
