It's already the end of February, where has the time gone?! My first two months of 2021 reading were a bit all over in terms of genres, ratings, and consistency.
In January I read just two books: a thriller that took me less than 24 hours to read (No Exit) and a hefty literary fiction that took me over a week to read (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue). In February, I read five books, which is more than I've ever read in one month! I read a new favorite book (The Midnight Library) and a book that may be one of my least favorites (Normal People).
My backlist books of the month were No Exit in January, which I've had on my shelf since December 2018, and Get a Life, Chloe Brown, which I've owned since December 2019.
Check out my short stats and reviews of each book below!
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Hardcover
Quick Synopsis: Darby is forced to take shelter at a remote highway rest stop during a terrible blizzard, when she finds a kidnapped child in the back of the van of one of her stranded companions. What will it cost her to be the hero of this story?
Quick Review: I wanted to stay up all night to finish this - I could not put it down. Darby was a bit of a dunce when it comes to trusting the wrong people, but she gives us a wild ride in this book which takes place in less than 24 hours. Beware of some bloody bits towards the end!
Who Should Read This: Anyone who likes a fast-paced thriller. Anyone who is a fan of the Saw movies. Anyone who loves a good binge read.
Genre: Literary Fiction (with elements of magical realism and historical fiction(
Rating: A generous ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Hardcover
Quick Synopsis: In France, 1714, Addie makes a deal with the darkness to be immortal and free from her obligations, but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. In New York City, 2014, after several lifetimes of "freedom," Addie meets Henry, a lonely bookseller who finally remembers her.
Quick Review: Addie LaRue is rich in the symbols and language that I often seek out in literary fiction. The premise is intriguing but falls flat in the historical glitz and glam of living over 300 years of world history. The ending feels out of character, and a bit too perfect.
Who should read this: Anyone who wants to read a work of art. Anyone who wants to leave a mark on the world. Hopeless Romantics.
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: E-book Advanced Reader Copy
Quick Synopsis: Matt Pines gets swept up into an FBI investigation after his family is mysteriously killed in Mexico. Not to mention the extra attention on his life from a true crime documentary years earlier profiling his older brother who is in prison for murder.
Quick Review: This was fast paced and hooked me, but ultimately subpar. The clues are neatly displayed, but predictable. Lots of characters and a bunch of clichés tossed into this debut.
Who should read this: Anyone who likes true crime documentaries. Anyone who likes straightforward mysteries. YA readers or people who are new to thrillers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Hardcover
Quick Synopsis: After living a life full of regrets and paralyzed by other people’s dreams, Nora finds herself in the Midnight Library hanging between life and death. It is a place where she can try on any one of her infinite lives fueled by the choices she has faced and the regrets she harbors.
Quick Review: This is a new favorite book. It was short and sweet, thought provoking and just a touch mind-bending. I loved Matt Haig's snappy storytelling and dazzling world-building.
Who should read this: Anyone who has trouble seeing the forest through the trees. Anyone who liked The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, or Recursion by Blake Crouch. Anyone who stays up at night thinking about what they should have said in that argument from eleven years ago.
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Hardcover
Quick Synopsis: Chloe Brown is chronically ill, but she doesn't let that stop her from experiencing life to the fullest after a near-death experience. She enlists the help of bad boy Redford Morgan and he helps her check off a few items from her bucket list... and chuck off a few items of clothing...
Quick Review: We don't see a lot of characters with chronic illnesses represented in literature, let alone in a sexy way, but I loved how Chloe Brown, her sisters, and Red handled her illness - a careful balance of normalizing it and not minimizing it in the story and to me as a reader. There isn't much conflict or plot, but there are a lot of open-door sex scenes!
Who should read this: Anyone who doesn't mind a rated-R romance. Anyone who knows someone with a chronic illness. Anyone who likes character-driven novels.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: ⭐️⭐
Format: Paperback
Quick Synopsis: In Normal People, we follow the "normal" on-again off-again relationship of Connell and Marianne during their time at university.
Quick Review: This book is boring and cyclical. There is zero plot and neither character is likable. Words that come to mind: toxic, crippling, frustrating, underdeveloped, co-dependent.
Who should read this: Anyone who has been in a toxic relationship. Anyone who likes character studies. Anyone who needs a new show to watch.
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Paperback
Quick Synopsis: Kim and Blake are two halves of an A-list movie star power couple whose divorce took the tabloids by storm. Years later, they've agreed to star in a movie together and rekindle their relationship, which causes waves on set and with their pre-teen daughter.
Quick Review: What surprised me about this book was that the rekindled romance isn't the ending of the book, it's the beginning. The bulk of the book deals with the aftermath of Kim and Blake's divorce and rehashing of their marriage, like issues of miscommunication and unhappiness, undiagnosed mental health issues, and the perils of parenting a sassy and rebellious pre-teen. The ending felt a bit rushed, but overall felt like a Hallmark movie in the making.
Who should read this: Anyone who likes cozy romances. Anyone who can't stand cheating in their romances. Anyone who needs a palate cleanser.
What's on deck for the next two months?
Sissy by Jacob Tobia for my IRL-turned-zoom book club
Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid to buddy read with two friends
Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison as an advanced reader copy that publishes in March
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid to a buddy read with some pals on Bookstagram
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides as an advanced reader copy that publishes in June and to do a giveaway with
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano for a group chat on Bookstagram
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers to buddy read with a friend
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson as a backlist book of the month option
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart as a backlist book of the month option
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