Category: Reading Lists

A million years late, but here are all the books I read in December! Lots of good ones and they aren’t only holiday specific!

You can find my reading lists here and previous what I read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN DECEMBER 2023

The Plight Before Christmas – 4.5 stars

I loved this one so much! This was a great holiday read, but isn’t all Christmas-y so you could totally read it now! This story follows a girl who comes home for the holidays to her family cabin. Once she is there, her brother shows up with his coworker who had no where to go for the holiday season – and this person used to be the love of her life. Super cute and I really enjoyed all these characters. I didn’t think I liked the main character at first, but I ended up really loving her. And everyone else.

The Christmas Fix  – 3.5 stars

Another cute Christmasy read! This is like Christmas romance meets HGTV for a town. This story is about a small town that was wrecked in a hurricane. They have the chance to get it fixed up to be the ultimate Christmas town, but the man is charge is uninterested. Again it’s super cute and festive and very Hallmark-y – with a lot more spice than Hallmark, of course.

Same Time Next Year – 3 stars

This was a cute quick little read. It’s a novella, so it’s light and easy and it’s typical Tessa Bailey which = lots of spice. As long as I know that going in, I’m good! This story is about a girl working at a bar who enters a relationship with a hockey player, faking a marriage so he can stay in the US. It’s easy and quick! I read it on New Year’s Eve as my final book of the year.

A Winter In New York – 4 stars

I absolutely love this author, even if all of her books make me cry. This is such an NYC-love fest so if you love NYC like I do, you’ll love it. This story follows a girl who has a secret gelato recipe, but it’s not just HER secret recipe. There is some romance and drama here and she ends up falling for the owner of a gelato shop when she moves to NYC. It is so insightful and definitely emotional. And good!

The Last Love Note – 5 stars

Oh my gosh. This is another sort of sad but so lovable book! This is so emotional and deals with the loss of a spouse. The author’s note at the end is heartbreaking. A widow ends up stuck with her boss on a trip and he is the most wonderful character ever. There’s a little twist in here and while predictable, I still loved it. I love this book so much, even if it had me in tears multiple times.

The Second Chance Year – 4 stars

This was another one of my book of the month books! Super cute, especially for the holiday season. But you can read this any time of year! The story follows a girl who wants to redo her entire year – and she gets the chance to do that, but not before something big happens RIGHT BEFORE the year switches back. Eeeep! This was a good one, a quick read for me and I couldn’t wait to see what happened.

The post What I Read In December 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

This was such a fabulous reading month! Everything I read was very enjoyable. Most got me in the holiday spirit.

What are you reading right now?!

You can find my reading lists here and previous what I read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN NOVEMBER 2023

Snowed In – 5 stars

I loved this one so much!! The story follows two people who went to highschool together, run into each other before they holidays and decide to pretend to be in a relationship to make going home to their families easier. I love a fake dating trope! This was so cute, so feel good, I loved both families and the ending just made me so happy. Festive and fun!

Drowning – 5 stars

I was so hesitant to read this but oh my gosh, I absolutely loved it. I don’t like to read anything that would scare the heck out of me, but I could not put this down. The story is about a plane that crashes into the ocean shortly after taking off. It then sinks to the bottom and a rescue team is on a mission to save them. This is so fast paced, non-stop, so wonderful, emotional, everything!! Definitely a great read.

Holiday Romance – 4.5 stars

After I read Snowed In, I had to read this one! It’s the first book in the series before Snowed In, but you don’t have to read them in order. The story follows two friends who fly home together for the holidays, but a snowstorm has cancelled their flight. They are determined to get home though. I love a good friends to lovers romance! The characters in this one play minor characters in Snowed In. I love that.

Check & Mate – 4.5 stars

This was in my book of the month box and I loved it so, so much. This is technically YA, but I don’t love YA and I really enjoyed this. So don’t let that hold you back. The story follows two chess players who engage in a charity tournament and end up very drawn to each other. I loved these characters so much!

Wreck the Halls – 3.5 stars

This was cute! The story follows the children of two former rockstars – women who were in a popular duo and best friends only to split when a huge incident happened years ago. The kids are the same age and they sign on for a reality show to reunite their moms to sing on christmas eve. It’s a quick read but there is a good plot and I didn’t want to put it down. It’s definitely a steamy read so just be prepared going into that.

The post What I Read In November 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Oh my gosh! Almost halfway through the month and here’s what I read last month! Moving just kicked my butt and I couldn’t get it posted. But on the bright side, I listened to a lot of books while unpacking.

Now I’m ready for all the holiday reads. What are you reading right now?!

You can find my reading lists here and previous what I read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN OCTOBER 2023

Mrs Nash’s Ashes – 5 stars

This was easily my favorite book of the month! So many of you said I’d love it and I did. The story follows a woman who travels with the ashes of her elderly friend, hoping to reunite her with her long lost love. It was SO good. She ends up traveling with an old highschool friend and there is chemistry and it’s just.so.good. Such a heart warming story!

Happiness Falls – 4 stars

This was in my book of the month box and I really liked it. It’s part mystery/part family drama and is so interesting, heart breaking, suspenseful and emotional. The story follows a Korean family in American and the father goes missing. It started a little slow for me but I ended up loving it.

Housemoms: a Novel – 3 stars

I haven’t read a Jen Lancaster book in so, so long!! This book was so fun. It follows two different women who end up in a predicament and need to find a job, which leads them to become sorority house moms. It also follows the daughter of one of them and the whole thing is just hilarious and fun. I did think there were a few unanswered questions, but otherwise I liked it.

The Woman In Me

I listened to this in practically one sitting – it’s heartbreaking and just utterly devastating. It made me feel the same way Matthew Perry’s memoir did – almost sick to my stomach listening at what was happening but I couldn’t stop. It’s just unbelievable how she was treated at the start of her career and everything she went through.

If You Would Have Told Me

I listened to this right after the Britney book. I grew up on Full House and absolutely loved John Stamos. I really enjoyed listening to this! I know some of the stories he mentions have been sort of debunked in the media lately, but I do like hearing about his career, his start, his family.

Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year

I listened to this one too! Oh I loved it. It’s such a great way to enter into the holiday season. It’s all about slowing down at Christmas (and in winter) and how to enjoy what the season is about – and what exactly it means to you. There is also a podcast!

(This is not sponsored but there are a few bookshop and/or affiliate links above! Thank you for reading!)

The post What I Read In October 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Here’s everything I read last month! Got through a few books – some good, some just okay! What are you reading right now?

You can find my reading lists here and previous what I read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN SEPTEMBER 2023

Things We Left Behind – 4.5 stars

I can’t believe I’m saying it but I liked this one so much. I really didn’t care for the other books I’ve read by this author, especially the two before this. But this one, I loved. The story is an enemies to lovers/(kind of) second chance romance trope and follow Sloane who is a librarian and Lucian who is basically just a… powerful mogul. There are a few great storylines in this book and it’s also pretty steamy so… be prepared.

Forget Me Not  – 3 stars

I did like this one, but I could not get into the main male character. Like at all. This story follows a wedding planner who has a tangled past with a florist. He is super grumpy and kind of miserable but he just comes off… kind of mean to me. And I feel like he is never really fully redeemed – like his miserableness is just a part of who he is. That being said, I did like the writing and the storyline. Just wish he was a little more likable.

Shucked – 2.5 stars

This one took me quite a while to get into. The story follows Sunny who returns to her hometown to open a coffeeshop, and she opens it right across the parking lot from her brother’s best friend’s oyster bar. Yes, that’s a mouthful. He was also kind of grumpy like the guy in the story above, but it was slightly redeeming. There are so many parts of this story that aren’t really

You, Again – 3 stars

This is a modern day retelling of one of my favorite movies ever – When Harry Met Sally. We’ve got another enemies to lovers trope here with Ari and Josh, who meet and instantly hate each other, but cross paths later and become friends. This one also took me some time to get into, but I ended up really liking it. The characters and real and can be unlikeable, but ultimately the end is good!

The Connellys of Country Down – 4 stars

I adore a great family drama book!! This story follows The Connellys (shocking, I know), but mainly Tara, and their dysfunctional but very real lives. Tara has just been released from prison and is trying to get her life back in order. This was SO GOOD. Some characters are awful, but you feel for them. It’s the second book by this author that I ended up loving.

The post What I Read In September 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

I got through a ton of books this month! While I usually only listen to nonfiction, I actually listed to four fiction books this month while packing up our house to move. I couldn’t stop! I also got a good portion of my reading time back with the school dropoff/pickup line which is excellent. I really really really loved everything I read this month.

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I read posts here.

My big summer reading list is here!

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN AUGUST 2023

You With A View – 5 stars

This was my favorite book of the month! Oh my gosh. I loved this story. This is about a girl who is going through her recently deceased grandmother’s things and finds a “mystery” love letter. This event ends up putting her in a situation with a former frenemy (haha) and the story goes from there. I absolutely LOVED the grandparent relationships in this book!! So wonderful. And the ending is just so good.

None of This is True – 4 stars

Needed a good thriller and this fit the bill! I had wanted to read this one for weeks. This story is about a podcast host who meets her birthday twin at a bar one night – and everything erupts from there. It is so twisty and crazy and you don’t know what is going to happen next. A really good one!

The Way I Hate Him – 3.5 stars

This was a kindle unlimited book and I’d seen it a few times so decided to go for it. I ended up liking it so much!! This is about a girl who ends up accidentally/secretly working for her family’s nemesis. It’s a cute, light and easy read – fairly spicy too. But I enjoyed it for something fun and fast.

In The Likely Event – 4.75 stars

This was recommended to me on kindle unlimited too and I am SO glad I ended up going for this one. Based on the description, I had zero interest in this. I did not want to read about a plane crash or a war (not spoilers, both are in the description of the story), but I ended up loving this one so, so much. The story follows two people who share an insane life experience and the story goes from there. It’s kind of a second change romance in a way. It’s so good! I started to listen to Fourth Wing (which I haven’t finished yet) and I think that’s how I found this author.

The Things We Leave Unfinished – 4 stars

This was another kindle unlimited recommendation after I read the above. I really liked this one too! I found it to be a slightly slower that the previous book and I am generally not into historical fiction. But I liked this a lot. There is a twist at the end and while I considered that it might be coming, I was still pretty surprised. And loved it.

The Christmas Orphans Club – 5 stars

Oh my gosh. This is Becca Freeman’s new book that comes out later this month and it is SO lovely and wonderful. Fabulous writing, incredible characters – this is going to be the book of fall. The friendship is so heart warming!! I could not recommend it more. My other favorite of the month. Please go preorder it to support her!

Tom Lake – 5 stars

AHHH!! So I listened to this solely because Meryl Streep narrates it. Which is fabulous. It’s about a family during the pandemic – the children come home to stay and they want to hear the story of their parents. I also loved it because it takes place in Northern Michigan on a cherry farm! My dream. Anyway, I LOVED IT. I will say that since the timeline jumps a little, it can be hard to follow while listening so you really want to pay attention. Fabulous.

The Summer I Turned Pretty/It’s Not Summer Without You/We’ll Always Have Summer – 4 stars

After Tom Lake, I decided to listen to The Summer I Turned Pretty series because the actors narrate it! I wanted something light and mind numbing that I didn’t need to follow super super closely (I’ve already read the books) and this was perfect. I listened to all three while packing up parts of our house to move – it was excellent. I do wish all three actors narrated it instead of two in each book though.

(This is not sponsored but there are a few bookshop and/or affiliate links above! Thank you for reading!)

The post What I Read In August 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.