What I Read In August 2021.

Better late than never – again! AH! It was a great reading month with four books I REALLY enjoyed so much. I wanted to get through some of my book of the month books – but it’s so tricky because most of my reading right now happens on my kindle app while I’m nursing Jordan. […]

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what i read in august

Better late than never – again! AH!

It was a great reading month with four books I REALLY enjoyed so much. I wanted to get through some of my book of the month books – but it’s so tricky because most of my reading right now happens on my kindle app while I’m nursing Jordan. It’s so hard to hold an actual book while doing that, so e-reader it is! Often I’ll nurse him in the middle of the night and then STAY UP reading because I get so sucked into my books.

Also, I brought back ratings for the books after you guys asked! I think I’ll keep my ratings to fiction only – but I won’t be rating nonfiction or memoirs for the time being.

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN AUGUST 2021

The Newcomer – 4.5 stars

I love love love Mary Kay Andrews books! The story follows Letty who goes on the run with her young niece after her sister is murdered. This sounds weird but it’s not as dark as it seems, because it’s Mary Kay Andrews, if that makes sense! I feel like you need to read her books to fully get it. It’s a great story but still light and enjoyable and a fast read too.

The One You’re With – 5 stars

This was our August book club pick! It was a good one. Okay also loved loved loved this one. The story follows a married couple (high school sweethearts!) who spent one summer apart before getting married – and the twists and turns that come out of it and threaten the relationship. I could not put this down! I don’t always love a story that bounces back and forth, but I loved this one. It goes from the summer of 2000 to present day. I really loved the ending too!

The Heart Principle – 4.5 stars

I was so excited to get this one early through book of the month. I love Helen Hoang’s books. The story follows a musician (with some youtube success, haha!) who goes through a breakup and intends on having as many one night stands as she can. Yes, HH’s books are steamy but it’s not quite as trashy as it sounds, I promise. Steamy, yes. I absolutely LOVED Quan. Anna too – she has a later life autism diagnosis. It’s such a good book – another light read but also I found myself so emotional reading it!

We Are The Brennans – 4 stars

GAH, another good one! It was a really good reading month, I told you. This story follows a girl who returns to her estranged family after a pretty terrible incident. I love a good family drama (I always think of Mrs Everything or The Most Fun We Ever Had) and this was no exception. It did drag a bit for me in some parts and the big twist wasn’t as crazy as I imagined, but I did really like it! I can totally see this becoming a movie.

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

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What I Read In July 2021.

Ahhh better late than never! It was a light reading month with only three books, but they were really good ones! Most of my reading this month was done on my kindle app – because baby! Right now I get most of my reading done while feeding the baby – especially at night and first […]

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what i read in july 2021

Ahhh better late than never!

It was a light reading month with only three books, but they were really good ones! Most of my reading this month was done on my kindle app – because baby! Right now I get most of my reading done while feeding the baby – especially at night and first thing in the morning. I fit it in during feedings throughout the day too, but it’s not as easy with the other kids around. And at night, I’m also so tired so sometimes I fall asleep reading, ha. But these books below are SO good. And remember, I have my huge summer reading list here, and usually talk about what I’m reading in summer fridays each week.

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN JULY 2021

One Last Stop

I loved this author’s previous book so I was pumped about this! It was our July book club read too. The story follows August who meets Jane on a train – Jane is super mysterious and can’t leave the train. I loved all of these characters so much! The roommates were so fun to follow. The mystery really hooked me in, even though I found just a few parts of it a little slow. But that didn’t keep me from adoring it. The story is magical, I loved the ending and and it is such a good book! I want to read it again already.

While We Were Dating

Gosh I just love Jasmine’s books. Every summer I wait for a new one! I love how the characters have their own world (sort of reminds me of Elin and Nantucket!) and they appear in her different books. While this is a series, you don’t have to read any of the previous books to follow along. This story follows Ben and Anna who are working on a project together. They are both super flirty and don’t intend on any sort of serious relationship, but they discover that there is more depth in each of them and discuss mental health quite a bit. As usual, this is super steamy and super cute!

Seven Days In June

I was SO excited about this one and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve been wanting to read this since I made my summer reading list. The story follows Shane and Eva who “meet” at an event, but the truth is they had met years ago and had a brief love affair! OMG. I cannot even handle how much I loved this story. It does jump back and forth in time. Absolutely love love loved this and the ending too!

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

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What I Read In June 2021.

What a month!! This was the month that some of my favorite authors always release books (amazing beach reads!), so I had some great reading planned. And I did get in some good books early on in the month, until I had the baby! That was totally unexpected. Granted, I haven’t read a ton in […]

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what i read in june

What a month!! This was the month that some of my favorite authors always release books (amazing beach reads!), so I had some great reading planned. And I did get in some good books early on in the month, until I had the baby! That was totally unexpected. Granted, I haven’t read a ton in these last two weeks, but I have been reading a lot at night while I’m nursing, which is nice. I can’t wait to hear what you think of some of these reads. And remember, I have my huge summer reading list here, and usually talk about what I’m reading in summer fridays each week.

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time. I’ve been bad at updating this the last month so I need to go in a update on all the books I’ve read. Promise I’ll do this soon!

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN JUNE 2021

Golden Girl

Ahh, I think Elin just gets better and better with everyone book! I can’t even handle how much I loved this. It is one of the best for me (if you’re new here, my all-time fave is The Blue Bistro!) and I’ve read every book she’s ever done. The story follows a woman on Nantucket who killed by a hit and run, then is essentially stuck between heaven and earth. She can see everything that is happening and has a final book released. GAH. It was just so good.

The Sixth Wedding

I loved these mini epilogues (if you can call them that!) that Elin has occasionally done, I think they are such a fun way to revisit some of the characters! I’m one of the ones who loved 28 summers so while I was excited to get to be with these characters again, I didn’t necessarily love this ending! I did really enjoy the story in general.

Malibu Rising

Taylor Jenkins Reid is probably tied with Elin as my favorite writer of all time. I’ve been reading her for years, and then she wrote my favorite book EVER – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. She has such an incredible way with words. Malibu Rising follows a family in Malibu in the 80s. The story is just SO good – and like many of TJR’s other books, I got so invested in the characters. SO SO good. Highly highly recommend.

The Other Black Girl 

This was another one I was sooo looking foward too! I really liked this one too… the plot twist took a surprising turn. The story follows Nella who is the only Black employee at her work – until she isn’t. When another Black girl is hired, she is instantly accepted by the other employees and weird things start happening to Nella. The writing is amazing and there are so many parts where I LOLed, I was instantly hooked. There are so many important themes in this book as well. The story is great but the plot twist was not my favorite… I’m just not into sci fi or fantasy or what this twist would be classified as. Would love to hear your thoughts if you read this one?!

Under The Southern Sky

Also enjoyed this book! I love Kristy Woodson Harvey’s books – they are so feel good and the perfect summer read in my mind. This story follows a girl who reconnects with a childhood friend who has recently lost his wife. This whole story is one of my favorite tropes – I loved it! Definitely recommend Kristy’s other books too if you’re in the market for a light beach read.

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

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What I Read In May 2021.

I can’t believe June is here!! It might be my most favorite reading month ever because so many great books are being released. May was a great reading month in terms of books I enjoyed – I really liked most of them. What are you most excited to read right now? I love to hear […]

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what i read in may 2021

I can’t believe June is here!! It might be my most favorite reading month ever because so many great books are being released. May was a great reading month in terms of books I enjoyed – I really liked most of them. What are you most excited to read right now? I love to hear your suggestions below!

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find my summer reading list HERE! It’s one of my favorite posts of the whole year.

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time. My kindle app hasn’t been connecting to my goodreads account (it used to auto update every time I started/finished a book!) so I’ve been manually trying to keep up with it.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN MAY 2021

The Soulmate Equation – 4 stars

Couldn’t wait to read this one – it was one I was looking forward to all year. The story is about a dating app that successful matches rely on DNA and gene matches. It’s interesting and cute! It follows a single mother who decides on a whim to send in her DNA on a whim and is shocked at what she gets in return. It’s really cute and fun and light and uplighting. Definitely enjoyed it.

That Summer – 4 stars

I was super excited for this one too! I live for Jennifer Weiner’s books. This one took me a while to get into. I didn’t love the characters. The story follows Daisy and Diana who have an “accidental” meeting via email, but it’s really not that accidental. It is definitely a story with serious undertones and many heartbreaking things happen that determine the future of the characters. I did like the ending and find it very satisfying!

The Last Thing He Told Me – 4 stars

Was feeling a little thriller-y this month and I blew through this one. It was super good. The story is about man who completely disappears and leaves his wife along with his teenage daughter with no information. They attempt to figure out what has happened and uncover a ton of truths. It’s a quick read, not overly scary or anything (I’m a baby) and the ending is good too.

People We Meet On Vacation – 5 stars

Oh my gosh, I can’t even HANDLE how much I loved this book. I am one of the ones who LOVED Beach Read last year, so I was waiting and waiting for this book to come out. The story follows a man + women who have a platonic but very close friendship and travel together every summer. It jumps back and forth from present day to previous trips and I just loved it so much. It was so good, the ending was satisfying and still realistic. I absolutely LOVED it.

The Hunting Wives – 3 Stars

I had a hard time getting into this one, but once I did, it was a pretty quick read. The story follows a few different women who are part of the Hunting Wives club. I just didn’t love any of these characters! It did keep me on my toes at points and I wanted to see what happened, but I ultimately didn’t LOVE it.

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

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What I Read In April 2021.

It was a light but good reading month! I didn’t get to read as much as I’d like, but I absolutely LOVED the books that I read. Right now we’re getting into my favorite reading season and I am just so excited. I have a busy month ahead but some of my favorite authors are […]

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what i read in april 2021

It was a light but good reading month! I didn’t get to read as much as I’d like, but I absolutely LOVED the books that I read. Right now we’re getting into my favorite reading season and I am just so excited. I have a busy month ahead but some of my favorite authors are releasing books soon!

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time. My kindle app hasn’t been connecting to my goodreads account (it used to auto update every time I started/finished a book!) so I’ve been manually trying to keep up with it.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN APRIL 2021

The Kitchen Front – 5 Stars

Oh my gosh, loved this one SO much. It was our book club pick for April! I didn’t know if I would be into it because historical fiction is not my preferred genre. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I am bored by it. Well, I could not get enough of this story. It follows four women who participate in a cooking contest during world war II. I can’t even handle how much I loved these characters – I don’t even know who I would pick as my favorite.

Life’s Too Short – 5 stars

I LOVED this book. And it’s our new book club pick for May! The story follows a girl who has a career on youtube (ha!) and ends up entangled with her neighbor. I was so hesitant about this one (are you sensing a theme this month?!) because surprisingly, I don’t love reading fiction where the characters are influencers (makes zero sense, right? Haha.) but I ended up LOVING it. I absolutely loved the character of Vanessa and really loved Adrian too. Of course there is some family drama as well. And this is the third book in Abby Jimenez’s friend zone series, so you get some nice little cameos from previous characters. That’s always fun!

Second First Impressions – 4 stars

I love a good Sally Thorne novel and this didn’t disappoint! The story follows a twenty something girl who works in a retirement community. For some reason I had a really hard time getting into it at the beginning – not sure if it was the subject matter, even though so much of it was SO funny. Especially if you’ve recently had older grandparents or parents. Some pages had me laughing out loud. But once I got into it, I was into it! It’s a light, cute and fun read with a bit of depth too. Super charming!

Reunion Beach – 3.5 Stars

I picked this up last week while I signing books at my local store! I was excited to read it because I’ve seen Elin Hilderbrand talking about it for a year or so. It’s quick and light and you can definitely pick it up here and there. The concept is lovely and I do think it’s an amazing tribute. At the same time, I definitely prefer a full book and while I loved some of these, others I was not as interested in. Still think it’s such a nice way to honor a friend! Excited to hear your thoughts on a book like this.

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

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What I Read In March 2021.

  March was a surprisingly good reading month!! Even though I didn’t feel like I had much time to read, I ended up reading quite a bit. Like last month, I went through two of my book of the month books which was so nice! I love doing that so I can give them to […]

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what i read in march 2021

 

March was a surprisingly good reading month!! Even though I didn’t feel like I had much time to read, I ended up reading quite a bit. Like last month, I went through two of my book of the month books which was so nice! I love doing that so I can give them to friends or fam. I also finally finished A Promised Land and listened to another audio book, mostly while I did a ton of spring cleaning.

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time. I slacked on updating it a bit last month, but my books are finally caught up.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN MARCH 2021

Love At First – 4 Stars

This was our March book club pick and I liked it so much! The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because I loved the first book, Love Lettering SO MUCH that I had really high standards. The story follows two people who reconnect after meeting as teenagers and end up facing a few challenges. The story is really cute and while I didn’t find the characters quite as like-able as the ones in Love Lettering, I still liked them. This is a great light read if you’re looking for something this weekend!

Small Admissions – 4.5 Stars

I couldn’t wait to read this one after reading Musical Chairs a few months ago! The story follows Kate who is fresh from a breakup and lands a new job at a fancy high end school in admissions. I loved this book so much because I feel like it was a little expose on some of those scenarios you hear about in schools in NYC, etc. Like the schools that you interview for when you’re pregnant, before the baby even comes! I absolutely love this author’s writing and now am adding her book Limelight to my list.

What’s Mine and What’s Yours – 3.5 Stars

I loved the characters in this book and really enjoy any book that follows families through a long time span (think Mrs Everything, The Vanishing Half, etc). I got hooked on the story pretty quickly but then it felt like it was taking forever to go on. The story follows two different families in the 90s and we see how racial tensions and society in the 90s and on shapes their lives. Sometimes it seemed like the story was all over the place and I had a hard time following it. Still a good read and I did like seeing what happened at the end!

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev – 5 Stars

OMG, I ended up LOVING this book. Now, this may sound weird, but had I not read Daisy Jones and The Six, I don’t know if I would have loved it quite as much! If you’ve read Daisy Jones and know that style, you might understand what I mean. Daisy Jones is a book I liked but didn’t love when reading (my hopes were too high a year after reading my favorite book of all time, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo), but it’s a book I’ve come to adore as time has gone on. This book has major Daisy Jones vibes but is possibly BETTER!! The story follows a famous 70s musician Opal and is written in interviews. I can’t even handle how much I loved this – I felt like the characters were 100% real. It is so, so good.

The Lost Apothecary – 3.5 Stars

This was another book of the month pick and oh man, I almost didn’t make it through. The late middle to end redeemed the story, but the beginning was just.so.slow. for me. It actually took me over a week to get through the first half. I think based on the title and description I was hoping this would be like The Scent Keeper that I read last year, but it wasn’t nearly as interesting to me. However, it does get better! The story follows an apothecary shop from the 1700s and a present day story, along with some suspense of the murders that happened relating to the apothecary. The book goes back and forth but it does work here and I loved the ending!

One Day You’ll Thank Me – 3 Stars

I love Cameron Eubanks from Southern Charm and the Real World. She often tells it like it is and is unapologetically herself. While I don’t relate to all of her feelings on motherhood, some of them did hit home. And I did like hearing about her expeience. There wasn’t really anything new here though – a lot of it she has talked about on Instagram, in the show and even on other podcasts or interviews. I guess I was hoping this would be more juicy, or talk more about Southern Charm and those experiences!

A Promised Land – 5 Stars

It took my forever to get through this because it was so long and I was insistent on listening to it on audible! I love reading all former presidents’ books (I initially majored in history in college – wild, right?!) and this was no different. I think it was even more interesting than ones I’ve read in the past because the timing is still so recent, and I was old enough at the time to remember things. Unlike other books I’ve read by former presidents who were either in office before I was alive or when I was super young. If you love presidential history, I cannot recommend it enough! And highly highly suggest listening to it. Even though it’s 30 hours long.

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

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What I Read In February 2021.

It was a light but great reading month over here! I can’t believe February is already over. I only made it through four books, but I am also still listening to A Promised Land on audible and it’s taking up some of my reading time! Hopefully I’ll have it finished by next month. While I’m […]

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what i read in february 2021

It was a light but great reading month over here! I can’t believe February is already over. I only made it through four books, but I am also still listening to A Promised Land on audible and it’s taking up some of my reading time! Hopefully I’ll have it finished by next month.

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN FEBRUARY 2021

The Kindest Lie – 5 stars

I LOVED this book! The story follows Ruth who gave up a child years ago as a teen and all the details that unfold from this (her husband didn’t know, she obviously struggles with “what if”) and opens on election night of 2008, which I also loved. I was unsure if I would like this because as I’ve mentioned before, since having kids I have turned into the biggest baby, and have a hard time reading or watching anything sad/emotional/devastating/etc when it comes to children. Now don’t get me wrong, parts of this story were absolutely heart wrenching. But I really liked Ruth’s character. I loved Midnight. The detail in this book is incredible and so much of it is just so real. I had a book hangover after this one. Highly recommend!!

Until Then – 3.5 stars

Last year I read my first book by this author and I enjoyed it. I was excited when this popped up in my kindle recommendations! It’s book #2 in the Cape Harbor series but you don’t need to read the first. The story follows Rennie who returns to her favorite place and comes in contact with an old flame. This is one of my favorite tropes, of course. The characters definitely had chemistry and I really liked the book. I loved the ending as usual! It was a light and quick read but heartfelt too. Something I tend to reach for in summer but felt really nice to read in winter!

Honey Girl – 4 stars

This one was so good too! The story follows Grace who just completed her PhD but loses out on an opportunity because of her race and orientation. She takes a trip with friends which results in a wild night and she wakes up married to someone she doesn’t know. I loved this story because Grace thinks she has what she wants in life with her career, and what she has worked towards. It all looks good on paper and seems to be what she “should” do – and fits the expectations people have of her. As a total people pleaser, I found this to be SO SO SO relatable, and I think many other people in this millennial generation would agree. Also really loved the ending of this one. And the whole book made me miss traveling and NYC even more.

The Dating Plan – 4 stars

Okay I have really been trying to get to my Book of the Month picks, can you tell? Haha. I wanted to read them so I can pass them on to some family/friends. This book doesn’t come out for another week or so but I got it in my February box. The story follows Daisy who ends up faking a relationship with a guy who was her childhood crush. As you can imagine, it’s not so fake as time goes on. Reminded me a little of The Ex Talk from last month. This is another trope I find myself liking and thought this book was so cute! Super fast read, light and fun.

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

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What I Read In January 2021.

Hey hey! January was a HUGE reading month. I read constantly. And I read so many good books! I get the question of how I read so much (especially with kids) very often, and I really thought about it this month so I could go into detail. I always answer it in the comments, but […]

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what i read in january I howsweeteats

Hey hey!

January was a HUGE reading month. I read constantly. And I read so many good books!

I get the question of how I read so much (especially with kids) very often, and I really thought about it this month so I could go into detail. I always answer it in the comments, but figured I’d put it here for future reference. For me, the bulk of my reading right now happens on the weekends. This is especially true with covid – we don’t go anywhere Friday and Saturday night at the moment, so it’s not unusual for me to read an entire book once the kids go to bed. It’s a nice way to keep from scrolling my phone endlessly late at night. I still work quite a bit on the weekends, but never late at night like I do on weeknights. And it’s not like I’m reading war and peace – most of my reads are light and easy that can be read in 5 or 6 hours on my kindle. This month especially, I read mostly super fast, light reads.

So for instance, I’ll read a book Friday night once the kids go to bed. I start it at 8, maybe finish it at 1. I don’t plan this – I only read late if I’m reeeeally into a story. Sometimes I read on the couch while Eddie watches a show! Sometimes I get in bed and read the whole thing there. If I finish, I start another Saturday night (or I maybe get like an hour total of reading in on Saturday morn/afternoon since Eddie is home, it just depends!) and I may even finish that one that night too. It depends on if Eddie and I watch a movie or something, how long the book is, etc. I then may start a new book Sunday, continue to read it throughout the week (an hour or two before bed) and then finish by Thursday or Friday and repeat the process. Of course, some weekends I don’t read at all! It just totally depends. Right now, in a pandemic ridden freezing cold PA winter, I’m reading a ton.

Also, right now I am working alone because my cousin, who works with me full time, is on maternity leave! So I sometimes listen to audio books when I’m cooking and photographing.

Other than that, I don’t get much reading done during the week at all. I do fit it in when I can (when I sit in the carpool line for Max, I may read, so that’s like ~30ish minutes, but sometimes I also do phone calls) and I do tend to read everyday. Honestly this isn’t something I need to work at – I’ve just done this since I was a kid! I don’t look at reading as a part of my job, though yes, I do still want to write fiction. Reading isn’t a chore for me and I find it to be a fun escape. It’s just a part of my life. Of course some months I only read four books. Right now, I find that with the lack of new TV (Eddie and I love to binge a good show), my best choice is to read. Last month, I also shared that I’ve been reading a ton since I’m pregnant, because doing much of anything else makes me feel like crap and I have major pregnancy insomnia. Ha!

I hope this helps explain it!

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

WHAT I READ IN January 2021

The Wife Upstairs – 5 stars

I REALLY loved this one. I have a hard time reading thrillers – well, reading/watching/listening to anything scary since having kids. But I love a good thriller when there are no kids involved, and this is one of them! The story follows Jane who is a dog walker in an upscale neighborhood. She has a shady past and ends up falling in love with a man in the neighborhood who is recently widowed. He also may or may not be a little shady. It was a little predictable but still so, so good and I couldn’t put it down! Absolutely loved it.

Pretty Life Wife – 3 stars

Continuing my thriller journey, I read this next! I guess I wasn’t finished with thrillers yet. The story follows Lila, whose husband is missing. There has also been a string of missing women over the last few years. Lila seems a little odd herself, so you just don’t know where this story is going. I wanted to love this one, but there was almost so much weird detail in the first half of the book that I had a hard time getting into it. The detective scenes (without Lila) were also pretty long winded and I had a hard time sticking to those too, probably because I’m not super into true crime stuff. I did like the ending and didn’t think it was totally out of the blue. Still a fairly good read if you want a thriller!

Dear Emmie Blue – 3.5 stars

This was our January book club pick and I thought it would be SO good. The story follows Emmie who has had a best friend for 14 years that she is secretly in love with, and now he’s getting married. The truth is that it dragged a bit for me at first. I felt like there were details left out of the beginning that could have been helpful. I did ultimately end up liking this and it finished strong for me. It just wasn’t as quick to get through as I hoped!

How To Fail At Flirting – 5 stars

I LOVED this one. Oh my gosh. The name does NOT do this justice. The story follows Naya, who may be losing her job and gets some advice from a friend to spend a night out on the town. She ends up meeting a guy and thinks it may be a one night stand… but it’s not. This book was so good! There were a lot of real world issues in here as well, and I just didn’t think the title depicts what happens in the book. It also had me laugh out loud a few times, and the ending is great. I really, really loved it. This is our February book pick!

The Cousins – 3 stars

This was the first book I read in the new year. I had high hopes, but I also don’t love YA stories. The story follows three cousins who don’t really know each other, and are brought to an island where their grandmother (who they have never met!) lives. The ending is a bit of a surprising twist (I hadn’t really figured it out fully) and that redeemed it quite a bit for me. But ultimately it still felt really YA and it wasn’t my favorite. Pretty quick read and I guess would be considered a mild suspenseful thriller.

The Ex Talk – 4.5 stars

I just finished this yesterday and I really loved it. The start was a little slow for me because I just don’t have an interest in public radio and what it entails, but I got into it quickly. It also has the hate-to-love trope that I adore. The story follows Shay who has a coworker she hates. They end up working closely together and, of course, falling for each other. The only part I had a hard time believing was the reveal of Dominic’s age. Some of the story felt like he was just so young and had already been in a long term relationship, that it wasn’t all believable. (Which again, is just me talking about a dumb stereotype, haha!). However, I really loved it and enjoyed the ending too! It’s a super fast, light read.

Musical Chairs – 4 stars

I read this on a whim after seeing it in my kindle recommendations. I was hooked from the start – even though it also had subject matter that I’m not especially interested in. I found the writing in this to be SO GOOD. The story follows a man and a woman who are best friends, not ever having a romantic relationship. It details some conflict with them but is really the story of one summer of their lives. I wasn’t as invested in some of the other characters that they talked about a lot, and found the father’s story a little boring for me, but still heartwarming. I will say that I did not love the ending of this one, but that’s just because I’m a hopeless romantic who always wants the ending that I personally want.

Shipped – 4 stars

I had been waiting for this book to release and was so excited to read it! This is another hate-to-love trope, so of course, I was in. The story follows Henley, who works in marketing for a cruise company. She has a coworker she can’t stand, but they work virtually – and eventually end up meeting on a cruise they are forced to take together for work. It was super cute and I did really like it! Loved the ending because, why not? I got what I wanted. Hah!

Eliza Starts a Rumor – 3.5 stars

I read this after Elin Hilderbrand recommended it on instagram and it was pretty good! The story follows a woman who years ago, created an online mommy forum which really gave her a purpose. Now, her kids are out of the house and she is suffering from severe anxiety, and she is afraid another online group is taking over, so she creates a rumor that kind of ends up being true. The rumor affects the lives of many women and they become friends. I did love that part. For some reason, I couldn’t get the cast of Workin’ Moms out of my head for this book – LOL! It was a good story and there is a serious, surprising twist at the end that really makes the story wrap up well.

WHAT DID YOU READ THIS MONTH?

The post What I Read In January 2021. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

What I Read in December 2020.

This was a great reading month! I managed to JUST hit my reading goal for 2020 of 75 books. While I didn’t read any knockouts this month, I really liked most of what I read. Now that I’ve shared that I’m pregnant, I can share that it’s the reason I was able to hit my […]

The post What I Read in December 2020. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

what i read in december 2020

This was a great reading month! I managed to JUST hit my reading goal for 2020 of 75 books. While I didn’t read any knockouts this month, I really liked most of what I read.

Now that I’ve shared that I’m pregnant, I can share that it’s the reason I was able to hit my goal! When I was pregnant with Emilia, reading was one of the only things I could do to distract myself from the nausea. Same went for this time too. I also have had major pregnancy insomnia, so I’ve read a ton at night. There have been many nights where I’ve been awake from 12-5 or 3-7, so I just read! Almost a blessing in disguise because I don’t know if I would have hit my 2020 reading goal during these busy months.

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here.

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

What I Read in December 2020

Christmas At The Island Hotel – 3 stars

I downloaded this on a whim when I was dying for more Christmas books. The story follows a family who is getting their new hotel ready for the holiday season. I LOVED the setting here – on an island between Scotland and Norway. Wish I could be there right now! I did like a lot of the characters at the hotel but ultimately I just couldn’t get into this one. It was a pretty quick read for me but I never felt HOOKED, you know? I wasn’t very invested in this story which was a bummer.

Leave The World Behind – 4 stars

Oh my gosh, I don’t even know how to explain this book. Given my hope to read only holidayish happy things this month, I REALLY wanted to read this one – but perhaps it could have waited until January or February. I think this book is considered a psychological thriller, but it also deals with racism and how people act and respond during a tragedy. The story follows a family who rents a vacation home, but shortly after “something” happens. The frustrating thing is that we are never told WHAT happens – is it some sort of terrorism or chemical warfare or something? Very weird things start happening (honestly it was freaky) and what made me crazy is that we get NO solution at the end! However, the book is still good and the writing is amazing. Def recommend, maybe just not at the holidays, haha.

This Close To Okay – 4.5 stars

Ooooh I loved this one! FYI this is an early release that I got through Book of the Month – it doesn’t come out until February. The story follows two strangers who meet under… interesting (!) and possibly devastating circumstances. There are some truths held back and a twist and this is just such a great story. The book jacket mentions the magic of human connection and I have no other words to describe it – that is the perfect description. Loved the ending of this so much. Definitely grab it when it comes out!

Jingle Wars – 2.5 stars

Oh man I wish I had better things to say about this, I hate giving a not-so-favoroable review. This story was cute – it was just a little too harlequin romance-ish for me. I love a romance novel but lean more towards women’s fiction over true gritty romance. For instance, the word “boning” is used more than once and I just couldn’t get past a lot of the language. Haha that makes me feel so old but I don’t know how else to describe it. I do love a steamy novel (hello, Idea of You!) but I just couldn’t do it with this one, it was a bit too raunchy.

This Time Next Year – 4 stars

Really enjoyed this one!! It was super cute. The story follows two people who were born at the same time and continue to run into each other with many coincidences. I really loved this story AND I loved the characters! It kind of had a bit of One Day In December vibe, but I may have even liked it more than that. I loved the storylines of both main characters and it was such a cute, feel good read that I needed in December.

Faking Under The Mistletoe – 4 stars

See how into Christmas reads I am? This was another super cute one. I have a hard time giving anything 5 stars because I hold Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series in such high regard. But this was adorable! It follows Olivia who is obsessed with Christmas (so naturally I was obsessed with her) and gets entangled with her boss. I loved the story, it was super Christmasy and another light, feel-good read.

WHAT DID YOU READ THIS MONTH?

The post What I Read in December 2020. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

What I Read In November 2020.

It was a steady reading month for me! I read four books and listened to one audio book. I didn’t have any books that I absolutely 5-star LOVED, but I really liked all of them and that’s what counts! Right now, I have to read six more books in December to hit my yearly goal […]

The post What I Read In November 2020. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

what i read in november 2020

It was a steady reading month for me! I read four books and listened to one audio book. I didn’t have any books that I absolutely 5-star LOVED, but I really liked all of them and that’s what counts! Right now, I have to read six more books in December to hit my yearly goal of 75 books. Eeep! Not sure if I can do it, but I’m going to try…

While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.

You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here.

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

What I Read in November 2020

The Twelve Dates of Christmas – 4 stars

Oh this was just so cute! Have I mentioned how much I adore christmas books?! The story follows a girl who signs up to get set up on 12 blind dates through a matchmaking agency. It’s so cute! Also, there is much talk about food here too. I loved how this was like a hallmark movie in a book and I could just see it made into a movie. I might have slightly liked In a Holidaze more… but they are both so cute for the holidays!

Virgin River – 3.5 stars

Okay so I am so throughly obsessed with the Netflix series, and last year so many of you told me to read the books. So I did read this first one and I have to say, I love the show more! I might feel otherwise had I read the book first. I think I just love the chemistry of Mel and Jack on screen (obsessed with both actors!) and it didn’t translate as well to the books for me. I did LIKE the book, but I just didn’t love it like I do the show, you know?!

The Most Fun We Ever Had – 4.5 stars

I have wanted to read this book for over a YEAR! I’m so glad I finally did – this is one of our book club pics for the months of November and December. The story follows a family with four daughters and lots of drama. The book flashes back between the past and present – it kind of reminded me of Mrs Everything in the way that it’s just the story being told of the family. I did love the idea of the parents’ relationship and just how in love they were – like nothing could compare!

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey – 4.5 stars

Oh my gosh – another celeb memoir that I absolutely loved. Like the others I’ve read this year, I listened to this on audible and it was so good. I mean, Matthew McConaughey’s voice is dreamy alone, right?! It’s so recognizable and a staple of my generation – haha! Anyway – I loved his story and the way he told it. I loved the idea of the red, green and yellow lights here too. It’s so good and I HIGHLY recommend listening to it! Only reason I couldn’t give it a 5 is because Mariah Carey’s set such a high bar back in September!

The Guest List – 3.5 stars

I’ve wanted to read this since the summer – my mom finally read it for her book club a month or so ago and that pushed me over the edge. The story follows the gathering of a wedding (oh my, it made me insane at times because of all the covid thoughts – LOL!) and a murder. It is twisty and suspenseful, but man the beginning was really slow for me. I did like the twist (and was totally wrong with what I thought!)- but I had a hard time getting into it – it may have just been the season we’re in?! But once I did, about halfway through, I enjoyed it.

What did you read this month?

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