What I Read: October 2021

Happy November! I’ve been reading up a storm over here. I think it’s thanks to both reading books I LOVED while also being too tired to do anything besides sit on the couch and read when I’m not working 😬

This month I discovered my new favorite author, Tracey Gravis Graves. I’m in a Facebook group for fans of The Idea of You (yes, there’s a Facebook fan group, I’m a little obsessed). I’ve seen On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves pop up as a recommendation a few times in that group. The book always sounded so-so to me, but after rereading The Idea of You (again) this month, I decided to give On the Island a go. I’m SO happy I did because I now can’t get enough of her writing, as you can see below.

As always I’d love to hear from you too: Tell me in the comments what you’re reading and any recent faves!

What I Read in October:

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

I’ve been in a total Colleen Hoover reading phase. Her books are quick and always filled with complex but relatable characters. This one is no exception.

Actor Fallon meets aspiring writer, Ben, the night before she’s set to move from Los Angeles to New York City. The pair accidentally meet at a diner while Fallon is having a falling out with her dad. Ben and Fallon have an instant connection but decide it’s best they don’t get together. After all, Fallon is about to move cross country. year

They make a pact though: Ben will continue to work on his novel and Fallon will put herself out there as an actor in NYC. They will also meet up on the same date every year for the next five years, November 9 to check in on the other’s goal.

The book follows their yearly meet-up over the next five years, and where life takes them.

This book has a major twist that I was NOT expecting, WOAH. It’s a quick read and I overall really liked it.

My Rating: 4.5/5

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The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

Yes, I reread The Idea of You yet again this month 🙈

I decided to reread the book after seeing Harry Styles in concert (read my initial book review to understand why the two are connected…) I also knew I wanted to launch a book club and this was FOR SURE the first book I wanted to read and discuss for book club. It’s a good excuse to reread the book — I wanted to write down lots of notes 🙂

I won’t bore you with rehashing my previous review, but I will say I still freaking love this book, three times later. I rarely reread books, but I’ve loved noticing something new every time I’ve read this one.

You can read my initial book review here.

My Rating: 5/5

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On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

As I mentioned above, I’ve seen the book pop up a few times as a recommendation for people that love The Idea of You. I decided to give it a go, and WOW did I love it.

30-year-old Anna is hired to tutor 16-year-old TJ during his family’s summer vacation in the Maldives after TJ has fallen behind in school due to illness. Their plane ends up crashing, leaving TJ and Anna stranded on a deserted island. They are left to fend for themselves against all of the elements. As time goes on, their relationship gets more complicated.

*SLIGHT SPOILER* I do want to mention that Anna and TJ don’t get together until he’s 19 which is emphasized throughout the book. Yes, there is a 14 year age difference… but the two have also been deserted on an island together for a few years at that point having no contact with the outside world. Anna also never actually tutored TJ, even though that’s what she was initially hired for.

[end spoiler]

I could NOT put this book down, I had to know what happened next and ended up reading it in a span of 48 hours — and that’s only because I had to take breaks to work. This book isn’t high art by any means, and I had to suspend my disbelief about what it takes to live on a deserted island, but ugh did I end up loving this book so so much.

My Rating: 5/5

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Uncharted (On the Island #1.5) by Tracey Garvis Graves

After loving On the Island I of course had to read the companion novella. As a quick, short, read, it’s nothing earth-shattering, but it does answer one of the big burning questions you’re left with from the initial book. I’m happy I read it as it gave the original book some nice closure.

My Rating: 4/5 (but a must for fans of On the Island even so)

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The Girl He Used To Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

I was really excited to read another fan favorite by Tracey Garvis Graves.

10 years ago Annika and Jonathan met thanks to the chess team at their college. Annika has always been different. She’s anxious in social situations and confused by others’ behaviors. The two end up falling in love but all we know is things didn’t end well for them.

A decade later (2011 in the book) the two run into each other and end up reconnecting and attempting to rekindle the relationship. The book goes back and forth between when they met in 1991 and present-day 2001.

This book gutted me in the best way possible. I’m a sucker for a book about first loves, and this one is no exception. I found myself totally charmed by Annika and wanting her to succeed. The big reveal of why their relationship fell apart wasn’t as shocking as I was expecting (although the events leading up to it are) but I still felt emotionally invested all the same.

This book made me realize that while I read a lot of romances, I’m kind of sick of the modern romance formulas that are in a lot of other books — enemies to lovers, pretending to be together but then they actually fall in love, there’s been a big misunderstanding, and anything that feels like the movie She’s All That. I’ve been craving less formulaic romances. The Girl He Used To Know felt different to me, and I loved that about it.

My Rating: 5/5

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Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Surprise, yet another Colleen Hoover book 😂

This one wasn’t my favorite of hers (that’s still It Ends With Us for me) but I still devoured Ugly Love in the span of one weekend.

Tate meets Miles while he’s passed out drunk in front of the door to the apartment she just moved into with her brother. Turns out he’s a close friend of her brother’s and her new neighbor.

As the two get to know each other there’s an undeniable attraction. But Miles doesn’t do relationships nor does he want to talk about his past. The two agree to keep it casual and a secret… which of course never ends well for anyone.

This book does have a trope that usually bothers me — secret relationships — but Colleen Hoover has a way of making her books feel anything but cliche. It’s got a MAJOR twist that I was not expecting… although I should know to expect twists from Colleen Hoover!

My Rating: 4.5/5

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