I feel like I hit a bit of a reading slump in November. Everything I picked up for a while was just so meh that I kept DNF’ing (did not finish) books. After not reading a ton in November (hence why I decided to combine the two months) I ended up reading a ton of great books in December. Bless up for lots of couch time while I was off from work!
The standout book from this list is Wish You Were Here. It was easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.
In addition to the books below, I also reread One Day in December by Josie Silver for my book club. I already reviewed it, but it’s still worth mentioning again as a book because I still loved it the second time around.
Also coming soon: My ranking of every book I read in 2021 and top favorites from the year.
As always I’d love to hear from you: What great books have you recently read?
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
2021 was clearly the year of Colleen Hoover for me. I honestly lost count of how many of her books I’ve read in the last year. Everything I’ve read by her totally sucks you in, and this one is no different.
Things are going great for Sydney. She’s in college, has a good job, a boyfriend she loves, and she’s living with her best friend. And then on her birthday, she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with her best friend. Understandably pissed off, she knows she needs to move out ASAP. Sydney finds herself calling on her neighbor and almost stranger, musician Ridge, to help her out in this moment of desperation.
This book is full of complicated love triangles and reveals that I was NOT expecting. While it’s not my favorite Colleen Hoover book I’ve read, it’s super enjoyable. I personally loved the music element to it — there’s even a playlist on Spotify of all the songs the characters write in the book.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
I had heard so many good things about this book on Instagram and that it’s one of the most realistic depictions of dating in your 30’s. I personally am clueless about that topic (and dating in general TBH) but I was still very intrigued!
Nina doesn’t mind being single. She loves her life as a food writer — and has written a number of successful books! She has a great apartment that she owns, an ex-boyfriend she’s still close with, and loads of friends to keep her busy. After her 32nd birthday, she decides to get back on the dating apps and ends up going on a great first date right out of the gate. He’s funny, they both hate sports, and they’ve got great chemistry. That is until he ghosts her out of nowhere.
What follows is Nina trying to figure out WTF happened while also dealing with her dad’s declining health due to Alzheimer’s.
I enjoyed this book and what it says both about dating and being single in your 30’s. I could relate to where Nina is at as I’m the lone single gal in some of my friend groups . The book was more about characters than a story which made it lag at times. I did find it to be a delightful blend of laugh-out-loud funny but also hauntingly realistic at times. I’d say it’s worth your time.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich
After hearing someone call this book YA Harry Styles fan-fiction, I was SO excited to dive in. Don’t get your hopes up — I’d say it’s barely got Harry Styles vibes — but a girl can dream 😂
Eighteen-year-olds Ruben and Zach are members of the biggest boyband of right now. Alongside their bandmates and best friends, Angel and Jon, they are in the midst of a grueling international tour.
Ruben has known he’s gay for a while but isn’t allowed to come out publically as to not ruin the fantasy for their fanbase of straight teenage girls. Zach has always been sure of who he is… until he starts to question his own sexuality when he starts developing feelings for Ruben.
It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did I was hooked. It’s cute but also has some good depth about both celebrity life and coming out. So while it’s not officially a book about Larry (if you know you unfortunately know…) it’s a great YA read.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Verity by Colleen Hoover
CW: Child abuse
I had heard A LOT about Verity and how much it blew people’s minds but was honestly too scared to read the book. I’m easily freaked out by things and was worried it would be too much for me. I finally (finally!) bit the bullet and decided to give it a go.
Struggling writer Lowen has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime. She’s been asked to ghostwrite the final books of a super-popular book series by Verity Crawford after a tragic accident leaves her unable to finish. Lowen is invited by Verity’s husband Jeremy to come to visit their house in Vermont to gather notes from Verity’s office.
What Lowen finds is not only a mess but also the disturbing manuscript for Verity’s autobiography. Lowen is both freaked out about what she’s learning… but also can’t seem to stop herself from reading. As she becomes closer and closer with Jeremy, she starts to consider what would happen if she showed him the manuscript and he knew the truth about Verity.
The fear factor of this book had been really built up for me and while it’s disturbing at times, I didn’t think it was *that* bad. I was trying so so hard to guess the big twist. When it did happen, I was left kind of disappointed.
That being said, it’s a fast-paced book and I could NOT put it down. But compared to other Colleen Hoover books I’ve LOVED, it missed the mark and didn’t live up to the hype.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman
After reading Verity, I was craving another twisty and turn-y but not too scary thriller. I knew a YA book by Jessica Goodman would be the perfect pick as I loved her first book They Wish They Were Us.
Sisters Stella and Elle are only one grade apart, but couldn’t be more different in personality. The one thing they have in common? They are extremely fast runners both competing for a cross-country college scholarship. One day, a new member of their team mysteriously disappears on a run which sends their town into a frenzy. It already has a long, dark, history of disappearing teenage girls.
I totally devoured this book and couldn’t stop reading. I loved not only the suspenseful thriller aspect of it but also its commentary. There’s a lot on being a teenage female and how society thinks you should act. As a former runner, I also loved how it depicted the freedom and release of running. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller that won’t give you nightmares, this is a good pick.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
CW: Self-harm, suicide. This book also starts in March 2020 and heavily talks about the early pandemic days in NYC and being a healthcare worker.
This book left me a puddle of emotions… but in the best kind of way. I absolutely loved it.
It’s March 2020. Diana is a goal-oriented 29-year-old determined to climb the corporate ladder at Sotheby’s, get engaged before 30, and move to the suburbs to finish having kids by 35. Everything is going just as planned — she has a feeling her longtime boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is going to propose to her on their upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands.
A wrench gets thrown into their plans when Finn has to stay in NYC to work as COVID starts to shut the world down. He encourages Diana to still go on the trip without him. There she finds herself more isolated than ever and forced to rethink her life.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about reading a book about the early pandemic days. A part of me never wants to relive that time and what it felt like being in NYC. There were haunting bits to read, but for me, it felt more cathartic than traumatizing. I also know that reading about the pandemic might not be for everyone right now.
It was the perfect book to finish 2021 with. I found myself writing down quotes I wanted to remember and savor throughout. It’s full of nuggets of wisdom about survival and life that hit hard right now.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
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