Books – January 2022

I am starting out the year strong, reading 7 books for January! (One of these I finished at the end of December.) Do you set reading goals in Goodreads or elsewhere each year? I usually set my goal for 52 books, averaging one per week. I often read more than that each a year, but I don’t like pressure or arbitrary numbers/goals for things I enjoy like reading. It is more like a wish…I hope that I have the time for a book per week. I never want to not be reading something, you know? Anyways, this was a pretty good reading month with some gems in it. Let’s dive in.

Reckless Girl by Rachel Hawkins

This is my second Rachel Hawkins book, and you can definitely tell that she writes YA more than adult books. Listen, I cuss a lot. But the use of fuck in this book was even too much for me. It was just unnecessary and childish. I felt like all of the characters were very selfish and immature, I didn’t really care for any of them. The plot and what was going on was interesting enough to keep me guessing, and I flew through this one…wanting to know where it was all going. I liked the remote island/boat atmosphere, but I felt like it was missing something for me? I wasn’t on edge, like I like to be when reading this type of book.

Bottom Line: If you are into mystery and a good story, read it! I don’t think it had quite the “thriller” vibe it was going for though.

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

While Jake and Naya’s meeting was a little too insta-love for my liking….I really enjoyed their story. I loved Jake and Naya’s friends, and all the banter between them. There is a much deeper issue of abuse covered in this book, I think it was done really well. I flew through this one, as it definitely held my interest the entire time and even got a little intense for awhile. Loved watching Naya get stronger and grow. I definitely want to read more from this author.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

I did this one on audio, as I have many other Hilderbrand books. I have to say, I really love the narrator she uses. I feel like she makes the books even more enjoyable. While this wasn’t my favorite from Hilderbrand, I did enjoy it. The book goes back and forth between the main character, her children, other people in the town and the past and present. The whole premise of the book was interesting, with Vivi’s time in the in between and her nudges. I found the concept fascinating. Parts of the book dragged for me, and could have been left out. I felt like the ending was far too rushed! We spent the whole book wondering who killed Vivi (I actually figured it out really early on), and at the end it all comes together in a rush in a very anti-climatic way.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy Hilderbrand or family dramas, read it.

The Paleo Gut Healing Cookbook by Alison Marras

With everything happening over the past few years, if you haven’t figured out that you need to take control of your health and that being healthy is the best way to prevent a lot of serious health issues, I am not sure what to tell you. In my research, it seems that our gut health is the basis for everything. If you have an angry, inflamed, leaky gut….you aren’t going to feel good, look good and will get sick easily. I have been taking steps to heal my gut and have better health overall. I really like that this book walks you through that process, gives you some healthy life style tips, has several recipes that are easy to follow, and even has a food plan at the end you can follow. I tagged at least 15 of the recipes to try, and am going to incorporate some of what I read into my daily life. I liked the pictures and the way the book was laid out. The only negative I see is that a lot of the recipes have sweet potatoes, so if you don’t like those…you might be out of luck. I personally love them.

Bottom Line: This was an interesting read and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to get serious about their health.

**I received a copy of The Paleo Gut Healing Cookbook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Finding Holly by Bridget E. Baker

I grabbed this one for free on Amazon one day. It was the fifth in a series, but reviews said it could be read alone. I want to go back and read the first four after reading this one because I really enjoyed it! This is a clean romance, nothing more than a kiss if you aren’t into the steam…it would be a great read for you. It is not overly Christmas, but the way they do bring Christmas into it was so much fun!!! I really liked Paisley and James and loved to watch them grow and change through the book. Just an all around solid read.

Bottom line: Read it!

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

This book goes back and forth between present and the past. I loved getting the back story of both Shane and Eva, I really felt like it was such a strong part of their story. We deal with so many deep issues with both characters. I feel like the author did a good job with chronic pain. And man, what a complicated romance. I also really loved Eva’s daughter, Audrey. She cracked me up! I will say, the big “issue” at the end of the book let me down a little. It was such a strong story up to the very end and then the “issue” could have all been alleviated with just a simple text. I also think that the author might have thrown in a little too many social issues and stereotypes. I understand trying to be relevant, but it took a little awhile from the story at times.

Bottom Line: Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can look past my few annoyances to still give it a 4-star.

Enemies Abroad by R.S. Grey

No one does enemies to lovers quite like R.S. Grey. The banter and wit that she creates is my favorite. I flew through this book in a day and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved Noah and Audrey so much. The book was written from Audrey’s point of view, we only get Noah’s in the epilogue. I do wish we had a little something from him, I was dying to know what was going through his mind throughout the book. I loved to see feuding two school teachers in Rome for the summer with a group of middle schoolers, it just made for an all around fun plot.

Bottom Line: Read it!

** I received a copy of Enemies Abroad from R.S. Grey in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

I love Tessa Bailey, so I was so excited when I finally snagged this one. This is supposed to be Schitt’s Creek inspired, but I have never seen that show or know anything about it to confirm or deny. I loved the premise of the book, a spoiled socialite having to rough it in the real world. Tessa writes the hottest romances, and this was no different. I loved how much Piper grew throughout the novel. It was an all around great read, and I can see why it was on the list of top romances from 2021.

Bottom Line: Read it.