February has come and gone. This month was definitely quick and busy! We had two major holidays during this month, one where I even hosted a party, but that didn’t slow me down on my reading. However, I do have to put a disclaimer in that while I did “read” more books this past month than in January, most of these books were in audiobook format. I really got into the groove of listening to audiobooks between all the traveling I did the past month and listening while cleaning the house or getting the restaurant ready to open.
This month had a variety of the three genres I tend to sway towards the most – Thriller, Contemporary Romance, and Literary Fiction. Two of the five books I read this month even have a Disney twist to them!
A Merry Little Meet Cute – Julia Murphy and Sierra Simone
I randomly picked this audiobook out from the library when I was getting ready for a drive to Dallas. I’m pretty sure I saw a few Bookstagramers post about it on their stories around the holiday season and decided to give it a try. As far as audiobooks have gone, I’ve only listened to two at this point: a thriller and a memoir. I was curious to see how well a romance novel would do in audio format. This was such a cute rom com set in Vermont where Hallmark movie meets spicy romance.
Bee is a famous adult film actress and when her producer is trying to clean up his image and produce more family friendly movies, like a Hallmark inspired channel, she finds herself becoming the star of one of his projects. The snag? No one can know that either Bee or the producer are also famous in the adult film industry. Nolan Shaw is a has been boy band member with a messy image who is trying to clean up by starring in the movie. When they meet, they both instantly fall for each other and begin a secret relationship on set. However, both have a lot to loose if their secrets, both together and individually, get out to the public.
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I’m personally not a fan of the main characters getting romantically involved halfway through the story unless it’s done very well. This one just felt too rushed and the first time they’re together, it almost felt like Bee was dreaming of it happening instead of it being in real time. I loved the side characters of the story, but this is just an easy and light read if you want something to pass the time either on vacation or just to have on in the background while you’re doing chores.
I listened to this in audiobook format through the Libby app.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟/5
The House in the Pines – Ana Reyes
This Reese’s January book pick intrigued me more when I saw LSU promote this book because the author is a graduate from the university. I love a good psychological thriller and this one peaked my interest with the dual timeline and the main character being involved in the original crime.
Maya was a high school senior when her best friend dropped dead in front of her. She blames Frank for the death of her friend, but no one believes her. When the same thing happens seven years later with another girl dying in front of Frank, Maya goes back to her hometown to figure out how Frank is killing these girls.
The timeline switch was very smooth and both stories had me hooked from the start. The flashback story was about Maya’s life in high school and her friendship with Audrey up until her death and then the aftermath. The present timeline started with Maya finding out about the new girl’s death and going back to her hometown. What I loved about this book is how different it is from other thrillers I’ve read. You start the book thinking that you know who the killer is, but the story does make you doubt what you think you know. The icing on top is figuring out the how for the murders. That one had me amazed and I devoured the remainder of the book!
I read this as a Kindle E-Book from the Libby app.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Maame – Jessica George
This one was slightly on my radar when Book of the Month selected it as a February pick and Read with Jenna named it her book club pick. One of my favorite Bookstagram accounts also highly recommended it, but in audio form, as the narrator told the story so well that it came off more as a memoir than a contemporary fiction story.
Maddie has spent her young adult years taking care of her father who is diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This has caused her to miss out on many milestones that one goes through during their early 20s. When her mother finally returns back home, Maddie takes the chance to move out of her family home and begin to live her life and experience everything that she has missed out on: first dates, going to get drinks with coworkers, living with roommates in a flat, and more
This book was an emotional rollercoaster, but in the best way. A coming-of-age novel can be a hit or miss for me, especially if the story feels cheesy, but this was definitely a hit. This story deals with friendships, relationships, family, grief, guilt, anxiety, racial discrimination, sexual preferences and exploration, and so much more. This will definitely be one of my top reads of 2023 (if I had to make a guess right now!). If you decide to read this book, I recommend it in audiobook form at 1.25x speed because it makes you feel like the narrator is telling you a conversational story.
I read this as an audiobook through the Libby app.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
By the Book – Jasmine Guillory
The second book in the Meant to Be Series published by the Disney publishing company, By the Book, was such a fun and light book to read after two heavier reads. This novel is modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I loved all the ties to the original Disney movie and how they intertwined it into the new story. From the name of the book publishing companies to the feeling that the house Bo lives in is magical, the animated movie was incorporated very well. The book did feel like it went around in circles a little bit too much and the story occasionally dragged, but overall I thought it was a very cute story and definitely has me hooked to read the upcoming third book in the series.
Isabella (or Izzy) is currently an editorial assistant for a publishing house where they are having trouble getting a manuscript from a “beastly” author who no one has heard from or seen during the entire writing period. Seeing this as an opportunity to help get a promotion, Izzy decides to go out to where the author lives to give him a pep talk and help motivate him to finish the manuscript. After many struggles, Izzy begins to learn that Bo isn’t some stuck-up celebrity, but someone who is just as lost as her with lots of baggage to carry. With her encouragement, Bo begins to write down the story he wants to tell and they find out that they have more in common than they originally thought.
I listened to this as an audiobook through the Hoopla app.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
One True Loves – Taylor Jenkins Reid
THIS STORY! I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while and when i saw it was available in Hoopla I knew I had to listen to it before the movie comes out in April. I’ve heard that TJR’s backlist novels are emotional and moving, but this book has a hold on me now that I can’t explain. Most people would call it a contemporary romance novel, but I would be so bold to say it’s more of contemporary fiction with a touch of romance.
Emma meets the love of her life when she was in high school. They have the perfect life traveling the world both together and separately for work. When Jesse goes missing and is declared dead after a helicopter crash, Emma has to decide how to move on with her life without him. She patches the broken pieces together, moves back to her hometown and starts to create a new life that old her would’ve never believed she could have. She then reconnects with an old high school friend, Sam, and falls in love with him. As they are celebrating their engagement, Emma gets a call that Jesse is alive and coming to reconnect with her. Now she has a difficult decision to make where someone will end up heartbroken.
The biggest part of this story is the emphasis on the journey that you go through in life. A person goes through so many phases and chapters of life and grows through all of them. You can love different people for how they fit into your life during that time, and you can also have more than one true love. It doesn’t diminish or erase the love you had for the other person. I think this is a great story for someone who has lost a spouse or possibly even someone who has gone through a divorce. This book showcases the journey they take to move onto the next chapter of life.
I listened to this as an audiobook through the Hoopla app.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Have you read any of these books yet? What all did you read this past month? Let me know in the comments below.
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