February 11, 2020

January Books 2020

I started the year off pretty well!

This year, I'm putting each book in an actual Instagram post, so you can follow me over there if you want to see what I'm reading in real time. I'm also taking a picture of the actual book I read. Goodreads pics may indicate Kindle/ARC reading.

This was everything I read between January 1-31st.



Really good. A thriller/mystery. Not overly long or drawn out. Completely worth your time. 
I have The Marriage Lie on my Kindle from months ago and I never got to it so I plan on reading more of her this year for sure. 




This was a decent story. I had no qualms with that part of it. 
I had some major character issues, though. 
I usually don't seek out books that take place during the 70s. The hippie/commune aspect of this also gave me a headache so I did some light skimming. 
I really enjoyed the beginning and I thought she tried to wrap up the end too quickly...meaning this book was way too long but she had 74 plot lines to close-out so she tried to do that in one chapter. Meh. 



Husband Material by Emily Belden
c/o Netgalley

A cute rom-com story. I thought the premise seemed a bit deeper than most rom-coms: Charlotte's dead husband's ashes show up on her doorstep and she has to figure out what to do with them and it brings out all kinds of thoughts and feelings.
Charlotte works in the tech industry and I did think the social media/app/tech aspect of this book was overdone. I didn't really care about the app she was developing or her business dealings.
It was almost (almost) akin to a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, if you're a TJR fan. Like, I could see the similarities. (But no one does TJR like TJR :)



13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

Ahhhh. This was so good. I have a strong distaste for most YA. This is YA for those who don't like YA. It doesn't read like YA. I would liken it to The Cheerleaders (when it comes to YA that doesn't read like YA), the lone YA book I seemed to enjoy in 2018.
But really, I couldn't put it down. I'm being stingy with my 5 stars this year, but this was a good 4.5 for me.
As I said on IG, Pinborough ends her books in THE WEIRDEST POSSIBLE WAY but I really like it.

(I should probably say "YA" again just for fun.)



The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

Another 4.5 stars! Very good. I couldn't put it down. Most have said they preferred The Mother-in-Law, but I liked this better. It did take me a few chapters to get all of the characters straight but then it evened out. Very much like a Big Little Lies.

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5 books isn't bad for January. I am halfway through a non-fiction book (it's not the type you can binge-read) and halfway through a Lisa Jewell I'm just not enjoying, so I set it aside.

I did finish another mystery-type thriller over the weekend that will make the February book post, because it's definitely already February.

(I think January went really quickly.)

Linking up with Jana and Steph!

20 comments:

  1. The Family Next Door is on my TBR list and Dear Wife sounds really good. I enjoy thrillers and they are even better when they aren't drawn out.

    Thanks for the recommendations!

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  2. Thank you for these recommendations! I have very similar tastes in books that you do so I know I'll enjoy a book if you recommend it. :)

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  3. I remember seeing 13 Minutes around when it came out - glad to hear you liked it. Looks like you had an awesome reading month in January!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  4. I read The Mother-in-Law this month, and Next Door last month...did prefer MIL, but Hepworth is always a good read. It's picking between favorites, lol.

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  5. I want to read both The Family Next Door and The Mother in Law. If I do I shall let you know which I like better.

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  6. You got through a lot in January! That's awesome. Pretty sure all of these are on my TBR! LOL

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  7. OK - I'm heading to see if I can find 13 minutes now :)

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  8. i have Mrs. Everything on my TBR for a bit now. Cant wait to get to it.

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  9. I liked The Family Next Door better than The Mother In Law too. I loved Mrs. Everything.

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  10. I've literally added all of these to my TBR except Husband Material because I already read and liked it) and Mrs. Everything because I tried and hated it. +3 is pretty good IMO!

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  11. I loved Mrs. Everything. I did not love 13 Minutes. I felt so misled, like the book was not at all what was advertised.

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  12. I 100% agree with the mrs everything comment.

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  13. I'm so torn on Mrs. Everything-- I've had it from the library twice but never start it. It's one of those books I keep seeing people talk about (and mostly really like) but when I read the synopsis I'm just not sure if I'd like it. I just added The Family Next Door to my list!

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  14. I'm reading a book that reminds me of Big Little lies too; it's called Pretty Guilty Women. Sounds like you read some good books this month even if they don't rate 5 stars.

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  15. I've only read one Sarah Pinborough but I love her. Possibly because she was super nice to me on Twitter. Yes, flattery will obviously make me a fan. But I do enjoy the weirdness of her endings and now must read this book. Dear Wife also sounds interesting, adding it to my TBR. And huge pet peeve when an author wraps everything up so fast that nothing lands. I really don't like lots of loose ends, but I can take that better than snap, crackle and pop - the book is finito.

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  16. I really enjoyed The Family Next Door but thought Dear Wife was just okay. I am going to add Husband Material to my to read list. I love a good rom-com every now and then.

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  17. I just got Mrs. Everything out of the library. I've heard so many mixed reviews though that I'm not sure I'll stick with it.

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  18. I've read Husband Material, but nothing from Taylor Jenkins Reid yet. Thanks for the comparison ;)

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  19. I loved 13 Minutes and I can't wait to read her other books! Dear Wife looks good. Right up my alley.

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