If you didn't know, I've started reading all the time now. Gone are the days of aimless scrolling (who am I trying to kid?), maybe they aren't quite gone but they're less intense now. Broken up with getting lost in a good book. Every month I'm going to document every book I've read and give it a little rating, hopefully this will give you recommendations to fill your year of reading. If you haven't got the bug yet, I've got a post coming soon about how I fell back in love with it, so stick around for that. Here's my year in books so far:
The House Swap - Rebecca Fleet
The idea of a house swap is terrifying in itself but this book really opens up the idea that you'd never really know who was in your home. Caroline and Francis jump at the chance of a house swap for a week away to reconnect. It seems the person they've swapped with is someone she used to know, but someone she's desperate to leave in her past.
I don't know what to say about this book. I just loved it. It twists and turns in a perfect way and you'll never guess what's coming next. I loved the thrill of the unknown with this book, you never really know what's going on until it hits you square in the face like a brick. It's wonderfully written, I read it over two days in two sittings but it's easily a book you could binge in a day without stopping. I'm already waiting for Rebecca's next release, The Second Wife, which comes out in 2020. SO LONG.
Perfect Liars - Rebecca Reid*
Alternating chapters lead you through the story of what their big secret is, hooking you in right from the beginning. Another book that's so intense you just don't want to put down at all. The characters are relatable in so many ways but also unlikable, much like a true representation of a lot of female relationships. Do people really like the girls they were best friends with at school or are they all sticking together because of something terrible they did when they were sixteen? Who knows! A thrilling read that isn't wrapped up with a perfect ending but crime is never that perfect is it?
Perfect Liars is released on February 21st, via Transworld books.
I Owe You One - Sophie Kinsella*
Fixie Farr has to fix EVERYTHING. That's the sole theory throughout the book. The idea of an IOU is played on throughout this book, between Fixi and Sev. Taking their turns to help each other out after Fixie saved this handsome strangers laptop from a disaster in a coffee shop, Fixie never intends to call upon the favour but then Ryan, her massive teenage crush, walks in.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book to be quite honest, I read a lot of Sophie Kinsella's books when I was younger as my mum seemed to own every single one and I used to pinch them to read. I found myself relating to Fixie a lot, as someone who has tried to fix many people in the past I was nodding along all the way through and eye rolling at how similar our mistakes were! A refreshing change from all the crime / thrillers I've been reading recently and something I'd definitely recommend. An easy, uplifting and relatable read that you'll laugh along to.
I Owe You One is released on February 7th, via Transworld books.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book to be quite honest, I read a lot of Sophie Kinsella's books when I was younger as my mum seemed to own every single one and I used to pinch them to read. I found myself relating to Fixie a lot, as someone who has tried to fix many people in the past I was nodding along all the way through and eye rolling at how similar our mistakes were! A refreshing change from all the crime / thrillers I've been reading recently and something I'd definitely recommend. An easy, uplifting and relatable read that you'll laugh along to.
I Owe You One is released on February 7th, via Transworld books.
Friend Request - Laura Marshall
No One You Know - Michelle Redmond*
Killing It - Asia Mackay
Meet Alexis Taylor. A mum returning to work after maternity leave seems simple enough, right? Not so much when you're a trained assassin trying to be home for bath and bed every night. Everyone tells her as a woman she can't do it, Alexis is on a mission to prove them all, this bad ass mum can.
This book has been sat on my TBR for a while and I've been dying to get stuck into it. It's right up my street and it didn't disappoint at all. It completely swept me off my feet of expectation, delivering one of the funniest, well written books I've read in a while. It tells an important story of woman struggling to thrive in a male dominated work place, especially just after giving birth. A sharp read, I couldn't stop turning the pages but it's completely different to any normal thriller. This one keeps you on the edge of your seat with humour thrown in to bring it back to a relatable woman in work level. LOVED IT. I cannot wait for the sequel.
Louis & Louise - Julie Cohen*
Louis and Louise are the same person born in two different lives, only different by the pronunciation of a boy or a girl in the delivery room, following two different stories of how their lives play out. They both suffer one life changing night with different consequences and flee their home, only to be called back 13 years later by their dying mother.
An originally brilliant and thought provoking book. It was confusing in a good way throughout, the alternating chapters linked by ‘Lou’ chapters tying their stories together in that moment in time really brought it all together. I’ve not read anything quite like it before but if you love Celeste NG’s books, I’d definitely recommend this. I've got Julie Cohen's 'Together' to read in the near future as I loved this one so much.
January was a good book month, managing to read 7 books. I'm well on my way to 52 books this year, fingers crossed! What was your favourite book this month?
An originally brilliant and thought provoking book. It was confusing in a good way throughout, the alternating chapters linked by ‘Lou’ chapters tying their stories together in that moment in time really brought it all together. I’ve not read anything quite like it before but if you love Celeste NG’s books, I’d definitely recommend this. I've got Julie Cohen's 'Together' to read in the near future as I loved this one so much.
January was a good book month, managing to read 7 books. I'm well on my way to 52 books this year, fingers crossed! What was your favourite book this month?
*CONTAINS BOOKS SENT BY PR BUT ALL REVIEWS ARE MY OWN