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Happy DECEMBER, y’all!! How in the world did that happen? I feel like I was just writing the October wrap-up post. Sigh. This month I read 12 books which is nuts, because when I look back I feel like I didn’t have time to read much.

As always, you can find my real-time reading thoughts on:

IG

Goodreads

my reading community on FB

 

Note: my rating scale is 5 stars. I use half stars and I wish Goodreads would, too. GET IT TOGETHER, GOODREADS!!!

I will note whether the book is an ARC (advance reader copy) and if so I will share the release date. I will also share if the book I read is in audiobook version.

Here we go!

Best Book I Read in October

 

Best Audiobook I Listened to in October

 

All Book Ratings and Reviews

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

The Wedding Ringer by Kerry Rea – This is such a beautiful and heartwarming story of love. The true love of a friend who accepts you for who you are and loves you in spite of it. Maybe even because of it. I fell in love with every single character in the story and I wish I could move to Ohio just to be in their orbit for a day.

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon – This YA book is truly magical and special. Nicola Yoon is so gifted.  This book will make you laugh, gasp, clap and cheer, and cry. I loved the touches of magical realism. I listened to the audio version (narrated by the insanely talented Bahni Turpin) and finished it in hard copy because I was too impatient to wait.

 

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese – “Your capacity for joy,” he says quietly. “It’s humbling.”

This beautiful line from The Mistletoe Motive best sums up how I feel about Chloe and her work. Her words are humbling. Every single character she writes makes me feel seen and loved and vulnerable. Her stories make me feel safe. And cozy. The Mistletoe Motive is just a perfect little gem of a book. It’s full of love and acceptance and open-hearted honesty. You will fall in love with both main characters (their NAMES! so perfect!!) and the lovely gaggle of secondary characters.

It’s a privilege to see two characters who respect each other and boundaries. Two characters who can be brave together…it’s a rare and precious thing. And. the. STEAM. Holy cow, these two have sparks, flames, and roaring FIRESTORMS in each other’s presence. Utterly perfect.

 

 

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz –  I absolutely fell.in. LOVE with Jo and Alex and Greyson and Kitty and Mia and Samson and Beth and Ollie and Nina (I can’t WAIT for their story).

Warning– this is NOT a light, fluffy love story. It deals with loss and grief and guilt and does so in such a lovely way. As a mother of five girls- the two oldest 13 and 15- I cannot tell you how much Grunder Ruiz got it right. The banter, the anger, the sass, the sense of humor…she nailed it. Mia and Kitty reminded me so so much of my Harper and Sadie in so many ways. 

Her delicate exploration and descriptions of grief and the pain and shame and guilt that can survive it made my heart ache at times.  Don’t get me wrong, this book is also super funny! There’s some great banter and I laughed out loud at Nina and her obsession with sassy mom culture.

My only (semi) qualm, which doesn’t take away from my 5 star review, is that I wish I “knew” Jo a little bit more. I love her with Nina, I love her with Alex, I love her with her nieces and her nephew and as a sister and I love the little bit of insight that we got into her heart and her soul, but I’d love to know her even better.  That said, the romance was so sweet. Alex is such a great lead. He’s funny and witty and tender and encouraging and patient and an excellent dad. All around swoon. I really loved learning about the yacht life, too. It made me want more more MORE- so good thing a second book is coming!

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz ARC Pub Date 1/25/2022 – I don’t know what I expected going into this book, but I was taken by surprise. In a really good way. I loved this character driven book. It’s not suspenseful at all, in my opinion, but don’t let that stop you from reading it.  Lutz is so incredibly gifted.

You will grow to love the cast of characters in this novel. I especially enjoy the fact that this book is about a male/female friendship. A true, solid friendship. Not at all complicated by sex. That’s so rare.

Also, the scene with Luna’s mother and the ferrets almost made me pee my pants laughing. So random and SO FUNNY.

 

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner ARC Pub Date 1/25/2022- This is an excellent, solid , character driven thriller that keeps you guessing until the end. I was completely intrigued by the plot and there were none of those ludicrous, unbelievable twists…which is a rarity in thrillers these days!

And Faulkner really nailed the ending- which is another rarity. Well done!!

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan – This book was tender and vulnerable and sweet and yes- SPICY. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, but it won me over. Ethan is just…a complete angel. And reading as Naomi learned to let her guard down and let herself be loved…well it was special for sure.

 

Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters AUDIO – This book is super cute, sweet, and wholesome. I listened to it on audio and really enjoyed the narration. If you enjoy closed door romances than this one is for you.

 

All About Us by Tom Ellen- This is a really sweet Groundhog Day meets It’s a Wonderful Life type love story. I was absolutely captivated.

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

Find Me by Alafair Burke  ARC Pub Date 1/11/2022– Solid thriller and police procedural but will honestly ultimately be one I forget.

 

 

⭐️⭐️✨

 

The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley ARC Pub Date 1/25/2022 – Noooo I’ve never had a book take a nosedive for me so fast. It makes me so sad and disappointed. When I started this book, I very quickly fell in love. I said on Instagram that I was calling it as a 5 star must read for me.

I highlighted so many passages. The words were lovely, insightful, and moving.

And then I kept reading and it just became so….overwrought and dramatic and wordy. I can’t put it another way. So many FEELINGS. Such deep, serious, life-altering feelings about EVERYTHING.

And the problem between them wasn’t even a problem. I kept waiting for this big reveal and there just wasn’t one. It was a non issue. And as someone who has been through long distance dating, 18 years of marriage, nine deployments and endless heartbreakingly scary issues and worries and stress…it’s not that hard if you want it. You TALK to each other and fix it. You don’t act like it’s the end of the world and refuse to communicate.

And I know he drove a Porsche. Whyyy did it have to be mentioned so many times ? 😭😭😭

Sigh.

I will say, this book seemingly offers some wonderful insight into the world of a writer and writing dues. The authors are very talented and that’s clear.

 

⭐️⭐️

 

The Unheard by Nicci French – I really wanted to like this and I stuck with it (every meandering page) until the end hoping for a payoff and there just…wasn’t one. This one was so much longer than it needed to be and so all over the place and unfortunately it just didn’t do it for me.

 

 

Happy Reading!