November Wrap Up

Happy December 1st! I usually wait until December to start the holiday TBR and I am so excited it is finally here. But first, I can't forget about November!

November was a weird month for me because I feel like I was all over the place with reading. I had a good start to the month quantity wise, but the enjoyment was missing for some of the book. Then I started Iron Flame, and I had THOUHTS on that one, but more on that in a bit. I then felt like I fell into a slump, but ended the month strong with a 5 star read and met my reading goal on goodreads. I am a mess but at least I have plenty of content to bring you in this roller coaster of a wrap up!

Here are all the books I read in November:

Midnight Is The Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

This one was a highly anticipated read for me. I was very excited to check out Ashley Winstead's thrillers, as I have read and enjoyed her romance books in the past. However, this one left me feeling a bit let down.

This one started off strong as I was interested in getting to know all of the characters, but I found that all of the religious aspects kind of over powered the small town charm I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy expanding my knowledge on others' opinions and interest, but this book had so much going on in it that it was hard to follow.

I started the book in physical format and just felt like I couldn't get through it so I switched to a gifted audio copy. I ended up struggling to decipher between the past and present timelines because I didn't have a clear indication of when the narration was switching.

Overall, this one was just okay for me. I did enjoy Ruth and Everett's characters and I felt like there were definitely some interesting parts. I have seen quite a few 5 star ratings so I think that is where my high expectations came from. I think this one may have been more of a me issue - meaning that I didn't enjoy it but I don't think it everyone would dislike it. This is one of those books where I wish it was a bit better for me given others' love of it, but that's also the beauty of having your own opinion I suppose!

The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella is an author that whose books never fail to make me feel warm and fuzzy. When I first heard about this one, I was skeptical because I didn't think a story about burnout would be fun, but I was wrong!

What I loved:

Everything! This book had a little romance, but a lot of well being and self care. It has quirky characters that I was laughing with throughout and is SUPER relatable.

What I didn't like:

It felt too real. (kidding, but had to put something here! 🤪)

Some of the things the character was saying felt like she had grabbed them right from my throat. Something I struggle with often is burnout in many aspects of my life. The way Sasha (mc) was feeling before she hit a wall (literally ran into one) are very similar to how I was feeling at the time I picked up this book. It drew me in and I felt like I went through a lot of obstacles with Sasha while i read so that's why it is so special to me now.

One thing I will add is that while Kinsella's books are famous for romance, most of her books tackle other topics with such grace. As much as this book had cutesy and funny moments, it also had some serious moments too.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

I did a full blog post about this one, so I will share my short review in this one, but you can find my full review here!

General first thoughts:

This book is for the fantasy girlies for sure! There is not as much romance as book one, but a lot more technical world building/story telling, and a lot of learning!

What I liked:

-the more technical side of things and learning the history and world.

-the squad! I had trouble remembering who was who at times, but loved reading more about them.

-the dragons and the scenery.

-all the action!

-call me crazy, but I LOVE an ending that leaves me with my jaw on the floor.

What I didn't like:

-it felt far too long and could've been cut down or made into 2 books.

-*sigh*... Xaden... I feel like I missed something because I am seeing all of these reviews from people just loving the book and loving Xaden, but I had such a hard time with him and his dishonesty reasoning.

-some emotional components felt completely left out that I felt could have still been touched on. for example, did she even process the cliffhanger from book 1?

-Cat... was this necessary?

Overall:

I didn't love this one, it was just lukewarm for me, and I am sad. I am upset that I didn't enjoy it as much as the majority, but I am not giving up on it. I will probably continue the series with hope for better, and might even try a re-read to see if my opinions change when there is less pressure of it being a new and popular release.

Forever Wild by K. A. Tucker

I started the Simple Wild series a while ago and fell in love with the first book and have been working my way through ever since. This book is 2.5 in the series (a novella) and it was very short and sweet. I don't have too much to say about it because there wasn't much to it. Its a typical novella with not much plot, but a little glimpse into the lives of the characters. This one takes place around the holidays too so I felt like now was the perfect time for reading it.

Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major

Okay, you caught me, I just finished this book today (December 1st). I wanted to count it as a November read though because I finished 80% of it in November.

This book left me feeling all of the feelings. It was an emotional ready and I was a mess by the end.

What I liked about it:

-The emotions. I haven't felt book play with my emotions like this one in a long time. There were moments where I was confused and frustrated like I was going through it with the characters. There were moments of happiness and many moments of sadness. The ending of this book will tug on your heartstrings and I dare you not to cry.

-The characters. The fmc Emma is the perfect picture of stress, burnout, and trying to be everything for everyone all at once. It was relatable and interesting to see both sides of how that affected the family (her POV and husband Dan's POV). Both the characters also had their flaws and it was refreshing to see them both so raw and real with one another.

-I feel like I might be in the minority opinion on this, but I enjoyed the Groundhog Day aspect of it.

-THE LETTERS FROM DAN. Oh goodness, these were so sweet, romantic, and such a fun idea.

What I didn't like:

-There was a bit of time about 75% in where I felt exhausted with the same day over and over. I felt tired and confused and kept thinking 'when is she going to find some semblance of a way to fix this?' However, looking back on it now, that is exactly how the character was feeling too and it made it so much easier to connect with her when I am going through all of the motions with her.

Overall:

I have been trying to shy away from star ratings, but this is for sure a 5 star read. The ending was so incredibly sad, as were parts throughout the entire book, but I haven't read a book that left me feeling this way in a long time. I am so glad I picked this one up.

So, what is next for me? Well, like I said earlier, December is when I bring out all of the Christmas/Holiday season reads, so here are a few physical books that are on my December TBR!

I also have some audio and e-books for the season, but I wasn't sure how to best include them in the photo. Keep your eyes on my Instagram this month for my reviews and more on my holiday TBR!