I’ve said it before, but January was one of those months that felt long and fast at the same time? I definitely appreciate its length in a weird way because I read so much this month!
My favorite books of the month are from a wide range of genres. I found myself going on a YA mini sprint this month between reading some books I picked myself and some student picks, but my two fave YAs were The Summer Broken Rules by K.L. Walther (I definitely get the hype) and Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O’Clover ( a new release so worth picking up!). One that surprised me was Cece Bell’s semi autobiographical memoir, El Deafo -loved it so much!
I found myself getting back into non-fiction this month as well, with one of my new all-time favorites being Dr.Edith Eva Eger’s The Choice, following her experiences during the Holocaust and how trauma impacted her life and then work as a psychologist. I also really enjoyed Katherine Center’s What You Wish For (a 2020 release that’s been on my TBR ever since) and my reread of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead, confirming that Finlay Donovan is one of my all time favorite series!
This month has been the BEST January of reading that I’ve ever had. January usually signals the end of winter break and the start of a new spring semester for me, aka my reading life taking a dip, but I am SO enjoying the free time that has come with post college life… and yes, I am prioritizing reading in my free time after work vs. scrolling on my phone and watching TV — on TV, I also feel like lately I find maybe 1 TV show a month I’m obsessed with, binge it in a handful of days (and yes, you’ll find out the show I’m talking about below), and then feel meh about any other TV I watch.
I read a total of 15 books in January and I either really enjoyed or LOVED all of them. I also spent the past two weekends starting a book on Friday night or early Saturday morning and then having it finished by Saturday night… and then starting another in between/after doing my weekly school prep on Sundays. I don’t even finding myself pressuring to read or thinking about any annual reading challenges, as I genuinely just want to be reading & hope to keep this motivation up!
This month was about getting to some backlist books I’ve had on my TBR, a new release from a favorite author, some ARCs, and the start of an unexpected YA kick. Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon was my favorite book of the month, always loving any adult contemporary romance or YA book that Rachel Lynn Solomon writes. I attended Matzah Book Soup’s book club meeting with Rachel yesterday afternoon and it was so fun learning more about the book & her upcoming releases. I read both Denise Williams’ The Fastest Way to Fall & How to Fail at Flirting – I enjoyed The Fastest Way to Fall the most out of the two & I attended BBBC’s virtual meet with Denise Williams. I FINALLY picked up my copy of Erin Hahn’s Never Saw You Coming (this was one of my most anticipated YA releases of 2021), and reread my favorite book of hers, More Than Maybe, before picking the former up.
The books I was the most obsessed with below include The Boys Club by Erica Katz, Wish You Were by Jodi Picoult, & Very Bad People by Kit Frick. I’m so glad I finally read Jason Reynolds’ Long Way Down, definitely one of the most powerful books I’ve read and one with an ending I’m still thinking about. I’ve mentioned before that 2021 was exactly the year of YA books for me, reading way more contemporary romance than YA, but I found myself picking up so much YA this month, including some of the books I’ve mentioned & specifically, All the Right Reasons, If This Gets Out, and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
January 2020 has been one of the busiest months of my life. I spent so much time with my friends this month, went abroad (for the first time ever) to Ireland, and jumped into my final undergraduate semester. Between friends, school, and abroad, I didn’t have too much time to dedicate to reading in January- and I’m content with that. I really enjoyed the books that I did pick up, as well as the TV and films I was able to also watch this month.
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper (ARC) | 3/5 Stars
The Gravity of Us delivered on its NASA and space-premise, but I just wasn’t a fan of the chemistry between the main characters and character development.
The Risk (Briar U #2) by Elle Kennedy | 5/5
The Risk is my favorite book in the Briar U series! I loved everything about this book, and I can’t wait to read the last book in the trilogy- even though I am putting it off for a bit longer because I don’t want to be done with the Off Campus world yet!
You’re Not You by Michelle Wildgen | 4/5
You’re Not You was a really enjoyable adult contemporary and I’m interested in watching its film adaptation.
Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson (ARC) | 3/5
Together We Caught Fire is definitely a unique YA contemporary romance and provides an in-depth look at a lot of issues. However, I was not the biggest fan of the character and plot development and relationships.
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper (ARC) | 3/5 Stars
Fangirl Fury 