A book lovers blog
I am wanting to start 2023 off strong with some great books so all my picks this month are books that are five star Predictions. I really hope they live up to the hype I have for them in my head.
Most of these books I have seen high ratings for or I have read a 5 star book by that author in the past. I really hope they live up to my expectations and that I can start this month off strong!
QOTD: What is a five star prediction for you?
Wow! 2022 was such a great year for reading for me! I read 62 books and found a few of my all time favorite books. I even started to DNF books that didn’t bring me joy which was a huge win for this year! Lets dive in and see all the best and worst books I read last year.
In no particular order here are my top ten books of the year!
Book Of The Year
“Caraval” By Stephanie Garber
This book caught me by surprise! This was one of the last books I finished this year and I was obsessed! I typically don’t read fantasy but this one was a great way to get me excited to read more.
Least Favorite Book
“Leave The World Behind” By Rumaan Alam
I really wished I would have DNF’d this book. Honestly, this was one huge waste of time and I do not recommend it!
I don’t have a link for this review because I listened to it on audio and really didn’t have anything worth while to say about it.
Best Dressed (Prettiest Cover)
“Under The Whispering Door” By TJ Klune
I love this cover because it really shows the magical capabilities that this book will offer you while you read it. The weird shaped house really shouldn’t be able to exist yet it does. I just love the colors as well.
Most Likely To Make You Swoon
“Things We Never Got Over” By Lucy Score
I would say this is one of the most rememberable romance book I read this year with some of the best steamy scenes as well. I just overall loved this book and the beautifully written characters.
Most Likely To Be Reread
“A Man Called Ove” By Fredrik Backman
I had sworn off this author after reading “Anxious People” Last year but I picked this one up on audio and my heart broke! This was such a sad book but I can see myself rereading it just to have those feelings again.
Best Graphic Novel
“Heartstopper” By Alice Oseman
This Graphic Novel Series took the world by storm and much like everyone else, I fell madly in love with them! I highly recommend these books and even the TV show on Netflix.
A Book That Was Over Hyped
“Daisy Jones and The Six” By Taylor Jenkins Reid
I had heard some amazing things about this book but honestly I didn’t understand the hype. It was hard to really care for the characters with the way this book was writen.
A Book That Surprised Me
“House Of Earth And Blood” By Sarah L. Maas
This was a huge book and also the first fantasy book that I really dove into. I read this book super quick and fell in love with the characters. However, it did also put me in a book slump and made me scared to read big books.
A Book That Got Me Out Of A Reading Slump
“Every Heart A Doorway” By Seanan McGuire
This was a super fun and quick read. Sometimes all you need is to just finish a book to get out of a slump so anything small is a great option! This was so magical and fun that I think anyone can get into it.
A Book That Put Me Into A Reading Slump
“The Ex Talk” By Rachel Lynn Solomon
I honestly had high hopes for this book and it let me down. This book was the one that helped me to learn that I am not a fan of enemy to lovers. The book moved very slowly and just left me feeling meh.
A Book I Wish I Had Read
“The Thursday Murder Club” By Richard Osman
This book sounds like everything I would want from a book. I am a sucker for a good mystery and I think this would hit the spot!
A Book I Would Like To Read In 2023
“Babel” By R.F. Kuang
This book has been talked about by literally everyone on Bookstagram and I am so jealous of everyone who has read it. This is very high on my TBR and I can’t wait to dive into it!
2022 has been my best reading year ever and I really hope I can keep this momentum going into 2023. I have many reading challenges I would like to get to this coming year in hopes to be able to finish not only more books but a wider range of genres this year. I can’t wait to see what this coming year has in store for me and my blog.
QOTD: What is a book you are excited to read this year?
Wow, this month was extremely busy! You forget how many obligations the holiday season comes with. I had several books I wanted to get to before the end of the year that I wasn’t able to get too but December did provide me with my favorite read of 2022!
“Lovelight Farms” by B.K. Borison
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.
In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only … there is no boyfriend.
Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“A Merry Little Meet Cute” By Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.
Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.
But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.
And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“Caraval” By Stephanie Garber
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“How To Be Ace” By Rebecca Burgess
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.I didn’t write a full review for this book for my blog but I did write one on my Instagram that you can check out if you would like more info.
I do think everyone should pick up this quick book just so you can be a little more informed about what it is like to be Asexual and the difficulties people who identify as “Ace” have to go through.
“I like you so much that it scares me. And when I think about leaving and never seeing you again, it makes me feel like something’s being yanked out of me. Something important, something that I need to breathe and eat and live. I want more than memories with you, Bee. I want moments upon moments.”
A Merry Little Meet Cute
“And isn’t it silly, to love the way someone’s things look like next to yours? Little bits and pieces of a life lived in parallel.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms
“She imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval
QOTD: What was your favorite read from this month?
This will be my second Christmas book this season and I was not disappointed! I will go ahead and warn you now that if you want to enjoy this book make sure you know the synopsis and are comfortable with the topics discussed, Going into this book blind probably hindered my overall rating.
“I love you too, Nolan. I love you in the dark. I love you in the light. I love you everywhere.”
A Merry Little Meet Cute
About The Book
Author: Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
Publisher: Avon
Published Date: September 20th, 2022
Page Count: 418
Main Genres: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary
GoodReads Rating: 3.51
Format: Audio
Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.
Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.
But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.
And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.
Synopsis From GoodReads
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.I read this book as a buddy read that was actually supposed to end a week from now but I sped through the audio book! Now, typically I am not a huge Spicy book reader so going in blind for this book and learning it is a mixture of porn and a hallmark movie really throw me for a loop, but needless to say it ended up being a lot better than the first few chapters led me to believe.
By all means, this book wasn’t amazing, but I feel like it ended really strong! It took me probably more than half the book to really care about the characters and their relationship but when things started to go wrong and you learned more about their pasts and current situations I started to get into it more. This book was straight up lust rather than love which isn’t my favorite trope but when everything came together at the end I could officially back their relationship. I also really loved the awareness this book brought to sex workers and how they are people and not just an object and how their lives are just as important.
The last thing I want to bring up and maybe the most important thing to me was the representation of a “Fat” character. I personally don’t see bigger main characters, especially girls, represented in books and I loved how much she loved herself and owned her body! You go Girl!
“I like you so much that it scares me. And when I think about leaving and never seeing you again, it makes me feel like something’s being yanked out of me. Something important, something that I need to breathe and eat and live. I want more than memories with you, Bee. I want moments upon moments.”
A Merry Little Meet Cute
QOTD: Big Girl Rep Books?
I am really bad at reading fantasy books and so I am trying to find some that intrigue me that I can start reading. Yes, this means I am taking recommendations for books that give off the same vibes as this one. I only picked this one up because I saw it on Scribd and I needed something new to read at night so I assumed I would be reading this for quite some time but to my surprise I devoured this book!
“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval
About The Book
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published Date: January 31st, 2017
Page Count: 407 Pages
Main Genres: Fantasy, YA, Romance
GoodReads Rating: 4.00
Format: Ebook
“Some things are worth pursuit regardless of the cost.”“Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find yourself magic in this world.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“She imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.This book will definitely be making it in my top ten books of this year! I was so blown away by the first chapter that it was hard to put down.
I really cared about the characters in this book. I feel like everyone had such a tragic backstory that kept you wanting to learn more. I really loved Scarlett, our main character, she was determined to make a better life for her and her sister Tella, so determined that she would do anything to make it happen. She really proves herself throughout the entire book and you can tell she truly loves her sister. I also think her character development was fantastic!
I had my suspicions about how the book was going to end within the first few chapters and boy was I wrong! This book really kept me on my toes and had many twists and turns that kept me glued to the pages! I have already ordered the rest of the series and I can’t wait to start reading them.
“Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find yourself magic in this world.”
Stephanie Garber, Caraval
QOTD: Waat is a beginner friendly fantasy series?
My first book that I finished this month feels very fitting as we have gotten quite a bit of snow so the mood just felt right. This is a book I have been dying to get my hands on for months and I am glad I saved it till now. I really am hoping to read more Christmas / Holiday books before the end of the year, so fingers crossed.
“I’m going to love her in all the quiet ways, the slow ways, the loud and obnoxious ways.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms
About The Book
Author: B.K. Borison
Publisher: Self Published
Published Date: November 10th, 2021
Page Count: 401 Pages
Main Genres: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary
GoodReads Rating: 4.17
Format: Audio
“We should remember those who have left us with fondness. Speaking of them keeps their memory alive.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms
A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.
In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only … there is no boyfriend.
Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“Leaning on other people doesn’t make your achievements any less yours, La La. You can trust me to help you carry the load. You don’t have to do all of this alone. I know you can take of yourself. You’ve been doing that as long as I’ve known you. But let me hold your hand while you do it, okay?”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.“It’s hard to love someone without restraint. To give yourself over to the swell and pull of it without fear of what might happen. I think it’s only natural to hold a part of yourself back and protect what you can.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms
I feel like I have seen this book being reviewed left and right on bookstagram lately due to the holiday season and I am so glad I decided to read it too. Honestly I have not seen any bad reviews for this book and I now know why.
I am a huge friends to lovers fan and this book didn’t hold back! This could be a possible spoiler but I could have lived without the small tiff at the end, it really wasn’t needed and it was just one big misunderstanding. I just wanted them to be continuously happy. However, would it really be a romance book without some misunderstanding right at the end?
I would also call this book a bit of a found family story. The farm she built with her new friends turned out to be wonderful and even though they go through some bumps in the road her friends back her up and offer their support. This was probably my favorite part of the book. There’s just something about found family that pulls at my heart strings.
I am so excited to read the rest of B.K. Borison’s books, if they are anything like this one I know I will be obsessed! I highly recommend picking this one up for a last minute holiday read.
“And isn’t it silly, to love the way someone’s things look like next to yours? Little bits and pieces of a life lived in parallel.”
B.K. Borison, Lovelight Farms
QOTD: What Holiday books have you read and loved?
World of Bai