Wow, how are we already at the last reading roundup of 2021? This year has absolutely flown by, and I cannot wait to see what we read in 2022. I read so many good books in December 2021, partly because I wanted to end my year with the highest reading number as possible and because I had a little bit more time and mental capacity to read than usual.
By the way, I finished the year out with 93 reads! I’m so proud of myself, especially after only setting my goal at 30. For 2022, my goal is 85, and I cannot wait to share each read here with you all!
Let’s get into my December reads!
The Woman Outside my Door, Rachel Ryan: 2 Stars
Description: All children have imaginary friends, Georgina tells herself. It’s perfectly normal, and they all grow out of it in the end. But when her seven-year-old son, Cody, tells her about New Granny, the friend he’s met in the park, Georgina is instantly suspicious. Something—call it maternal instinct—tells her he isn’t making it up.
But maybe Georgina is losing her mind. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. And with her own mother’s recent death leaving her bereft and trying to cope with life as a busy working mom, it’s no wonder she’s feeling paranoid that Cody has invented a “New Granny” to replace his beloved grandmother.
Her husband, Bren, becomes the voice of reason, assuring Georgina that it’s just a game, the product of their son’s overactive imagination. But what if Cody’s imaginary friend is not so imaginary after all?
My thoughts: Meh. This book was just your average little mystery. It was available at the library and a very short run time (I listened on audiobook), so I decided it was worth a shot. It wasn’t good, and it wasn’t bad, but I definitely am not dying to recommend it to any of my friends so I decided to rate it on the lower end. The audiobook performance was good, and I liked that it was set in Dublin. I realized I haven’t read too many books set in Ireland, so hopefully I can change that in the next few years! I wish it had focused a little bit more on being set in Dublin, but it was so quick there just wasn’t much time for anything besides plot.
The House in the Cerulean Sea, T.J. Klune: 3 Stars
Description: A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
My thoughts: This was a good book. Even though 3 stars is on the lower end for me, I think it was still worth the read. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but there were just a few things that made me rate this lower than I think most people do. The dialogue wasn’t super believable, aka cheesy, and that’s my number one pet peeve with any book. The motivational aspect was a little bit overdone for me, and I really thought some of it drug out a lot longer than necessary. The storyline was still really good and the characters were all unbelievably sweet and interesting. I think I would read a sequel if it came out, but I’m not as obsessed as I thought I would be with this one.
Lastly, I think this book should have either been written as YA or the cover should have been changed. The cover made me think it was YA, but the plot really isn’t YA. It could have been with a few plot changes, so it just sat oddly in the middle for me.
In a Holidaze, Christina Lauren: 5 Stars
Description: It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.
But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.
The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.
Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.
My thoughts: Oh my gosh, this book put me in the holiday mood so stinking fast. If you’re looking for something that’s very cozy, very Christmas-y, this is it! I am pretty hard on romances, but I loved this one and somehow didn’t find it as cheesy as I usually find romances. I think I was really craving something easy and extremely festive like this though.
This also made me really want to go to Park City! Spoiler alert- I am SO glad the main character ended up with who she did. I did not want her to end up with the other brother, and I was truly terrified that she would, haha.
Meg & Jo, Virginia Kanta: 2 Stars
Description: The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.
Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.
One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.
My thoughts: Ugh, I wanted to like this so badly, but I very often end up liking these modern retelling of classics. I think what especially killed this one for me was listening to it on audiobook, and I think I would have liked it so much more if I had just read it. The audio performance was SO bad, complete with the worst southern accents I have ever heard.
It was just one weird plot point after another. For me, the only redeeming quality was seeing how the author tied in some big and small plot points from the original book into her retelling! Beth was pretending to be sick when she was younger to get out of social commitments because she’s more shy, Meg trying to keep up with her friend Sally’s glamorous vacations, etc.
Mrs. March, Virginia Feito: 4 Stars
Description: George March’s latest novel is a smash. No one could be prouder than his dutiful wife, Mrs. March, who revels in his accolades. A careful creature of routine and decorum, she lives a precariously controlled existence on the Upper East Side until one morning, when the shopkeeper of her favorite patisserie suggests that her husband’s latest protagonist―a detestable character named Johanna―is based on Mrs. March herself. Clutching her ostrich leather pocketbook and mint-colored gloves, she flees the shop. What could have merited this humiliation?
That one casual remark robs Mrs. March of the belief that she knew everything about her husband―and herself―thus sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey that begins within the pages of a book. While snooping in George’s office, Mrs. March finds a newspaper clipping about a missing woman. Did George have anything to do with her disappearance? He’s been going on a lot of “hunting trips” up north with his editor lately, leaving Mrs. March all alone at night with her tormented thoughts, and the cockroaches that have suddenly started to appear, and strange breathing noises . . . As she begins to decode her husband’s secrets, her deafening anxiety and fierce determination threaten everyone in her wake―including her stoic housekeeper, Martha, and her unobtrusive son, Jonathan, whom she loves so profoundly, when she remembers to love him at all.
Combining a Hitchcockian sensibility with wickedly dark humor, Virginia Feito, a brilliantly talented and, at times, mischievous newcomer, offers a razor-sharp exploration of the fragility of identity. A mesmerizing novel of psychological suspense and casebook insecurity turned full-blown neurosis, Mrs. March will have you second-guessing your own seemingly familiar reflection in the mirror.
My thoughts: Okay, you need to like psychological thrillers to appreciate this one. If you don’t, this will probably be a flop for you! Even if you liked The Silent Patient, this is more of a true psychological thriller, so just be prepared for the plot to all be vague and unsure if it’s really happening or not.
Okay, after getting that disclaimer out of the way, I really liked the writing style of this author, and the setting of 1960s NYC at Christmas time was just so enjoyable. Everything about the book is just kind of vague and unsure, the narrator isn’t reliable so it makes for an interesting journey. This was one of those books I couldn’t even get close to skim reading because I was hanging on to every word out of fear I would miss something crucial.
The main reason it’s a 4 instead of a 5 for me is because I kept waiting for there to be a huge, twist ending, and that part of it was kind of a let down for me. Spoiler if you’ve read it, I kept thinking Mrs. March actually killed the missing girl, I think it would have been a 5/5 for me if that had happened with the plot.
The Santa Suit, Mary Kay Andrews: 4 Stars
Description: When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it’s a full-time job sorting through all of it.
At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it’s from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?
Ivy’s quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.
My thoughts: This was our One More Page book club pick for December, and I’m so glad because I don’t think I would have picked it up otherwise. It was an extremely similar experience to watching a Hallmark movie, which I usually don’t like, but this was such a good, lighthearted read. It is an extremely short book (around 200 pages), so it’s definitely not a huge commitment.
The storyline with Cody and Phoebe was kind of silly, but other than that I thought this book was actually cute and semi-realistic. I actually didn’t expect the small twist at the end somehow!
The Flatshare, Beth O’Leary: 4 Stars
Description: After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.
Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.
Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes – first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.
But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you’ve never met.
My thoughts: For some reason, I actually did not want to like this book. The entire idea of two strangers sharing a bed to save money just seemed so stupid and predictable, but somehow I ended up loving it. I listened to this on audiobook, and I actually gasped out loud after hearing one of the plot points in my car when I was listening. The main plot of two people sharing a bed ending up in a romance was predictable, but there were several secondary plots that were not that predictable and actually pretty interesting and unique in my opinion.
There was a lot going on in this book, and it would have been easy for the plot to be extremely confusing or shallow, but it was actually so good! One of my most surprising romance stand outs of the year.
Finlay Donovan Knocks ’em Dead, Ellie Cosimano: 4 Stars
Publication Date: 02/01/22
Description: Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she’s dealt with lately is that of her daughter’s pet goldfish.
On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he’s a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she’d like.
Meanwhile, Vero’s keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay’s first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes… and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.
With her next book’s deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn’t a noose at the end of it…
My thoughts: Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur books for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book!
I have been eagerly awaiting this second installment of Finlay Donovan’s story since I read the first book early last spring. These characters are just hilarious, and the plot and the way this book made me feel was so unique. No other mystery/thriller book has ever made me laugh as hard as the first book in this series did.
I really, really liked this new book a lot, but some of the novelty of the storyline wasn’t there from the first time stepping into Finlay’s world. There were still so many funny situations, but a lot more of Finlay’s actions and circumstances were more intentional this time around, leading to less amusement on my end. I still found myself laughing and loving the romance factor though!
At first I didn’t like who FedUp was revealed to be, but the more it sat with me the more it started making sense and actually made the book that much better. I also think the open ending was done extremely well, and I really hope there is going to be another book in this series.
The Guilt Trip, Sandie Jones: 3 Stars
Description: Rachel and Jack. Paige and Noah. And Will. Five friends who’ve known one another for years. Then along came Ali, Will’s new fiancée.
The three couples travel to Portugal for Ali and Will’s destination wedding. The weekend away at the gorgeous cliff-top villa is a chance to relax and get to know Ali an little better. She seems perfectly nice—and Will seems happy after years of bad choices.
But when Rachel discovers a shocking secret about Ali, everything changes. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets each of them holds begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel.
In Sandie Jones’s explosive new suspense novel, jumping to conclusions can become the difference between life and death.
My thoughts: This is just one of those easy, thriller/mysteries set in a dreamy location! It gives me very The Guest List vibes, but I wouldn’t say it’s quite as good as that one!
This is set in Portugal, which made me realize I never read anything set there.
The very last few paragraphs of the ending were so confusing for me. I looked online to see if anyone else knew what to make of it, and it turns out I wasn’t alone in my confusion haha. Overall, I loved the setting and the twists and turns here though!
The Holiday Swap, Maggie Knox: 2 Stars
Description: When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell—both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie’s identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family’s bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won’t get the memo that they’re over.
With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven’t done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins’ identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?
My thoughts: UGH! I did not like this one. Please keep in mind that I do not like Hallmark movies, and I think that was the target audience with this one.
I had several issues with this plot. The main “issue” was the twins’ love interests not knowing they were switched, but in my opinion it wouldn’t have been an issue to tell them at any moment. Neither of the love interests were integral in keeping the switch a secret for the important reasons, so after a while it just felt idiotic and unrealistic to not come clean.
Also, this is a slight spoiler, but I felt the entire plot line of the hometown twin slipping and getting injured during the snow storm was unnecessary. There was just a lot going on here, and it was all very cheesy.
Don’t even get me started on the epilogue….
If you like a cheesy plot, I’m sure this checks all the boxes! It could have been a total skip for me though.
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, Marie Benedict: 4 Stars
Description: In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car―strange for a frigid night. Her World War I veteran husband and her daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.
The puzzle of those missing eleven days has persisted. With her trademark historical fiction exploration into the shadows of the past, acclaimed author Marie Benedict brings us into the world of Agatha Christie, imagining why such a brilliant woman would find herself at the center of such murky historical mysteries.
What is real, and what is mystery? What role did her unfaithful husband play, and what was he not telling investigators?
Agatha Christie novels have withstood the test of time, due in no small part to Christie’s masterful storytelling and clever mind that may never be matched, but Agatha Christie’s untold history offers perhaps her greatest mystery of all.
My thoughts: I am obsessed with this book! It was an imagined reality of Agatha Christie’s real disappearance in the 1920s. It feels like it really could have been what happened!
The only reason I docked a star is because it took me a HUGE amount of googling afterwards to feel satisfied that I learned what happened after she returned from the disappearance with “amnesia.” I love when a book or movie sends me on a good google spiral, but this one just really left me hanging right at the end. I wish there had been an epilogue or what really happened section, because it was kind of hard to find a lot of information from that long ago quickly on the internet.
This made me really want to read some of Agatha Christie’s most popular books, so I think I’m going to make it one of my reading goals in 2022!
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Mass: 5 Stars
Description: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin―and his world―forever.
My thoughts: Wow. Wow. Wow. I haven’t read something that grabbed me this deeply in a long time. It’s the perfect series read to really get a good binge read to start the new year.
I will say, I almost took off one star because it’s a slow start. I wasn’t hooked from the very first page— it took me about 100 pages to really care what was going on in this world. After that though, I could not put this down! I will say, there is a pretty descriptive sex scene in this, and I would be hesitant to label this as young adult like it’s listed in most places.
We stopped on our way home from the airport so I could pick up the rest of the series… haha. So glad I ended the year on a high!
