december – GoodeyReads

Oh hey, LAST READING MONTH OF THE DECADE.

And what a month it was. I tried to read as many Christmas books as I could get my hands on to really feel that Christmas spirit. It totally worked. I had a lot of fantastic reads for the end of the year.

Starsight (Skyward #2) by Brandon Sanderson – (☆☆☆☆)
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
There Will Come a Darkness (The Age of Darkness #1) by Katy Rose Pool – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
Bid My Soul Farewell (Give the Dark my Love #2) by Beth Revis – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
Of Rioters & Royals (Swift Shadows #1) by M.L. Greye – (☆☆☆☆)
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Powell and Faith Erin Hicks – (☆☆☆☆)
Capturing the Devil (Stalking Jack the Ripper #4) by Kerri Maniscalco – (☆☆☆☆)
It Happened at Christmas by Christen Krumm – (☆☆☆☆ 1/2)
The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
Christmas Like This by Carina Taylor – (☆☆)
Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center – (☆☆☆☆)
Faking Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd – (☆☆☆☆☆)
Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West – (☆☆☆)
Defy the Stars (Constellation #1) by Claudia Gray – (☆☆☆☆☆)
[ARC] Entwined Paths (Swift Shadows #2) by M.L. Greye – (☆☆☆☆)
Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
One Christmas in Winter by Bell Renshaw – (☆☆☆☆)
[ARC] Ashlords by Scott Reintgen – (☆☆☆☆)
Defy the Worlds (Constellation #2) by Claudia Gray – (☆☆☆☆ 1/2)
The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renee Ahdieh – (☆☆☆☆)
Defy the Fates (Constellation #3) by Claudia Gray – (☆☆☆☆ 1/2)
Veins of Magic (The Otherworld #2) by Emma Hamm – (☆☆☆☆)
East (East #1) by Edith Pattou – (☆☆☆☆)

My favorite this month: Faking Under the Mistletoe

Least favorite this month: Christmas Like This

Instagram || Goodreads

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 409 pages
Author: Josie Silver
Publisher: Broadyway Books
Expected Release Date: October 16th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic… and then her bus drives away.

Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

INFINITELY BETTER AS IT WENT ON.

So close.

This was another so close to DNF. I have unfortunately hit a streak of these, but luckily I am still giving them a chance! I started this as an audio book while owning a copy. I did NOT like the audio. I have no concrete reasons, couldn’t connect with the narrator, hated the MC and there was too much language for me to listen comfortably.

So I turned it off and instead tried reading the book. I read it over a month in short spans when I didn’t have to pick up my next book immediately. Did this help? YUP. Game changer.

Laurie really annoyed me at first with her inability to chill about Jack. I couldn’t handle the crazed enthusiasm to find this ONE GUY after seeing him ONE TIME. Then her continual pining for him while he was dating her best friend really bothered me.

Finally, finally. Laurie grew up a bit. Accepted the fate in her hands at present and went about her life. They all did. And from there I saw a growth in friendships, relationships, work, family, many areas! It was terribly difficult to watch the struggles, pain, and hardships that these three had to fight through. The story really blossomed and I was falling hard for Laurie, Jack, and Sarah.

By the end, the story had wrapped around my heart and held it in a tight grip as the movie-like ending rolled on the page. IT WAS SO PRECIOUS. And while cheesy was exactly what this book called for and made me hand over four stars. Why four? I personally could not handle the unnecessary use of language. It was flagrant, out of place and I didn’t like it. Also, since it took so long for me to go give this story a chance I knocked it down a bit.

If you’re like me and curious about this book, I would definitely give a try! Reese Witherspoon picked this book for a reason!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary fiction romance
Language: a lot of strong language
Romance: kisses, make-outs, love scenes (ranging from fade-to-black to mildly descriptive)
Violence: car wreck, physical, emotional
Trigger warnings: cheating (by way of kisses), cheating (emotionally attached to someone while with someone else, yes, I do count this as a form of cheating)