It's January 17th and somehow I'm already 12 books deep into 2024. Even I'm a little shocked by this but I do impart some of this rabid reading to using the Libby app and seeing the "x number of people are waiting for you to get off your ass and finish this book". So even though I just wrapped up my 2023 reading list, here we are with my first reads of 2024.
1. The Stolen Heir (The Stolen Heir Duology #1) by Holly Black
"Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.
Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.
Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind."
It feels like it's been eight years since I read The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black and because of the that it was a rough start to this book. Between the world building and grasping at the history that kept being referred to I was a little lost. I would recommend a refresher course before reading this book and maybe that way I would have gotten a little more out of this book.
2. Yours Truly (Part of Your World #2) by Abby Jimenez
"Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse."
I was pleasantly surprised to find a second book in this series and was happy to follow Briana around this time. While I'm newer to the romance genre, I'm quickly finding my pet peeves for this genre. One of which, is when a FMC starts out a strong, confident person and then dissolves into this person who is stuck in their head but ultimately is "saved" by love. I liked the touch backs to Alexis and Daniel (and the house ghost!) from book one while also giving a different story. I don't think I'd EVER get over my ex dating my sibling, having a baby and getting married but c'est la vie?
3. It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters #1) by Tessa Bailey
"Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar... in Washington.
Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.
Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart."
This had been on my TBR for awhile now after seeing it over social media. I *almost* started with book two by accident but quickly righted course before any major spoilers. I mean, these are romance books after all, you already KNOW the main characters are 1000% getting together. I love the loose Schitt's Creek storyline of Piper and couldn't help picturing her as kind of this Barbie-esqe girl. I also immediately loved Hannah so I'm glad that book 2 would end up focusing on her. I was surprised by the 0-60 spiciness this book went to and for sure had to re-read a line, because are we going to talk about the butt stuff?
4. Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters #2) by Tessa Bailey
"King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he's a guaranteed good time--in bed and out--and that's exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She's immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his... personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.
Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox's spare bedroom. She knows he's a notorious ladies' man, but they're definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport's resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker's eye... yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.
Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she's walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and... and... man overboard! He's fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he's all in, she'll choose him instead?"
While I loved Hannah, Fox was kind of a meh MMC for me. I couldn't get behind his "I'm just a dog who as lived with unattached life because my dad did and that's what people expect of me". Still a good read and I was happy to see more of Hannah's Westport history come to light.
5. Happy Place by Emily Henry
"Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?"
Admittedly, I thought I had already read this book. It has one of those cutesy, illustrated colors that everything has now. However, I righted that wrong and can confirm now that I in fact HAVE read this book. For some reason this gave me "5 Star Weekend" vibes- probably because of the friends coming back together story. I really expected some fairytale ending where they all pitched in and bought the house together yada yada yada but nope. I wish this book was a multi character POV because I think there were other good stories amongst the other members of the friends group.
6. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
"The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?"
Another women in STEM book that I can get behind. There is a TON of physics jargon in this book- none of it is really relevant to understand the storyline so don't we discouraged! I understand and appreciate it's use for character development but still would have enjoyed the book without such a deep dive (and this is coming from a biological sciences degree holder). The supporting characters were so fun and Elise's roommate cracked me up. The most unbelievable thing about this book is hooooow are you going to hold a grudge like that and never actually look up the person?
7. The Unhoneymooners (Unhoneymooners #1) by Christina Lauren
"Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.
Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.
Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky."
On the fence about this one. The first half of this book was great, the second half of this book fell a little short for me. It was one of those times where I was screaming at the FMC to verbatimly tell the guy what happened! One of my favorite parts of this book was Olive's family and how they all pulled around each other (though ironically not at the critical moment). Adding book two to my TBR!
8. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
"Sally Milz is a sketch writer for "The Night Owls," the late-night live comedy show that airs each Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.
But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actor who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the "Danny Horst Rule," poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.
Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder whether there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy; it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her...right?
With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age."
I've been lucky so far in 2024 because I haven't run into a book that I have been disappointed in. It's also so strange to read books with such a recent timeline and references to the pandemic and covid. Maybe that's just the escapist, fantasy reader in me? Anyways, I'm sure I'm not the only one who pictured this as SNL/Tina Fey in their head. Tina Fey rom-com hitting theaters soon? Besides the fun witty banter, this book did hit a little deeper with the effects of the pandemic. I got both the happies and the sads from this book - but not in a bad way.
9. The True Love Experiment
by Christina Lauren
"Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.
Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?
Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too."
I love using both Libby and Goodreads together but this is definitely one of the times I got my wires crossed and read book two before book one- whoops! I don't think many spoilers were divulged in book two except the the guy got the girl (SHOCKER!). That being said, this was a fun read! I really liked both of main characters and how their relationship developed. I'm definitely adding book one to my TBR!
10. The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
"Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate—the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.
Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City’s most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica’s financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family."
I can't even remember where I saw this book but I'm happy it found it's way to my TBR. I'm not sure what genre this book actually falls into but it was an interesting storyline. I think I like these types of books that are written both in the present and the past. It may have been a little bit of a slow start for me but I did enjoy the little mystery that unfolded in the end.
11. The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang
"Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Another classic- "JUST TELL EACHOTHER HOW YOU ARE FEELING" romance novel. I know this book is on the shorter side but I was still a little surprised by how quickly the feelings developed for both of the main characters. And while it was definitely Phillip's role in this book to the antagonist- I still loathed him. Also, hello? Where is this companies HR department?? To me this book was just OK. I'll probably pick up the rest of the series but not desperate to do so.
12. The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
"Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this moving new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil and the Peachtree Bluff series.
Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life.
June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne is confronted with a relationship from her past—and a confidential issue at work becomes personal—she is faced with an impossible choice.
Lanier, meanwhile, is struggling with tough decisions of her own. After a run-in with an old flame, she is torn between the commitment she made to her fiancé and the one she made to her first love. And when a big secret comes to light, she finds herself at odds with her best friend…and risks losing the person she loves most.
But in spite of their personal problems, nothing is more important to these songbirds than Camp Holly Springs. When the women learn their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they band together to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives."
It's been pretty rainy and cold here and I reached out for this book longing for a little bit of summer.
All that to say, there's not much summer in this book 🙃 Mostly we follow the lives of three camp friends trying to save the place where their friendship began. This is another book written in the past and present kind of story lines. Not too many twist and turns here but a cute read.
Phew, I can't believe I'm already downed twelve books this year! My TBR shelf is loaded up but I'm most excited about House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3) by Sarah J. Maas coming out in two weeks! That's going to be a 800+ page doozy. I'm hoping to be able to take some time and enjoy reading it. There's so much hype around it (and it's already been leaked!) that I'm afraid I'm going to stumble upon a spoiler before I get my copy 😬
What's on your TBR? Any ready goals this year?
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