After my last few reads, I was ready for a palate cleanser. I kept seeing The Bodyguard, by Katherine Center all over BookTok so I decided it was time to dive in. I had a full day of house cleaning post Christmas festivities, so I listened to this one on Audible. Hannah is a bodyguard and recently hired to protect superstar Jack Stapleton from his stalker while he visits his family on their ranch. Jack doesn't want his family to know he's in danger, so he pretends Hannah is his girlfriend. Like any predictable Hallmark movie, boy and girl fall for each other, but things get really complicated. I have to admit that I didn't get the ... Read More
The One, by John Marrs
Alright, so I guess I've completely abandoned by holiday book tour. That was fun while it lasted, but let me just tell you that The One, by John Marrs is JUST as much fun. A simple DNA test to match you with your perfect partner for whom you are genetically made for. Would you take it?! This sci-fi romantic thriller explores this concept and let me just tell you now - it's executed perfectly! If you're not a fan of sci-fi, please don't let the categorization deter you from reading this book. This is such a clever concept and told so well through five different POVs. The chapters are relatively short and make for such a quick ... Read More
The Change, by Kirsten Miller
So many people have been urging me to read The Change, by Kirsten Miller. Since I'm finally enjoying the holiday break, I decided it was time to dive into this 500+ page book and give her a go. So glad I did. Three menopausal women band together to get revenge on the men responsible for killing teenage girls in their community. Each possess supernatural powers and while I know that sounds a little hokey, trust me when I say it absolutely works in this story. I truly wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did. I expected I would get a little bored and it would drag with it being as long as it is, but I didn't feel that way at ... Read More
We All Want Impossible Things, by Catherine Newman
Taking a detour from my holiday book tour and picked up We All Want Impossible Things, by Catherine Newman. Oh, I'm SO glad I did...even though I still have tears in my eyes. Ash and Edi are best friends and have been almost all of their lives. Edi is a married mom of 7-year-old Dash living in New York. When she's diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, Edi decides to move to a hospice in Massachusetts (close to Ash) to shield her son from the harsh realities of her disease. Ash becomes Edi's primary caretaker and spends her days taking care of her friend and reminiscing on life. One is trying to hold on while the other is learning ... Read More
Lovelight Farms, by B.K. Borison
Continuing on with my holiday reading journey, I picked up Lovelight Farms, by B.K. Borison. Truth - I knew nothing about the story going into this one, but loved the cover so had to give it a shot. Stella has always dreamt of owning a tree farm, so when she has the opportunity to make Lovelight Farms her own, she goes for it...at an extremely heavy price. So much is working against Stella and her farm and her dreams seem as though they're crashing down around her. When Stella learns about an IG influencer sponsored contest with a prize of $100K, she knows she needs to enter - that prize money is sure to save her dreams! Enter her ... Read More
The Afterlife of Holly Chase, by Cynthia Hand
Need a cute book to read this holiday season?! Look no further than The Afterlife of Holly Chase, by Cynthia Hand. An unexpectedly darling YA that definitely checked all the boxes for me! Holly is a terribly entitled teenager who's visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Each urge her to change her ways or she'll be met with an untimely death, but Holly is UNBOTHERED. She keeps the pace with her horrible attitude and dies as foretold, only to wake up working for Project Scrooge as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Right off the bat, you must know that this is a modern day retelling of A Christmas Story (as I'm sure you could infer). ... Read More
A Bookshop Christmas, by Rachel Burton
If you're a fan of a bookish kind of read, A Bookshop Christmas, by Rachel Burton is a cute pick for the holiday season. After Megan loses her husband, she moves from London to NYC and works in her parent's old bookshop. Not ready to move on from the loss, the grieving widow keeps to herself and her close circle of family and friends. When she unexpectedly runs into Xander Stone (a prize winning author), she realizes she might be ready to take a new step forward. I really wanted a holiday romance when I picked this one up. What I got was a lot different than what I expected. The romance was definitely there, but the Christmas was ... Read More
Single & Ready to Jingle, by Piper Rayne
In theory, Single & Ready to Jingle by Piper Rayne should be the cutest little holiday read ever to hit the shelves, but this one didn't check all the boxes for me. A fun & festive read, but after the last two I felt like this one paled in comparison. Kenzie loves Christmas. Andrew is the Grinch. The two go out on a blind date and their meet cute is anything but charming. They leave the date on a sour note, but Kenzie isn't finished with Andrew just yet...and if she has anything to do with it, Andrew will be in the holiday spirit in no time. So let me just start by saying that I think I would've enjoyed this one more if I ... Read More
A Cross-Country Christmas, by Courtney Walsh
If you need a lighthearted, feel good read to get you into the holiday spirit, let A Cross Country Christmas, by Courtney Walsh be the one. Lauren doesn't love Christmas and rarely, if ever, makes it back home to the Midwest to celebrate the holidays with her family. She prefers busying herself with work instead. But things are different this December as her brother & sister-in-law are having their first baby and they really want Lauren home for the occasion. Lauren hates flying, so her brother arranges for her to catch a ride home to Illinois from California with his good friend, Will. A cross-country road trip with her longtime ... Read More
The Plight Before Christmas, by Kate Stewart
I wanted to start off Christmas month with a charming holiday read and just happened to find The Plight Before Christmas, by Kate Stewart while browsing through the Amazon bookshelves. I hadn't heard anything about this book beforehand and can't figure out why everyone isn't talking about it. Hands down one of my favorite reads to date! Whitney isn't having a very happy holiday season. She didn't get the promotion she thought she would, her car breaks down, and now she's stuck back at home for the holidays with her family...and her first love, Eli. The college boyfriend who broke her heart. Eli wants her back, but does Whitney want ... Read More
