In the latter half of this year, reading only two books a month has been my only trick and it has not proved very useful for the reading goal I picked for this year, which I set at 40 books and missed by four. Though I’m a little annoyed by how close I was, I read more than I did last year, which was the goal, so I’m content with a humble 36.
Next year, I’ll probably up my goal significantly, primarily because I have quite a few books that I want to get through and I need to force myself to do it. The longer I leave some of them, I worry that I’ll become less interested in reading them. I also want to read more to make room for more stories, of course. Plus, if I have a hard goal, setting a reading routine will be a great way to create more structure in my day and ensure that I hit my goal in 2023.
Anyway, this is reading a wrap-up, not a 2023 reading goals list, so I’ll get into talking about the books I read this month and save that for another post.
Crush by Tracy Wolff
Synopsis: This is the second book in the Crave series. Grace is back at Katmere Academy, but nothing feels quite right. She has gaps in her memory she cannot explain, and everyone is concerned about what happened to her and what it means for everyone else. Plus, the notorious Hudson is back, seeking to drive a wedge between Grace and her boyfriend Jaxon, posing a threat to the world while insisting she is missing crucial information. While Grace tries to keep the peace between the two brothers, The Circle and the Vampire Court are determined to make sense of who and what Grace really is and control her. To stay true to herself and keep everyone safe, Grace may have to make a sacrifice.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Recommended for: YA, Fantasy, Boarding School, Romance, Shifters.
If you’ve read my post ranking some of the most popular romance tropes, you’ll know how I feel about mates and soulmates, something that—thanks to the presence of supernatural beings and shifters—is extremely prominent in this book. Grace, the main character in the series, discovered that she is a ‘human’ mated to a vampire, Jaxon, in the first book, which was barely acceptable to me, but the trope was pushed to its very limits in this book, which made it hard to read at this point. Without delving into the realm of spoilers, I can’t say much more.
Despite this, I can’t say that this book isn’t a fun, interesting read outside of the things that did not suit my personal taste. I am a sucker for a villain redemption arc, even more so when it includes romance, so I was happy with the introduction of Hudson, it just would have been better if the presence of mates had been excluded. Strangely enough, the storytelling had been done well by Tracy Wolff to make it feel like an organic, slow-burn kind of hate-to-love situation, until it was not, which was somewhat disappointing for me. I understand that it added drama and a twist to be explored in the next instalment, but it felt unnecessary.
Having said all of this, I will probably persuade myself to read the next book in the series, just to satisfy my curiosity as to where it will go next. Will Grace get another mate? Will anyone learn to trust Hudson? Will Jaxon get over himself? I’ll probably find out.
The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown
Synopsis: Sydney’s dad is the only psychiatrist for miles around their small Ohio town. He is also unexpectedly dead. Is Sydney crazy, or is it kind of weird that her dad-a guy whose entire job revolved around other peoples’ secrets-crashed alone, with no explanation? And why is June Copeland, homecoming queen and the town’s golden child, at his funeral? As the two girls grow closer in the wake of the accident, it’s clear that not everyone is happy about their new friendship. But what is picture-perfect June still hiding? And does Sydney even want to know?
Rating: 4/5 stars
Recommended for: YA, Mystery, LGBT
I really, really enjoyed this book. I love a mystery, and I love a story with a lot of emotional depth where the characters have a certain level of awareness, especially in young adult fiction. Savannah Brown’s writing was beautiful, with her poetic mind creeping through, and I’m really glad she took Sydney’s grief to the places she did, as coping with something like your father’s passing from an accident is not something everyone experiences, but we all deal with traumatic events in different ways, a lot of them unhealthy. Watching Sydney learn how to cope with what she was experiencing in a better way was hard, but absolutely worth it.
Now, I should talk about the main conflict: Sydney and June and their somewhat toxic relationship born of their shared grief. The simplicity of their support of each other, and the way they came to depend on each other was so believably written. Even Sydney’s gradual realisation and subsequent dismissal of how easily she trusted June despite not knowing her secrets was perfect. When you’re that into someone, nothing matters, even if being ignorant hurts you.
The Truth About Keeping Secrets was great, and I might have given it five stars if the climax had unfolded a little bit differently, but that’s not to say that I did not still love it. I wished I had picked it up sooner, but I’m glad I finally got around to it since I’ve had it since 2019.
Those books created a great end to another year of reading, and I can’t wait to start reading all the old books I’ve been wanting to read and all the new books I’m excited about next year. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great New Year!
Read 'N Riot 