Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2021

Happy New Year! I hope everyone’s start to 2021 has been going well. My reading has gotten off to a slower start than anticipated but I’m trying a new thing this year where I don’t stress as much about meeting my reading goals…we’ll see how that goes! 😅

THE WIFE UPSTAIRS: This was a clever, exciting retelling of Jane Eyre set in the modern world. There was a lot of tension and an overwhelming sense of urgency while reading that made the book quite thrilling. With this book being a retelling of a classic novel, it’s obvious there is going to be some degree of predictability within the plot, however, I thought the twists were too easy to predict and the book started to loose some of it’s steam towards the end. ARC provided by St. Martin’s through NetGalley. ★★★½

DOWN COMES THE NIGHT: My first disappointment of the year is unfortunately one of the books I had most been looking forward to reading. This sounded promising with a synopsis indicating a darkly gothic story and an atmospheric fantasy, however, many of these elements I had been hoping for were sadly missing. Between the writing, which I found lacking, and my dislike of the main character, the story failed to captivate me. The book’s only saving grace was the really sweet and well-written romance. ARC provided by Wednesday Books through NetGalley. ★★★ [review]

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE: Addie was a mesmerizing, visceral, and heartbreaking: truly deserving of all of the high praise it has received. There was a sense of yearning and urgency within the pages that made the book unputdownable. The atmospheric settings had me feeling nostalgic for times and places I have never been, which is another testament to V.E. Schwab’s capabilities as a writer. The ending was equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. ★★★★½ [review]

MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU: The premise of this book is what really drew me to the story. Who doesn’t want to move to a quaint town on the coast of England, run a small bookstore and fall in love with a sweet, handsome Englishman? The story itself was pretty good, although I found parts of the writing lacking and dull. However, the tension between Evie and Roane was so incredible the chemistry was oozing off the pages, and for that fact alone I gave it an extra star! ARC provided by Berkley through NetGalley. ★★★ [review]