Happy December! Thanks to a total of over 12 hours of flight time over Thanksgiving break, I got a good amount of reading done last month, despite my schedule being so busy.
During November, I officially reached my goal of 50 books for the year! Now that 60 is within reach, I definitely want to aim for that milestone for the first time. As for stats, I got through six books, 2,453 pages, and quite a few genres (although romance was definitely the most prominent). So let’s get into it!
*Note: Although a few books I read this month were given to me early through the publisher, all my reviews contain my honest thoughts.
- An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
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Now I know the “marriage of convenience” trope sounds insane, but in this book? It worked so well. Long-time academic rivals Sadie and Jonah both desperately want a new teaching position. When Sadie gets the coveted job, she realizes the position has a partner-hire and hatches a plan to get them both the role; all they have to do is get legally married.
Although this book is a fun romance, there’s also some deeper emotional content that I really loved. I also adored the format of adding footnotes (Get it? Because they’re academics?). While there were one or two aspects that didn’t quite work for me, overall, this was one of the best romances I’ve read this year!
Do I recommend it? Yes! (Almost) the perfect romance
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
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You’ve probably heard about this book. Not only does it have over one million Goodreads ratings, but its adaptation starring Ryan Gosling is also coming next March. So, as a hard-core “read the book before seeing the movie” girl, I knew I had to read it.
Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, the sole survivor on a last-chance mission to save all of humanity on Earth. Except, he doesn’t remember any of that. All he knows is that he just woke up from a long sleep in a spaceship.
I’m not going to lie, sometimes this book really did feel like I was in science class. And while that was interesting at times, at others it felt like I was reading a textbook, making the reading process a lot slower. I really loved the last 20% or so as it leaned into the more emotional aspect, and I can absolutely see why it’s so popular!
Do I recommend it? Yes. Even though it wasn’t a favorite for me, I think the general reader will really like it - Girls Who Play Dead by Joelle Wellington
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Joelle Wellington is one of my absolute favorite authors, so I couldn’t wait to get to her newest release! Instead of leaning into paranormal or satire horror like her last books, this was more of a typical small-town thriller. But for an author who always wows me when it comes to creative storylines, this book felt really trope-y and expected. It also didn’t help that the main character was just not a good person, one of my least favorite tropes. I’ll definitely read Wellington’s next release, but this one was not for me.
Do I recommend it? No, but read Wellington’s other books because they’re incredible - Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg
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My final book of the semester for my English class!
Confessions of the Fox is a historical fiction novel that reimagines the life of famed thief and jailbreaker Jack Sheppard as if he were transgender. The novel really plays with format as the content you’re reading is actually a (fictional) manuscript that’s being marked up by a professor, which I found enjoyable! I’m not quite sure how I felt about the book as a whole, but it definitely kept me entertained!
Do I recommend it? If the genres seem up your alley, yes, I’d give it a try! - Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
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Ok, yes, I fell into the trap with this one. The HBO Max adaptation premiered on the 27th, and once again, as a book before the movie/show girl, I had to read it. But honestly, I had so much fun with it!
If you’re unfamiliar with the story, the plot follows the secret and complicated situationship between two rival hockey players, Shane and Ilya, over the course of eight years. For such an explicit book, it was a lot softer and sweeter than I had expected, which was really heartwarming. I found myself loving seeing Shane and Ilya’s emotional relationship grow.
Do I recommend it? Yes, but know what you’re getting yourself into and check the tags; this book is definitely NSFW. - It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard
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As someone whose greatest dream is to live in a brownstone in New York, it’s not a surprise I loved this. In this novel, two ex-roommates (and more) inherit the New York brownstone they used to live in and end up living it once again while confronting some unresolved feelings. Similar to An Academic Affair, the plot sounded wild at first, but I found it to be really well executed! While the prose got a little wordy at times, I adored the dialogue and pacing. And come on, the fact that the two main characters were an actress and a chef? Sign me up!
Do I recommend it? Yes! Especially for Autumn.
Overall, I had a pretty good reading month! Funny enough, the books that I was most excited for fell a little flat, while the ones I didn’t know much about really surprised me. If you’re interested in seeing real-time updates, friend me on Goodreads! I’ll be back to share my December reads next year (which is crazy to say, wow!).
What did you read last month?
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