Hello Readers! It took me a little longer to get back into the “normal” swing of things after the holidays. I started the month in a bit of a reading slump, but thanks to my January ARCs demanding my attention, I pushed through it, traveling to all kinds of different destinations. And despite the fact that I only read six books, I enjoyed them all. However, I still haven’t found my first five-star read of 2021. Maybe in February!

I was in such a slump, I completely forgot to create a January TBR post. But I ended up reading 6 out of the 7 books I had planned, which means I read 2,148 pages. They were all ARCs except for one—a Christmas book I finished up at the beginning of the month. I definitely exceeded my ARC request limit for the month. Oops.

Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

January Wrap-Up

I started the month off in Scotland finishing up one of my holiday reads, Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm. The bulk of this novel is actually set in the fall and would be a great one to read leading UP to the holidays.


My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

Next, I picked up The Perfect Guests, a mystery set in an English manor during two different time periods. Unfortunately, I enjoyed the first half of this novel more than the second half.

My Rating [usr 3.25]
My Review

I continued my travels to 1970s Bangkok in What Could Be Saved, a well-written historical fiction novel about reunited siblings.

My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

In Happy Singles Day I followed Paige Parker on a much-needed vacation to a bed-and-breakfast on an island off the coast of North Carolina. But her dream vacation dissolves upon arrival when she discovers the inn—and its grumpy owner—could use a little TLC.

My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

I started Big Girl, Small Town in December, but I set it aside so I could get to all my holiday reads. It was easy to slip back into this odd-in-the-best-way kind of book set in Ireland. Majella was an unforgettable character!

My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

I finished up the month on a road trip with Hadley & Grace. This well-written adventure had great characters, a tight plot, and lots of heart. I highly recommend it!

My Rating [usr 4.25]
My Review

January Book Haul

I added a few ARCs to my TBR, as well as a couple of physical books to my shelves thanks to paperbackswap.com and the Sourcebooks Early Reads program.

My ARCs

I was invited to read Melanie Chartoff’s memoir, and after reading a few glowing early reviews, I accepted. It will be published on February 2nd, however, I probably won’t get to it until March since I have several ARCs to already read in February.

Synopsis:

From her 1950s childhood in a suburb she describes as an “abusement park,” to performing Molière on Broadway, to voicing characters on the popular “Rugrats” cartoon series, Melanie Chartoff was anxious “out of character,” preferring any imaginary world to her real one. Obsessed with exploring her talent and mastering craft, fame came as a destabilizing byproduct. Suppressing a spiritual breakdown while co-starring on a late-night comedy show, Chartoff grew more estranged from whoever she was meant to be. But given a private audience with a guru, she finally heard her inner voice, played by ’70s soul singer Barry White, crooning, “Get out, baby!” All the while, she’s courted by men with homing pigeons and Priuses, idealized by guys who want the girl du jour from TV to be their baby rearer or kidney donor.

Go backstage on Broadway, behind the scenes on network television, and inside the complicated psyche of a talented performer struggling to play the role of a complete human. Odd Woman Out intimately exposes the nature of identity in the life of a performing artist, snapshotting the hopeful search for a self Chartoff could love, and someone else’s self to love, too. 

Goodreads
2/2/21

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I read an excerpt of this one on BookishFirst and fell in love with it! I used my points to snag an early copy. Yay!

Synopsis:

An Uplifting and Unforgettable Story of Love and Second Chances. A sparkling and tender novel full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love.

Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . .

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can’t work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . . 

Goodreads
2/23/21

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I was thrilled (and surprised) to get approved for the ARC of Christina Lauren’s next novel!

Synopsis:

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents—who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno—Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: this Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Pena. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated. 

Goodreads
5/18/21

My Paperbackswap books

• My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
• Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

My Sourcebook Early Reads

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I received two more children’s books through the Sourcebooks Early Reads program. Both of these are super cute, colorful, and educational!

• Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes
• My First 100 Construction Words by Chris Ferrie

Free Digital Book

I also picked up a free copy of Welcome to Coco Bay, a romance set in Australia about a tourism director with secrets! This one published in November of last year and has some great reviews!

Amazon First Reads

I chose The Ardent Swarm as my Amazon First Reads in January. It’s a modern-day parable about a bee whisperer in Africa. This is one I can see fulfilling a very specific book challenge prompt someday in the future. 🙂

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How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!