If you saw my October - December Goodreads Reading Challenge round up blog post, you will have assumed, as I did, that I'd finished all my reading for 2020. What I didn't take into consideration was how much I'd read over Christmas. Which is why I'm back with what is definitely the last reading round up for 2020 and what I ultimately read over Christmas.
SHOP THE POST
So here is everything that I read over Christmas/the festive break and up until December 31st this year, in chronological order:
A Virgin River Christmas
Last Christmas Marcie said a final goodbye to her husband, Bobby. This Christmas she's come to Virgin River to find the man who saved his life and gave her three more years with him. Fellow marine Ian dragged Bobby to safety in Fallujah four years ago, then disappeared. Since then, Marcie's letters to Ian have gone unanswered. When Marcie tracks Ian to the tiny mountain town of Virgin River she finds a man haunted by his past and afraid to look to his future. Not easily scared off, Marcie pushes her way into Ian’s reclusive life to see beyond his pain to the man he once was. The man he can be again. It is, after all, a season of miracles and maybe, just maybe, it's time to banish the ghosts and open his heart.
This is the second Virgin River book that I've read. And again, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. You really do find yourself rooting for and caring about the characters in these books. And Marcie and Ian are no different. I liked that this was set mostly in Ian's cabin, with brief trips to and visits from what we know as the rest of Virgin River. Such as Jack's bar and Doc and Mel's practice. That way it felt like a story within a story and one that was quite separate and different to the ones that I'd read/watched before. It wasn't necessarily as festive/Christmassy as you would imagine, given the title. But I am happy that I chose to read it over Christmas.
4.5 out of 5 stars · Buy it now
The Home Edit Life by Clea Shearer & Joanna Teplin
Clea and Joanna, the New York Times bestselling authors and stars of their own Netflix show, are here to remind you that "it's okay to own things" (we all do!) in the quest for pretty and smart spaces. With The Home Edit Life, you'll be corralling phone cords, archiving old photos, packing your suitcase like a pro, and arranging your phone apps by colour in no time.
As a big fan of The Home Edit, both on Instagram and Netflix, I was so excited to read their latest book. So much so, that I read it in one day after making it my mission to read it over Christmas break. When it was clearly Clea or Joanna's words and whenever they injected their personality into the pages, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Some of the photos are beautiful, as you would expect. But many just reminded me of ones that I'd already seen on their Instagram feed. A lot of the content also wasn't for me. In the fact that a lot was for people with children and families who loved sport, etc. I did really enjoy the chapters on travel, technology (cables and chargers, etc.) however. But overall, I just wanted more from this book.
3.5 out of 5 stars · Buy it now
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Malibu: August, 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over-especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva. By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames.
Let me start by saying, I'm a bit of a Taylor Jenkins Reid fangirl. I absolutely adored Evelyn Hugo. Even if I wasn't as taken with Daisy Jones as everyone else. Much like in Reid's previous work, you feel like these are real people and not just characters in a book. It's really well written and the back stories of each of the main characters are expertly crafted. It is quite surfing heavy, if you're not into that. And there are just too many characters to keep track of. The six Rivas are already a lot of characters to truly digest. But when you add on top of that peripheral characters like Vanessa and even more minor characters/celebrities who are scattered throughout, it's all a bit too much. I would still recommend Malibu Rising to fans of Reid and anyone looking for a well written beach-style read, though.
Malibu Rising is out on May 27th 2021.
4 out of 5 stars · Buy it now
Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor
Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat that went terribly wrong. Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two people. But he has never let on what happened to the third suspected victim: Jenna. Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat - the first since his release - and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?
I'm also a big fan of C.L. Taylor. So I was beyond excited to see what she had done next. I particularly enjoyed the use of three narrators, as this gave you insight into the story from three pivotal perspectives. It also had a really interesting plot that didn't feel particularly farfetched, as some other books can in this genre. However, something that did irritate me was the amount of pseudonyms or alias names that were used throughout. I understand that this was part of the plot but five or more characters switching between different names, confused things real quick. The ending also wasn't as strong as it could have been for me. It was a bit of an anticlimactic twist in the end. But it is still one of the better books that I've read in this genre and I can't wait to read what C.L. Taylor does next.
Her Last Holiday is out on April 29th 2021.
4 out of 5 stars · Buy it now
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
It's high time for Stella Lane to settle down and find a husband - or so her mother tells her. This is no easy task for a wealthy, successful woman like Stella, who also happens to have Asperger's. Analyzing data is easy; handling the awkwardness of one-on-one dates is hard. To overcome her lack of dating experience, Stella decides to hire a male escort to teach her how to be a good girlfriend. Faced with mounting bills, Michael decides to use his good looks and charm to make extra cash on the side. He has a very firm no repeat customer policy. But he's tempted to bend that rule when Stella approaches him with an unconventional proposal. The more time they spend together, the harder Michael falls for this disarming woman with a beautiful mind. And Stella discovers that love defies logic.
This was such a refreshing take on a romance novel. Think Pretty Woman but with the roles reversed and a heroine who just happens to have autism. The whole subject matter of autism is handled well. And you immediately feel like you're in Stella's shoes from the outset. As a result, I was completely hooked and could not put this book down. It is really racy. I suppose you should expect some of those scenes given the subject matter and Michael being a male escort. But I was not anticipating the amount of detail that went into each and every one of the sex scenes. I felt a little bit like Rachel from Friends with her 'dirty book', whilst I was reading this. But I really loved the way in which Helen Hoang writes. And I can't wait to read more of The Kiss Quotient series.
4.5 out of 5 stars · Buy it now / Read on Kindle Unlimited
Virgin River: My Kind Of Christmas
Patrick has always been the gentle, sweet-natured of the Riordan brothers. Although, these days his easygoing manner is being tested by his career as a navy pilot. Angie comes to Virgin River to spend Christmas relaxing, away from her well-intentioned but over-bearing mother. Yet instead of freedom, she gets Jack Sheridan! If her uncle had his way, she'd never go out again. And certainly not with rugged, handsome Patrick Riordan. Patrick and Angie thought they wanted to be left alone this Christmas - until they meet each other.
This might just be my favourite Virgin River book so far. And of course I simply had to read it over Christmas. Again, it can be read as a stand alone story. But it's got me itching to read basically all of the series now to find out more about other characters/families. Let's just say, expect to see even more Virgin River books pop up in my Goodreads Reading Challenge round up posts in 2021. Like A Virgin River Christmas, it wasn't particularly Christmas-sy. But I really warmed to both Angie and Patrick. It was also nice to see both characters find their purpose again.
4.5 out of 5 stars · Buy it now
So those are the six books book that I read over Christmas. I'll be back with my 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge and what I read between January and March at the start of April.
FINAL 2020 GOODREADS READING CHALLENGE: 41/28
Did you get a lot of reading done over Christmas break? If so, what did you read? And are you taking part in the 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge?
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