My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Like I mentioned before, I'm trying hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year, and that means more Christmas-y reads. This book has been sitting on my shelf for a hot minute, and I finally prioritized it for this holiday season. My True Love Gave to Me is a collection of twelve holiday themed short stories, written by some of the most popular YA authors and edited by Stephanie Perkins.

The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous, as are the title page drawings to go along with every short story. It's a quick read, and perfect for the busy holiday season, since you can read one story at a time and put it down and come back to it easily. All the stories were very clearly written in the style of each author, and I think it would have been easy to tell whose was whose for the most part, even without being told. I liked that overall, these stories weren't stereotypical Christmas love stories, and they encompassed a diverse cast of main characters.

Unfortunately, despite all this, I just didn't love it. While I did adore a few of the stories (specifically the ones by Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman, Stephanie Perkins, and Matt de la Peña), the rest left me disappointed. To only really enjoy four out of twelve stories is a let down, and the waste of a book sadly. I also thought that all the better stories were put towards the beginning, so working your way through the rest of the book and the not as good stories was difficult. 

That being said, I still want to give its companion, Summer Days and Summer Nights, a shot, since the authors are different (except for Stephanie Perkins, whose story in this one is supposed to be a continuation of the one I loved in My True Love Gave to Me...eeep!). Maybe those stories will grab me more than most of these did!

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

I've been so into thrillers lately that I had to snag this as my December Book of the Month pick. Just the title and cover alone made this book have the creep factor that I'm always looking for. The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor follows Eddie and his friends, both in 1986 and in 2016. As children, the group of friends witnesses a gruesome act that could only be pinned on "The Chalk Man." Now, years later, the group gets a mysterious message, a note and a piece of chalk each, and one of them turns up dead. Is The Chalk Man back and trying to tell them something? Are they in danger? Or were they wrong about everything all along? Now they must figure it out, or another one of them could end up dead.

This book is told in a format alternating from present day to flashbacks by the main character Eddie. One interesting thing about this book is that you think all along that who the murderer is is obvious, until the end that is. The flashbacks were easy to understand, and I liked all the characters, but I still unfortunately had some issues with this book.

First, it really wasn't that THRILLING for a thriller. Normally I can't put these types of books down, but this one just didn't grab me like that. Also, there is an unnecessary dog death in this story, and things like this always turn me off of a book, no matter how good it may be. It was also confusing when it came to who is related to who and why people are suddenly reappearing in Eddie's life. Who the murderer was was not as exciting as I had hoped, although the last few pages blew me away!

I feel bad for not loving this book, really I do, especially since others on Goodreads are just raving about it. But when it comes down to it I think there are much better thrillers out there. Luckily it wasn't too long, so even though I wasn't obsessed with the story I was able to get through it fairly quickly. I think this might be a good read for someone just getting into thrillers who isn't sure about the genre yet, as it is definitely on the milder side in my opinion. You win some, you lose some I guess, so hopefully my next read will hit it out of the park!

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day by Tracy Bloom

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

It's no secret to those that know me well that I'm not a huge fan of Christmas, and I never have been. This year, however, that sentiment has shifted. Maybe it's because I just got married, or maybe I've finally grown out of my grinchly ways. Regardless, this Christmas I'm actually excited about Christmas, not just the overall season. I wanted to make sure there were a few Christmas reads on my TBR this year, to fully make the most of my newfound holly jolly-ness.

No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day is written Love Actually style, honing in on a few families and groups of friends that share connections with one another in some way, shape, or form. Main characters include married couples Katy and Ben, and Allison and Matthew, along with a wide variety of friends and family. I didn't realize until halfway through this book that it is actually part of a series, but that's a good sign because that means it functions great as a stand-alone as well.

Katy and Ben are all settled in for their perfect Christmas when things start to go awry. First Katy's mom demands to attend, then Katy's work life gets turned upside down by an unexpected job offer. Allison and Matthew are expecting their fourth baby, but their well-balanced life could get thrown off by a romance gone wrong. Similarly to Love Actually, the characters all end up together at an office Christmas party, then again at a school Nativity event. At the end of the day, despite all the chaos surrounding them, the group comes to realize that all you need is love.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a huge fan of Love Actually so when I heard this book described that way I knew I would like it. That being said, it was almost TOO similar, even referencing the movie once or twice in the story itself, so that's where I'm knocking off a star. I would have liked to have seen more unique ideas, but overall this was a fun and fast Christmas read that really puts you in the spirit of the season. The characters were great, and the message was heart-warming and relevant, and I'm so glad I gave this book a chance!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks to Netgalley for digital access to this fun seasonal read!

Christmas/Holiday TBR

I can't believe we're already into December and so close to the end of another year! I love this time of year, because it's so cozy and I feel like the rush of regular daily tasks slows down a bit. It's the perfect time of year to curl up in front of a roaring fire and tackle some good reads. I've complied my TBR for the holiday season and wanted to share it with you guys. While there aren't a ton of Christmas-themed books on here, they're all books I'm very excited about.

• My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, edited by Stephanie Perkins: YES I KNOW this book came out forever ago and I still haven't gotten around to it. This time I will, I promise!

• No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day by Tracy Bloom: This was described as similar to Love Actually, so as a huge fan of that movie I'm going to give it a go!

• The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor: This was my Book of the Month pick for December. I'm loving the thriller genre right now so I had to jump right into this one.

• Artemis by Andy Weir: This was last month's BOTM pick but I haven't gotten around to it yet. If it's anything like The Martian I'm going to love it.

• A Simplified Life by Emily Ley: As a planner girl, I love anything by Emily Ley. Going into the new year with a more simplified vision might be just what I need!

I'm sure I'll end up reading more than just these, but this is my starting point. I've already started two of these so I'm not worried about completing this list. What is on your TBR list for the holiday season? 

Being Honest With Myself

There comes a time when for most people, your reading style and preferences change. You start to like what you previously enjoyed less and less, and find yourself gravitating towards reads you might have never given a second glance to before. You find former favorite genres frustrating, and gain new appreciation for ones you previously thought boring. For me that time is now.

After DNF-ing my 5th or 6th high fantasy YA this year (An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson), I'm slowly being more honest with myself that this genre is just not for me anymore. I don't get the enjoyment I once did from discovering completely new worlds. Instead, I now find this difficult to follow and too time consuming to grasp, often leading me to misunderstand the plot simply because there is too much other information I need to comprehend.  While this will sadly leave many books and series on my shelves unfinished, I'm learning that I would much rather spend my time reading things I enjoy vs trying to fight through books I really don't want to be reading. In the long run, this will benefit me more and make me a happier reader.

Will I come back to high fantasy in the future? Maybe, who knows. Maybe I'll reach a point in my life where that elaborate escape is necessary and I take comfort in new worlds and ideas. But for now, it's not needed. In its place, I'm really loving adult mysteries and thrillers. I still have my love for YA contemporaries and literary fiction. Even low fantasy will continue to be a regular read for me. I just need to stay away from the high fantasy hype for a while, and if this genre and I are meant to be, it will find me again some day.

What is a genre you have grown away from? What has replaced it for you?

The Garden of Dead Thoughts by Natasha A. Salnikova

Cover Art Courtesy of the Author

When Natasha reached out to me and asked if I would read her latest work, I jumped at the chance after seeing the plot of this novel. The Garden of Dead Thoughts follows manipulative Margo, a beautiful woman set on living a luxurious and wealthy life, who will stop at nothing to achieve it. Even if that something is murder.

Jilted in the will of her first lover, Margo vows to be more cautious and calculating with her next, using her beauty as a trap to lure in the perfect man. As she schemes and calculates, settling on her next husband/victim Michael, she starts to learn that people are not always as easy to manipulate as they seem, and that she's not the only one hiding ulterior motives. Soon, Margo finds herself in a game of cat and mouse where it appears that only one individual can come out on top. But can combining their unusual skills and forming an alliance help both parties achieve what they set out to accomplish? 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was written in 3 points of view: Margo, Michael, and a third POV that combines both of them. There is a lot of deception, and there are a lot of murders. I loved Margo's character and thought she was developed fantastically. And the plot twist is something like I've never seen! It came totally out of left field and I loved not being able to guess the ending for once. This was a fast read that I devoured in just a few hours. My biggest complaint is that I feel like it was edited carelessly, as I found more errors than I like to see in a finished book.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks Natasha for honoring me with the chance to read your work!

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

I read We Were Liars about two years ago, and at the time I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. I do remember really loving how it was written and loving the plot twist, but being insanely confused along the way. When Genuine Fraud came out, I knew I wanted to pick it up to get more of that twisted, mind-bending writing that E. Lockhart has become known for. Luckily for me, this was one of the books that Barnes and Noble had signed copies of for Black Friday, so I added this to my haul without hesitation.

Genuine Fraud is about a girl named Jule who becomes borderline obsessed with her friend Imogen. The story is written backwards, so you actually start with the end and end with the beginning, with the exception of one final chapter. As you read, you start to piece together things that were difficult to understand at the beginning. Nothing in this story is really definitive. What you think you know, you don't, and one sentence here or there can send everything you thought you knew spiraling out of control. 

Who is Jule? What is her background? Is she a spy? And what's her deal with Imogen? Is someone chasing her? All these are questions you will ask yourself throughout the book, and you'll only get answers if you read very closely. Although this is a very quick and short read, you really have to pay attention or you can miss details that will put everything in perspective for you.

It's honestly hard to do a review on this book without giving anything away. I did really enjoy it. I loved Jule's character, and all the thrilling drama and mystery in the plot. It was a little difficult to grasp the concept that everything was happening in reverse, but I adjusted to that pretty quickly. There were a few minor characters that I didn't like, such as Brooke and Forrest, but I can see why they were necessary to the building of the plot.

If you like twists, constantly asking questions, and trying to guess for yourself what is happening, then this book is definitely for you. There are lies, chases, and secrets. Murder and manipulation. It is not a book for people who want the whole story handed to them without having to do any thinking of their own. After really enjoying this book, I think I'm going to have to reread We Were Liars just to stay in the mystery mindset.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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