How is it almost March? February went by in the blink of an eye, but I did manage to read 6 books. Most were great and one was one of the worst books I’ve ever read. Here’s what I read and my thoughts on each.
The first book I finished this month was The After Party by Anton DisClafant. I bought this book back at the beginning of winter and it sat on my shelf for awhile because I was never in the mood for it. After seeing it as the book of the week on The Skimm’s newsletter, I picked it up and started reading it. They said it was like a 1950’s version of Serena van der Woodsden and Georgina Sparks and I can see the reference after reading it. It’s about these two best friends who have grown up with each other. The book takes place in the 1950’s in Texas so there’s a huge Southern feel to it, which I loved! There’s was something missing, but I can’t put my finger on it. I liked the story, but I could put it down and not rush to pick it back up. I would still definitely recommend it though!
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 STARS
Next up I read The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson. I first discovered this book several months before it was released. After reading the synopsis, I immediately added it to my TBR list on GoodReads and purchased it the day it came out. This book is about a group of high school juniors and it follows several different characters throughout the year. This particular group of characters were all involved in the suicide of a fellow classmate when they were all in the 8th grade. It was compared to Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, which is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time. I really liked this one! I wish it had included an epilogue and I would have liked to have see a bit more character growth and the book did have a depressing tone to it, but overall I really enjoyed it and could not put it down!
Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS
And then I read this thing. The Young Wives Club by Juile Pennell. I hated this book. I’m truly sorry if you’ve read this and loved it, but never has a book angered me like this one. I was eagerly awaiting this book after first learning about it on Netgalley. The cover is just gorgeous and I love a good wedding story. When I read that the book was about 4 young wives, I had in my head that they would be in their mid twenties. I had a REAL problem with the age of most of the main characters. One of the girls has just graduated high school, one is in college, one’s age isn’t mentioned but she is the oldest of the group, and one SHOULD BE a high school senior.
Now, I realize that people get married very young. Many of my friends got married in their early twenties. I just could not get past the fact that one of the girls DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL to marry her boyfriend just because he was going away to LSU to play football. Did she really think she didn’t need to get a high school education?! Did she really just aspire to follow her husband around the rest of her life and not have any interests/passions of her own?? I despised this character. She acted like her entire world revolved around her boyfriend and then husband. In fact, all the girls did this. I liked Gabby the best, but she was nothing to write home about. Every one of the girls seemed immature and self reliant on the man. I only gave it a second star because the characters realized their mistakes at the end. I just hated this book. I even threw it away instead of passing it along to my friends because I don’t want anyone to read this book. I know the book teaches you not to do the very thing that made me hate this book so much, but I could not get past the annoying main characters. It was just awful!
Rating 2 out of 5 STARS (character growth is the ONLY reason why this isn’t a one star book. If I was basing the rating off of enjoyment, it would have been a 0!)
Thankfully I picked up My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella after having an absolutely awful reading experience with the previous book. This book showcases a fabulous female protagonist that does not revolve her entire life around a man. Katie Brenner was a great character to read about. She was funny, relatable, and smart! I really enjoyed Kinsella’s newest book. It did get kind of slow in the middle and I started having doubts about liking it, but then it picked up and I couldn’t put it down. I do wish it had a little more romance in it, but I loved everything else about it!
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 STARS
I also read Lauren Layne’s newest release this month. Love Story is the third book in her Love Unexpectedly series. Each book is a complete stand alone. I’ve read the second but not the first. There are no crossover characters in any of the books. They just all have a certain theme. I LOVED this one! It was about a girl and guy who use to be childhood best friends. They realized they loved each other when they were around 17 and 18 years old, but something happened and they haven’t talked to each other since. A road trip brings them together and forces them to talk. I just love a hate to love story line and when you combine it was a road trip story? It’s reading gold! Loved this one!
Rating: 5 out of 5 STARS
Okay, the last book I read this month was Royally Matched by Emma Chase. I’m not including a pic because I HATE the cover. I love a good romance book, but the cover is just SO cheesy!
Emma Chase is one of my favorite romance authors. I LOVED her Legal Briefs series and when I found out she was writing a new series about royalty, I was so excited. Sign me up for anything to do with royalty. I read the first book when it came out in October and wasn’t all that impressed. In fact, I started not to even pick up the second one, but I decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad I did! I LOVED this story! So, so good! 🙂
Rating: 5 out of 5 STARS
What did you read this month? Have you read any of these books? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Follow my Bookstagram account, too!
