What I Read: January 2021

It’s time for another reading round-up! This month I predictably read a lot of romances, but also a total curveball suspense novel.

As always, I’d love to hear from you: What books have you read recently that you loved? Anything you’re super excited about reading soon (I’m currently reading The Midnight Library and GAH I can’t wait to share about it next month, it’s excellent).

What I Read This Month:

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

Synopsis from Bookshop: Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. The last thing Solène expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon, Hayes Campbell. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.

What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship. When Solène and Hayes’ romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her romantic life has impacted the lives of those she cares about most.

My thoughts: Yes, I started 2021 rereading The Idea of You. I considered it my treat for hitting my reading goal for 2020! You’ve already heard me talk about this book lots (read my initial review here!) and I was worried I wouldn’t like this book the second time around. Maybe I had just loved it back in March because life felt so weird and I was grasping for anything.

At the beginning of the book the main character, Solene, was a bit snootier than I remembered her. But once the story got going WOW did I fall in love all over again. There were so many subtle things I missed the first time and I found myself writing down quotes from the book like I total nerd. I know it’s a steamy romance, but it’s also just a brilliant book about being a woman, getting older, art, and love.

I stand by my love for this book.

My Rating: 5/5

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Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Synopsis from Bookshop: Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming — mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and a constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life — on an anonymous chat app Jack built. As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

My thoughts: A social media-centered, YA, romcom? Count me in! This book is super cute, although at times a bit cheesy (I guess pun kind of intended as the whole book centers around grilled cheese.) Reading YA always brings me back to that feeling of being in high school when every decision feels so heightened.

I really loved all of Jack and Pepper’s quirks and getting to read from each of their perspectives.

It did drag on a bit for me, though, and the “will they won’t they” bit of the book went on for a while. Still, a fun read if you’re a fan of YA. I’m also excited to read Emma Lord’s new book which has very Parent Trap vibes 😍

My rating: 3.5/5 Stars

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Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Synopsis from Bookshop: Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older couple–it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area–with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service–it’s hard to know what to believe.

Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple–and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one other?

My thoughts: Oh boy, this book.

I read this book as part of a book club I’m in with work. While it was VERY interesting to discuss, I still don’t know if I liked it. It scared the crap out of me for starters. Especially towards the end. But take that with a grain of salt — I’m a weenie when it comes to freaky things.

My main issue with this book is that I feel like it was sold to me as this big, eye-opening, page-turning, book that brings up a larger discussion on race and class. Maybe I totally miss it, but to me, it did none of the above. It set up a very bizarre, apocalypse-type scenario but didn’t do much more than that. It just fell… flat. Not the book for me, but might be more your jam! I am a bit intrigued by how the hell they’re going to turn it into a movie for Netflix when it’s so cerebral.

My rating: 3/5 Stars

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The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

Comes out March 16, 2021

Synopsis from Bookshop: Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can’t give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiancé.

Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend’s little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy’s matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather’s will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago…

Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren’t about to follow the rules of this engagement.

My thoughts: I absolutely loved this book. While it was definitely a (shockingly) steamy romance, it also was so much more. While this book is overall light and fun, it goes deep on challenging family dynamics and abusive family relationships. There’s also an underlying theme on owning who you are, all your quirks, your oddities, and the thing that make you YOU. I’m always a fan of a romance where the female lead isn’t pathetic but strong on her own too.

I was instantly rooting for Daisy and Liam both as a couple but also individually despite their flaws. Daisy’s family is a riot and I loved learning more about a culture I’m not as familiar with.

All in all, the epitome of a delightful romance book. I highly recommend it for fellow fans of Christina Lauren and Jasmine Guillory books.

My rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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