A new month and a new year, but in the month leading up to it, I was on a reading roll. Want to know what books I managed to finish? Just keep reading.
See How They Lie
Sue Wallman
Current Kindle price: £2.25
"Mae believes the reason she's lived all her life in a psychiatric hospital is because her father is a psychiatrist. Everyone says she's lucky to be there. With its high-end facilities and 24-hour surveillance, no one could be safer. But why is she being watched too? And how come she can never leave?"
I'm on the fence with this. The story was interesting but there was far too much build up for a very anti-climatic ending. I felt myself growing frustrated at the characters for going along with such cult like rules. I didn't dislike it as such, it just fell a bit flat for me.
Not That Kind of Girl
Siobhan Vivian
Current Kindle price: £2.99
"Slut or saint? Good friend or bad friend? In control or completely out of it?
She's avoided boys, always topped her class and is poised to become the first female student council president in years.
But being the good girl isn't always easy. Not when Natalie's advice hurts more than it helps. Not when a boy she once dismissed becomes the one she can't stop thinking about. Soon Natalie's learning that the line between good and bad is fuzzier than she thought and crossing it could end in disaster... or be the best choice she's ever made."
Well, this was disappointing. I really liked The List by the same author but I really didn't like this. Mostly unlikable characters and I don't think the author has any idea of what message she wanted to send across with this book. Natalie, the main character, is judgmental and selfish. Anyone with a different opinion to her is wrong and she likes to act like she's a big feminist while basically slut shaming her female classmates. Nope, hard pass on this.
Kiss Me in New York
Catherine Rider
Current Kindle price: £2.67
"Does it really take ten steps to mend a broken heart?
Charlotte is a British student, waiting for a flight home after the worst semester of her life. Anthony is a native New Yorker, surprising his girlfriend at the airport after three months apart. Charlotte has just been dumped, and Anthony is about to be dumped, right in the middle of the holiday crowd.
Charlotte's flight is cancelled when a blizzard blows in, and Anthony can't bear to go home. So, they set out into the city together, clutching a book Charlotte picks up in the airport gift shop: Ten Easy Steps got Getting Over Your Ex. For this one night, they'll focus on healing their broken hearts... together.
Step-by-step, the two struggle to put the past behind them. But soon the city and the snow work some magic. Will their shared misery give way to something else before Charlotte leaves New York forever?"
I couldn't go through the whole of December without reading at least one Chistmas book, could I?! This is set over Christmas Eve and is a really cute read. I really liked both characters, though I liked Anthony's story arc a little more than Charlotte's. A definite recommend.
Stealing Heaven
Elizabeth Scott
Current Kindle price: £2.99
"Dani has been trained as a thief by the best- her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends- a real life.
In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She's making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani- because of who she is. When it turns out her new friend lives in the house they've targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known- or the one she's always wanted."
I quite liked this, I found the relationship between Dani and her mother really interesting. The writing style was flawless and I've added more by Elizabeth Scott to my to read list since I've finished this.
What Happens Next
Colleen Clayton
Current Kindle price: 99p
'How can you talk about something that you can't remember?
Before the ski trip, Cassidy "Sid" Murphy was a cheerleader (on the bottom of the pyramid, but still...) and a straight-A student, with two of the best friends a girl could ask for.
When Sid finds herself on a ski lift with hunky local college guy, Dax Windsor, she's thrilled. '"Come to a party with me," he tells her, but Dax isn't what he seems. He takes everything from Sid- including a lock of her perfect red curls- and she can't remember any of it.
After the ski trip, Sid is an insomniac and an obsessive late-night runner, unable to relate to her old friends.
Caught in a downward spiral, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey "The Living Stoner" Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey- slaker, baker, total dreamboat- Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if only she could shake the nightmares, everything would be perfect..."
I've definitely found an author I love in Colleen Clayton. Nearer to the start of 2018 I read Doll Hearts and really liked that, but this is even better. There were many tears shed as I neared the conclusion of this book. A must read, in my opinion and when Colleen Clayton releases another book, I'll be there with bells on!
Entangled
Cat Clarke
Current Kindle price: £1.99
"Seventeen-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper- and no clue how she got there.
As Grace starts writing, pouring her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget: falling hopelessly in love with Nat, and the unravelling of her friendship with her best mate Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?
Grace must face the most important question of all.
Why is she here?"
Why is she here?"
I really enjoy Cat Clarke as an author even if I'm not exactly the target audience. This isn't one of my favourites by any means but the story was gripping and I could hardly put it down. If I had to recommend just one Cat Clarke book, it would have to be We Are Young. It was my favourite book I read in the whole of 2018 and I can't rave about it enough to do it justice. Just read it!
Copy Cat
Alex Lake
Current Kindle price: 99p
"When an old friend gets in touch, Sarah Havenant discovers that there are two Facebook profiles in her name. One is hers. The other, she has never seen.
But everything in it is accurate. Photos of her friends, her husband, her kids. Photos from the day before. Photos of her new kitchen. Photos taken inside her house.
And this is just the beginning. Because whoever has set up the second profile has been waiting her Sarah to find it. And now that she has, her life will no longer be her own..."
What a great read for 99p! I'd previously read Killing Kate and enjoyed that, so I had high expectations going into this. It didn't disappoint. If you like a good thriller, then this is one to add to your list.
Everything's Not Okay
Laura Tucker
Current Kindle price: 99p or free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers
"Kate is a 17-year-old college drop-out with anger issues and a severe lack of self control. But save your judgements until you've heard her story.
Forced into a one-month stretch at a mental health clinic for adolescents, surrounded by nothing but teen nutcases and her own thoughts, Kate tries to distract herself from feelings of emptiness with the warm bodies of James and Aiden, two people with problems as complex as her own.
As her relationships develop at a pace she can't keep up with, Kate gradually realises she must face up to her mistakes if she's ever going to forgive herself and move on. But is everything screwed up beyond repair?"
This is Laura Tucker's debut novel and I wouldn't have guessed that just by reading it. The writing style flows brilliantly and the story itself kept me gripped from the start. An author to keep an eye on!
Check out previous months of What I've been reading:
What were you reading in December?
Danni
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