January 2020 Wrap Up

Happy Wednesday, book nerds!

So I have to share this silly story with y’all, that I hope you find as entertaining as I did:

I haven’t been feeling well for the past couple of days, but it was especially bad on Super Bowl Sunday. I was bummed because I was missing out on a party, and felt sad about being stuck in bed. In efforts to comfort me before he left, my hubby made sure I had everything I needed (i.e. water, the remotes, my weighted blanket, etc.).

On his way out while assuring me not to fret about the party he says: “Just stay in bed and watch your silly BDSM videos.” 😲😮 Shocked I said: “Excuse me?? My what??” And he goes: “You know those videos you like. With the sounds and stuff.” I just stared at him confused until he said: “You know the ones you watch to fall asleep.” I bust out laughing and said: “You mean ASMR videos????” And he laughed and was like: “Yeah, those.” 🙄

So see, acronyms matter people! lol. Whether you enjoy one, both, or none of those types of videos, I hope this story made you laugh! Now onto the wrap up!

January Reads (Listed In Order Of Completion Date):

1) How To Speak Boy by Tiana Smith – 3.5 Stars

This YA romance centered around feuding speech team co-captains was my first read of 2020. With heavy You’ve Got Mail vibes, a charming male lead, and an easy writing style, this contemporary was the light and entertaining read I needed to start the year off right! Check out my full review here!

2) A Curse So Dark And Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer – 4 Stars

I adore Beauty and the Beast retellings, and I’ve enjoyed multiple titles from Kemmerer’s backlist, and yet it took till the week of her A Heart So Fierce And Broken tour stop for me to finally read this dang book. And I’m glad I did because I was greeted with a solid female lead, much needed CP rep, and a new book beau. Unfortunately that book beau is the “wrong” choice, but I don’t care what the haters say I’m #TeamGrey all the way!

3) The Guy On The Right by Kate Stewart – 3.75 Stars 

I read this book because it’s been HYPED in the booktube community, and while it wasn’t a perfect read, I’m still happy I gave it a chance. Not only is it set in Texas (state pride, y’all!), but it also features two leads that have some of the best chemistry I’ve found in recent memory. Their friendship was believable and Stewart made sure you cared about each phase of their evolving relationship. Due to a few slurs/problematic references and pacing issues I couldn’t give this a higher rating, but I do believe it’s a solid and super steamy read.

4) Credence by Penelope Douglas – I honestly still don’t know Stars

Speaking of steamy 😳…Yeah…let’s just get this out of the way: this contemporary will NOT be for everyone. And despite adoring Douglas’ work for years, I honestly can’t recommend this one without knowing more about your specific reading tastes. Because Credence went for it. Douglas basically said: “Give me your taboo tropes” and told them to hold her beer. I will say it was entertaining to read this with like 50 people that also read it the day it dropped!

5) Tweet Cute by Emma Lord – 3.5 Stars 

I was fortunate enough to be a part of the blog tour for this adorable debut so my full review can be read here! Similar to How To Speak Boy, this YA contemporary centered around a pair of feuding MCs that don’t know they’re falling in love with one another via pen-palish correspondence with a “stranger.” This one was less realistic that HTSB, but it served up some solid banter and a more likeable female lead. I have high hopes for future books from Ms. Lord.

6) This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada – 5 Stars – Reread

In honor of the third and final installment of one of my all-time favorite sci-fi series hitting shelves, I decided to reread the book that started it all. Even though I knew what was going to happen along the way, I was still blown away by the convincing world building, plot twists, and imagination Suvada puts on display in TMC. If you haven’t read this series yet, I implore you to pick it up today. And if you don’t like it, I’ll send several compliments your way to make it worth your time and “sacrifice.” 😂

At A Glance:

Books Read: 6

Pages Read: 2,382

Avg. Star Rating: 3.95

GR Goal: 6/52

Fun fact: This was my MOST SUCCESSFUL month (in terms of stats) in my blog’s history! Thank you guys so much for sticking with me during the slumps!

Beyond Books:

4 Top Ten Tuesday Posts: Most Anticipated Reads for the 1st Half of 2020, Teal Reads, Recent Additions to my TBR Shelf, and Blue Reads

3 ARC Reviews: Jane Anonymous, How To Speak Boy, and Tweet Cute Blog Tour

2 First Lines Friday Posts: FLF #14 and FLF #15

2 Wrap Up Posts: 2019 Wrap Up and A-To-Z Challenge

1 New Challenge Post: #20in20

and

1 Vacation Post: NYC Day #2

Top 5 Insta Posts:

In an effort to keep myself motivated on my bookstagram account, I thought I’d add a segment to my monthly wrap ups that shows my TOP 5 photos of the month. Let me know if you like this idea below!

Well that’s pretty much it for the month of January! It wasn’t my most successful reading month, but y’all still gave me the love on my blog, and that means more than I can adequately say! Here’s hoping February is treating y’all right!

AND, AS ALWAYS: HAPPY READING!

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