november ‘23 book reviews
two months left in 2023 and i’m determined to end with a bang! november is my birthday month & i decided to end my book buying ban & go a little crazy at the bookstores — happy reading!
the assassin’s blade by sarah j maas
rating: 4.5/5
synopsis: this collection of six novellas shares the story of how caelena sardothian became the ruthless and skilled warrior we know her to be. this origin story details one heartbreak after another as caelena channels these experiences into her fighting.
review: please note - i read this book 3rd in the throne of glass series, but it can be read first. because of the order i read in, i loved that i finally got her story with sam. this book made me like caelena a lot more AND get excited to read the next book! what a terrifying and heart wrenching set of stories!!!
before we were strangers by renee carlino
rating: 5/5
synopsis: matt is working at national geographic and hates his life. to be fair, he works with his ex-wife and her new husband, yikes. when he feels like he’s just letting life pass him by, he sees an old flame in the subway station and it’s like time had stopped for a minute. it’s grace. matt and grace met in college at nyu and quickly became best friends. so much so that they both developed feelings - though they were hesitant to admit it then. fifteen years have passed since they’ve spoken and it seems like life has maybe given them another chance.
review: matt and grace’s relationship is sweet and slow building. i loved reading how their friendship grew into something more and the realness that comes with that. the scariness. the need to protect your heart. the free fall when you decide to trust your gut. matt is the ultimate gentleman - you can’t not fall in love with him like grace does. i had guessed what the ending would be but didn’t expect how the situation would turn out (it’s a tear jerker!) i am blown away with how much i loved this story!
bright young women by jessica knoll
rating: 5/5
synopsis: it’s early january in 1978 and the women of chi omega at florida state university are about to have their world turned on its axis when infamous serial killer ted bundy breaks in and brutally murders two women. pamela schumacher, president of the sorority and eye witness, begins a decades long search for justice that connects her with the friend of one of bundy’s victims from washington state. the two form their own sister-like bond as they uncover the truth on one of america’s most vile killers.
review: this is not a ted bundy story. in fact, he’s not mentioned by name once in the book. this is a story of the strength and perseverance of bright young women in the 1970s. pamela schumacher’s character is based on the real-life surviver kathy kleiner, whom knoll reached out to decades after the crime. the media and whole country idolized the killer because he looked like a stand up guy, and i even fell trap to this with all of the documentaries & movies that have come out in recent years. knoll’s story is intoxicating and well told. very impressed with this piece of literature!
this spells love by kate robb
rating: 5/5
synopsis: one night, gemma walks into a bar and meets two people who will change her life. she meets stuart, who will become her boyfriend and dax, who will become her best friend. fast forward 4 years and she’s suffering from a broken heart at the hand of stuart. thank god she still has dax though. when her wacky aunt finds a book of spells to cure heartbreak, they decide to have some fun and try it, erasing the night she ever met stuart. unfortunately, it also erases her friendship with dax. in this new alternate reality, gemma and dax don’t know each other. what has she done?
review: you will LOVE dax and gemma. they’ve been friends for forever but in the new reality she’s in, gemma is finding herself working to be friends again, when she starts to look at him in a different way. could there be something there, more than friends, that she never noticed? she quickly tries to reverse the spell which means she has to get dax, who has no clue who she is, to kiss her. the relationship they form is adorable and strong and really endearing. i simply loved this book!
magnolia parks by jessa hastings
rating: 5/5
synopsis: magnolia parks and bj ballentine are magnetic, lavish and mind numbingly toxic. they are part of london’s elite and have been playing this on-again, off-again game for longer than anyone can remember. will they ever grow up and leave these games behind, and truly tell each other how they feel?
review: when i tell you these two are fucked up…. it’s insane!!!!!! and i loved it. what entertainment! magnolia and bj are similar to chuck and blair from gossip girl but with an accent. it’s addicting to read - i love the dual pov and getting inside both of their heads because so much of their story is unbearable. just tell each other how you feel!!!!! ugh i need the next book now.
archer’s voice by mia sheridan
rating: 3.5/5
synopsis: bree is running from her past when she settles in a small town in maine. it’s quiet here and after the last few months of chaos—her father was murdered and she was nearly raped—this is exactly what she’s looking for. archer is also hiding, but from a present that’s all too hard to handle. which is why he keeps to himself. when bree starts showing up in his life, the two form a very wonderful connection. one that both desperately need.
review: i felt like i read a totally different book from the rest of booktok! one of the top 100 best romances of all time on goodreads? i call bullshit and here’s why: the storyline felt way too rushed and a lot of the bigger moments were surface level - i can’t go into this without giving the story away but if you’ve read this, let’s talk. i loved bree & archer’s characters and what they represented to each other but that was it. the supporting story was lost in their obsession for each other. i wanted so much more from this one!
flawless by elsie silver
rating: 5/5
synopsis: summer is a fresh-out-of-law school grad, working her way up at her father’s company. he manages bull riders and other athletes in canada and one has just totally screwed over his sponsors - rhett eaton. everyone knows his name and his reputation. summer’s been assigned as his “babysitter” for the next few months while things blow over, and the rules are simple: keep out of trouble and keep your hand to yourself.
review: spoiler! they do not keep their hands to themselves! it’s a slow burn, quick wit romance with incredible banter and chemistry. summer can hold her own & gives it right back to rhett when he shares some smart ass remark. i didn’t think i’d like this one but now i’m finding myself buying the rest of the series!! p.s. read this for the romance, not the plot!
the last love note by emma grey
rating: 5/5
synopsis: kate is struggling and it’s borderline comical at this point. widowed in her thirties with a young son to look after, she’s just a mess. how does anyone move on after tragedy like this. when she winds up stuck on a work trip with her boss, she begins to see him in a different light and wonders, can you find true love twice?
review: when i tell you a SOBBED reading this… it’s an insanely beautiful story about the emotions surrounding the death of a loved one. two years after she’s lost her husband and center of her world, kate is still falling apart at the seams, struggling with the reality that cam — her cam! the cam that lit up her life — is never coming back. as she’s processing the grief and working through “what’s next” her boss has been unnaturally and almost unnervingly kind. hugh allows her to work from home when needed, brings her meals, checks in on her and treats her so much more than an employee. hugh, cam and kate used to be the closest of friends before cam passed too. he is amazing and considerate and stoically patient and handsome. wait did kate really just think that? this story will have you laughing and crying and appreciating every single person in your life.
the roughest draft by austin siegemund-broka & emily wibberley
rating: 5/5
synopsis: katrina and nathan made it big when the novel the co-wrote together became an instant bestseller. the two had met at a writers retreat and instantly became very good friends. almost more, maybe? regardless, the productive pair split ways and haven’t spoken since. until their agents get in touch so they can finish the second book in their contract. no one knows what happened between them in the months they spent writing in their florida cabin. will they survive the writing process—and each other—a second time?
review: talk about swoon-worthy!!!! the roughest draft is one of the more beautiful romances i’ve read in a while. these two authors know how to write about love and yet they can never seem to get their feelings off of the paper. kat & nathan know each other so well, that when they start working together again, it’s as if no time has passed. but things couldn’t be more different. nathan, for one, divorced his wife and kat is now engaged to their old agent, chirs. the chemistry is so undeniable and makes this such a worthwhile read. any book lover would adore this story.
iron flame by rebecca yarros
rating: 5/5
synopsis: in the second edition of the hit series fourth wing, iron flame starts off with violet’s second year at basgaith war college. she survived the most harrowing year of her life but the challenges have only just begun. as xaden says, “the first year is when some of us lose our lives. the second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” there are many secrets in navarre and as violet and xaden peer deeper into the rabbit hole, a world they never imagined comes to light.
review: i am typing this as i just finished it seconds ago and i am stunned. appalled. transformed. RUINED. the way this book makes you feel so many emotions - i was kicking my feet giddy at times and screaming NO at others. that is my review. i will not give away spoilers. read this book.
tom lake by ann patchett
rating: 5/5
synopsis: it’s 2020 and lara kenison is grateful for the time at home on the family apple & cherry farm with her three adult daughters, emily, maisie and nell. as they work the farm, the girls want to know about their mother’s relationship with the now famous actor, peter duke. when lara was younger, she worked a summer stock theater with peter performing the play, our town. over the course of the summer of 2020, lara entertains her girls with the story of love & heartbreak, before she found their father, joe.
review: this was the first ann patchett novel i’ve read and what an impact it’s made! such beautiful prose!!!! i fell madly in love with young lara and duke. the flow between the past and present is so seamless, it feels as if you’re at the farm with lara herself listening to this story. a book for the ages!
the villa by rachel hawkins
rating: 4/5
synopsis: when chess invited emily on a summer retreat to italy, emily is excited but honestly a little nervous because their friendship has been a little awkward the last couple of years. differences aside, the two make their way to a stunning villa in orvieto, which just so happens to be the scene of a complicated murder from the 70s. as emily dives further into the mystery, new secrets come to light and threaten everything in her life.
review: this story is told through split perspective — between mari, a young woman invited to stay at the villa with an up & coming rockstar, her boyfriend & her sister, and emily, a successful author with a failing marriage. very quickly we see how toxic the relationships are in both mari & emily’s lives. this villa is meant to be a “fresh start” of sorts but it turns out as anything but relaxing. i enjoyed the pace and found myself wanting to keep reading one more chapter, but i was disappointed in the end. i won’t share spoilers but i have a hard time believing chess & emily can stay friends after what went down. i really disliked chess’ character honestly, but still a very interesting read!
everything i know about love by dolly alderton
rating: 5/5
synopsis: in dolly alderton’s debut memoir, everything i know about love, alderton shares stories about her formative years, college years & post-grad adult life, and the ups and downs that accompany it. the heartbreaks, the treasured friendships and the shit we all get ourselves into.
review: in love with dolly alderton’s writing — she’s got quick wit & shockingly relatable anecdotes. from her first heartbreak to watching her friends grow in their own relationships, alderton hits the nail on the head with the emotions the surround adulthood. the messiness, the confusion and the utterly good times that seem far & few between sometimes. a must-read for any adult!
the bodyguard by katherine center
rating: 4.5/5
synopsis: hannah brooks is a bona-fide badass. she’s an executive protection agent and she’s goooood at her job. trained in jujitsu, surveillance and evasive driving maneuvers there’s not much that surprises her because she knows how to read people & predict surprises. safe to say, she’s totally caught off guard when her supervisor assigns her to a difficult case, protecting world famous actor (& sexiest man alive) jack stapleton. the catch? no one can know he’s hired protection so she has to step in as a fake girlfriend. we know what happens next don’t we? lines are crossed and the assignment gets fuzzy - is he acting? or is it real?
review: after a month of spooky & thrilling reads, this romcom was a breath of fresh air. it’s witty and warm and everything you’d want in a cozy romance. hannah is headstrong and jack brings her a needed dose of reality — which is hilarious seeing as he’s a mega star (but super grounded). the relationship grows quickly between the two and not only does she fall for her client, she falls for his whole family. this no-nonsense bestseller should be on your TBR if it isn’t already!