Hello, everyone!
It’s finally time to wrap up my little improvised social media break and what’s the better way to do that than with the reading wrap-up. I decided to start writing these wrap-up post just to share my quick opinions on the books I’ve read. It probably won’t be a monthly thing unless I, by some miracle, read enough for a post.
Without further ado let’s talk about 5 books I’ve read during my break and 1 that unfortunately didn’t do it for me.
R. F. Kuang “The Poppy War” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The first book in “the Poppy War” trilogy. It started slow for me. So slow that I’ve read the first chapter and stopped for a couple of months. Came back to it in January and finished in a couple of weeks. Definitely added the next parts to my TBR, although I must admit they are not on my priority reads list.
C. J. Tudor “The Taking of Annie Thorn” ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oof, this one is…well, complicated. I liked it at first. The story, the writing style…I was hoping for a good mystery (tbh, I knew nothing about the book when bought it). But the further I read the more I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that I’ve read this story before. And then it clicked. S. King’s ‘Pet Sematary’. That’s what this book reminds me of. Overall, it wasnt bad though and I’m ready to give this author another chance and read other works.
Ottessa Moshfegh “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” ⭐️⭐️
This book was EVERYWHERE on BookTok and I’m sometimes easily influenced(and most of the times disappointed when it comes to BookTok recommendations). I don’t know about this one. Honestly. Maybe I’m not the target audience or maybe I’m just not smart enough to understand. Either way I was a bit bored and found the story pretentious, which is a shame, it could’ve been good.
By the way, I finished another novel by the same author, “Lapvona”, this month and enjoyed it more than “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”, will share my thoughts on it in my next reading wrap up.
Holly Jackson “Five Survive” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I LOVE the “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series by this author, that’s why I didn’t think twice before grabing this book in the bookstore. It’s a quick dynamic young adult thriller and it was exactly what I needed at the time. One thing that lacked for me though is the charachters. They are not bad, I just didn’t feel as connected to them as I was while reading AGGGTM series.
Ava Reid “Juniper&Thorn” ⭐️⭐️
Another one I have mixed feelings about. I really enjoy Ava Reid’s writing style and, as an Eastern European, the dark Slavic fairy tale-inspired story made me feel nostalgic. But no matter how much I tried I just couldn’t find the characters relatable or likeable and oversexualisation was just off-putting and didn’t add anything substantial to the story.
Stephanie McNeal “Swipe Up For More” DNF
Reading books about blogging and influencers, especially the ones that tell influencers’ road to success, is my guilty pleasure and I hoped this one would be an easy enjoyable read as well.
Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. I’m not sure how to correctly express my reasons but let’s just say, I’m not the right audience for this one (the book is heavily leaning on Utah mom influencer which is nowhere near anything I would be interested in when looking for lifestyle bloggers). It seemed a little bit too flat and fan-girly for me when I was hoping for more level-headed and analytical approach.
So that’s all for this reading wrap-up. It wasn’t much and I wish it was more enjoyable but it is what it is.
Have you read any of these books? If yes, what was your opinion on them. Remember, this is a safe space for all opinions as long as they are respectful.
Until next time!
