After the end of 2021 being a reading washout (turns out planning a wedding, writing a dissertation and launching a shop doesn’t leave much brainpower left for reading), I’m pleased to report I’m firmly back on the bookish bandwagon. I eased myself back into things with a few lighthearted romance reads, and by the end of the month I was bingeing fantasy, thank the gods, the world is righted again.

The Falling In Love Montage – Ciara Smyth
A contemporary, sapphic, YA romance novel where the characters try and live out their own rom-com? Yes please. This one’s been on my shelf for a while and I’m glad I finally got to it. Whilst I found the main character mostly quite dislikeable, the romance and plot was cute, and there was a little more going on there than just surface level fluff.
★★★★✩
Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love – Huma Qureshi
You’ll remember that I loved Huma’s first book, a memoir of her own explorations in love & finding herself within her cultures, so I picked this up without hesitation. This short story collection had me reaching for the tissues, if you’re interested in contemporary character led fiction, pick this up.
★★★★★
The Ex Hex – Erin Sterling
Okay but this was the most fun read in a loooong time! Think cosy small town America in the fall, real Gilmore Girls vibes. Add in a little magic, mystery and a swoon worthy romance. The vibes are simply immaculate. This was super fun, there’s a real lack of fun magical romances, especially ones with autumn vibes! I would describe this as a Halloweentown Romance.
★★★★✩
The Spanish Love Deception – Elena Armas
This one was a reread for me, after The Ex Hex I was in the mood for more feel good romance. The Spanish Love Deception is having a moment on Tiktok right now and for good reason, it’s a fast paced, fun, tropey-in-a-good-way romance, I highly recommend.
★★★★★
How To Kill Your Family – Bella Mackie
This one seems to have received mixed reviews online, and I can see *why* people didn’t like it, but I thought it was a unique take on a revenge story. It’s definitely character based rather than plot heavy, and our narrator is unreliable to say the least, so if you don’t like either of those things this won’t be for you. But if you like complex characters give this one a read.
★★★★✩

The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood
Going against the masses with this one, since I know this is the internet’s favourite, but this just…wasn’t that good. There was a real lack of detail about the characters, the ‘meet cute’ made no sense, and a lot of moments between the protagonist and love interest were forced and nonsensical.
This still gets three stars though because I enjoyed it much more from the conference onward, but it shouldn’t take 250 pages for a book to get going.
★★★✩✩
Our Violent Ends – Chloe Gong
I put off reading this because I knew it would hurt me, and I loved These Violent Delights so much that I was nervous this book wouldn’t live up to it. Well, somehow I think this book was even better? The characters in this book are so complex and layered, their conflicts are organic and heart wrenching. I highly, highly recommend this duology.
(I was gifted a digital arc of this book by the publisher, but I also purchased the hardback because I just adore this!)
★★★★★
Castles In Their Bones – Laura Sebastian (gifted)
I cannot recommend this new YA Fantasy enough! This book has everything, mystery, betrayal, star magic, political intrigue, familial pressure, mad kings, and a plot twist even I didn’t see coming (and I always see them coming). This book comes out tomorrow and you need to read it.
★★★★★
Daughter Of The Moon Goddess – Sue Lynn Tan
The most beautiful read to round off the month, I am genuinely blown away by how gorgeous this book is. Based in Chinese folklore, this book has everything, even immortals traveling via cloud. There’s elemental magic, female warriors and DRAGONS. Need I say more?
★★★★★
What did you read in January?