My Month is Booked (January 2023): Mini Reviews!

Welcome to the first My Month is Booked of 2023. I really appreciate you all helping me spread the word and linking up. I was sick a lot last month and never got my post up, so I’m here with some mini reviews! Let me know your thoughts in the comments. All the books linked to bookshop.org are affiliate links; if you purchase from them, I get a small percent. Thanks for the support, and for supporting indie bookstores!

Holiday Reads:

A Cat Café Christmas by Codi Gary

I really loved this one. I’m a cat fan, as most of you know, so it was really fun to have a cat cafe as one of the main settings. Kara and Ben don’t hit it off well, but they end up kind of having to work together and that leads to more positive feelings. Both of them have been previously burned by love – in big ways – so it was nice to see them learn to trust again. Plus, each chapter starts with a little bio of one of the cats at the cafe and it’s just the cutest thing ever!

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

I wanted to love this one so much, but it was just a bit…eh. I did like the overall “game” and the clues that were left behind. However, I feel like people stayed in the house for way too long with everything that was going on, and they just had really odd reactions to things. Plus, the big “reveal” or “twist” wasn’t terribly surprising, which is always kind of a bummer.

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

This is written by the author of The Charm Offensive, which I loved. I didn’t love this book quite as much, but I did really like it and would recommend it. There is definitely quite a bit of miscommunication or just wanting to yell at people to TALK TO EACH OTHER! Regardless, I did understand most of the motives and I really loved Ellie and Jack together. Plus, Jack’s grandmas are hilarious. I just love her family in general (minus her dad – he’s awful). One of the things that I really adored about this book is just relating to Ellie so much, with her being bisexual and demisexual. You don’t get those reps a ton in romance and it was so refreshing to see, as I identify as both too.

Other Reads:

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

I absolutely love Victoria Lee, and this is the third book of hers that I’ve read. It’s witchy, sapphic, dark academia. I wasn’t sure what was real or what was the product of trauma. It was a really fascinating book and I definitely did not see the various twists. I do recommend it!

I bought this book from Once Upon a Book Club. I didn’t love the gifts that were included for this book, but they definitely fit well! If you want to purchase anything from their shop, please use my code for 10% off: shootingstars

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I’ve wanted to read this one for years, so I’m glad I finally took a moment to do so. I will say that I didn’t love it nearly as much as I’d hoped. It seems like not a lot is really happening for most of the book, and while I liked Achilles, I didn’t love him. I did, however, adore Patroclus and I wanted all the best things for him. I don’t know a ton about Mythology, so it was interesting to see how Miller turned those stories into The Song of Achilles.

Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky

This is a weird little mash-up of Lord of the Flies and the Fyre festival. While I’ve read the former, I don’t actually know a ton of details about the festival that never was. Regardless, it was definitely interesting to see how the author mixed the two inspirations. This was a pretty crazy read. I can’t say it was my favorite but it does make you want to keep reading just to see what will happen next.

I was given this book as part of a Once Upon a Book Club box. While I didn’t love the book, I ADORED all the gifts you got to open as you read this one. They were really quality, and I loved how well they fit. If you want to buy anything from the shop, please use my discount code for 10% off: shootingstars

Season’s Change by Cait Nary

I was given this book to read from Netgalley, but all opinions are my own. This book is about Olly and Benji, two hockey players, though Olly has been playing for a lot longer. I really liked both of their journeys in the book and how they slowly became friends. However, Olly is holding tight to his secret of being gay, and it almost costs him Benji. The actual romance between the two takes a long time to build up to, and I did feel like the book could have been a bit shorter.

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

I really like the books I’ve read by Sager, but this one wasn’t my most favorite. It definitely goes in a different direction than I was expecting or used to from Sager’s work. It’s all about an alcoholic named Casey who is hiding out at her parent’s lake house after kind of blowing up her life and career. She starts spying on the house across the lake and thinking that nefarious things are happening – kind of like Rear Window. Not a bad book by any means, but I didn’t love the ending.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

One of my final reads of 2022 and I adored it. I gave this one five stars and would recommend it if you like a good mystery. I know some people might guess some of the twists, but even still, I think it’s worth reading. The book follows Harry who is marrying her fiance, Edward, and has yet to meet his family. When she does, she realizes they aren’t quite “normal”, especially her father-in-law who entrusts her with a shocking secret. This was a really quick, intriguing read!

Time for you to link up your own book reviews or book review round-ups!