February 2020 Wrap Up

Hey guys!

I haven't done a wrap up in such a long time. I got inspired to do one for this past month because I read a lot of new to me authors.

The One by John Mars. This book was incredible! It was very fast paced, not in the fact that it had a lot of action, but in the shift of characters, and story lines. This book follows a cast of very different characters as they take this DNA test that determines who their soul mate is. This test is controversial because it pairs people up with people from different walks of life, different countries/cultures, and different ages. Sometimes when there are a bunch of characters I prefer some over the others, but that was not the case in this book! The author continued to up the stakes for each character throughout the book! It was fantastically paced, and wonderfully told. I highly recommend this book! It will definitely make it into my top books of the year list! 1. The first book I read this month was

2. The second book I read this month was Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips. The book follows this town, over the course of a year, when two girls go missing. It takes place on this very isolated peninsula (or island, not sure which?) in Russia. This was my book club pick at work, and a lot of us didn't like it. I gave this book 2.5 stars. I found it extremely pointless. It is not advertised as a short story collection, but it does read that way. The chapters follows a string of different characters, and almost never revisits them. My biggest complaint about this book was that the characters did not learn or grow from anything. I usually like 'slice of life' novels, but these stories were sad, and didn't have a resolution or point. The ending was kind of satisfying, it concluded a small thread that was introduced in the beginning, but by the time I got to the ending I didn't really care anymore. One great aspect of the book was how atmospheric it was written. The author clearly did extensive research of this Russian culture.

3. The third book I read this month was Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon. This is the second book in the Ice Planet Barbarian series. I read the first book in January, and I really enjoyed it. This series is free on Amazon Unlimited. I first heard about this book from Chandler Ansley. She explained it as a smutty sci/fi romance. I don't love sci/fi, but I do love romance, so I gave it a try. This second book is a hate to love trope. I haven't read a lot of books that have this trope, and it's not my favorite, but I did really like this book. It follows a human girl, and handful of other girls that crash onto an ice planet. To survive, they all find out that they need to consume a bacteria that will help them be immune to the planets diseases. They team up with a race of aliens to get this bacteria, and as a side effect, they find out their bacteria causes them to be undeniable sexually attracted to the bacteria in the aliens. The main character in this book is very resistant to the idea of having to be with someone she did not choose. This is foreign to her new mate, and they struggle with how to deal with their feelings. I really enjoyed this book, I liked the main characters, and their relationship. I liked being back in this world, and I'm excited to continue in the series.

4. The fourth book I read this month was The Other People by C. J. Tudor. This is the February book club book for LaLa's book club Literally Dead Book Club. This is my first thriller of the year, and it was pretty good. It follows this guy, who on his way home from work, see's his young daughter in the back of a random car. He can't believe he sees her, so he pulls over to a service station and calls his wife. Instead of his wife answering, the police answer and inform him that his wife and daughter are dead. Obviously, he doesn't believe them, because he just saw his daughter, so he has to figure out what happens. I found this part of the story to be really good. The book also follows two other story lines, and I didn't love those stories as much. Overall, this is a fast paced, interesting book. I believe I gave it 3 stars.

5. The fifth book I read this month was Viscous by VE Schwab. This book has been on my TBR for so long. It came highly recommended by like everyone on booktube. I feel like because of that, my dislike for the book is entirely me. It has a great premise, it is very well written, but I did not like this book. I'm pretty sure it put me in a reading slump. I found the characters to be very dry, the plot was predictable, and I just did not have any fun reading it. I had such high expectations for it, but unfortunately it fell flat. This book follows two graduate students that decide for their senior project they want to be superheroes. It doesn't go exactly to plan, and they end up estranged. The timeline jumps back and forth between their college days and ten years in the future. I think it is worth reading to determine your own opinion. This is a beloved book, so I hope you enjoy it.

6. The sixth and final book I read this month was The Arrangement by Robin Harding. I was very intrigued with this book because it follows a girl that becomes a sugar baby in New York. I found that part of the book interesting, I haven't read a book like this before, but the thriller part of the book had me feeling lukewarm. I didn't like the main character, or how she was written. She constantly judged her friend that was a sugar baby first, then she became one, and then she said she was only in it for a little while, and then she became obsessed. I just found her to be very "wishy washy." I do think I will check out some of the other books this author has written, I'm intrigued.

Overall, I think I had a pretty good reading month. I discovered a lot of new authors, and even a favorite book! Let me know if you have read any of these, or if you are thinking of picking one up! I hope you have a good reading month in March!