What I read & recommend: January 2025

The first half is all the books I read & recommend.

The second half are books I started reading / read but do not think highly enough of to recommend (although some I had to finish simply because I got too invested in what was happening and needed to know the ending).

No book links because I thoroughly encourage you to use a library or a local, independent bookseller and absolutely by all means possible, avoid Indigo/Chapters, and Amazon.

If you need one that delivers in Canada, I very much like McNally Robinson. They can order any book you like.

WHAT I READ & RECOMMEND

The Crimson Crown: Heather Walter

The origin story of the Evil Queen in Snow White.

Seriously a good read, not at all what you would expect, and I definitely see where she is coming from now. It is not your typical sugary fluff, it was deep, rich, full of character, stories about betrayal and redemption and I loved it so much that I wanted to devour her sequel only to find it out is it being released this year.

The God of the Woods: Liz Moore

Warning: Distressing content about lost children. I almost did not want to continue, as this topic is extremely sensitive for me. I tend to find it hard to disengage.

It is about camp life. As someone who has never been to camp, but read books and watched movies about it, I feel like I get the gist of it. It is quite a fabulous book in the end. The ending was satisfyingly bittersweet, and I very much enjoyed the characters being fleshed out to the point where I saw them and heard them in my head. When an author can do that, they have succeeded greatly.

The House in the Cerulean Sea: TJ Klune

Somewhere beyond the sea: TJ Klune

This is a fantasy duo of books about magical people, very Harry Potter-esque but with less flash and bang and more realistic modernity. Trust me when I say that when you start reading the first book, you will not want to stop. It is a beautiful world of imagining others as being magical humans, with a lot of quirky, individual heart and humanity within each character. The books are also SO INCREDIBLY FUNNY. I mean laugh-out-loud funny, tugging at your heart strings and at the end, you will have your favourite characters (I definitely do, my favourite of all is Lucy).

Lots of crying happened in between the pages (it is very emotional), and I think it is one of those rare books that bridge the gap between preteen, young adult and adult. I am loading it onto Little Bun’s Kindle next, because he would absolutely love the books. I think.

There is just so much HOPE in these books and that is what we need today.

The Heiress: Rachel Hawkins

If you liked the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you would find this to be in the same vein as that book. I am not mad about it, either! It is a twisting thriller that had an ending that was well done but I did not see coming. An excellent mental thriller without any horrific blood and gore. I want to say more but I do not want to give it away.

The Wedding People: Alisan Espach

Warning: Distressing content relating to taking one’s life. I thankfully do not have any personal experiences with this, but if you are sensitive, please avoid.

It is a plot about a woman whose husband left her, and she goes to take her own life in a hotel full of people coming in for a week for a wedding.

To be honest, the ending sort of annoyed me. I don’t like loose ends and unresolved plotlines. I needed an Epilogue, so I hesitated even recommending this book, but ultimately the entire journey from page to page was a very good one. I got into the heads of the characters, I saw the viewpoints of every wedding guest from different angles, and it just made me reflect upon my own life and relationships with others.

All the Colours of the Dark: Chris Whitaker

Warning: Distressing content about children missing, but not with any gory detail or horrific scenes that you cannot scrub out.

It is a mystery woven over decades with a love story intertwined throughout, about friendship, loyalty and community.

Oh this book was completely unexpected. It is a mystery, it is drawn out (but not annoyingly so), and a love story all in one. I did NOT expect the ending but I was happy with it, because it came to a solid conclusion. I almost did not want to read it, to be honest. The whole missing children thing is a theme that authors love to pounce on because it really tugs at heart strings, but I googled the plot ahead of time a little, and decided if it was actually more of a mystery that had a love story woven throughout it, I wanted to see where it went and I am glad it did. These characters feel so real in my mind, even now, days after reading it.

First Lie Wins: Ashley Elston

A fantastic mental thriller about spying, missions, impersonations and taking on identities. Took me on a ride, and even to the ending of the book I WAS SO SURE I KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON, and it totally flipped me upside down anyway. Brilliant.

It also made me think about how well we know the people around us, and what games are being played in the background. I also started thinking about my own life and my identity of who I am, and how if that was taken from me, or if I had to act it out, what it would look like, and the difficulty involved.

Pride & Premeditation: Tirzah Price

Sense & Second-Degree Murder: Tirzah Price

These two go together, and the plot is basically taking Jane Austen’s work and revamping it to be a murder mystery. Seriously a fun read. Not at all gory, quite funny (especially the first one – Pride & Premeditation), and I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially having read and loved the original works.

Kill for me, Kill for you: Steve Cavanagh

Warning: Distressing content about murdered children, but with no gory or horrific scenes to linger in your brain.

Another mental thriller and AGAIN with the missing children business. Honestly, I tried reading it, got through a chapter, didn’t know if I would be strong enough to continue, and then decided it was good enough to give it at least 5 chapters before throwing in the towel if the subject matter was too much. I am glad I stuck with it, because the story took a turn that was completely unexpected after the first quarter (!!) and I was hooked until the very end. The ending is maybe a 4 out of 5 stars from me, because I feel like there is an Epilogue or a sequel to this that would resolve the final plotline. But I was not angry at the ending, it gave me closure for some of it.

The Unmaking of June Farrow: Adrienne Young

The plot is about a mystery surrounding a woman whose family line of women is uncommon, and they are able to be in two places at once. I dare not say any more, but the entire story was a wonderful rollercoaster. I went from one world to another, and just keeping the entire thing straight was mentally tasking until the last page. I even fell asleep to thinking about being in two places at once, the time traveling thing, and going over in my head, the parts of the book that I felt I needed to think about some more. Truly an amazing book, and the whole thing ties up so neatly at the end which is a book dealbreaker for me. And it was a smidge convoluted to follow but not impossible and ambitiously lofty.

The Case of the Missing Marquess: Nancy Springer

A Sherlock Holmes spinoff, but without him, and with an invented sister – Enola Holmes – instead. I hesitated recommending this book because I do not think it is the best work or representation of a spinoff on Sherlock Holmes, but clearly I am a sucker for all things Holmes, and read it anyway. It is my kryptonite. I would say it is more a 3 out of 5 stars sort of read, but a nice, fluffy detective mystery one that ended nicely. Just not an AMAZING one, like the previous spinoffs I have read, namely these two series in 2024.

JUST FOR THE SUMMER: Abby Jimenez

The plot line is about two people doing some curse breaking, as in, breaking dating curses. She never disappoints. This is one of those character-filled, in-depth plot line & story chicklit books that does not rely on the typical tried-and-true storyline of an overworked ambitious young woman finding her true love on some Christmas tree farm when she is visiting her grandmother for the season. You know? Her characters have grit, they have personalities, and it is hilarious to boot.

THE WOMEN: KRISTIN HANNAH

The plot line is about nurses in the Vietnam War and the aftermath of their return. This was a very difficult book for me to read, I will not lie.. even though it is very well done. Not only was the Vietnam War horrific, it is repeated in my head again in present day terms because I just kept replacing the word ‘Vietnam’ with ‘P@l3st1ne’. It is history being repeated all over again (but obviously worse, if you have been following the unbiased news channels).

While the writing was excellent and the characters stick to you long after the book is done, I am on the fence, recommending this book, so I would say choose at your own discretion depending on how raw you are feeling these days. I would not have read it if I had known how much it affected me.

The invisible life of Addie Larue: V.E. Schwab

This was a VERY good book. It deals with a girl who has been given immortality, and the whole story is just so well written, and woven. I especially liked the thread throughout the centuries, being woven through her story; with famous people such as composers (Beethoven), and Voltaire (philosopher / writer) making their presence known in her life.

I really enjoyed it, but found the ending lacklustre. A finish like that is so frustrating for me. There is NO sequel to this book, so you will have to live with the unfinished plot line (which I don’t love). I just made up my own of course, but I NEED A SEQUEL.

THE TEACHER: FRIEDA McFadden

Warning: Sensitive topics relating to ped0philia

This was a real page turner. I love mental thrillers like this one, and the end really twisted my brain around. I did not expect what happened at the end, and it was surprisingly satisfying, the way it ended. It was a quick and easy mental thriller.

The Last one at the wedding: Jason Rekulak

Another mental thriller, and this time it is a wedding from the point of view of the bride’s father. I AGAIN, completely failed to see the story and what happened at the end, because I was blindsided. I will say I was not as thrilled about the ending itself, as I felt like I needed an epilogue, but it was satisfying to some degree. I wish Rekulak had done more on the background of the characters, but it was a very satisfying book.

The disappearance of Astrid Bricard: Natasha Lester

Another excellent book, kind of in the vein of Daisy Jones and the Six (which by the way, is another incredible book, by author Taylor Jenkins Reid) meets Coco Chanel’s biography, but if it was staged at Vogue. I wish there was more of an ending, a solid, strong epilogue to really drive everything home, but the book was very hard to put down, doubly so because it is about fashion and I am a fiend.

The Lion Women of Tehran: Marjan Kamali

While I appreciated the entire story from start to finish, and enjoyed the friendship between two girls over the years, morphing into their lives as adults and parents, I am always slightly annoyed (these days) of references to Isr@hell without the acknowledgement of it ALSO being as repressive or worse. It was just a single line in the book and it completely soured the rest of the book for me.

It is a personal mental annoyance of mine, and obviously the author is not going to go back and change it up to be more accurate, but I wish they would because words matter and changing the narrative around what we are told is right or wrong, is never a bad thing. Even just a second line or removing it completely because it just triggered a whole avalanche of thoughts and feelings in my head.

Anyway, barring that, it is an excellent book. Very well written, and so beautifully told.

The ministry of time: Kaliane Bradley

An excellent sci-fi book, about time travel, but not from the protagonists’ view; more so from the view of the time travelers coming into our modern society. I do not want to spoil the book, but it is a love story, and a really fascinating, cool way of looking at history from the perspective of those who were there, and what they may have thought about, after the fact (if they had had the opportunity).

The Stationery Shop: Marjan Kamali

In the same vein as her Lion Women of Tehran book, she weaves a compelling story about young love. It starts so heartbreakingly poignant in the first page that you cannot help but wonder what comes next. I devoured it to the end. Kamali has a real gift for words and creating images in your head.

The Seven Year Slip: Ashley Poston

One of the better chicklit books with a slight sci-fit twist (time travel!) that I have read in a long time. The story is not so heavily focused around cloying plotlines of stumbling onto some Christmas tree farm after coming back to save your grandmother’s bakery, and more focused on the characters themselves and who they are as people and what they want out of life, especially at different stages of their young lives. Truly brilliant.

THE PARIS APARTMENT: LUCY FOLEY

I did NOT see it coming. What an excellent mental thriller, set in Paris (though there is very little describing the city itself). The twists and turns were excellent, and I could not put it down until I knew what happened. I do wish there was (again) more of a fleshed out ending and depth given to some parts of the book (the setting, Paris, the business, the other secondary characters to the side), but it was a very enthralling read.

The briar club: Kate quinn

If you can get past the blatant propaganda of how Americans are the heroes of everything and nothing ever goes wrong because they never do any wrong while everyone else who is ‘against’ them are wrong…. then this is a wonderful book. Superbly written, about a woman who one day shows up to a boarding home and slowly weaves their lives altogether, ending in a truly magnificent secret at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing (Quinn is a superlative writer), the plot, the characters… really fabulous.

GIRL A: ABIGAIL DEAN

Warning: Sensitive topics of child abuse, coercive manipulation and cults.

Why are all of these books around this?! But I will say that they do grip me from the first page even though as a parent, I was ill reading some of the described scenes. The whole story is told from the perspective of Girl A, and as the story unfolds, you are more and more horrified with each reveal (they go through all the children). The ending was fine. A little unsatisfying, as I obviously look for happier endings and would prefer it, but it was at least, an ending that was bittersweet.

THE BOYS’ CLUB: ERICA KATZ

A rather surprising book about toxic patriarchal work culture that doesn’t end very happily and yet I am not mad about it. I very much appreciated the viewpoints and also the baring of the underbelly of how innocuous it seems to work in such a male-dominated, patronizing environment, without sugarcoating things or pretending it is all fine or having it be a happy ending at the end. I really enjoyed the journey.

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN: KATE MORTON

Wow. Like wow. I sort of solved the mystery halfway through the book (it was hard not to), but the answer was not the point of reading it. I liked the stories and backstories created about each character, and how alive they came in my heads as they went through their lives. It follows a cursed family and the mystery of how a little girl ended up halfway across the world. The ending is a nice one. Obviously I love a good Epilogue so I wish Morton expounded more on the ending, but I am satisfied with all the loose ends being tied up (I hate it when a book leaves it open).

THE STOLEN QUEEN: FIONA DAVIS

This mystery had a nice Egyptian twist on things, and I very much liked the whole book and story, the plotline was excellent, but it was a little thin to imagine that if you really loved someone you would give up so easily on them. That part of the plot felt a bit flimsy to me, but the rest of it was pretty good. I very much appreciate the weaving of two lives into one, and I really felt invested in the characters by the end. Shout out to incorporating Diana Vreeland from Vogue into the plotline!!

MRS QUINN’S RISE TO FAME: Olivia Ford

My goodness. I had zero expectations of this book and it blew me away. A wonderful book, finally focused on seniors, particularly a senior woman – Mrs. Jennifer Quinn – who dares to dream for something bigger, finally having ambition to enter the Great Britain Bake Off. Seriously.. I dare you not to tear up while reading this at some parts. Also, have snacks ready because the whole book made me so hungry. I also appreciated the deeper, wonderful thread to the story of her deep dark secret she had never told her husband Bernard. It made her character so real and rich… well done.

THE FORGOTTEN ROOM: KAREN WHITE, BEATRIZ WILLIAMS, LAUREN WILLIG

An excellent trio of love stories interwoven throughout, with a mystery of what happened to each character in their lives. It starts off a bit messy, I won’t lie. The book jumps from one time period to another, and halfway through you are grabbing a piece of paper and trying to map out the connections from one story to another… but never fear, the ending will most definitely tie everything up with a neat little bow, and the ending was very sweet. But would it kill them to please add a longer Epilogue!???

EAT SLAY LOVE: JULIE MAE COHEN

The ending felt rushed and sort of ‘WTF’ because it is actually kind of gross (vomit-inducing), but also not realistic (well the whole book isn’t but let’s pretend right now), which tells you a lot about how I felt about the ending if I called it unrealistic for an already unrealistic plotline!!! It was however, full of dry wit, and a good gentle lesson into manipulative coercion (what it looks like, love bombing, isolation), as well as three women finding who they truly are after the fact. I would still recommend to read it, because the whole book was really quite good, but the ending was zero stars out of five.

THE PHOENIX CROWN: KATE QUINN & JAMIE CHANG

My goodness what a book. It is so rich, detailed, full of deep characters and a truly intriguing mystery of where a friend has gone missing even though she said she would be there to greet her. I love how the characters’ lives intersected, the description of what Chinatown was like in San Francisco, and the ending was magnificent as well.

BYE BABY: CAROLA LOVERING

Warning: Sensitive topics of underage sexual assault, child abduction, narcissism and toxic friendships

This was really the book that made me pause and thank everything inside of me that I never gave in to being an influencer. Just reading what they have to do and think about each time they are out living their lives, makes you wonder how much of their lives they are actually living if they are always having to film it for social media.

The way that the two characters were created in your head as you learned more about them, was really quite well done, and the in-depth look into what a narcissistic & toxic friendship looks like is really fascinating. It makes you want to scream at them to go to therapy.

I feel like the plot itself is a bit flimsy and odd… and I don’t mind doing a spoiler because it tells you in the first chapter, but why would a former best friend take their friend’s child off the balcony without saying anything and then quietly returning them? In any situation, just simply going to the door or asking the concierge to say there is a screaming child, is more than enough. It was a kind of baseless plot to weave the book around.

THE GLASS OCEAN: BEATRIZ WILLIAMS

The environment is in the midst of WWII (ironic, when ‘never again’ is literally happening again and on a far more destructive scale than the world has ever seen, but I digress). A little cruise ship, crossing the ocean, intertwined love stories getting all messy, crossing class barriers, and a mystery about a Strauss waltz to boot all while flipping back and forth between two time periods – the present day and the past. Seriously a good read. Williams has always been a fantastic writer and this book is no different; you really feel like you are part of the story.

THE BOYFRIEND: FRIEDA MCFADDEN

OK this one I know I say this all the time, but I really did not see it coming. It is a good, quick mental thriller to read, with a lot of nice twists, turns… and frankly, quite enjoyable because it is so unrealistic (in my head). McFadden is a gifted storyteller, and it makes you want to read all of her books (bingeing) although I am trying very hard not to!

NEVER LIE: FRIEDA MCFADDEN

McFadden never disappoints. Honestly, I just like her writing, her characters and the flow. The plots are also pretty believable and it is not confusing to read her books if they have multiple timelines because she is clear to set the environment in each. This one ‘never lie’ is excellent, following a rich couple – Tricia & Ethan – and their strange visit to a former doctor’s home…. it is truly page-turning to figure out what happened. And the ending never fails to surprise me even when I think IT IS WHO I THINK IT IS.

Stone Cold Fox: Rachel Koller Croft

FANTASTIC BOOK. I mean.. I turned every page, and it wasn’t until a two-thirds to the end that I realized who it was who was the mole. But I digress, I don’t want to give it away, but it is about a little beautiful girl, growing up with a rather psychotic, narcissistic mother, and trying to find stability in her life while not giving into her (she thinks) inherited narcissistic tendencies. I love the book, I love the cover design even, everything about this book was just so well done.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches: Sangu Mandanna

This is very much in the same vein of the T. J. Klune books I mentioned above. Not as well written, not as heart-wrenching, and the children aren’t the focus of the book; the main protaganist witch and her life, with a vein of a romance running through the book, is the real plot. I enjoyed it, but I felt like there were a lot of missed opportunities to deep dive into other characters and build a deeper story. I also wanted MORE on the Ian + George relationship, as they are adorable in the book, but alas. I would say this is a good read, but a pale imitation of T. J. Klune if you are thinking it is the same thing. It is much fluffier and less painful on the heart.

The fall out: Sophie Ranald

Not her typical chick-lit book and I loved it. Instead it focuses on friendships and the love of friends… though it was very odd throughout the book, that I felt like they weren’t truly friends until the bitter end. It seemed rather disjointed if that was the focus. Nevertheless, I liked the characters and the drama that played out between different personalities within each friend group (everyone has this). It was also a bit of a mystery of sorts, which is always fun to read. Another good, fluff book to read without heavy crying required.

Housemaid series: Frieda McFadden

It started with the first book that hooked me in, and then I devoured the entire series. I could not stop reading it, it was so incredibly engrossing. Basically a woman named Millie is hired as a housemaid, and that is where it starts to go awry (not because of her, but the family is nuts). Then it follows Millie into other situations as the books go on, and I can see why McFadden wrote more and more on the subject because it is such a good plot line to build upon.

EMMA of 83rd street: Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

One of the best modern adaptations of Emma (Jane Austen) I have ever read. Gave me such good ‘Clueless’ (1995) vibes as well because we all know that movie was a modern adaptation of Emma too, right? Anyway, loved the book. I would read it again and again! If you are an Austen fan, pick it up and devour it. I cannot wait for the other books in this series of Austen adaptations – the next one is actually ‘Elizabeth of East Hampton’ which is the Pride & Prejudice retelling.

KINGDOM OF THE WICKED SERIES: KERRI MANISCALCO

This is meant to be young adult but based on the sex scenes, I don’t think so! They are not super seriously overt like in some other books I have read, but they are certainly beyond young adult ..where the books typically HINT at sexual encounters but have barely to no descriptors. Anyway, fantastic series. I wasn’t sure I would like it (the skull is super off-putting for me, as I am not a fan of death-objects), and if they had done a picture of a woman instead or some demons, maybe it would have been more enticing to pick up.

If you liked the books like the ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series by Sarah J. Maas, or anything by Anne Bishop (she is for me, one of the undisputed queens of this realm of storytelling), then you will very much enjoy this series.

Book cover aside, this was a great series twisting the stories of twin witches with demons (7 deadly sin princes), along with a quite believable world built out of nothing. The series follows one twin in particular, and while I don’t love some aspects of the book (wtf with that knife & the sacrifice she had to make), it does end happily. I just wish it was a stronger tale with more wars / bloodshed and showing off of everyone’s powers (Bishop is fantastic for this with her Queen Blood’s series).

I very much enjoyed the entire trilogy to where I read all 3 of them back to back without stopping.

I am wholly expecting sequels or follow-up books to further continue the other open-ended relationships that the author hinted at the end. The first two books were good, but a slow build, and the third book was far better. She really found her voice in the third book, and I am expecting better storytelling..

WHAT I WISH I HADN’T READ

What a waste of time these books were. Some of them were excellent at the start, bringing me on a great story arc, only to flop in the middle or at the end with a serious WTF moment as the ending.

Others, I could not even get into. The storytelling was disjointed or too ambitious (not fluid), jumped multiple times back and forth between characters with zero grounding or context, or simply, I just couldn’t get into the plot.

I give all these books about 3 chapters before I give up. Some, I made it to the end out of curiousity, but would not waste my time reading them again.

Books I read to the end but found the overall plot insipid

• Listen for the lie: Amy Tintera – I had high hopes and they were dashed
• Home is where the bodies are: Jeneva Rose – The plot was middling at best
• The Unforgettable Loretta Darling – Katherine Blake – I overall lukewarm-liked the book as a quick fluffy read but it isn’t OMG

Books I read to the end BUT FOUND THE STORY AIMLESS OR THE ENDING dissatisfying

• Kala: Colin Walsh – Overhyped, honestly.
• Circus of Mirrors – Julie Owen Moylan – The writing was decent, but the characters were annoying & the ending was utter crap
• Practice makes perfect: Sarah Adams
• The Lost Bookshop – Evie Woods: Everything was going good until the end. WTF HAPPENED TO THE MANUSCRIPT? Also hard to follow and the timelines are all wonky because they aren’t clearly laid out or properly connected

BOOKS I COULDN’T EVEN READ PAST 3 CHAPTERS

• Nothing like the movies: Lynn Painter
• Before the coffee gets cold: Toshikazu Kawaguchi – Overhyped series, not my vibe
• Dial A for Aunties – Jesse Q. Sutano – I desperately wanted to love it but it was not even close to the vibe of Crazy Rich Asians
• Mercury – Amy Jo Burns – WTF? Just no.

 

Want more book recommendations?

They are all here – I post what I read and my book recommendations from previous years.