So, this is pretty pathetic. I read 14 books in October, which isn't a bad number, except for the fact that I read 10 of those in the first half of the month. I got into a sort of slump in the last two weeks of the month, largely owing to the fact that I played Stardew Valley nonstop for a week straight. Anywho... Somehow even with that slump, I still read a lot more than last month, with over 5,000 pages making for 170 pages/day. My average rating was 3.64, which is remarkably high. My lowest rating was 2.5 rounded up to 3, and my highest was 4.6 rounded up to 5. I'll take it! Here are the books I read in October:
1. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.79/5)
This was a roller coaster ride... The characters were so complex. They infuriated me, then made me shake my head in solidarity, then made my heart swell... There were just a lot of emotions from this. Clara was super bratty but a) she kinda had a good excuse, and b) character development is better when you start at a low place. I feel the same way about how overbearing Morgan was. I really like the male counterparts, Miller and Jonah, and I actually felt that the romances were well-paced: fast, and whirlwind-like for the teenagers, and slow-burn for the adults. Overall I really enjoyed this and I recommend to people looking for a heavy, heartfelt contemporary about the complexities of love, betrayal, and family.
2. True Story by Kate Reed Petty
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (2.5/5)
I don't.. know... what I just read??? That's terrible review, but I have nothing better. The changing viewpoints and timelines made it hard to focus on this story, probably exacerbated by the fact that I was listening to the audiobook instead of reading a physical copy. I just felt like everything--the characters, plot, writing--was average.
3. Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.07/5)
WOW, this book was fantastic!! I have always been interested in Greek mythology, and I loved the writing in this book. I like how the ancient is interwoven with the modern, and how even the ancient stories are accessible and relatable to current circumstances that women face. Also, the illustrations in this book are beautiful.
4. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.71/5)
This was a really cute graphic novel!! I smiled throughout most of it, and I loved the style of art and storytelling.
5. Half-Blood (The Covenant Series #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.14/5)
This is my second disappointment from Jennifer L. Armentrout, and in short succession (not to mention I've only read two of her books). This book was just so very average to me. I shipped the romance but it wasn't developed enough for my preference. The plot was very slow and scant--just not that captivating. I really expected to love this because of the premise (hello, Greek mythology retelling?? My PJ loving heart is throbbing) and because of the high reviews. Sadly, the first fell short of expectations and second didn't end up being the case for me. I will not be continuing with the series. However, if you have liked Armentrout's other books, you will probably like this. Most of the problems I had with her From Blood and Ash were ditto for this book. Also some people were saying this was a shameless rip-off of Vampire Academy? I haven't read that (yet), but if so, it must be a pretty mediocre one. Time will tell, as I hope to eventually get around to reading that one...
6. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is really creepy. It gets an excellent score for atmosphere and chill. I thought the characters were bland--the protagonist was the really cliche strong independent woman trying to protect a weak dependent woman. What really worked for me in this book was the science behind the horror. It wasn't really accurate, but it sure was fun to read about as I'm currently in my microbiology rotation. The characters you're supposed to hate are so hateable, and this book hits the spooky fall vibes just right.
7. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.71/5)
This is both a lot of fun and anger-inducing, especially because it's so accurate regarding the shame that plus-size women receive every day. I liked how they address the double standards between how men and women are treated about their weight, and how there's a stigma about a plus-size woman being romantically involved with an average man. Where this book did not exceed my expectations was the plot--I predicted every plot twist pages before it happened. Maybe it was foreshadowing... maybe the plot is just the tiniest bit cliche.
8. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.64/5)
I expected to like this, it's a Hidden Figures-esque alternate history (1950's) wherein humanity is scrambling to find a way to live off the Earth's surface after a catastrophic meteorite strikes the capital of the United States, dooming all of Earth's inhabitants. There is a large emphasis on the role of the woman in space flight, particularly computers, which was also the main focus in Hidden Figures. Although it should be mentioned that this was written before that book was published. One thing I didn't expect from this book that I really appreciated was the mental illness representation, being that the main character and several others suffer from anxiety and are medicated for it. There's a large discussion about how medicating for mental illness is viewed and the personal struggles involved with deciding to get help. Some of the misogyny in this book just made my blood boil, even knowing that "the times were different". The bikini scene... that one in particular made me see red. I'm not kidding when I say the main reason this book is in the 4-star range and not the 5-star range is because of the space-themed dirty talk. The fact that it was consistent, like 5+ times... I just wanted to the throw the book at the wall/vomit every time I read it. Seems dramatic, but it's true.
9. The City We Became (Great Cities #1) by N.K. Jemisin
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.14/5)
To be honest, I can't remember much about this book so it's not winning any awards for memorability. Obviously, I remember the premise because that was pretty cool. And I like how the city was split up into different people who were diverse and a perfect essence of the city. However... that ending was so underwhelming. And it just felt like there was so much filler. Filler conversations, filler plot points, filler backstories that did not contribute to the main plotline (or even side plotlines) or character development at all. If I had to describe this book in three words they would be: chaotic, creative, and tedious. It still gets 3 stars because really most of it wasn't bad, most of it was fine or even good. It did leave something to be desired though.
10. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.92/5)
This book really excelled on the plot and intrigue side of things. The characters were alright, but what made me keep reading was the mystery. I was just as enraptured by the enigma of Alicia Berenson as Theo was. I liked the plot twist; I only saw half of it coming and even that was only a few chapters before it happened. There are still some things I don't understand. Not much to this review besides spoilers (view my spoiler review on Goodreads). All in all I recommend this just because of how intriguing the plot continually is and because I actually did like the twist and the ending.
11. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Rating: ★★★★★ (4.57/5)
I loved this book with my whole entire soul. I laughed out loud--for real--several times. There's just not much to say other than that this is a really solid rom-com. There were several instances where I finished a chapter and just had to continuing reading onto the next chapter. This is a long book for a contemporary, but it still felt too short. And there were a few things that made this book less perfect in my opinion, like how insufferably whiny Luc constantly was and how his friend group was a little too idealistic, but it still didn't detract from my enjoyment of this novel. Truly amazing.
12. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.21/5)
This was an incredibly sweet story. I really grew to love the characters, I loved the messages, and I was really shipping that ship hard by the epilogue. I think this book did what I was hoping Every Heart a Doorway would do, and at least this one did not disappoint. I hope we get more content in this world from TJ Klune.
13. New Moon (Twilight, #2) by Stephenie Meyer
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.64/5)
I definitely liked the middle chunk of this book more than the beginning or the ending--I'm officially a Team Jacob kind of person. I never thought we'd be here, but we are. Edward is just so emo and Bella is so into him and I'm like...........why. But JACOB wow that is something worth thinking about. Honestly I just liked Jacob more because he's more friendly. He isn't so cold and distant. Bella is definitely obsessed with Edward, but it seems that Jacob is the one who makes her smile more. Whatever, the point is, I want more of the werewolves and less of the vamps. Since the werewolves take up like half of the book I was inclined to enjoy this much more than if it had only been about the vampires again. Also, I liked that only a small portion of the book was in the high school setting (it's just very boring to me comparatively). I must mention though that Bella's conversations with Jacob, especially in the beginning of their relationship, were a real weakness in the book. The writing and the dialogue in those chapters were both just... so bad.
14. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.21/5)
This was really cute! However. Andrew's reason for getting mad at Mae was pretty ridiculous and I kept thinking about it through the end of the novel. Also, I think I'm getting to the point where all of Christina Lauren's books are starting to be very familiar to each other... I've read 5 of their books, 4 of which are all very similar to each other (the exception being Autoboyography). I just need to take it slow reading more of their books, and maybe lower my expectations. The first book I ever read by them blew me away so completely (Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating) that I need a way to cope with their other books never quite measuring up. Still, this one was cute and very Christmas-y.
