My December 2024 Reading Roundup – A Book Review
Photo by Encal Media on Unsplash
How did December come and go so fast? It’s like I blinked and Christmas was over. What? And now it’s officially 2025. Come again?
What on earth did I do in December, besides probably spend too much? Let’s see. I attended my kids’ bi-annual piano and flute recital, which was lovely. And I took the kids to see The Nutcracker for the very first time. It was my first time too. And uh – I appreciated the beautiful dancing. And the music. I really did. But the story? I’ve never been to a ballet before so I didn’t really know what to expect. Can someone tell me what was up with those rats? As soon as the rats crawled on stage, I said “Exterminator!” My daughter had to shush me. I didn’t get it. There were no words in this ballet, which I guess is what makes it a ballet.
I left feeling the same way I felt leaving Cats. Why is this show so popular? Sometimes traditions are just that. Traditions. And you continue participating in them because you always have. I’m glad I’ve seen The Nutcracker, but have no desire to see it again. That’s just me.
Ooh! I cooked another pound cake for our Christmas Eve festivities, but I used a different recipe this time. It was called a million dollar pound cake and the recipe called for several extracts (lemon, almond, coconut and vanilla). My daughter didn’t care for this one. But everyone else seemed to like it. I was told it was light. Not too sweet.
My cake from Thanksgiving was a cream cheese pound cake and even though my Thanksgiving one and my Christmas one were both considered pound cakes, it was like comparing apples to oranges. They were each good, but different. It still disappeared the next day and that’s all that matters. 😉
As always, if you’re interested in reading my novel, The Secrets We Keep, it’s available to read here. Gee, I really know how to segue huh.
But now, what you’re really here for: my book reviews! This past month I read and/or listened to 9 books. Dive in with me, won’t you?
Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas
I listened to this on audible. I didn’t like the first half because Krisjen was just a dumb ho who didn’t respect herself it seemed. But then she got with the MMC (no spoilers on which brother) and things got better. Much better. He was a jerk to her sometimes, but you understood it considering his past trauma. She loved him the whole time but didn’t know he felt the same. He let her have his brothers because he felt unworthy of her and like he wasn’t enough or too much for her. He needed therapy. Had suicidal thoughts. A rough life. But I liked them together.
I felt time was wasted on the other brothers. I didn’t get the point of that.
If you’re a fan of this author, then I’d read it. But they have better books out there.
3.75/5 stars
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
I listened to this on Libby. It was well written. However, I felt like Cherry, the grieving actuary, should’ve gotten sued. She was the villain to me. The fact that some people thanked her for her prediction was fine I guess, but some people did end up dying as she predicted. She predicted things just based on looking at them and taking into account statistics and probability. Math.
When Cherry infected the whole plane with her poison, she set off a cataclysmic event that did both good and bad things simply because she was in pain from losing her husband recently. It was selfish and reckless and I really didn’t like her or care about her life.
There were too many characters to keep track of too. But I did enjoy the story between the pilot and the flight attendant. Their relationship was beautiful. Other than that, it was a book about death. A dark book that wasn’t happy at all. I didn’t like the subject matter. And I especially don’t like Cherry. And I didn’t need to know about her entire life. That was pointless.
2/5 stars
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
I truly enjoyed this book overall. I felt it was long, especially as it got towards the end, but there were some surprises there. I loved the journey that Mel and Jasper went on. I truly felt for Emelia throughout. Towards the end though, seeing her kid die and then her daughter-in-law die, I think I didn’t need to see her entire life.
It was also very tragic, in true Shakespearean fashion, that Emilia never really got to be happy while alive. Her happiness was only in moments/snippets with Southampton. Whenever they were together, all they did was screw. I guess they had to because back then, she was never married to him and never his mistress. Their love story was a tragic one. They just couldn’t be together because society kept pushing them apart. Their relationship would’ve been considered inappropriate.
All the things that kept women back and the fact that women could only do so much – it’s still so relevant today. It was also hard to read in places. The beatings, the rapes. Thankfully, it didn’t go into detail with the rape, but you knew that every single time Emelia did it with her husband Alfonso (arranged marriage), it was never love. It was always just rape. And men were allowed to beat their wives ’til their bones broke. All of that was okay back in the 1500s. It was disgusting that it was legal.
All the things that Emelia said about womanhood and society, and questioning the why’s of it all was so true.
I love that Jasper was a full-fledged human. He seems maybe to be a little eccentric. Maybe even on the spectrum, but I loved how he and Mel came together. I hate how they were torn apart by a Shakespearean misunderstanding.
So many emotions with this novel. Really well written. I just felt it was a little too long, which is why it lost half a star. But aside from that, I truly enjoyed the listen.
Towards the end, Jasper and Mel’s reconciliation was glossed over and I wish we could’ve seen how it actually happened. I liked that Mel and her black gay best friend had that falling out. It was realistic.
I also wish Emilia and Southampton could’ve had their reunion in the afterlife, but I understand that though Southampton was the love of her life, so was her life’s work.
I tried to read the hard copy from my library, but found it difficult. It was easier to digest as an audiobook, which I listened to on Libby. Highly recommend!
4.5/5 stars
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Prior to reading this, I didn’t realize that The True Love Experiment was Book 2 of this series. I wish it had been labeled as such. Anyway, you can check out my review for that one here.
I listened to The Soulmate Equation on Libby. The two leads were pretty boring and I didn’t find them particularly interesting. However, I liked how River, the guy, was very much a broody and rude kind of guy at first. I was wondering how the two leads were gonna get together and then wondering if I even wanted to see that. But we learn later that he’s just shy, so that was nice. I haven’t read many romance novels with shy guys, which was refreshing.
Then I wondered can a shy guy be good in bed? When it came to the spice, it wasn’t particularly enticing or good. It was more perfunctory. I guess they liked it. I didn’t really feel it though, but I did feel their love. There were surprises there, in regards to who said I love you first. The ending was sweet. I wish we had found out their true soulmate number, but I guess it’s OK that it stayed a secret. I ultimately liked them together. I liked that Jess stood up to her mother.
Overall I liked it, didn’t love it.
3.75/5 stars
Scarlet Yearnings by Scarlet Ibis James
Full disclosure. I was asked to read this book by one of my Medium readers. Below is my honest review. 🙂
I listened to this on audible and read some of it on Kindle Unlimited. This book is a collection of 12 short (some very short) stories. And I will review each one here. I hadn’t read a collection of short stories since I went through my Zane phase back in college, so reading this collection had me feeling a bit nostalgic, which was nice.
1. The First Time She Met Her Father – It was sad how the little girl couldn’t get her dad to pay attention to how she wanted him to be in her life, along with the sibling she just found out she had. This story was very short though. I’d want to read more about how the girl grows up to be an adult, dealing with a father who is clueless and how that affects her. I wanted more.
2. Love Me, Daddy – Also very short. The woman sitting on a bench thinking about her dead dad and past relationships, and then having daddy issues with a new white guy briefly talking to her. There wasn’t much meat on this one.
3. Love in Cosmic Times – I enjoyed this one the most. Getting catfished by a kid was interesting. I wanted to know more. Like I wanted a full story, more fleshed out so we could get to know these characters. A good start though that I hope the author dives deeper into in the future.
4. “I Love My Husband, But…” – Felt more like an idea. Not following the good advice of a mentor. And instead doing the opposite. The main character finding herself married, not wealthy and finishing education later in life. And rethinking her life’s choices. Again, would be interesting as a fully fleshed out story, with characters we can get to know and care about.
5. Seven Was the Symbol of Their Love – A couple who fought over petty things and ended up divorced. I had the same issue with this one. Wanted to care more and wanted more fully developed characters.
6. We Couldn’t Then, But We Can Now – Interesting concept with both characters being widows and then finding each other again. Second chance romance. There’s definitely a market for that. Wanted to explore more.
7. Behind the Grand Doors of Paradise – The doorman admiring a resident from afar and it doesn’t go anywhere. Not interesting to me.
8. Love Is Forgiveness And Self-Acceptance – About a woman who wanted permission to cheat on her partner due to selfish reasons. I unfortunately felt nothing.
9. Love Of My Mother’s Mother – The spitting in the granddaughter’s face just because she picked a school that’s far away. Gross and short. I didn’t get this one.
10. Hot Subway, Love – Interesting. A man hurt by a past love runs into her on the subway, but she doesn’t see him. His dead brother tells him it’s not worth it and he should let it go. And he does. Concise and to the point.
11. Love, Lift Me Up – A cute meet-cute which left me wanting more!
12. Love, Mystical and Destined – A little mystical. A woman and her enlightened boyfriend. The longest story I think. It was okay. The boyfriend was overbearing and saying you’re my destiny. And then her dead mother appears to her, giving her her blessing. Then she was all in and ready to go to this other realm with the male lead. Again, let’s dive deeper.
Overall, this collection of stories was well written throughout. I just wished we could dive deeper. I’m not into short stories, so maybe I’m not the target audience. I couldn’t feel a connection to any of them. I would invite the author to take one of her ideas and turn it into at least a novella so we can get to know these characters better.
My favorites were stories 3, 6 and 11. I’d read a whole book about those characters. It would also be interesting if the author could somehow have these stories intertwined. Like have them have something or somewhere in common that brings them all together. Maybe they all work or live in the same building. Something like that. Could be interesting to explore. Those are my thoughts.
2.75/5 stars
Fire Night (Book 4.5 of Devil’s Night series) by Penelope Douglas
I listened to this on audible and read some of it on kindle. This is the final book in the series. You can read my reviews for the previous books in the series here and here and here and here. I went like a whole year before I finished this series. Not sure why. Guess there were other books that got in the way. Oops!
It was nice to check in with the four friends and their lives as married men and women with kids of their own at Christmastime. It quickly turned into a murder mystery, and they were off to find out what’s going on. Then the son of Kai is the one who takes care of the problem.
It was okay I guess. I’d be more interested in learning more about Kai’s son if we were going to get into his life and whatever love interest he gets. But this was the end and it ended on Damon basically inviting him to carry on their legacy. Damon stayed Damon and sort of forgave his mom. I missed Damon.
But was this necessary? Not really. Hard core fans only.
3.75/5 stars
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
I read the hard copy from my library. I really loved Liam and Anna together. They felt like full, real people. I really liked Anna. She was quirky, honest and fun. This book was fun to read and it put a smile on my face. I felt like I was on vacation with them. It was definitely a good time. There was a really good villain too. He was horrible.
When they broke up, I was a little sad. I knew they were gonna get back together, but money does complicate things and so does family.
However, I didn’t feel like the authors wrapped everything up in a bow. It felt like there was still some work to be done on the family members. I didn’t love the ending, how we jumped from Anna to Liam to Anna to Liam so quickly back-and-forth. I assume there is more work to be done with his little sister at the end, the one that got married, but I still felt like they were gonna be just fine and happy.
They really did make the worst thing happen in this book. That’s what you’re told to do as a writer of fiction. You think about what’s the worst that can happen to a cast of characters. Then you make that happen and watch how they dig themselves out. Yeah, that’s exactly what this writing team did.
4/5 stars
Hooked (Book 1 of the Never After series) by Emily McIntire
I listened to this on audible. I guess I’ve been reading this series out of order. A throwback to my Colleen Hoover phase. Haha! You can check out my review for book 2 in this series here.
Very well done smut. Watching Hook fall in love reluctantly with Wendy was awesome. And watching Wendy accept Hook just as he was was chef’s kiss. Hook was a bad man. But I didn’t like the narrator for him. I wanted it to hit harder. He was betrayed by everyone close to him except for Wendy. And the twins I think.
At the end, the author just threw all the double crossings out there back to back. And what Wendy was forced to do at the end? Wow!
There are some nice surprises in here. I didn’t know how they would come back from him drugging her and kidnapping her, but they did it. Such an entertaining story. Read it.
4/5 stars
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
I listened to this on Libby and during the last 5% or so, I read along with the narration (hard copy from the library). I didn’t know that this was same author that did Normal People. I enjoyed that series on Hulu. Guess I’ll have to check out that book now.
In this one, there was a lot of Mm and Obviously. I really wished the author could find another word. I found it slow and boring in some parts. But I felt for all the 5 main characters. I felt it was building up to something. Like I felt the simmer, and then the surprising physical fight between the brothers. It was shocking and sad.
It was a little sad throughout. None of the sex was meant to be enticing. Like it didn’t really add to the story. Nor was it particularly well written.
I didn’t like how there were no quotations in this book for when the characters were speaking. That was confusing. The author didn’t hold our hand with this book. You kinda had to figure it out on your own. But once you’re in it, you slowly get it. Like whose chapter it was.
We don’t really hear it from Naomi’s or Sylvia’s POV, but we get everyone else’s. I didn’t like that the author left some things, like Peter’s relationship status, open-ended. I prefer closure. The ending was a little too easy. Everyone was polite. Except for the brothers and their mom. And Naomi was a little out there. Her arc was surprising.
I’d recommend listening to this one. The narrator did a good job.
3.75/5 stars
BONUS YEAR-END WRAP UP
Since 2024 just ended, I thought I’d list my absolute favorite books out of the 97 I’ve read this past year. Compared to 2023, I managed to read 11 more books this past year! Woo!
These are my absolute favorites from 2024. I’ve either given these 4 stars or above. And if they got a 4 and I still listed them here, it was because I still loved the book despite its minor flaws. These favorites listed below, I’d read again and again in a heartbeat. I might even buy them. P.S.: for some reason, February was a really good reading month for me. And February is right around the corner now. Will lightning strike twice? Stay tuned.
As always, I’ve included links to my reviews of these books for your reading pleasure. Here goes the best of the best:
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Vanquish by Pam Godwin
Take by Pam Godwin
The People You Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Complicate by Pam Godwin
One is a Promise by Pam Godwin
Two is a Lie by Pam Godwin
Three is War by Pam Godwin
Losers: Part 1 by Harley Laroux
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Still by Kennedy Ryan
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Falling Away by Penelope Douglas
Funny Story by Emily Henry
In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
Block Shot: Stocking Stuffer by Kennedy Ryan
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
So funny. I was looking at what I wrote last December (2023) and I mentioned I was in the middle of writing The Secrets We Keep with 6 chapters completed. Wouldn’t you know, on the current novel I’m working on, the vampire coming of age story, I’ve yet again finished 6 chapters and am currently working on my 7th. Hmm….
Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed reading and are feeling a little generous, consider buying me coffee here.
Happy New Year!!
