Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in December 2023. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. (I do have one more 5 star read to share in this post!) The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Happiness Falls
Author: Angie Kim
Genre: Literary Mystery
Publisher: Hogarth, 8/29/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This literary mystery will appeal to many readers who enjoy a slower, philosophical read. Eugene is a teen who has autism and Angelman syndrome and is nonverbal. He is the only witness to his father’s disappearance.
“‘We didn’t call the police right away.’ Those are the electric first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing. Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything—which is why she isn’t initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don’t return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia’s brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak. What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry.”
The story is told by Eugene’s sister Mia. As Mia looks into her father’s notebooks and more is revealed about Eugene, the reader comes to immerse themselves in this intriguing family. Of note, this book takes place during Covid and the family is biracial Korean American. I would have loved to read this story from Eugene’s perspective!
Title: A Holly Jolly Ever After
Author: Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Avon, 10/16/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I really liked this duo’s previous book, A Very Merry Meet Cute, and was excited to head back to Christmas Notch where former boy band member Kallum is filming a sexy Christmas movie with Winnie, who grew up with purity culture and who isn’t quite sure how to act in their sexy scenes.
“Kallum Lieberman is the funny one™. As the arguably lesser of the three former members of the boy band INK, he enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame and then moved home where he opened a regional pizza chain called Slice, Slice, Baby! He’s living his best dad bod life, hooking up with bridesmaids at all his friends’ weddings. But after an old one-off sex tape is leaked and quickly goes viral, Kallum decides he’s ready to step into the spotlight again, starring in a sexy Santa biopic for the Hope Channel. Winnie Baker did everything right. She married her childhood sweetheart, avoided the downfalls of adolescent stardom, and transitioned into a stable adult acting career. Hell, she even waited until marriage to have sex. But after her perfect life falls apart, Winnie is ready to redefine herself—and what better way than a steamier-than-a-steaming-hot-mug-of-cider Christmas movie? With decade old Hollywood history between them, Winnie and Kallum are both feeling hesitant about their new situation as costars…especially Winnie who can’t seem to fake on screen pleasure she’s never experienced in real life. She’s willing to do the pleasure research—for science and artistic authenticity, of course. And there’s no better research partner than her bridesmaid sex tape hall of fame costar, Kallum. But suddenly, Kallum’s teenage crush on Winnie is bubbling to the surface and Winnie might be catching feelings herself. They say opposites attract, but is this holly jolly ever after really ready for its close-up?”
I quite enjoyed that Kallum is from Kansas City, with all the references to where I live. I also loved that he is Jewish – it is meaningful when a Christmas themed book acknowledges that not everyone celebrates Christmas! The “let me teach you” relationship that develops between him and Winnie is sweet but just bordering on my personal too much spice boundaries. Winnie has narcolepsy and I felt that this plot line was dropped without a needed discussion, and there was an added surprise trope in the middle that many will find unappealing. I really enjoy the writing in this series and will definitely tune in for the next one!
Title: Again and Again
Author: Jonathan Evison
Genre: Literary
Publisher: Dutton, 11/7/23
Source: Book of the Month – November
Why I Read It: Book of the Month pick
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
One of my November Book of the Month picks was Again and Again by Jonathan Evison. I chose this book due to the description including a lonely old man and a younger man who becomes his friend. It was too literary for me and quite character driven.
“Eugene ‘Geno’ Miles is living out his final days in a nursing home, bored, curmudgeonly, and struggling to connect with his new nursing assistant, Angel, who is understandably skeptical of Geno’s insistence on having lived not just one life but many—all the way back to medieval Spain, where, as a petty thief, he first lucked upon true love only to lose it, and spend the next thousand years trying to recapture it. Who is Geno? A lonely old man clinging to his delusions and rehearsing his fantasies, or a legitimate anomaly, a thousand-year-old man who continues to search for the love he lost so long ago? As Angel comes to learn the truth about Geno, so, too, does the reader, and as his miraculous story comes to a head, so does the biggest truth of all: that love—timeless, often elusive—is sometimes right in front of us.”
This book is about Eugene, who believes he has lived multiple lives. He tells his story including the life he lived in Moorish Spain and his love story with Gaya, and this current life and love story with Gladys. Things get confusing and it was hard for me to know whether to believe Eugene or those who couldn’t believe his stories.
Title: Unleashed Holiday
Author: Victoria Schade
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 9/26/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I love how this author includes specific dog training tidbits in her books. This one is about Chelsea, who runs her own dog training business. To her annoyance, Andrew, who she has some history with, ends up opening a gym next door. These two have some beef and that leads to their dislike for one another, although there is obviously attraction as well. Chelsea exchanges training Andrew’s dog for some gym sessions for herself and the tension continues from there.
“Chelsea Higgins is doing just fine. She’s heading into the holidays at the helm of a thriving dog training business, and she’s got a mellow senior dog at home to keep her warm at the end of the day. What more could she need? Enter certified gym bro Andrew Gibson: Chelsea’s former nemesis, and now the newest neighbor in her business complex, who also wants to expand into the vacant space Chelsea’s been eyeing for months. Who cares if it’s the season of joy? Let the turf war begin. When an unfortunate (and literal) run-in with Andrew’s lawless dog leaves Chelsea with a bum wrist, the two strike a deal: Andrew will help Chelsea rehab the injury if she’ll work with him to train his adorably uncivilized boxer. Their typical bickering soon turns to bantering, and Chelsea finds herself inexplicably drawn to the man she thought she had nothing in common with. As she gets to know Andrew and his parents, she realizes she needs to refocus on her own family, especially with a milestone Christmas speeding toward them. But Chelsea can’t help wondering if she and Andrew are training for keeps, or if this unexpected Christmas gift is just too good to be true.”
I enjoyed this book, but the misunderstanding that lead to their dislike of each other was somewhat annoying. I also felt that some of Chelsea’s insults towards Andrew deserved further discussion. This holiday book took place over Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Title: The Beautiful and The Wild
Author: Peggy Townsend
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Berkley, 11/7/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
I love a survival story and this one takes place in Alaska so I was very excited by the book’s premise. Unfortunately the execution of the story didn’t work for me.
“It’s summer in Alaska and the light surrounding the shipping-container-turned-storage shed where Liv Russo is being held prisoner is fuzzy and gray. Around her is thick forest and jagged mountains. In front of her, across a clearing, is a low-slung cabin with a single window that spills a wash of yellow light onto bare ground. Illuminated in that light is the father of her child, a man she once loved. A man who is now her jailor. Liv vows to do anything to escape. Carrying her own secrets and a fierce need to protect her young son, Liv must navigate a new world where extreme weather, starvation, and dangerous wildlife are not the only threats she faces. With winter’s arrival imminent, she knows she must reckon with her past and the choices that brought her to the unforgiving Alaskan landscape if she is ever going to make it out alive.”
This book is about Liv, who takes her son to find her missing husband. She has found out that he fled to Alaska. She finds him and he traps her in a shipping container. She must learn to adapt to his new life in order to survive. This book read quickly, but lacked the thrill or suspense I would have liked. It was a strange story in a lot of ways as well.
Title: Betting On You
Author: Lynn Painter
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers, 11/28/23
Source: Bought
Why I Read It: Enjoy her books
My Rating: 4 Stars
Betting On You by Lynn Painter was a highly anticipated YA read for me so I purchased the book for myself. I loved the When Harry Met Sally shout outs and the funny and fun parts of the story.
“When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip. Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong. Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie ‘fake dating’ in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?”
While the plot has a little too much going on to explain, it is about Bailey and Charlie, who meet on a plane and start annoying each other immediately. When they end up working together, they become friends – or just coworkers according to Charlie. They make a bet about whether men and women can be just friends. They are also both dealing with their parents’ divorces and new relationships and Charlie offers to fake date Bailey in order to try to scare off her mom’s boyfriend. Amid all of that, they are trying not to fall for each other. I found the book just a bit too long, although it was written well, as all of Lynn Painter’s books are.
Title: Don’t Want To Be Your Monster
Author: Deke Moulton
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Publisher: Tundra, 8/1/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This middle grade book has the very cool concept of subverting the vampire as villain trope which developed from antisemitism and changing it into one where vampires are actually helpful healers rather than monsters. This book is about Adam and his brother Victor who are young vampires. When they discover there is a local murderer in their town, Adam is driven to help the mortals track down the killer, while Victor prefers to focus on the young blood he may be able to drink due to the murders. Adam becomes friends with Luis and Shoshana and when the killer is revealed as a vampire hunter, Adam’s whole family is involved in stopping him. There is Jewish rep in this book as well as LGBTQ+ rep (two moms, a nonbinary sibling). If you are squeamish, you may not love the descriptions of blood throughout the story.
“Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it’s morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They’re vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family. Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in his life (well, immortal life) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late?”
I loved that the author’s note goes even farther to explain how “if you convince a lot of people that someone you don’t like does the absolute worst thing imaginable…then anything you might do to them will always be ‘better’ than ‘what they are going to do to you.’ And then you can say that hurting or erasing that group is justified because you’re only ‘protecting yourself’!” Entire groups shouldn’t be seen as monsters.
Title: The Sun Will Come Out
Author: Joanne Levy
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers, 4/13/21
Source: PJ Our Way
Why I Read It: Book Slump
My Rating: 4 Stars
Late in December, I found that I couldn’t fully enjoy the books I was reading and I didn’t want to slog through just for another 3 star review. So I DNFd two books in a row and was feeling hopeless. Instead of deciding to stop reading altogether, I grabbed a middle grade book by Joanne Levy – The Sun Will Come Out. If you are raising Jewish children, you can join the PJ Library program. It runs from birth to age 8, and 9-12 year olds can join PJ Our Way. I believe this subscription is meant to expire at age 12, but Simon still receives monthly emails at 13! For at least this past year, he hasn’t really been interested in picking his monthly books, so I’ve been choosing them for him. Or – for me. I’ve added some great books to our shelves and going into 2024, one of my plans is to read the ones I haven’t yet! This one is about Bea, who has been planning to go to Camp Shalom with her best friend. Instead her best friend goes to horse camp. Bea is super shy and starts breaking out in hives when she gets embarrassed or stressed. She has to deal with bullies in her bunk and they even cause her to mistrust the new friend she makes. She winds up spending a lot of time at the infirmary, where she meets Harry. He has an illness called progeria and he helps her to face her fears rather than run from them. The camp does the musical Annie, which Bea loves but is terrified to be a part of.
“Twelve-year-old Bea Gelman and her best friend Frankie are planning the BEST SUMMER EVER at Camp Shalom―a sleep-away camp. But at the last minute, Frankie bows out, leaving painfully shy Bea on her own. Just talking to strangers causes Bea to break out into ugly, blotchy hives. As if the hives weren’t bad enough, Bea gets pranked by a couple of mean girls and is betrayed by someone she thought was a new friend. Bea has had enough! She decides to spend her summer in the infirmary far away from everything that’s stressing her out. No more boys (including her crush, Jeremy), no more horrible mean girls, and no more fake friends! At the infirmary, Bea meets Harry, a boy living with a disease that’s way more intense than stress breakouts. Inspired by Harry’s strength and positive outlook, Bea decides to face her fears―in a big way. The Sun Will Come Out is a funny and heartwarming account of a shy girl’s first summer away from home, where she learns she really can do anything and that silver linings can be found just about anywhere.”
I enjoyed this sweet read and seeing Bea find her silver linings!
Title: Mr. Wrong Number
Author: Lynn Painter
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 3/1/22
Source: Birthday Gift
Why I Read It: Last book of the year
My Rating: 5 Stars
Last book of 2023! For the past two years, I’ve finished out the year with Abby Jimenez. This year I don’t have access to her newest book, so I chose one of my birthday gifts to read – Mr Wrong Number by Lynn Painter. I previously read and loved The Love Wager, so I was excited to read about Colin and Liv and see how they met previous to their wedding in The Love Wager. Mr Wrong Number was kind of hilarious. Liv is a bit of a mess, always getting into situations, whether or not they are entirely her fault. She moves in with her brother and his best friend, who Liv remembers as her nemesis from childhood. Meanwhile, she gets a text meant for someone else and begins a textual relationship with whoever accidentally messaged her. Of course, it turns out to be Colin. While Liv doesn’t know who she is texting, she also falls for Colin in their forced proximal life. And the story goes from there.
“Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall…or maybe she’s just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a “What are you wearing?” text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing….Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend’s annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she’s turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He’s sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she’s the irresistible Miss Misdial he’s been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.”
There were some weird editing issues that didn’t take me out of the story too much, and the steam seemed less descriptive from what I remembered in The Love Wager, but I loved this too and I’m glad I read it as my year end book.
There you have it, the rest of my December (and 2023) reading! This post included 9 of the books I read in December. I read all of these books in print. Genres included literary, mystery, contemporary, thriller, fantasy, and rom com. 1 was YA, 2 were middle grade, and 6 were adult reads.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?