Do they live up to the hype? It’s about that time of the year and I can’t wait to get to all the fun “end of the year” book updates I have for you all. This post is particularly exciting because I feel so official. Y’all already know I’m in school so who has the time to keep up the reading trends, you know? But this year, I actually had a few books on my radar for 2022. And I got to read (almost) all of them! Which was so exciting. So I thought I’d just tell you what I was expecting from them and if they lived up to my expectations. It Starts With Us–Colleen Hoover [Release date: October 18. 2022]Read. I actually physically bought this book because I was soo excited. CoHo is really taking the booktok girlies for a storm and as a huge CoHo fan, I get the hype, but also…it’s a little overrated. I’m sorry! But there are so many other amazing authors out there doing cool and exciting things in the romance community that, to have Hoover’s books trending for three months?? It’s a little insane. But I digress. It Ends With Us is the book that started my entire CoHo journey. I remember reading it way too young and just falling in love with the characters, the story, and the writing, so to see that It Starts With Us was being made just for the fans? I was so touched. And honestly, the book did exactly what it set out to do. It was an extended epilogue showing Atlas and Lily learn how to live their happily ever after. That’s it. We were introduced to delicious new characters, given more depth to Atlas’ background which I loved and then it ended. It wasn’t the most spectacular piece of literature I’ve read this year, and I think the hate this book is getting is a little much given the context (she literally said she made this book for the fans). So I had reasonable expectations going in, and had a pleasant reading experience coming out. 4 stars, I’m so happy to finally see this chapter close for the series. Sabbatical–Katrina Jackson [Release date: October 21. 2022]TBR. Ugh, I was there when the release date for this book changed and then I didn’t even read it cuz I couldn’t get it on Kindle! It was truly devastating times. Office Hours truly meant soo much to me when I first read it two years ago. (ah! Happy 2023!) And the time and care Katrina Jackson puts into articulating academic life as a professor is truly my favorite part. But of course everyone fell in love with Toni in the first book. I was so worried we would never get her story but of course Ms. Jackson delivered for the girls! The only reason why I haven’t read it is because I decided I’d rather own it physically so thank you Mina from MinaReads for putting it back on my radar! It is now in my cart and should be out for delivery shortly. Stay tuned for updates. (I read a sample and there’s already glorious chemistry between these two). I can’t wait! Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail–Ashley Herring Blake [Release date: November 22. 2022]Read. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care truly was one of my favorite books from this year. So when I found out that the second book was coming out in November?? I was literally counting down the days. Unfortunately, some of my favorite parts of this book were the cameos I got to see of Delilah and Claire. The book was good, average, but nothing spectacular like I felt with Delilah’s book. I didn’t feel convinced of Astrid and Jordan’s chemistry or relationship. And I really wanted to dive more into the complexity of Astrid’s character (such as her relationship to her mother, her sexuality, her relationship to Delilah, and her past) because I still feel like there’s so much there left to uncover. Overall the romantic relationship felt rushed? And the pacing also felt a little off so I’m a little disappointed with this one. Especially seeing that Iris is the next book, and even though there was wonderful chemistry built between her and Jordan’s brother, Iris seems fated to be with someone else. So I don’t know if I’ll be as eager to pick up the next book in the series. 4 stars. You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty–Akwaeke Emezi [Release date: January 25. 2022] Read. I have no idea how or why this book came on my radar. Especially because when it first came out not a lot of people were talking about it and not a lot of people knew it was a romance. But I was sooo excited (and abroad) so I couldn’t get my hands on it for a while. I have a whole rant and rave (all good things, of course) about this book that you should totally read coming soon. But this…was spectacular. One of my favorites of the year. It was unique and it was profound and the writing was sooo freaking beautiful. I just…ugh. I can’t wait to own this in *gasp* hardcover, I know. Your tried and true paperback girlie is betraying you but only momentarily. I just can’t imagine a book this beautiful without that cover. (But talk to me again after the paperback is released and we’ll see what tune I’m singing then haha). 5 stars. Final Thoughts.
So, maybe I do know how to keep up with the trends. And maybe, once you read stuff for a while you start to anticipate book releases. Who knew? This is my third year of committing to reading intentionally and as a hobby and it’s been exciting to see the sort of books I stumble upon because of it. Maybe next year I’ll actually have an “anticipated reads list” *hint hint* and I can make some five star predictions. But I also think, as much as I have favorite books and authors, you also can never know what you’ll end up liking or what will end up working for you. All of these books on this list weren’t a complete success but I didn’t go into them with those sort of expectations. I enjoyed being excited for them to release and reading them all the same and honestly, that’s all I could ask for when it comes to things like this. So next year, I want to get excited for more books, and talk about the new and old authors that I loved, and really delve into why some things worked or didn’t work for me in a romance (because I’m really starting to figure out my tastes now). And I can’t wait for next year to see what my reading journey brings me. Until Next Time! With love, Arianna
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AuthorI'm an 21 year old girl who lives in NY. I love to read and write and fashion is my life. Follow me to find out more! Archives
January 2023
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