Back with another “She Reads” article and I couldn’t be more excited to talk about the books I read this month!! Couldn’t be happier to end off the year readings these picks!!
Thank you for all the support with Pardonne Mes Obsessions! I truly cannot thank all my readers enough for reading every article and supporting the blog all together! Cannot wait to continue this journey and for all the upcoming articles in 2021!
Enjoy!
Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella
My first and most favourite read of the month was Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella. Shoutout to my best friend Soph for buying me this for my birthday…one of my favourite gifts! Not only is the cover super cute but the storyline was just as good! The characters in this novel were relatable and portrayed a realistic vision of young woman and man getting into a relationship. The story follows a young female named Ava, who believes love should not be found on the many filtered dating apps that categorize your preferences of men based on height or their astrological sign. She believes in real feelings not algorithms. After going through a recent breakup and totally being over dating apps she decides to take a break from the dating and social media world and goes on a writing retreat in Italy to finish her novel. The fascinating thing about this retreat is that you are not allowed to use your real name or give away any personal details about yourself. Your main goal is to focus on your novel without anyone’s personal lives getting in the way of your writing. Each individual on the retreat has to come up with a different name. When a martial arts retreat gets cancelled on the island, Ava who now goes by “Aria” meets a young man named “Dutch” who seem to click right away. Immediately they both fall in love without the pressures of reality setting in. Breaking the rules, they both allow each other to ask one personal question a day. It isn’t until they both go back to London and their true identities “Ava” and “Matt’ settle in, that they realize the fantasy is over and their true selves are let out of the bag. As the fantasy starts the fade, they realize how different both their personal lives are. From food habits, to annoying habits and interests…are they really compatible? Will they be able to overcome their differences and adapt to each other’s lives? Read this book to find out!!! I found this novel to be relatable in the sense that I think the same way as Ava…I don’t like dating apps and believe they are trash. It was refreshing to see a novel that touches on relationships where both individuals are completely different and go through different obstacles that both try to overcome in order for the relationship to work. I also loved how Ava travelled to Italy for a writing retreat, that is a dream of mine!! Working on a novel in Italy?! I’d be gone in a flash!
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
I was super excited to read this novel because the show Little Fires Everywhere had premiered earlier this year! Again, shoutout to my best friend Jess for giving me this fantastic read for my birthday! I am that nerd who likes to read the book before watching a movie or TV show and I have to say, the directors did such an amazing job following along with the storyline except changed up the ending, which only made sense for the show to start up a second season. The storyline follows a mother-daughter duo who move every so often and upend their lives and the picture-perfect Richardson family. Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl Warren, move to Shaker Heights, Ohio in 1977 and become tenants of Elena Richardson. The Richardson family is sought out to be this perfect family with no flaws however when a huge legal battle tears the town apart, both families uncover disturbing and real truths about themselves and the past that disrupt everything. The novel also emphasizes the topic of motherhood and displays the true power of what they would do to not only protect themselves but would go to any lengths to protect their kids. The ambition and message of this novel is super powerful, and I was so glad to see Reese Witherspoon bring this book to life. I loved that the novel was set in the 70s because you got to read about a different era and see how different life was even with the smallest rules that were set. I definitely recommend reading this novel, I finished it in one night, I could not put it down.
Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
The third read of the month was following one of my favourite tropes…best friends who fall in love with one another, without realizing until…they see them with other people. Another guilty pleasure read. Christina Lauren’s novels are all my favourite because it always follows a relationship trope that everyone always loves. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating follows Hazel who is “a lot to take” in her words and believes no men is up for the challenge of sticking around and dealing with her. She is honestly such a good person just looking to have fun wherever she is! She is a light in a dark room. Then there’s Josh, who has known Hazel since college…since she threw up on his shoes at a party and is the complete mellow opposite of Hazel. Fast-forward 10 years later they meet again, only for Hazel to find out Josh’s ex cheated on him and has completely turned his life upside down. Now that’s where Hazel comes in and starts being the breath of fresh air and ball of fun that Josh has always needed in his life. Although that doesn’t mean they date…at least not each other. Instead, they pick dates for one another and setup a double-blind date every week, that progressively gets worse and worse each passing week. Setting each other up on horrible blind dates means there is nothing between them…right? This novel is both funny and touching at the same time. Watching both Josh and Hazel setting each other up when it is super clear as a reader that the connection and tension between the two characters is there, is such a fun and frustrating read! A Christina Lauren novel isn’t a Christina Lauren novel without a little bit of steamy scenes in it, so that is a bonus! Christina Lauren novels never disappoint, I will always recommend these novels to anyone looking for a fun romance to read! Also, shoutout to Christina Lauren for noticing my story and reacting to it, which made my entire week!!!
Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover
Alright I am super excited to talk about this novel because it is written by one of my all-time favourites…Colleen Hoover!! I will forever be a die-hard Co-Ho fan and will forever recommend her novel to anyone and everyone looking to read a heart-dropping, emotional, fun…rollercoaster read. Heart Bones has such a meaningful title, and you don’t realize the significance till later on in the story and after finding out what it means your heart will melt. The story follows a young girl named Beyah who has not had her life given to her on a silver platter. She has made it so far on her own without the help of her rich daddy and her mother who is a drug addict. An unexpected death leaves Beyah with nowhere else to go but to her dad’s summer house in Peninsula, Texas who she hardly sees and knows. Her plan was to stick it out for the summer, head low and not making friends till she has to leave that dreadful place and head to college although her neighbour Samson, disrupts that plan. Samson and Beyah have nothing in common, Beyah comes from a life of poverty where Samson comes from a life of wealth. The one thing they do have in common is that they are both drawn to sad things. There connection is to tense, and they decide to both have a low-key summer fling till they both have to go their separate ways on August 2nd. Although, things are too good to be true and Beyah can’t ever seem to get a break in life. Can Beyah and Samson overcome the rip current that’s about to wash away their little fling? Read this novel to find out!! Colleen Hoover always finds a way to throw you off in her novels. I will literally be sitting in bed, thinking everything is normal then suddenly I find myself gasping and putting the book down to process the shocking turning point she threw into the storyline. It is always unexpected and something that you could never even think will happen in the story and Colleen Hoover thinks of it and makes it 1000000 times more dramatic and entertaining. It’s the turning points in her novels that not only make the storyline unique but also distinguishes her characters from other novels by not making them “basic” instead adding a little spice to their lives. This novel was just released in July and definitely has summer vibes although is a fantastic read. Anyone and everyone should definitely read this! Shoutout to Colleen Hoover for seeing my stories and replying to my messages on Instagram! Truly a dream come true!
I hope you guys are influenced to go out and purchase some of these books for your next read!!
Can’t wait to give more reviews in the new year!
Pardonne Mes Obsessions 