The last month of the year was a good reading month for me! I read some cute and festive holiday romances in addition to finishing up a nostalgic series.

Stats:

• Read: 8 books
• One 3 star read, three 4 stars, three 5 stars, one unrated
• Favorite book of December: Lovelight Farms

Fire with Fire by Siobhan Vivian and Jenny Han

It’s honestly hard to rate this book because this series is so special to me and I’m worried that my review will be too biased. Nevertheless, the drama really ramped up in this book. It was much darker and sinister, with higher stakes revenge and so many betrayals. I don’t want to spoil anything, but a certain plotline is developed further and creates one of the wildest and most masterfully crafted plot twists I’ve ever read. I was EXTREMELY entertained and engaged the whole time.  Rating: 5 stars

Ashes to Ashes by Siobhan Vivian and Jenny Han

It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling it, because so many plot points are utterly insane. All I’ll say is that while one of the characters completely loses her complexity from the past two books, some things are wrapped up too quickly, and the epilogue was absolutely horrific, nothing could stop me from rating this 5 stars. I just loved the utter absurdity, drama, heartbreak, and the betrayal that occurred within the book. The writing and execution of the plot was never perfect, but I sure was entertained. I was worried I wouldn’t like this series as much as I did 7 years ago, but I may have liked it even more. Don’t go into this looking for a literary masterpiece; but if you’re looking for some escapism and drama, the Burn for Burn series will never disappoint. Rating: 5 stars

Just like Magic by Sarah Hogle

I am Sarah Hogle’s biggest fan as well as a fan of holiday romances so I just HAD to read this. It most definitely delivered on Hogle’s personal brand of humor, which always works so well for me. The winter and holiday vibes were extremely strong. They were coupled with fantastical elements, so everything was over-the-top, chaotic, and so creative. The Scrooge-like main character, Bettie, and the lessons she learned about family were like a traditional Hallmark movie. However, they were not boring to read about because of the hilarious characters and family dynamics. My only complaint would be the romance– I just can’t take a love interest seriously when his personality is comparable to Buddy from the movie Elf. Rating: 4 stars

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

This book restored my faith in friends-to-lovers romances. Everything about it was so warm and cozy; it definitely served up the holiday vibes. The slowburn and fake dating trope was done spectacularly well, and the relationship was healthy and adorable. I adored the small town setting and how the main character’s community was so supportive of her Christmas tree farm. B.K. Borison is a new romance author whom I’m looking forward to reading more from! Rating: 5 stars

Heart of Darkness by Jospeh Conrad (no rating)

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

I loved the important themes this book explored as well as the adorable high school romance. The conversation revolving barriers for women in STEM, specifically engineering, was developed realistically in a high school setting. I loved reading about girls doing so well in robotics and engineering; it was honestly motivational to see them go after their goals and dreams. This book also very accurately handles the pressures of high school: burnout, trying to get into a good college, and not knowing what you want to do in the future. Bel and Teo were both completely different characters with differing perspectives on life, but will both be so relatable to high schoolers. Rating: 4 stars

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

I really enjoyed this book! Its magical realism combined invisibility powers with a Chinese boarding school for the elite, and the plot was super easy to get through. The academic rivals-to-lovers romance could have been more developed and I was honestly expecting a little more drama, but overall I don’t have very many complaints. Alice was a very relatable main character and I appreciated the book’s messages about providing equitable education to low-income kids. Rating: 4 stars

Ricochet by Krista and Becca Ritchie

I was mostly bored throughout this book. Nothing interesting happened at all in terms of plot. It basically just described Lily’s journey through therapy to deal with her addiction. The love interest wasn’t even physically present in the story, so this just felt like a filler in the series. Rating: 3 stars