What I Read In November + My End Of Year TBR
November was a light reading month for me, but alas, such a good month for the books I read. I listened to one on audio and two books were Christmas-themed. Very good to get me in the holiday spirit. Although I wasn’t a fan of one of them, they still catapulted me fully into the Christmas spirit.
Below my November reading list is my end-of-year TBR. This will most likely go into 2023, because there’s no way I can fit that many books into December. Maybe, just maybe, if I take vacation days, but we’ll see.
A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
This one was highly anticipated. I love The Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams and when I finished the fourth one this past year, and found out there’s a fifth one coming out that’s Christmas-themed and featuring Colton Wheeler, the country superstar, I flipped. When I saw this in my favorite bookstore the week it came out, I knew I had to buy it. Listen … it did not disappoint. If you like grumpy/sunshine, you’ll like this book. (And it’s even flip/flop, where the girl is grumpy and the guy is sunshine, something you don’t normally see in these types of books.) If you like fun banter between the two characters that build the sexual tension, you’ll like this book. If you like steam but not too much steam, you’ll like this book. If you like country music, you’ll like this book. If you like a touch of family drama mixed in with your books, you’ll like this book. I don’t know how many books are left in this series, given this is the fifth book in the series, but I’m excited to hear about any more! Definitely pick this one up for your holiday TBR.
Rating: 4/5
Have I Told You This Already? By Lauren Graham
If you’re looking for a quick audiobook for a road trip this holiday season, then look no further than the fast-talking Lauren Graham, aka THE Lorelai Gilmore. This book was basically another episode of Gilmore Girls and it filled my nostalgic heart to its full capacity. I didn’t know a lot of the personal stories and details she shared about her past and childhood, specifically with her mom never being around. She talks about moving to New York and having a long-distance relationship with New York. She mentions her friendship with Connie Britton (uhhh, amazing) very casually, and she even mentions letting go of past relationships. As I mentioned earlier, this was a quick audiobook—only four hours! I listened to this for my two-hour road trip, both there and back, and finished it one weekend. I highly recommend listening to this one if you get the chance.
Rating: 5/5
All I Want For Christmas by Maggie Knox
This is where things get interesting. I picked this one up because it looked super short and I thought I could blast right through this fun, cute, delightful Christmas romance. And it was set in Nashville and featured country music as the background setting, so I was still excited from A Very Merry Bromance, also set in Nashville. But this one … wasn’t it. I started reading Maggie Knox’s Christmas novel, The Holiday Swap, last Christmas and didn’t finish it. I went into this with the same expectations, slightly lower expectations, and it just didn’t do anything for me. The two main characters were contestants on this reality singing competition and (SPOILER ALERT!) they won. They had great chemistry onstage but offstage, they hated each other. However, the build-up was weird. I didn’t think they hated each other, only with a few snide comments. But then suddenly, they liked each other and developed romantic feelings for each other? There wasn’t any flow and it was hard to keep my attention for this very short book. Overall, it didn’t impress me.
Rating: 3/5 (I feel like that’s generous?)
My End-Of-Year TBR:
Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry (on audio)
Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas (still working my way through this!)
The Deal by Elle Kennedy (about to finish really soon!)
Meet Me Under The Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss (on audio!)