wrap-ups

October Wrap Up | I started working and read

31/10/2021

Hoohoo, lovelies!

It’s wrap up time! Let’s have a look at my month of October, what I did, what I read and which blog posts I loved this month! Please do tell me about your month in the comments! Did you do something for the first time? What made you happy? What was your favourite book?

LIFE UPDATES

Well, in my life, nothing much happened. I started work! In a bookshop! And while it’s stressful and I still haven’t gotten entirely used to it, I definitely enjoy it a lot. I really like my coworkers and the work itself is also good. I haven’t really done much else besides working and reading to be honest. There were a few hours of playing Lord of the Rings on the PS2 and I also got some writing done, both fanfiction with a friend and my own story, or better: stories. There are so many ideas inside my head right now.

Homesickness hit me in the face full force this past week. I realized that next year I can only go home for about 3 weeks because it’s too far for just a few days and that’s hard… I mean my parents already told me they’d come to visit more often. But it’s the whole package of home that I’m missing. The nature, my whole family, my friends, just the feeling of being there. But I’ll manage. I will.

BOOKS I READ

the devil makes threeThe Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino

TW: blood, death, murder, loss of loved ones, physical and mental abuse

Tess works at a supposedly haunted library. Eliot just wants to find a way to help his mother survive. If it takes witchcraft, then so be it. Then one night, the two of them find a special book beneath the library and accidentally summon… something that is out to get them to be free, not stopping at anything. Tess and Eliot have to move fast before they lose everything and everyone important to them.

While I usually don’t really read spooky stories, I went into this without any expectations really and I enjoyed it a lot. I was in the bathtub for hours to finish the story, just so I could get out safely in the knowledge that everything is well and good and I don’t need to be afraid at home alone. Well, guess how that turned out.
That said, I liked the writing style a lot and loved the characters, especially Tess who is so strong willed and has a bigger heart than she wants to. I actually wrote a full review for The Devil Makes Three.

portrait of a scotsmanPortrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore
A League of Extraordinary Women #3

Rep: sapphic side characters | TW: guns, alcohol,, suicide (mentioned), loss of loved ones

When Hattie, daughter of an influencial banker in London, is caught in a compromising situation with her father’s rival, Lucian Blackstone, the wedding is organized as fast as possible. Neither Hattie nor Lucian really want the wedding and especially Hattie realizes what she’s losing. The two of them are at each other’s throats at all time but can’t ignore the pull between them.

This third instalment was my least favourite of the series so far, but I still liked it a lot and there were so many things I came to love. Things that annoyed me in the beginning but became clearer later on in the book. I liked both Lucian and Hattie’s character developments and all the contrasts that made this story. I wrote a full review for Portrait of a Scotsman.

the lost girlsThe Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

Rep: bi MC, sapphic romance, queer side characters | TW: blood, death, murder, gore

Holly is sick of working at Taco Bell but can’t get a proper job thanks to her asshole ex-boyfriend Elton turning her into a vampire and thus making her forever sixteen. Her life changes when Ida and Rose, two other exes of Elton give her an out: killing Elton. The plan seems simple enough but there are two problems: Elton’s new girlfriend, Parker, and Holly’s feelings for her.

This is a vampire story after my taste! Queer sapphic vampires out for revenge? Exactly what I love. And I did enjoy everything about this book, the rivalries and backstories and character developments. I only had probelms with the pacing of Holly and Parker’s relationship which went too fast for my liking. I wrote a full review for The Lost Girls.

so we meet againSo We Meet Again by Suzanne Park

Rep: Korean(-American) MC, LI + side characters | TW: alcohol

After losing her job as an investment banker in New York, Jessie moves back in with her parents in Nashville. With the help of her former rival (well, still rival but hotter), Daniel, she starts a career making cooking videos and livestreams cooking Korean food. Daniel, too, is a banker and there are a few things he doesn’t tell Jessie… things that could break the fragile thing between them and make or break Jessie’s career.

I loved this book so much! It was a lot of fun and had witty dialogues, sarcastic characters and serious undertones. I enjoyed Jessie and Daniel’s relationship and how it developed. I also loved Jessie with her parents, who both just want the best for their daughter even if they don’t always show it. It was such a good, wholesome book that still manages to make you think.

beach readBeach Read by Emily Henry

Rep: lesbian side characters | TW: domestic abuse, cheating, loss of loved one, alcohol, cancer

After her father dies, romance writer January inherits a house in his hometown. Having a terrible writer’s block she moves there for the summer to try and finish a novel. Instead she meets her longtime rival and fellow writer Augustus who lives just next door and also tries (and fails) to write. So they make a pact: Augustus tries to write a romance book and January tries to write general fiction and whoever sells their book first wins. There are a few unforseeable problems, though. Like their growing feelings for each other or their pasts catching up with them.

Two things happened I did not expect. This book went far deeper than I thought it would and I absolutely loved it. I don’t know why but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. It was fun and emotional and talked about things that were quite heavy at times. I loved January and Gus and their relationship and how it develops, I loved them looking back and just them talking… I had such a good time reading Beach Read and it’s so much more than a cute romcom.

bloomBloom by Kevin Panetta & Savanna Ganucheau

Rep: mlm MC, mlm Samoan-American LI

In this graphic novel, Ari is ready to leave home and move into the city with his friends with whom he is also in a band. But his father can’t just let him leave since he needs his help in the family bakery. But then Hector, the new guy in town, starts helping out at the bakery and the two grow closer

This was so cute while also being such a good depiction of teenage life and things that can strain people’s relationship with each other. I liked the family dynamics in Bloom, and how Ari’s parents want him to be happy but have financial struggles and need him, while his friends’ lives just go on without him. He himself can’t figure out what he truly wants. I liked his development and his friendship/romance with Hector which was really sweet. I also loved the illustration style a lot!

the bronzed beastsThe Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi
The Gilded Wolves #3

Rep: Indian MC, Jewish autistic MC, bisexual Filipino-Spanish MC, queer biracial black MC, poly relationship (?) | TW: blood, death, dead bodies, murder

Synopsis contains spoilers for the first books!! After Séverin’s betrayal, the group from L’Eden has split. But all paths lead to Venice, where they have to work together again to find a way to make Laila live. There are only a few days left for her… and for the group to fix the wrongs that happened between them.

Roshani Chokshi did it again and wrote an absolutely gorgeous book! There is just soemthing about Roshani’s way to put letters into words and into sentences that turns out beautiful and stunning and creates amazing world and wonderful characters. The writing is something I love about all of the author’s books and The Bronzed Beasts were no exception. I really enjoyed this last book in the Gilded Wolves trilogy and I even shed a tear or two. These characters mean so much to me and I love how their journey concluded!

the love hypothesisThe Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Rep: demi MC, gay side characters, queer side characters | TW: sexual harrassment, loss of loved ones, cancer, sexism, racism (mentioned)

Olive didn’t plan to kiss Adam Carlsen, but in a moment of panic, she did. Olive is a PhD candidate and Dr. Carlsen as he is known in the department, is feared by students and colleagues alike. But then Adam surprises her by agreeing to fake date her and as they get closer to each other, they learn things about themselves they wouldn’t have expected and about the friends they made along the way.

This is probably my favourite book this month. If I didn’t have to go to work, I easily would have read it in one sitting. I loved that it was academia and that it also put into light how hard it is to get to be someone there, especially when you’re a woman in STEM. But I also really enjoyed Olive and Adam’s relationship, both their friendship and the romance and how they acted with each other. Adam has a reputation of being mean and scary but with Olive he is so caring and gentle and Olive trusts him so much and really opens up to him. I also liked that this book talked about demisexuality and queerness in general and that it was just accepted. There was just so much to love about The Love Hypothesis!

WHAT I BLOGGED

BLOG VISITS
blog posts by other bloggers I’ve loved this month

Until next time,

beach read blog visits bloom october wrap up portrait of a scotsman so we meet again the bronzed beasts the devil makes three the lost girls the love hypothesis wrap up
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