January Book Round Up

A Round Up of What I read in this month!

Welcome to the first book round‑up of the year! January started off really strong — then I went on holiday and literally read nothing. So I’ve spent the rest of this week trying to finish the books I started on holiday while starting new ones because I clearly have a serious problem.

This month I’ve technically read 15 books: 4 from my TBR and 11 mood reads. I haven’t had any 5‑star reads, which is honestly quite disappointing. I actually haven’t read a book that truly blew me away since I read Atmosphere in December, which is making me a bit sad — so we’re pivoting next month.

Anyway, here’s an overview of the 13 books I’ve finished and the 2 I should wrap up before the end of the month!

Completed Books (in chronological order, Notable in italics)

Finished

1. Where Secrets Find Solace by Kimberley Brown
2. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
3. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4. In Covenant with Ezra by Love Belvin
5. Bonded with Ezra by Love Belvin
6. In Love with Ezra by Love Belvin
7. Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn
8. Pretty Little Birds by A Blossom
9. The Governor’s Wife by Amaka Azie
10. The Wrath of the Fallen by Amber V Nicole
11. Royce: The Handler by Grey Huffington
12. My Parents’ Marriage by Nana Ekua Brew Hammond 
13. Lily in the Valley by Alexendrea Lechelle 

Currently Reading

1. Th1rt3en by Steven Cavanagh
2. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

It’s honestly so funny because I read these books at the beginning of January and, since January is basically 10 weeks long, I can’t even remember what happened in half of these stories.

I really enjoyed Royce, it was my first near–5‑star read of the month, even though now I can barely remember the premise. But it’s slowly coming back to me. I was super disappointed by Grey Huffington’s last book in this family series, so I went into Royce biting my nails, but I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of the earlier books in the series, like Rather, which felt more grounded than the usual urban fiction vibe she leans into. I loved the political angle in this one, it added more dimension than I typically get from a Grey Huffington book.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was probably the first book of hers I’ve actually enjoyed. As you know, I’m on a mission to read all her books. I listened to this one on audio, and it genuinely felt like a STORY, something I’ve been missing with her writing but finally got here.

Till Summer Do Us Part was a friend‑recommended read — definitely not something I’d stumble upon on my own, but it ended up being one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while. It was sweet, genuinely laugh‑out‑loud, and very, very spicy, but in a way that worked well. 

Now, the Ezra series by Love Belvin… do you ever read a book and think, what the actual hell is going on? But you keep going anyway? That was my experience with these three books.

I picked up the first one because I saw it on my friend’s list sometime last year, and honestly, I should’ve asked her about it before diving in. But no — I just flew into it and fully jumped the gun. I’m not going to tell you the premise because I have no desire to scandalise any of you. But honestly, the premise isn’t even the issue. It’s the execution — a problem I’ve been noticing with Love Belvin lately.

I never fully understand what’s going on or why her characters behave the way they do. The stories always feel hard to follow, and it didn’t help that both the MMC and FMC in this series refused to act like regular human beings until the very last book. However, she kept ending on these fun, messy cliffhangers, so I kept coming back like a clown. I’m still not entirely sure what that experience was and I can neither confirm nor deny my enjoyment. 

Most of the other books were fairly good and I enjoyed them all for the most part. I don’t think I read an actual bad book this month. All strong 3-4  star reads.

I started reading People We Meet on Vacation because I watched the movie on my flight and fell completely in love. So far I have enjoyed Emily Henry’s books – never blown away but she manages to balance the fun and romance with the real and heavy which I always appreciate. I haven’t been able to finish the book yet — it’s taking me much longer than it normally would, and I’m definitely not enjoying it as much as the film.

To be fair, I’m not very far in, so there’s still time for things to pick up, I’m definitely noticing many changes between the book and film, and because I want to do a proper book‑vs‑screen comparison in February (our month of all things love and romance), this one is getting bumped up the priority list.

I think that’s it for my Round Up this month! Up next is my TBR Update where I run through the books I’ve read and the ones I have left including any I have added over the last month. 

Thanks as always for reading and yay January is finally over this year is now fully in motion! Follow me on GoodReads and Fable to see what I am reading in full time!

See you next week!