I had a wonderful reading month in December! 8 Books, and most of which were 4-5 stars!

Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau: I was sent this ARC from Endeavour Media. I will be posting a review soon, but just know that this is a really fun & well-written historical mystery that takes place on Coney Island in 1911. It was awesome! 4/5 stars.

Followers by Megan Angelo: Full review here! I gave this 4/5 stars. Thanks to Graydon House for the ARC!

Commonwealth by Ann Pachett: Embarassingly, this was my first Ann Patchett book, and it was a great one to start with. I love family dramas, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. This tells the story of the Keating & Cousins families and how their lives intertwine over five decades. It jumps in time from past to current day and was a sweeping and fascinating dive into these characters. 4.5/5 stars.

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey: Full review here! 4/5 stars.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson: I purchased this recently at the Harvard Bookstore Warehouse Sale and was told by my friend Ari to get to it immediately! Her recommendation was spot on. This was a twisty, fast-paced domestic thriller that kicks off when a man runs into a woman in Heathrow Airport on their way to Boston, and they come up with a plan to kill his wife. With a whole slew of unlikable characters, I shouldn’t have enjoyed this as much as I did, but there were twists galore and it was super fun. 4/5 stars.

Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra: This is a modern-day retelling of Little Women, a literary classic. This was…not. It was a bit of a mess. I didn’t like the characterizations of Marmee & Papa in this retelling, and I’m not sure I was into the change of setting from Concord, MA to North Carolina. It was a cute, romantic read, and I really resonated with Meg’s character this time around. Am I going to read the follow up? Totally. 3/5 stars.

Long Bright River by Liz Moore: Full review here. 5/5 stars. This is phenomenally written and super important & timely.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano: This book was the heartbreaking story of Edward Adler, the 12 year old lone survivor of a plane crash where he loses his parents and older brother. The book follows Edward as he tries to heal and grieve and find a ‘new normal,’ as well as flashes back to the characters on the plane before the incident. It was a difficult read but a great one that dives into what it means to grow up, found families, and moving on. 4/5 stars.