Hello friends!

This is a post that I started at the beginning of 2020 to track all the books that I read this year. It will be an ongoing list that I will add to as the year goes on, so be sure to check back from time to time to see what else has been added!

I will share my RATING of each book as well. The rating guide that I created is below.

The book recommendations are written from most recently read at the beginning.

So let’s get to it!

Fun Fact: My absolute favorite bookmark is a large paperclip. No joke. Like that is literally what I prefer over any fancy bookmark you could possibly buy!

BOOK RATINGS:

I give every book a rating. I’ve created the following rating system below.

 5/5 – It Was Amazing!

I absolutely loved it! I will keep a copy on my bookshelf and I would definitely re-read it again! One of my all-time favorite books!
It’s like scoring an A on a test.

4/5 – It Was Good!

I liked it! I will keep a copy on my bookshelf, and I will probably read it again.
It’s like scoring a B on a test.

3/5 – It Was Ok.

I didn’t get too excited about it, but it was entertaining. I might read it again.
It’s like scoring a C on a test.

2/5 – It Wasn’t That Great.

I was not impressed. I finished it, but I will not read it again. I would not recommend it to others.
It’s like scoring a D on a test.

1/5 – It Was Bad.

I did not like it. Either it was like torture to finish reading it, or I might have stopped reading before I got to the end. I definitely would not recommend it.
It’s like scoring an F on a test.

March 2020

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I rate this book 5/5.

I totally forgot how good this book is! I read it forrrrrever ago and am so happy that I re-read it. And while I was reading it, I couldn’t remember how it ended so I was frantically reading trying to finish as fast as I could – ha!

I found myself rooting for love, no matter what the cost. And I found myself appreciating all the characters, even in spite of their flaws, because that’s real life. I felt like even the more flawed characters are very relatable… either in ourselves, in our friends, and/or in our family members… and sometimes you just gotta focus on the good of people in spite of their flaws.

When the main character and her best friend frequently reminisced on their childhood, I found myself reflecting back to my school days as well. It made me nostalgic for all the friends I had growing up and for each of the phases of growing up that we experienced together.

Sometimes while reading this book, I just wanted to scream some sense into the main character as I watched her go through some excruciating experiences because she’s so nonconfrontational and has such an easy-going kind of personality, sometimes to a fault.

And then there were times that I wanted to scream at the main character’s best friend because she is so manipulative and it makes you want to hate her at times! However, there were a few moments throughout the book (not many – ha!) where she would redeem herself with her loyalty… where you’d realize that sometimes when you have a loyal life-long friend, the simple fact that you’ve been friends for so long can sometimes outweigh some of the personality flaws.

Ultimately this book is about friendship, love, and learning how to stand up for yourself as well as take charge of your decisions and make your own happiness. With some unexpected twists, it makes for a really great read!

Yes, go buy it! Yes, go read it!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I rate this book 3/5.

The beginning has such a good HOOK that I was sucked in immediately! The characters in this book instantly made me want to know them more and more as I read. The storyline had enough mystery to keep me interested, and I found the storyline to be more than just a fluffy girly book.

This novel is about two completely different families from two completely different backgrounds becoming connected in ways that they wouldn’t expect. The characters become intertwined and you follow their friendships through some interesting plot twists. Many of the characters deal with moments of identity issues – trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be.

In this novel, you get to witness some of the major struggles of growing up as a teenager. You also get to witness two completely different perspectives of parenting and many struggles that come with motherhood. 

There is actually a lot of heart and soul in this story. With some serious issues weaved throughout, there were a few moments that were absolutely heartbreaking.

Now to be completely honest, the ending wasn’t actually as good as I expected. Not saying it wasn’t a good book overall… it was just kind of a weird ending for me. I guess I expected more of a surprise and was a little bit let down because it was kind of everything I expected to happen.

With that being said, I still plan to watch the Netflix series when it comes out!

February 2020

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella

I rate this book 4/5.

This book is the sequel to Confessions of a Shopaholic. (see review below). So I would have to say that the main character, Becky Bloodwood, is was a little bit more extreme on the whole overly-dramatic than she was in the first novel.

In fact, it was so dramatized, that there were some moments that I flat out thought she was just being stupid. Like… where I started to think “oh please, nobody would actually do that in real life.”

I mean, I know the character is like this in the first book too, but it’s a tad bit less believable in the second book. Her constant shopping gets a little annoying because it’s so extreme.

BUUUUUUT… I will continue to say that this book is still incredibly entertaining! It was such a quick read for me. She’s still a silly character that has some “duh” moments which I feel like I can mega relate to from time to time.

And I, of course, love the London British lingo throughout the book. And the humor throughout will definitely get you laughing out loud!

I especially loved how this book ended.

January 2020

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

I rate this book a 5/5.

This was one of the very first books that re-ignited my love of reading as an adult! In my college years, I kind of just stopped reading for enjoyment. But when I found out that this book was about a girl, Becky Bloodwood, who loves clothes and shopping… I was immediately sold!

When I read it for the first time about a decade ago, her love of shopping absolutely reminded me of myself. And it’s one of those books that you can read in a single day since it’s such a light and airy read.

It has lots of humor! It even has some moments of “oh yeah, I totally would’ve done that too!” I think a lot of women can relate to this story on some level if they like clothes and shopping.

The main character absolutely has a shopping obsession and can’t afford this shopping obsession. The ironic part is that her job is writing for a financial magazine! One of my favorite parts is reading all the silly letters and documents that she receives from credit card companies and bank representatives in response to her excuses and begging for second chances.

Is it absolutely ridiculous and outlandish at moments?!? YES!

Did I still absolutely love every second of it?!? YES!

*Oh and there’s a movie too! Click here!

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