I’m very happy with how I started this new year out, at least reading-wise. I actually enjoyed each book reviewed below but the speed, length, and genres certainly vary. The summaries should help you select your next great read.

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The Royal We

I definitely enjoyed The Royal We and felt strong emotions when reading it. But I will warn you it felt long. I thought unnecessarily long. There were scenes I would cut and way too much inner dialogue for my taste. That being said, the story is fully formed with a few twists you mostly see coming and a satisfying ending. Although fiction, there are many parallels between the real British royal family and the British royal family in this story.

A young woman, who is a twin, does the first thing individually by going to a different college from her sister and decides to study abroad at Oxford. When she arrives she discovers one of her floormates at the dorm is an heir to the throne. They become friends and eventually more.

Their relationship is kept secret for a long time. But once their relationship becomes known the obvious issues come into play and they break up. Both handle the breakup by seeing other people and are constantly in tabloids. Obviously, they get back together. Then there is a whole will they or won’t they get married situation. Siblings, friends, and relatives play a huge role in the rollercoaster of their relationship.

Trust me, it’s a lot less cheesy than I am making it seem to be. Plus, there is a sequel. I don’t feel like I HAVE to read the second book but if I’m in a reading lull I would absolutely pick it up.

Cinder

Cinder is a YA dystopian novel and yes I guessed the big reveal almost from the start. This book is the first of four in a series. I’m not going to jump right into the next book but this is a series I think I would love to read along with my daughters once they’re preteens.

A young female cyborg named Cinder is a mechanic earning money for her human stepmother and two stepsisters when the prince brings her his robot to fix. Earth’s population is currently in the middle of a pandemic and the emperor has fallen ill. An evil ruler is looking to benefit from the emperor’s likely death.

Cinder’s stepmom volunteers her to become a test subject to help find an antidote. The scientist who will be experimenting on her learns a lot more about Cinder than he bargained for.

This book is a combination of teen romance, mystery, and interplanetary politics.

The Younger Wife

The Younger Wife was fine. It’s a little on the slower side and not scary at all so it’s a good one to read in bed before you go to sleep. It’s very predictable and has a satisfying ending.

The book starts with someone being injured on a wedding day. An older man is getting married to a much younger woman after divorcing his wife who has early-onset dementia. His two adult daughters have some feelings about their dad’s engagement but also have issues of their own they are currently dealing with.

One sister’s husband has lost all their money but they haven’t told her family yet. She also happens to be a kleptomaniac and her stealing is getting out of control.

The other sister had a traumatic experience as a teen and hasn’t dated any man since. Recently, she hired an extremely attractive man to help with her business. Will she finally get back into the dating game or will her past haunt her forever?

The fiance grew up in an abusive and alcoholic home. Has she found a safe haven with this rich older man or is her life not as perfect as it seems?

More importantly, who was injured during the wedding and why?

Acts of Violet

I have enjoyed this author in the past and although Acts of Violet isn’t my favorite novel of the author it’s still a good one.

It’s coming up on the 10-year anniversary of when Violet Volk, a famous magician, vanished during a performance. People have wondered for years if her disappearance was planned or if something darker was at play.

Violet and her only sister Sasha had a strained relationship at the time of her disappearance. This story focuses on Sasha and how the anniversary is causing her to sleepwalk as well as to reach out to a therapist to discuss her history with her sister.

Meanwhile, a podcast is being developed about Violet. The podcast features people she was closest to such as her ex-husband, her mentor, an old teacher, etc.

Will Violet reappear at the anniversary vigil? Will Sasha get closure? Does the reader ever find out what truly happened to Violet?

The ending is mostly satisfying. I enjoyed the podcast interview sections of the book a lot.

Looking for more book reviews? Check out my Best Reads of 2022!