January 2024 Book Reviews and Recommendations

My reading has been off to an excellent start this year! I’ve begun to mix in paper books alongside my Kindle and audiobooks because I get sick of waiting for my e-books to become available on the Libby app. I hate that I can only put on hold 10 books at a time through my library. I’m very much considering getting non-resident library cards all over the country for this reason. Below are my January book reviews from a good variety of genres to get your reading started off right in 2024.

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This book is a solid, twisty psychological thriller that isn’t scary.

Josie turns 45 and on her birthday meets her “birthday twin” – a woman born on the same day and year as her. This woman, Alix Summers, hosts a podcast featuring aspirational women. A few days after their birthdays Josie approaches Alix and suggests that she might be a good candidate for her podcast because she wants to drastically change her life for the better.

The reader then learns through her conversations with Alix, the podcast interviews, as well as her everyday life, the unique and odd relationship Josie has been in with her husband. The couple met when Josie was a young teen and her husband was well into his forties. They married a couple of years later and had two girls. Josie seemingly now wants out of the marriage. The girls each have unique issues that eventually play a large part in the story.

Alix is also having some marital trouble as her husband has been going on drinking benders and not coming home at night occasionally. Josie thinks they are friends and that their situations are the same whereas Alix pities Josie and is fascinated by her crazy story. Alix might regret opening up her life to Josie’s problems.

It’s clear a Netflix documentary ends up being made about the podcast and that a crime has been committed. There are interviews from numerous people but the reader doesn’t yet know who they are or how everything ties together but it certainly all does nicely in the end.

I thought this book had excellent twists and turns. But be warned – it gets dark. You might want to read the trigger warnings before starting!

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

This mystery would have been 4 stars for me but I felt such anxiety reading it I had to knock it down a half star.

It’s 1939 in London and Hazel (age 14) and her 5-year-old sister Flora are being sent away to the country. Operation Pied Piper has the children of London being evacuated for their safety during WWII. Luckily, the sisters are billeted together with a wonderful woman and her son.

It’s idyllic besides the fact of the war and that they are separated from their mother. Whenever Flora needs comforting Hazel creates a magical world called Whisperwood that only they can see and enter becoming anything they want.

Hazel is developing feelings for the boy they are living with and while Flora is napping outside on a blanket one day the two teens go off together in the woods for just a few minutes. When they return Flora is missing and her teddy is found by the river. It is presumed Flora has drowned.

Hazel never forgives herself and also never truly gives up hope that Flora still lives. Twenty years later working at a rare bookstore, Hazel opens a book titled Whisperwood. It’s her story! Does this mean Flora is still alive? She sets out on a quest to find answers. Is she chasing a ghost? Will her obsession ruin her career and personal life?

There are twists I didn’t see coming and the ending is very satisfying but I prefer The War That Saved My Life.

The House In The Cerulean Sea

Wow, this YA fantasy is sweet, magical, and I just adored it!

Linus is a 40-year-old man who works for the Department In Charge Of Magical Youth as a case worker. He visits orphanages and makes sure everything is in order. While staying objective, Linus writes detailed reports including his opinion on whether or not an orphanage should continue to operate. His life is very straightforward and lonely (though he doesn’t admit this to himself) with just a cat for company.

That is until one day, Linus has his life turned upside down when extremely upper management summons him and assigns him to a classified case. This particular orphanage has magical youth the public would be truly frightened of and the neighboring town is paid to keep quiet about it.

Linus is to visit the orphanage located on an island for a month and give detailed weekly reports. But who he meets on the island will change his views and life forever. Read it, just read it.

The Friend Zone

It’s a predictable, cheesy romance and that’s currently not my jam. But I totally understand how predictability is comforting for many people, especially after a long day. Still, I was annoyed at the childish communication (or lack thereof) between the two main characters.

Kristen’s boyfriend is about to move in after being in a relationship for two years. The problem is her boyfriend is a marine and they actually haven’t spent that much time together.

Furthermore, Kristen has been feeling an attraction to Josh. Josh is a firefighter who recently moved to the area and is the best man in her best friend’s wedding. The two start spending even more time together when he begins working part-time building dog staircases for her online dog boutique business.

Besides loyalty to her boyfriend, there’s one other major reason keeping Kristen from trying things with Josh – her infertility. Josh wants a large family someday and Kristen is about to have a hysterectomy after a long history of horrific periods and menstrual pain. She doesn’t want Josh to fall for someone who can’t give him the family he wants.

What results is extremely predictable and slightly annoying back and forth. I didn’t think it was that hot and the few sexy scenes were overshadowed by the constant childish refusal to speak to each other. There is a serious dramatic component to the book that makes the story more interesting but I won’t spoil it for ou.

For more book reviews check out my Best Reads of 2023!