October 2016 Monthly Wrap Up PART 1

This month was another great reading month.  It did start off a little slow as I had family in town.  I also had a ton of DNF (see my recent post) and just could not find much that I could get into.  Check out what I did read this month and let me know what you think....

October 2016 Reading Stats: I read 9 books this month

Goodreads Rating System: 

5 Star-It was Amazing

4 Star-Really Liked It

3 Star-Liked It

2 Star-It was Ok

1 Star-Did not like It

My Rating: 5 Stars (It was Amazing)

Format: Kindle

Photo Source: Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

I "lived" this! Really! I am not sure if I really liked this or really loved it, so "lived" is the perfect in between (makes sense once you read this).

I knew right away that Holder knew Sky from her past. But, as soon as I thought I had everything figured out...so much more came along with it. I did not see some of the twists coming at all and some others were easy to figure out. But the major twists left me in shock and in tears. 

I loved Holder. Like most young romances, Holder is a teen who actually feels and acts like he is much older. His love for Sky is just crazy, but I still enjoyed it. I was speechless when the his life started to be involved with some of the twists and turns this took. I literally put my hand over my mouth and cried during one plot twist!

Overall, I give this book 5 stars. I only am debating on a solid five due to some of the things in the beginning of the book that I just did not appreciate (glorifying the use of slut/whore etc).

But, once this book took off there was no turning back. It was intense in a good way and it sucked me right in. I couldn't put it down. Now to decide if I take a chance on book 2 in this series?

My Rating: 4.5 Stars 

Format: Kindle

Photo Source: Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

CH did it again! From the first paragraph until the last, it just pulls you in. This book deals with so many issues: infertility, love, loss, DV, substance abuse, and more.

I loved Ryle at first and was sad when his character changed so drastically. I work with domestic violence and feel CH did a great job describing issues I see everyday between abusers and victims. 

I enjoyed this even more after reading that this was partly a true story of what CH experienced herself as a child. 

Some people may not like these issues involving domestic violence or the reality of what happens when someone does not leave those situations, but again I think this book did a great job describing what so many go through and why they make the decisions to stay. 

I personally did not like the Ellen parts and thought the journal entries could have done without the talking to Ellen. They could have still referenced Ellen and "just keep swimming" could still have been a important message between Atlas and Lily. 

Otherwise, another great read by CH and one you won't regret reading. It really is a story about survival and breaking the cycle of violence. 

My Rating: 3 Stars 

Format: Kindle

Photo Source: Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

I was very out of my reading comfort zone on this one. I am not a huge fantasy reader, but this is a pretty hyped up series so I wanted to give it a try. I honestly thought I would start reading this and give up within a chapter or two. But, surprisingly I finished this in less than two days. 

I really liked the Beauty and the Beast aspect of this book. I wish the romance was more developed, but overall I still really enjoyed the characters. 

I know most people stated they didn't like the beginning, but loved the second half. I have to say I preferred the opposite. I liked the first half and started to lose interest in the second half. 

Overall, I am shocked I finished this and I do plan to read the second book in the series. I am happy I ventured out and gave this a shot. 

My Rating: 3 Stars 

Format: Kindle

Photo Source: Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

I won a signed copy of this book and was excited to read it. 

This was a very quick read and only took me a few short hours to finish it. The writing style had an ease to it that made it easy to devour. I have been reading some intense books lately, so it was nice to grab something quick and light. 

This book is about two characters, Lucas and Kinsley. The chapters are from both points of view which normally bothers me, but this flowed together nicely. I will say that I wish there was more to these characters. I feel some parts felt rushed and I would have liked to have more detail/development in certain areas. 

Overall, it was a fun read and I enjoyed both Lucas and Kinsley. I will definitely look at some more reads from the author.

My Rating: 2 Stars 

Format: Kindle

Photo Source: Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

** spoiler alert ** I am giving this book 2 stars. I am pretty disappointed with this book. I am not normally a reader of mystery/thrillers but I decided to do a read-a-thon for October which included this book. 

I will say the first few chapters were great and were very intense. It immediately got my attention or I probably wouldn't have read the rest of this book.

After that, the book just changed. It was slower and I couldn't connect with most of the characters. 

This takes a dark turn which involves child abuse, mental illness, and what someone will do for "love."

I didn't like the love relationship between step-siblings. I know this was the main aspect of the book and how/why everything came full circle, but I think it was not well developed. I just didn't enjoy it. 

The murders relating to the stories were odd and boring. The fear from people in town was never real in feeling. There were multiple murders and kids were still running around doing as they please? 

I also did not like the ending. I mean it was not expected, but for Lana to kill Ben more out of fear of becoming evil with him than being terrified he had killed three people and faked his own death also did not work for me.

Make sure to look out for the second part of my October wrap-up.  It will be posted in a few days!

Let me know what you are reading down below as I am always looking for new recommendations. 

Please comment below with any comments and to show your support for Simply Kelina!

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me on Instagram

Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Goodreads