Pages

Monday, November 28, 2016

November 2016 Monthly Wrap Up PART 1

Wow!  Another successful reading month in which will need to be posted in two parts.  CRAZY! Check out part one now...


November 2016 Reading Stats: I read 14 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

I initially was putting my books into order by rating, but since there have been so many each month I do not want them to be all lower ranking books in one post.  I have decided to start posting them in the order I read them during the month.


My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Format: Kindle
Photo Source: Goodreads

My Thoughts:
** spoiler alert ** I give this 3.5 stars. I was not really sure what to expect from this book as I really went in blind to the plot. So many people have recommend this series, so I wanted to give it a try. It was so much better than I was expecting.

The first page mentions Hannah being raped and I knew that was going to come into play later with her relationships. I love how open Hannah and Garrett are with each other about being "broken."

Garrett! I was rooting for him from the beginning and just love him. I was seriously grinning when he would make a step forward with winning Hannah's heart. I just loved his character.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will be continuing the series.


My Rating: 4.0 Stars
Format: Kindle
Photo Source: Goodreads

My Thoughts:
** spoiler alert ** I was sent the ARC of Games from the author, Brianne Day. I was very excited to read this. It was a very quick read and is something you will devour in only a few hours. If you like romance and new adult with some serious issues thrown in, you will love this.

Let’s talk about the cover! It is stunning. I was intrigued right from the start.

The book takes on the POV of both Audrey and Brock. Audrey is trying to move on after being in an abusive relationship. She left Carson almost 9 months ago, and is still dealing with the impact from the abuse.

Brock is the mechanic who will change everything.

This books is not for the faint of heart. There are some intense scenes involving physical abuse. It gives you glances into the pain and damage of being in an abusive relationship. These scenes will leave your heart in your chest. They are heartbreaking. There are times Audrey is holding on for her life.

This was an ARC did have some spelling and grammatical errors, but they did not take away from the intensity of the plot. Otherwise, the writing was good. I need a book to grab at the pit of my stomach and not let go for me to continue on with it. This did not let me down.

**Spoiler** I am happy Carson did not kill Audrey and they both, he and his father, will pay for what happened. I am excited to see where the relationship with Audrey and Brock will go in future books in this series.

This is a story of moving on and believing in love again. I finished this in less than 2 hours and can’t wait for more from this author. I give this 4 stars. I really enjoyed it.


My Rating: 1 Stars
Format: Kindle
Photo Source: Goodreads

My Thoughts:
I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I just did not like this book. I wanted to give this at least 2 stars, but I just can't.

The first part of the book was ok. I feel the relationship building between Park and Eleanor took too long to develop. I was not finding any connection for their romance. The only parts keeping me interested was the home life for Eleanor and what was going to happen with that part of the plot.

I read this on my Kindle. Once I was about 39% in, I was so bored. I was having a hard time picking this up and finishing it. I finally decided to try to push past everything to see what happens. I could not stop wanting to skip parts...about everything.

I also did not like the ending. I had high hopes for this, and it just fell too short for me.


My Rating: 2 Stars
Format: Kindle
Photo Source: Goodreads

My Thoughts:
This is such a hyped up series, I was expecting magic! But, this fell short for me.

I flew through the beginning with ease. I was so excited to see what all the excitement was about with this. I really thought I was going to enjoy the plot. When I got about 40% in, I just got bored. I thought once the championship events started it would pick back up but it didn't for me. I just could not get into this like everyone else.

I did finish it (skipped a lot). I have heard book 2 is much better so I may try to continue on but not sure if I will go further than that.


My Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Hardback
Photo Source: Goodreads

My Thoughts:
What just happened!? WOW! That is all I can say to sum up my emotions after reading Don't Look Back. I started this yesterday and finished it early the next morning.

This book started with a bang from the first page. I have been in a reading slump, and thank goodness for JLA! This was exactly what I needed. This thriller kept your guessing and every chapter left me wanting more.

About half way through I literally stopped reading to go tell my husband what was going on (not that he cared), but I was so Ahhhh! in the moment I needed to talk to someone. I did the same thing once I reached the end! He was laughing at my reactions, but again this what a good book should do to you.

This does involve teenagers and some mean girl moments. But, the rest of the book takes over and I can look past those annoying parts. They all still held the book together. I still loved it and give this 5 stars.


My Rating: 2 Stars
Format: Kindle
Photo Source: Goodreads

My Thoughts:
This is a short story and there was not much to it. I am not a Star Wars fan, so I was not that interested. The romance is cute but since it is so short it is really not developed.
If you only have a few minutes and feel like grabbing something short and sweet, you may enjoy this.

For me, it was only ok.


My Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Kindle
Photo Source: Goodreads

My Thoughts:This was a very cute read. It had everything I like in a good book, but the writing style did not wow me. There was so much potential with the story line, and I feel it only hit the surface for most of the plot.
Some of the story lines were more of a summary of what happened than making me feel like I was in the moment with the characters when it was happening. Even the suspenseful parts just did not do it for me.

I really did enjoy it regardless, and finished it only two days. I stayed up until 1 AM last night to find out what happened. I am not sure if I will continue to the series, but it was definitely a cute book.

Whew!  Lots of reading in November.  Check out part 2...Coming Soon!

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

2 comments:

  1. I love Sarah J. Maas and JLA!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too! I only discovered JLA this year, and I am obsessed! I want to read everything now!

      Delete