This year, I set several goals for myself, with a few of those being related to reading. I’ll talk more about those in a later post, but I wanted to be sure to hit the ground running! I also was having some serious winter blues and reading was keeping me going. So excited to share my reads with you!
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett – I downloaded this from Kindle Unlimited in 2023 and just now read it. I don’t know why the heck I waited so long. The Grace Year is a dystopian novel yet based in the 1800s. This town believes that all women have magic that must be purged from them during their grace year at age 16. Those of age are sent to a locked area for one year and many do not return. At no point did I know where the story was going and I absolutely loved it. Our main character was determined to break the norms and made this story so much more interesting. Overall, the setting and descriptors throughout made me feel like I was there, with the main character being someone I would want to be friends with.
The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino – one of my 2026 goals for reading is to stay up-to-date with a few influencer book clubs. This was the January pick for @emmyrosam’s club on the Fable app (free to join). We follow Grey, a lady knight, that serves her mage, Kier. Grey and Kier have been best friends since childhood and seem to share all secrets, but one. This pairing is more powerful than they should be and begins to draw suspicion from those around them. This felt like reading about Camelot, but progressive. The story was full of strong women, love and friendship, and the coolest magic system. The series will be full of interconnected standalones, and I can’t wait for the next one.
Alchemised by SenLinYu – This was my first book of the year and wow it was a beast. They took me a week to read over Christmas break and I honestly wish I had taken longer. Alchemized is the traditionally published and edited version of a fan fiction, and I felt the author did a wonderful job making the story their own. The story was dark and upsetting at times, but I felt that it was a story that needed to be told. Our main characters find themselves in the middle of a rebellion and a war, and there are too many opinions on what the outcome should be. This was so well written yet hard to read. You may need tissues!
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – 2026 is my Shadowhunters year! Last year I prioritized reading the Blood & Ash universe, and this year my goal is to complete the entire Shadowhunters universe. Of course I began with City of Bones. We follow Clary, a young teenager whose world is imploding. Her mom has disappeared and all of a sudden Clary can see demons everywhere she goes. Suddenly, she has more questions than answers. I actually read this book originally in middle school, but quit after the third one in the series, simply because my library didn’t have them. Now I am so excited to continue on not only with the Mortal Instruments, but the rest of the universe.
To the Moon and Back by Eliana Rampage – This was the September pick for Reese’s Book Club, and we follow two sisters, one who aspires to be an astronaut and the other, an activist social media influencer focused on views. I feel conflicted about this book. On one hand, the story exposes the struggles of the Cherokee nation throughout history and even today. On the other, I could not stand either character as both were consistently sabotaging not only themselves but those around them. I gave this book 3 stars, as I think that it told an important story, but not one I enjoyed.
The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill – This was the October pick for Read with Jenna. I have found that I either love or feel indifferent about her picks, and this was one I felt indifferent about. We follow a family marked by tragedy, over Thanksgiving weekend many years later. As a reader, you do not know any of the history until the very end as the characters do not even want to admit to themselves what has happened. The three sisters are not only struggling with this tragedy, but burdens of their own. I felt this book was more of a character study of the struggles of a normal family that has experienced something horrible. This was interesting in a psychological manner, but I did feel the story dragged at points.
Black Ties and White Lies by Kat Singleton – I saw this book on TikTok and I wish I hadn’t. This was absolutely ridiculous. This girl was a doormat, and this guy was an idiot. She had a job she really liked and he made her quit and move away from her friends. He was a total jerk and she loved it. This was also an ex’s older brother story and they talked about it way too much. I just feel there are so many billionaire romances that I would enjoy more than this.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry – I just had to read this in preparation for the movie. This was somehow the only new era Emily Henry book I had yet to read. I would agree with popular opinion that this is not my favorite of hers, but my least favorite Emily Henry is still better than most other author’s best book. The book follows Poppy and Alex, two best friends who shouldn’t work, but do. They get up to ridiculous adventures and I felt like I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. This is the kind of love I hope for.
Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy – After I read all six books in the Game Changers series, I was getting a lot of hockey romance suggestions. This one was just OK. We followed two rival college hockey players who used to be best friends until something happened at camp when they were 18. Now they’re stuck coaching together at this exact camp, four years later. This was simply a cute romance. Nothing special happened and I felt like I had read this exact story before. This also came out in 2015 and it did feel like it a little bit.
Fall with Me by Becka Mack – One of my 2026 reading goals was to finish the many series that I am in the middle of. I read the first three books in the Playing for Keeps series back in 2023, so it was super fun to be back in this world. This book follows Jaxon and Lennon, who have a one night stand that they were both supposed to forget. Now suddenly Lennon works for Jaxon’s team and seems to be around every corner. These two then move in together when Lennon’s apartment is condemned and Jaxon offers his spare bedroom. This was such a cute and funny romance where our main characters were friends above anything else.
Breathe with Me by Becka Mack – This was nothing like what I expected for the final book in this series. We follow Emmett and Cara, a couple that’s been together since before the first book. They have been struggling with infertility for many years and this book shows that journey and all the worst parts of it. I felt that Becka Mack did a wonderful job showcasing that even billionaire hockey players may struggle with things out of their control. Rather than seeing them fall in love, we got to see why they stayed in love. Such a unique and honest story that I definitely recommend!
Fair Catch by C.E. Ricci – Another series catch-up for me, but this may have been my least favorite of the series. We follow Kason and Hayes, two new roommates that are not getting along. The best word to describe this one is boring. They basically hate each other for 50% of the book and then are obsessed with each other for the second half. I gave this three stars just because it was fun to see the other characters and I didn’t hate their story, just felt bored.
Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde – I think the reason I put this book off for so long is because I was worried I wouldn’t like it as much as everybody else. Thank goodness I was wrong! This is the final book in the Windy City series and we follow Rio, the jokester of the group. Rio has gone on a series of failed dates and seems to be just giving up. All of his friends have found love and he thinks he might just be on his own. Rio decides he is tired of his new construction home and\ hires an interior designer. The only issue is that the designer he hired is the love of his life from back home, Hallie. This was exactly the story I hoped Rio would get and felt like a great wrap-up to the series!
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez – This was a super cute novella I listened to on a road-trip. Free to read and listen to with Kindle Unlimited! This was the only one of Jimenez’s published works I hadn’t read, so I was so excited to be back with her writing. This was 81 pages and just perfect for a quick weekend read!
Sin Bin by Chelsea Curto – This book had crack in it, I swear. Curto knows just how to draw you in to her books, and I read this in one day. We are finally getting the D.C. Stars’ coach, Brody Saunders, story. We follow Brody, a grumpy single dad, focused on his kid and career and Hannah, a burnt out figure skater who happens to be the little sister of one of Brody’s star players. This was the perfect example of the friends to lovers trope and I felt like their friendship was the driving force in the relationship over anything else. Definitely recommend!
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy – I gave this a four star rating and now I don’t know if I stand by that. This was the strangest mix of thriller, dystopian, literary fiction, and a little romance? We follow the Salt family, the caretakers of the reserves of every seed on earth. The Salts aren’t quite right, and then a woman washes up on the shore of their island. This woman should not be alive, and now the Salt family has to figure out who this woman is and how she got there while also fighting worsening weather conditions. This was truly gripping, and I could not put it down. However, I felt that there were a few elements thrown in that could have been edited out or edited in a different way.
Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – I am trying so hard to enjoy non-fiction. I set a goal for myself to read 25 nonfiction books in 2026, and this is the only one I have read as of March 15. I honestly don’t even remember what this was about and I could not wait for the audiobook to end. I really did enjoy Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell several years ago so I was hoping this would give me similar feelings. However, this felt like a 400 page research paper in a topic I did not want to research.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – I had nine books on my 2025 TBR that I did not finish, and this is one of them. I slogged through this book for no real reason. I think it was well written and a very interesting story, but I just felt no connection to the characters whatsoever. We follow two twins, with one embracing her black culture and the other passing as white. We also eventually follow their daughters, with one struggling to find her place outside of a small town and the other knowing nothing about her mom’s side of the family. I just felt this was longer than it needed to be, and that there was no true plot or resolution.
The Names by Florence Knapp – This was a beautiful story that really told three different stories. We follow our main character Cora across three different timelines. Cora has recently had a baby boy and has yet to register his name. The story follows Cora, and her family, in three timelines, one for each of the potential names. As someone that worked in domestic violence prevention, I recommend you read trigger warnings before starting this book. This was such a realistic depiction of how small choices can cause big damage in an unstable situation. The story was both heartbreaking and hopeful, beautiful and horrific. This is one of those stories that I think everyone should read simply to understand those around them better.
Well that was definitely a busy month for me! Stay tuned for my February Wrap-Up!
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