Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in December 2024. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I do have two more 5 star reads to share here! The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Shark Heart
Author: Emily Habeck
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Marysue Ricci Books, 8/8/23
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: All the hype
My Rating: 4 Stars
After avoiding the hype around Shark Heart last year, I picked it as my Book of the Year from Book of the Month and made sure I read it before the end of 2024. This book is about Wren and Lewis. Soon after they marry, he gets a difficult diagnosis – he is turning into a shark. We get their love story and the grief of losing each other, and then we flash back to the story of Wren’s mother, Angela.
“For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams. At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with her college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds. Woven throughout this “heart-wringing” (Adam Roberts, internationally bestselling author of Salt) novel is the story of Wren’s mother, Angela, who becomes pregnant with Wren at fifteen in an abusive relationship amidst her parents’ crumbling marriage. In the present, all of Wren’s grief eventually collides, and she is forced to make an impossible choice.”
This book was weird and the way it was laid out was weird, with very short sections and blank spaces. I’d say overall it was about finding joy in difficult times.
Title: We Will Dance Again
Author: Aviva Gat
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Independently Published, 11/15/24
Source: Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book follows the stories of multiple people who are affected by the October 7 attack on Israel. While not using their real names, some of the characters are obvious representations of real people while others are more likely combinations of people – the soldier, the politician, the student at Harvard, etc.
“October 7th, 2023, Israel: the day the world changed.
When the sirens started at 6:29 am, Tehila was packing a picnic for her family in their southern Kibbutz home and Dana was celebrating love with her boyfriend at an outdoor rave.
Shai, a former counter-terrorist soldier jumps to action to protect his country for his young son; while politician and the army’s former chief of staff Alon wants to lend his expertise.
In Gaza, Aisha is taken by surprise, but she hopes for better days and will do anything for the return of her twins who were wrongfully arrested by the Israeli army.
Across the globe, Ethan, a Harvard freshman, wakes up and is unsure what to think of the situation until he feels personally targeted on campus.
Inspired by true events, We Will Dance Again tells the story of how an entire nation was changed in an instant. It is the story of loss, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of hope.”
This book was very well written and felt very real. It was not easy to read. It is almost like a historical fiction story written about current events, which makes you question what is real and what is the from author’s creativity. I think this book would do well with more time passing in real life. And for those who haven’t followed the news as closely, it is very worthwhile in that it really gives a feel for what happened.
Title: Do No Harm
Author: Christina McDonald
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Gallery Books, 2/16/21
Source: PR For Author
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
Do No Harm by Christina McDonald is about the lengths a mother goes when her son is diagnosed with leukemia and insurance doesn’t cover his treatment. Emma is a doctor and is able to secure opioids to sell. Meanwhile, her husband is a police officer trying to bring down a drug ring.
“Emma loves her life. She’s the mother of a precocious kindergartener, married to her soulmate—a loyal and loving police detective—and has a rewarding career as a doctor at the local hospital. But everything comes crashing down when her son, Josh, is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Determined to save him, Emma makes the risky decision to sell opioids to fund the life-saving treatment he needs. But when somebody ends up dead, a lethal game of cat and mouse ensues, her own husband leading the chase. With her son’s life hanging in the balance, Emma is dragged into the dark world of drugs, lies, and murder. Will the truth catch up to her before she can save Josh?”
I was able to make some predictions about this one as well as how it might end. I have read one other book by this author which I also found predictable, so I’m not sure I will be reading more from her at this point, although this one does make you think about the issues surrounding opioids.
Title: Summer of ’69
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hachette Audio, 6/18/19
Source: Print book – Swap, Audio book – Library
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
I listened to the audio of this book, narrated by Erin Bennett. This is about a family making their way through the summer of ’69, with their son and brother Tiger serving in Vietnam. Each woman from the family matriarch to her daughter Kate and Kate’s three daughters have their own stories which are revealed as the story goes on.
“Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It’s 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother’s historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha’s Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. And thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, while each of them hides a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country.”
I enjoyed this book and getting to know this family. I appreciated that Jessie’s dad is Jewish and the way she connected to that. I also enjoyed the change in the grandmother as time went on.
Title: Perfect Fit
Author: Clare Gilmore
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin, 10/29/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4 Stars
This is about Josie, a CEO of a clothing company who reunites with the twin of her former best friend, Will. These two had a connection back in high school, but haven’t seen each other since.
“Josephine Davis has spent her entire twenties building Revenant, a fashion brand headquartered in downtown Austin. When her biggest investor orders Josie to hire a consultant, the last person she expects to be working with is Will Grant – the twin brother of her ex best friend. Sure, Will and Josie may have shared one mistake of a kiss during senior spring break nine years ago, but they’ve never been friends. She remembers him as moody; he always thought of her as shallow. Romance isn’t on the table for either of them until they blink, and realize there’s a reason they can’t stay away from each other. But there’s Will’s sister to consider, whom Josie hasn’t spoken with since their falling out. Not to mention, Will and Josie live seventeen hundred miles apart. And it’s not like she has time for a boyfriend anyway when she’s an overworked CEO. As Josie’s burnout looms while she falls deeper and harder for Will, she contends with the fact that eventually, she’ll have to make a choice: stay alone to be productive, or slow down to be in love.”
I felt like this story was a bit insta love and that Will seemed a little too perfect. Josie confronts the question that affects a lot of women, asking if she can actually have it all – a high powered job and a great relationship. For me, this book wasn’t a perfect fit, but many people seem to have enjoyed it!
Title: The Arrangement
Author: Robyn Harding
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Scout Press, 7/30/19
Source: PR For Author
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4 Stars
The Arrangement by Robyn Harding is about Natalie, a broke art student who gets involved with a sugar daddy. Related to her issues with her own father, she gets very attached to Gabe and turns quite stalkerish. Then someone is killed.
“Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy—a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favors are optional. Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving. So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.”
I didn’t find Natalie’s character to be consistent and the writing style got on my nerves. I did appreciate the way the book ended.
Title: The Teacher of Warsaw
Author: Mario Escobar
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Harper Muse, 6/7/22
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Book Club
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4 Stars
The Teacher of Warsaw is a fictionalized story of Janusz Korczak who was famous for refusing to leave the children he cared for in his orphanage during the Holocaust even when he was offered passage out of Poland and away from certain death. Instead, he accompanied them to their destiny.
“September 1, 1939: Sixty-year-old Janusz Korczak and the students and teachers at his Dom Sierot Jewish orphanage are outside enjoying a beautiful day in Warsaw. Hours later, their lives are altered forever when the Nazis invade. Suddenly treated as an outcast in his own city, Janusz–a respected leader known for his heroism and teaching–is determined to do whatever it takes to protect the children from the horrors to come. When over four hundred thousand Jewish people are rounded up and forced to live in the 1.3-square-mile walled compound of the Warsaw ghetto, Janusz and his friends take drastic measures to shield the children from disease and starvation. With dignity and courage, the teachers and students of Dom Sierot create their own tiny army of love and bravely prepare to march toward the future–whatever it may hold.”
This book contained Korczak’s philosophical ideas which were a bit hard for me to follow. I was also confused by the celebration of Christmas and the references to Jesus when the children in the orphanage were Jewish. I imagine this must have actually happened but I could not find reference to it outside of this book.
Title: The Woman With The Cure
Author: Lynn Cullen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Berkley, 2/21/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Woman With the Cure is about Dr Dorothy Horstmann, who was one of the woman left out of the story of the development of the polio vaccine. She discovered how the virus gets to the nervous system. Of course most people recognize Salk as the person who created the vaccine, but this book tells the full story.
“In 1940s and ’50s America, polio is as dreaded as the atomic bomb. No one’s life is untouched by this disease that kills or paralyzes its victims, particularly children. Outbreaks of the virus across the country regularly put American cities in lockdown. Some of the world’s best minds are engaged in the race to find a vaccine. The man who succeeds will be a god. But Dorothy Horstmann is not focused on beating her colleagues to the vaccine. She just wants the world to have a cure. Applying the same determination that lifted her from a humble background as the daughter of immigrants, to becoming a doctor –often the only woman in the room–she hunts down the monster where it lurks: in the blood. This discovery of hers, and an error by a competitor, catapults her closest colleague to a lead in the race. When his chance to win comes on a worldwide scale, she is asked to sink or validate his vaccine—and to decide what is forgivable, and how much should be sacrificed, in pursuit of the cure.”
This did drag for me towards the last quarter of the book. This book asks whether women can have it all – a career and a family – and looks at the roles of women in the 40s and 50s.
Title: A Little Magic
Author: Lindsey Lanza
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Independently Published, 10/3/23
Source: Gift
Why I Read It: Heard it was good
My Rating: 5 Stars
This book has been on my wishlist for so long and I finally received it for my birthday this year! I knew it would be a perfect December read, and it was. This is about Ellie, who has Lupus and a very overprotective mother, and Theo, her brother’s best friend since childhood. They are reunited over the 8 days of Hanukkah, and their story is told by looking back over the Christmases – and Ellie’s birthdays – they spent together when they were young and after Theo lost his parents.
“Ellie Klein fled Vermont after graduating high school, and she hasn’t been back since. Not to see her overbearing parents nor her distant brother, not even to visit her temperamental cat and beloved dog. And most importantly, she hasn’t been back to see Theo Fox. Her first love and brother’s best friend has been but a distant and painful memory for the last seven years. When Ellie’s travel site lands her back where it all began, her goal is to get in and out without seeing anyone from before. But life has other plans when she’s caught in a blizzard that leaves her seeking refuge in a cabin owned by none other than the infamous Theo. Theo Fox has been winning collegiate hockey and NHL championships since Ellie disappeared, but all he really wants is a second chance with the woman he can’t stop loving. When she shows up unannounced in Vermont, he’s determined to find out why she left and never returned. And if he has a little magic on his side, how to get her back.”
I loved this sweet story and getting to know Ellie and Theo. I especially loved the Hanukkah miracle that occurs during the story! Finding out why Ellie and Theo had been apart was sad but I know they have a wonderful future together!
Title: One Night, Two Holidays
Author: Ali Brady
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Independently Published, 12/11/24
Source: Bought
Why I Read It: Love their books
My Rating: 5 Stars
One Night, Two Holidays by Ali Brady was a perfect way to pass time on my flight to Florida. This sweet and spicy novella is about Jack, a pediatric resident whose flight home for Christmas is canceled due to a snowstorm, and Nessa, who is spending Hanukkah alone. They live in the same building and finally meet when the power goes out.
“Jack had big plans for Christmas: fly home to see the family he misses like crazy, eat his weight in holiday cookies and enjoy plenty of forced-family fun in matching pajamas. Instead, a record-breaking snowstorm leaves him stranded alone in Chicago. Meanwhile, Nessa’s Hanukkah plans were…nonexistent. With her roommates off on their own adventures and her family busy elsewhere, she was ready to spend the holiday binge-watching TV alone. When a power outage takes things from bad to worse, the two neighbors join forces to help each other find the holiday cheer they’ve both lost. As they attempt to make latkes out of whatever ingredients they can scrounge up, and stuff each other’s stockings with improvised gifts, the two stumble upon the unexpected joy of blending their own holiday traditions into something entirely new.”
Combining their resources, they keep each other warm and celebrate both holidays, creating new traditions and falling for each other along the way. I loved how this book explained the customs of Hanukkah, although I wish it hadn’t said that Hanukkah is 8 night and 7 days – it lasts for 8 days as well!
Title: How It Feels To Float
Author: Helena Fox
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Books On Tape, 5/7/19
Source: Print from Publisher, Audio from Library
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I was sent this book along with a newer book by the same author. I listened to most of this one, although I finished it in print. This is about Biz, who is dealing with trauma and grief after the death of her father.
“Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface—normal okay regular fine. She has her friends, her mom, the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who shouldn’t be here but is. So Biz doesn’t tell anyone anything—not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And not about seeing her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. But after what happens on the beach, the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Her dad disappears and, with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe—maybe maybe maybe—there’s a third way Biz just can’t see yet.”
While Biz is experiencing mental illness stemming from trauma, some of the book was difficult to follow and to know what was real and what wasn’t. Grief was a real theme in the books I read this month, although I did not do that purposely!
Title: Island Affair
Author: Priscilla Oliveras
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Kensington, 4/28/20
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
I purchased this book in 2021 and finally got around to reading it. I had a hard time concentrating on it due to being social, and it took me way too long to read what should have been a light and easy story! This is about Sara and Luis, who fake a relationship for Sara’s family when her boyfriend stands her up.
“Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé…Luis’s big Cuban familia has been in Key West for generations, and his quiet strength feeds off the island’s laidback style. Though guarded after a deep betrayal, he’ll always help someone in need—especially a spunky beauty with a surprising knowledge of Spanish curse words. Soon, he and Sara have memorized their ‘how we met’ story and are immersed in family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips…sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses. But when it’s time for Sara to return home, will their fake relationship fade like the stunning sunset…or blossom into something beautiful?”
Sara is in recovery from an eating disorder and Luis is dealing with grief over a previous loss. This was an insta love story, which is not my favorite, although I did like the characters and the Key West setting a lot.
Title: The Sky Is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Dial Books, 3/9/10
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4 Stars
I was sent a copy of The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson and I was also sent I’ll Give You The Sun but I wanted to read her earlier release first. This YA romance was about Lennie, whose sister Bailey has passed away. While she feels a connection with Bailey’s boyfriend Toby, she also falls in love with a new boy at school, Joe.
“Adrift after her sister Bailey’s sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey’s boyfriend who shares Lennie’s grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. One boy helps her remember. The other lets her forget. And she knows if the two of them collide, her whole world will explode.”
I thought their relationship was quite quick and the book was pretty cheesy overall. I hope her other books are better – I know they are well liked!
Title: The Drift
Author: CJ Tudor
Genre: Dystopian Thriller
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1/31/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
I thought that The Drift would make a great winter book, and while wintery, I did not expect it to be so paranormal. I am not a huge fan of books with zombies, or “Whistlers,” as they are called in this one. We follow three characters – Hannah, who is in a bus crash, Meg, who is on a stopped cable car, and Carter, who is sheltering at a place called the Retreat.
“Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. After she was evacuated from a secluded boarding school during a snowstorm, her coach careered off the road, trapping her with a handful of survivors. They’ll need to work together to escape—with their sanity and secrets intact. Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She’s in a cable car stranded high above snowy mountains, with five strangers and no memory of how they got on board. They are heading to a place known only as ‘The Retreat,’ but as the temperature drops and tensions mount, Meg realizes they may not all make it there alive. Carter is gazing out the window of an isolated ski chalet that he and his companions call home. As their generator begins to waver in the storm, something hiding in the chalet’s depths threatens to escape, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails—for good. The imminent dangers faced by Hannah, Meg, and Carter are each one part of the puzzle. Lurking in their shadows is an even greater danger—one with the power to consume all of humanity.”
This is about a virus and how people have tried to escape it, but I sadly didn’t love or understand much of the story. Although I technically finished this on the morning of January 1, I am leaving it in 2024 and counting it as my last book of the year.
There you have it, the rest of my December – and 2024 reading! I will share my favorites for the year next week. This post included 14 of the books I read in November. 11 of these books were in print and 3 were audio. Genres included literary, contemporary, rom com, historical fiction, and thriller. 12 were adult reads and 2 were YA.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
