It’s time for my first half of January 2026 book review post! I am sharing what I read in January so far, although I am skipping my 5 star reads to share later in the month. 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: Lucky
Author: Marissa Stapley
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio, 12/7/21
Source: Swap – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
Waiting on my backlist was the book Lucky by Marissa Stapley. It was my turn to pick a book club book and I settled on this one since it was short, a Reese’s pick, and well, I wanted to read it! It is about Lucky, who as an adult is abandoned by her boyfriend Cary, just as they were about to leave the heist life. She grew up helping her father scam people and the story flashes back to her life with her father and with Cary. At the same time, Lucky buys a winning lottery ticket, but can’t cash it in without exposing herself as a wanted criminal.
“Lucky Armstrong is a tough, talented grifter who has just pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend, Cary. She’s ready to start a brand-new life, with a new identity—when things go sideways. Lucky finds herself alone for the first time, navigating the world without the help of either her father or her boyfriend, the two figures from whom she’s learned the art of the scam. When she discovers that a lottery ticket she bought on a whim is worth millions, her elation is tempered by one big problem: cashing in the winning ticket means she’ll be arrested for her crimes. She’ll go to prison, with no chance to redeem her fortune. As Lucky tries to avoid capture and make a future for herself, she must confront her past by reconciling with her father; finding her mother, who abandoned her when she was just a baby; and coming to terms with the man she thought she loved—whose dark past is catching up with her, too.”
My book club friends and I enjoyed this one. It reminded me a little of the show Poker Face. Lucky was a fun character to get to know. The ending wrapped up pretty neatly, which may or may not be believable!
Title: The Burnout
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: The Dial Press, 10/10/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
Beloved author Sophie Kinsella passed away in December. In her honor, I picked The Burnout from my shelf. This is about Sasha, who is having an awful time at work. She goes to her childhood beach resort for some rest. It is now rundown, but some of her happier memories remain. While trying to restart her life, she meets Finn, who is also there to restart his life, but is a bit secretive as to what led him to his own burnout. A mystery from their past brings the two together and they begin to open up to one another.
“Sasha has had it. She cannot bring herself to respond to another inane, ‘urgent’ (but obviously not at all urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee joyfulness program. She hasn’t seen her friends in months. Sex? Seems like a lot of effort. Even cooking dinner takes far too much planning. Sasha has hit a wall. Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga, and find peace, she heads to the seaside resort she loved as a child. But it’s the off season, the hotel is in a dilapidated shambles, and she has to share the beach with the only other occupant: a grumpy guy named Finn, who seems as stressed as Sasha. How can she commune with nature when he’s sitting on her favorite rock, watching her? Nor can they agree on how best to alleviate their burnout (Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming; Finn: drinking whisky, getting pizza delivered to the beach). When curious messages, seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn, begin to appear on the beach, the two are forced to talk—about everything. How did they get so burned out? Can either of them remember something they used to love? (Answer: surfing!) And the question they try and fail to ignore: what does the energy between them—flaring even in the face of their bone-deep exhaustion—signify?”
I thought this was a tad too long, although it had some fun parts that held my interest. It was funny in Sophie Kinsella’s typical style, and the relationship between Sasha and Finn was fun to read about.
Title: The Secret Next Door
Author: Rebecca Taylor
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Recorded Books, 11/9/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
The next backlist I picked up with The Secret Next Door by Rebecca Taylor. This domestic thriller is about Alyson, who moves into an upscale neighborhood, starting her 5 year old son in school there, where he begins to get into trouble. Also living in the neighborhood is Bonnie, whose family is struggling even as she tries to hide this from her friends. When a teenager is found killed, tensions heat up as the search for the killer begins.
“Alyson Tinsdale is giving her son the childhood she never had: a stable family, a loving home, and a great school in a safe neighborhood. Bonnie Sloan is the neighborhood matriarch. With her oldest son headed to Yale, and her youngest starting kindergarten, Bonnie is now pursuing her own long-held political aspirations despite private family struggles. When the open space behind some of the most expensive homes gets slated for development into an amusement facility, the neighborhood becomes deeply divided. The personal pressures and community conflicts ratchet with every passing day, but it’s when a thirteen-year-old is found dead beside the neighborhood lake that simmering tensions boil over into panic. Gossip flows, lies are exposed, and accusations are made as cracks run through the community’s once solid foundations. The neighborhood’s faith in exterior appearances is eclipsed by the secrets every house keeps. And as Bonnie and Alyson fight to keep their children safe and their messy personal lives from becoming neighborhood knowledge, it becomes clear that their neighbors might not be who they appear to be.”
This was as much a mystery as it was about parenting and marriage, which each of the main characters working to preserve her own. It was a quick listen and it held my interest.
Title: The Twelve Dogs of Christmas
Author: Lizzie Shane
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Forever, 9/29/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
Why yes, I did read a Christmas book in January. I don’t celebrate Christmas anyway, so it should really matter that I read it after the holiday season ended. This was about Ally, the big city girl who arrives in small town Pine Hollow, VT and meets Ben, single parent to his niece. Ally is in town to help her grandparents with their dog shelter, and Ben is the town council member who votes for removing their funding – but he feels bad about it and wants to help.
“Pine Hollow has everything Ally Gilmore could wish for in a holiday break: gently falling snow in a charming small town and time with her family. Then she learns some Grinch has pulled the funding for her family’s rescue shelter, and now she has only four weeks to find new homes for a dozen dogs! But when she confronts her Scroogey councilman nemesis, Ally finds he’s far more reasonable — and handsome — than she ever expected. As the guardian of his dog-obsessed ten-year-old niece, Ben West doesn’t have time to build a cuddly reputation. But he does feel guilty about the shelter closing. So he proposes a truce with Ally, agreeing to help her adopt out the pups. As the two spend more time together, the town’s gossip is spreading faster than Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. And soon Ben is hoping he can convince Ally that Pine Hollow is her home for the holidays. . . and the whole year through.”
I, of course, loved the dogs in this book. Ally and Ben work together on finding them homes. I enjoyed the first part of this book a lot, while I found the middle to drag a bit. I have another book in this series on my backlist pile as well!
Title: The Passing Storm
Author: Christine Nolfi
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Lake Union, 11/1/21
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4 Stars
The Passing Storm was about Rae, who is mourning the deaths of both her mother and her daughter. She lives with her father, and they take in a struggling teen named Quinn who had been a friend of Rae’s daughter. As they bond, secrets from the past are revealed.
“Early into the tempestuous decade of her thirties, Rae Langdon struggles to work through a grief she never anticipated. With her father, Connor, she tends to their Ohio farm, a forty-acre spread that itself has enjoyed better days. As memories sweep through her, some too precious to bear, Rae gives shelter from a brutal winter to a teenager named Quinn Galecki. Quinn has been thrown out by his parents, a couple too troubled to help steer the misunderstood boy through his own losses. Now Quinn has found a temporary home with the Langdons―and an unexpected kinship, because Rae, Quinn, and Connor share a past and understand one another’s pain. But its depths―and all its revelations and secrets―have yet to come to light. To finally move forward, Rae must confront them and also fight for Quinn, whose parents have other plans in mind for their son. With forgiveness, love, and the spring thaw, there might be hope for a new season―a second chance Rae believed in her heart was gone forever.”
Parts of this book seem to be stuck in my brain now, but while reading it I thought the dialogue was somewhat awkward and the story was predictable. I was also confused about when the story was meant to take place, though it turns out it was set in the present.
Title: A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
Author: Manda Collins
Genre: Historical Mystery or Romance
Publisher: Hachette Audio, 11/10/20
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4 Stars
Taking place in 1865, this is about Lady Katherine, who is a newspaper columnist. When she writes about a crime, it leads to a wrongful arrest. She goes to the country, where another murder takes place. Detective Andrew arrives and he reluctantly allows Kate to help him investigate.
“The widowed Lady Katherine Bascomb has little use for the rules of society—instead, she engages in such ‘vulgar’ activities as managing The London Gazette and writing about crimes against women. But when her latest article leads to a suspicious arrest, the attractive detective in charge of the case is incensed that she’s interfered with his investigation. Only before Kate can make amends, she stumbles, quite literally, upon another murder entirely. Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham is appalled that Kate is entangled in one of his cases—again. Yet when he asks her to kindly keep away, Kate offers a bargain: She’ll refrain from writing about the case—if he allows her to study his methods. Before long, Eversham can’t deny his attraction to both her beauty and brains. But with a killer lurking in the shadows, will they learn to trust their instincts, each other, and the undeniable passion that is blossoming between them before it’s too late?”
This is definitely not my genre as I found some of the book hard to follow. I was surprised by the spicy scene that took place between Kate and Andrew, and I was unsure whether this was to be classified as a mystery or a romance!
Title: Delia Suits Up
Author: Amanda Aksel
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 8/3/21
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
Delia is a woman struggling in the business field and she believes it is because she is a woman that this is happening. She wishes to be a man, and she wakes up as one. In this new body, she is able to get things done, as she is taken seriously in this new body. Meanwhile, she is crushing on former co worker Eric, and she is able to determine his feelings for her while she appears to be a man called Richard.
“Just once, Delia Reese wants to be the one calling the shots—not the one waiting to be called. Despite her stellar resume, hiring managers at the big banks won’t give her a chance. Following yet another failed interview, Delia commiserates with her roommates and drunkenly finds herself wishing she had the advantages that come with being a man. If society wasn’t locked into gender roles, she’d be climbing the corporate ladder in designer heels with no apologies. By morning, her mirror reflects a surprising makeover. Now that the world sees her as a man, Delia’s determined to double down on society’s double standards. With a smart suit and powerfully pink necktie, she hits New York’s financial district with a big gamble in mind.”
While this book was funny in a probably should have been a movie way, it was also quite cheesy. Richard came off as a really immature man, as Delia struggled to seem more man-like. I enjoyed Delia’s friendships and the way she was able to find her own confidence in the end.
Title: Hattie Mae Begins Again
Author: Sharon G. Flake
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction in Verse
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers, 1/13/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This middle grade book in verse is about Hattie Mae, who leaves her family to attend a school for girls in Philadelphia. The other girls at the school are mean to Hattie Mae due to their upper class statuses. Hattie Mae becomes friends with her roommate and some of the neighborhood kids, while also getting to know Lisa, who bullies her, but has her reasons for acting as she does. When the school is under threat of closure, the girls band together to save it.
“You can be what you want in life.
Climb as high as you wish.
Nothing can stop you,
not even pedigree.
Hattie Mae is from Seed County, North Carolina. She knows hard work: milking cows, plucking chickens, minding the garden. Her hands are made for manual labor, her feet for dirt—that is, according to Lisa and some of the girls at Miss Abigail’s School for Exceptional Young Ladies in Philadelphia. In their eyes, Hattie Mae will never break into upper society and is unworthy of becoming a doctor or a lawyer. Though Hattie Mae sticks out like a sore thumb and has more in common with the hundreds of Black folks pouring into the city looking for better opportunities during the Great Migration, she knows that she belongs. She just has to prove it to the rest of the girls—and maybe even to herself.”
I enjoy books in verse, but this one seemed longer than most written in the format. I wasn’t sure if it would be hard for middle school aged students to read. As an adult, I enjoyed the themes in the book and in getting to know Hattie Mae. I did realize after reading that this was actually a sequel, and I wonder if I would have appreciated the story even more had I read the previous book.
This post includes eight of the books I read this month. Five were print books and three were audio. Seven of these were adult books and one was Middle Grade. Genres included rom com, contemporary, thriller, historical, and mystery.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
