January Reads

1. Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Solitaire follows sad, introverted Tori Spring (sister of Charlie Spring - from the Heartstopper series) who is going through a mental health crisis (please read the trigger warnings of this book before you pick it up: https://aliceoseman.com/extras/content-warnings/), while simultaneously dealing with an anonymous online group targeting her school, with pranks that get more extreme by the day.

This book was everything. It broke me and somehow managed to put all the pieces back together. I felt understood and seen (and I think it's a really powerful thing when books can make you feel that way).

Definitely hard to read sometimes (it is much darker than the Heartstopper series) - but Alice Oseman has managed to craft a world filled with real, hurt, and healing people, and I will forever love reading about it. 

I was absolutely fascinated with Tori and the way her character is so carefully crafted - you feel like you know her from the very first chapter. The detached tone she takes on for majority of the story is not only insigtful, but makes it all the more worth it when we see her coming to terms with and recognising  happier emotions and blossoming friendships as the story progresses.

A large part of this book revolves around friendships - reconnections, old ones coming to an end, and new ones beginning between completely different people. The entire cast of this novel are all incredibly well fleshed out - from ice-skating eccentric Michael Holden, down to Charlie (who I loved reading about in this, as a fan of the Heartstopper graphic novels).

It is an incredibly relatable YA novel - dealing with anxiety, depression, and lgbtq+ topics (and it makes me so happy so see all of these put into words and represented in a way that feels authentic).

This book isn't perfect but it's perfectly real, which is somehow better.

My rating: 5 stars

2. Everything I know about Love by Dolly Alderton

Rating a book which is someone's life story doesn't feel right (spoiler alert: that didn't stop me from giving this book 5 stars). Packed with raw truth, and punchy writing - Dolly Alderton really manages to strike a truly emotional chord with this one (and her skills as a writer are outstanding) 

My rating: 5 stars

3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

In case you missed it, I've been absolutely falling in love with this series - needless to say, this book was no different and had me in a literal chokehold the entire time I was reading it. I think the best way to sum it up was my goodreads review minutes after reading the book which you can check out here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6152213977. 

If you want to avoid any spoilers, you can read more of my thoughts on the first book here (as well as all my other favourite reads of last year!) - https://keyalovesbooks.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-best-books-of-2023.html.

My rating: 5 stars

4. A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

Following a heartbroken Lila Reyes after a series of awful events (or what she calls the trifecta - the death of her beloved abuela, and the ending of a multiple year-long friendship and relationship), who is sent to Winchester, a small town in England to stay at her aunt's inn for summer since her family is worried for her mental health - A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is the perfect coming of age story filled with baked goods, morning runs, and small town goodness.

While Lila is definitely not one of my favourite characters, seeing her healing journey and how she found herself again was beautiful and written incredibly well (the pacing in this book is on point!). Her passion for baking, cooking, and honouring her heritage was really prevalent and I loved what that element brought to the story - as well just a deeper understanding of Lila as a person.

I loved the atmosphere of this book - from the constant baking and tea tasting, to how cosy the loving relationships between Lila's family and her new friends made it feel. I also really enjoyed how steeped in culture this story was. Lila's Cuban heritage was weaved throughout the story and was not only incredibly interesting, but also really well done from my point of view.

Overall this is a fast-paced, fun read which also packs an emotional punch - definitely pick it up if these sound like things you could enjoy:

- deliciously described food 

- a protagonist who is on a journey of self discovery

- an awkward boy who runs a tea shop

- a friend group with people who couldn't be more different from each other

- a beautifully described setting of a small town english inn & town

My rating: 4.5 stars

In conclusion, January was a rather successful reading month - I really enjoyed everything I picked up! Thankyou for being here if you got this far :) and as always - 

Happy Reading!