people we meet on vacation – Leave it to Lea

Hey guys! I have finally caught up on all my book reviews and it’s finally time to do my 2022 book blog post! I wanted to get all my individual book reviews up so I could link them in this post.

If you didn’t read last year’s post, I’m going to rank all the books I’ve read this year. I read 18 books this year, just shy of my goal of 20 books. I want to note that I rate series together, so while I read 18 books, there are only 15 entries. I’m going to start at the bottom and finish with my favourite book. Let’s get into it!

Two Star Books

15. I did have one DNF this year, but it’s a part of the Order of Darkness series, which I gave 2 stars overall. It had a good start but the later books just weren’t good. The series was slow and predictable. All of the characters were one-dimensional and I didn’t like where the series was heading which is why I did not finish it. I wouldn’t recommend the series.

Three Star Books

14. At the bottom of my three-star list is Normal People. As I mentioned in my review, I couldn’t decide between giving it two or three stars which is why it’s at the bottom of the list. I didn’t like the main characters and didn’t enjoy reading the book. Yes, there is some literary merit to the novel. But I’ve come to a point where I just want to enjoy what I’m reading and didn’t enjoy reading this book.

13. Unlike Normal People, I didn’t mind reading The Revolution of Sabine. It just wasn’t meant for me. I think this book is on the cusp of young readers and young adults so it was just too simple for me. It’s a good introduction to the ideologies of the American and French Revolutions. But I just want something more.

12. The premise of Bewitching Season was good. It had kidnapping and magic against the backdrop of Victorian England. But it focused too much on the melodrama. Miscommunication is a trope that really bothers me but I could see other people enjoying it.

Three-and-a-half Star Books

11. Another example of a book not being bad but just not for me was The Twelve Topsy-Turvry, Very Messy Days of Christmas. It was a cute, family-friendly novel. You know when you watch a kids’ movie as an adult, sometimes they’re fun and other times they’re just so obviously meant for kids? This book feels like the latter. It was unique and original so I give it props for that.

10. I love a great atmospheric book and Into The Water was that. But it was also confusing with too many points of view and lacking suspense. The pacing was also a little off for me, with the middle section being slow and the ending rushed. Paula Hawkins’ other novel, The Girl on the Train, is much better.

9. One of the few series I read this year was The Remnant Chronicles. This series had a unique premise, something hard to find in the fantasy genre. I also appreciate that the war wasn’t long and dragged out, unlike other fantasy series. That being said, the second book dragged quite a bit. It was a good series and I enjoyed reading it but it doesn’t stick out in my mind compared to other fantasy series I’ve read over the years.

Four Star Books

8. Similar to The Remnant Chronicles, Reminders of Him was a good book but it doesn’t stick out in my mind. The premise was interesting and I appreciate the nuance that was brought forward. But I didn’t have any emotional connection to either of the main character. It’s a good book but not memorable.

7. Another great atmospheric book was The Guest List. It gave me all the spooky vibes I wanted. This was a multiple point-of-view but unlike Into the Water, it wasn’t confusing. My only issue is that I prefer a whodunnit when you know what the crime is at the start and try to figure out what happened. In this book, you don’t know what happened until the end and find out the antagonist about a chapter later.

6. It’s funny because my top six novels are all romance books. I guess that happens to be my favourite genre right now haha. In sixth place, we have The Love Hypothesis. There was a lot of hype online about this one and I liked it but didn’t love it. I loved the setting, the relationship and the banter. I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character. And once again it had miscommunication!!! It’s a fun read though.

5. Cracking into the top five we have November 9. Despite not being a huge fan of the instant-love trope, I did enjoy the book. It was super easy to read and I binge-read it. The plot twist is what sold me on the book.

4. I know I said I rate series together, but I felt like the Bellinger Sisters duology deserved to be separated. I gave Hook, Line and Sinker four stars because while it was super fun and cute. It lost a star because of the miscommunication trope. A super great summer read and follow-up to the first book.

Five Star

3. I feel a little silly putting a Christmas novel so high but I absolutely loved A Merry Little Meet Cute. I love cheesy Christmas movies and it was like that but also self-aware and full of spicy romance. It was just so good.

2. It Happened One Summer was so fun to read. I found myself laughing so much while reading it. The spice was amazing but I also loved the character development. I started off the book a little unsure of the main character and I loved her by the end. This was a little predictable but it was a light-hearted and fun read. I enjoyed it so much.

1. My top book of the year had to be People We Meet On Vacation because I happy cried at the end of the book. If a book can make me happy cry it’s a win in my book because it shows that I was truly invested in the characters. The main character, Poppy, just reminds me so much of myself and I wish to have a great romance just like her. I love reading about all the vacations Poppy and Alex went on. It was full of tension and character growth and just so good. So so good.

And those are all the books I read in 2022! If you guys read any of these books let me know what you think. And also let me know what your favourite book that you read last year was! I’m always on the lookout for new books!

Xoxo

Lea

Hey guys! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted a book review, mainly because I’ve been in a huge reading slump most of this year. But today I have three reviews for you. I posted a reading update on my Youtube recently, so if you prefer audio over reading make sure to check that out! Let’s get into today’s books.

Back in March, I read The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. This book was super popular online so I had to check it out. For those who haven’t heard of this book, the story follows Olive, a graduate student who convinces a professor at her university to fake-date her. This is an adult romance novel.

Let’s start with what I liked about the book. I loved the academic setting – it reminded me of all the fun and struggles my friends and I went through in university. I am also a huge fake-dating trope fan. The situation is almost always ridiculous which is kinda why I love it. Finally, I did enjoy Olive and Adam’s (the male protagonist) relationship. They had funny banter between them and there was a nice amount of tension as well.

Now for the things I didn’t enjoy. I was not a huge fan of Olive. I found her to be pretty immature and naive – and she’s technically older than me so it’s not like I can excuse her actions on her age. It’s always harder to love a book when you don’t love the main character. I dislike miscommunication and one of the lies that Olive told Adam just drove me up a wall. I had to put down the book for a week I was so annoyed. Finally, this book was hyped online to be very spicey (aka a lot of mature content) but there wasn’t much! Now that is more the fault of the reviewers than the book but I was a little disappointed on that end.

Overall I did enjoy the book but I wasn’t in love like many people online are. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a light-hearted romance. I gave the book 4/5 stars.

It had been a while since I had read a thriller so I decided to read Into The Water by Paula Hawkins. I liked Hawkins’ debut, The Girl on the Train so I was excited to read this one. I was thoroughly disappointed, to say the least. This story follows a small, British town that has had two suicides within a matter of months. This is an adult, mystery thriller.

One of the things I didn’t like about the book is that there were way too many point-of-views. It’s nice to have a few but there were close to ten points of view. Many of the characters didn’t connect until halfway through the story so it was so confusing to keep track of what was going on and who was who. The book was also just very slow-paced. Coupled with the fact that there was a lack of suspense and tension meant that I was bored the majority of the novel. Once things finally did happen It was so rushed that I didn’t feel satisfied.

Besides the plot/structural issues, I thought that Hawkins’ writing style was very nice. I will add that while there were so many characters, I felt like each was unique and well developed.

Overall I gave the book 3/5 stars. It took me a while to read the book so maybe if I were to binge-read it I would have found it more impactful? Either way, I would recommend Hawkins’ first book over this one.

The final book is my favourite book I read so far this year – People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. This was given to me as a birthday gift and wow did my friend pick a great book! The story follows Alex and Poppy, who only see each other when they go on their yearly summer vacation. That is until two years ago when something happens that means that haven’t spoken since. Poppy manages to convince Alex to go on another vacation where she tries to fix their friendship. This is an adult contemporary romance.

I think one of the reasons why I love this book so much is how much I relate to Poppy. She’s loud and eccentric and has her own blog – sounds a lot like me haha. Alex has so many qualities that I personally look for in a partner as well. I just love their relationship and reading their dialogue was often some of my favourite parts of the novel.

The book bounces between the past and present. I loved reading about all their travel and it gave me the itch to travel myself. I like how there was tension and romance sprinkled throughout the novel to keep me engaged but also wanting more. The book was also funny AND didn’t rely on cringe/embarrassment to me funny – something I’m not a huge fan of. Finally, the ending was just so good that I even shed a few happy years. You know a book is good when it makes you happy cry.

Overall I gave this book 5/5 stars. If anyone says they want a romance book this is going to be my recommendation from now on. I know a lot of people like Emily Henry’s Beach Read so I have to check that out soon.

And those are the books I’ve read lately. If you read any of these books let me know your thoughts in the comments. And if you have any recommendations for me leave them as well because I’m always on the lookout for new books.

xoxo

Lea

Tag: people we meet on vacation

Ranking Every Book I Read in 2022

Book Reviews: “The Love Hypothesis”, “Into the Water” and “People We Meet on Vacation”