March 2019 Reads // Just a Few

Happy Book Day Everyone! This month was light on reading for me, just a few books read. Sometimes that happens, and I am super ok with it! :)

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracy Garvis Graves* - ARC, ebook

4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy contemporary fiction with complex characters and a romantic focus.

Annika and Jonathan meet in college. Annika is introverted and reserved, Jonathan is a star swimmer and an ambitious future investment banker. The two bond during chess club and begin Annika's first real relationship. Something tears them apart, and they meet again ten years later. Now they must decide if they want to pursue a new relationship or if they are too hurt by the past.

I was worried that I wouldn't like this book, because I loved her other book On The Island ... which was so heavily focused on the survival aspect of the plot. However, as soon as I started this I really liked it. I definitely identify with Annika, a lot. I liked that the past and present and both of their perspectives switched throughout the book, but as always I wanted certain times and perspectives more. I really loved Annika and Jonathan, and I liked how much their characters grew over time. HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILER: As soon as the dates changed I knew what was coming. Random, but why did she have to feature 9/11 in both of these books?! I do feel like it kind of ended abruptly, like the whole last part of the plot was a little squished together, but overall I liked it.

Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper - library, physical book

3 Stars - I might recommend if you enjoy fluffy contemporary "women's fiction" with a fun family dynamic and a bit of romance.

When Margot loses her high-profile event planning job in Chicago due to event disaster no one will hire her, that is until she hears from her long lost aunt in Lake Sackett Georgia. She takes her up on the offer and moves down to Georgia to work at the family funeral home and bait shop combo. Margot is planning to stay for as short of a stay as possible, but that is easier said than done. When she meets single dad Kyle Archer and starts re-kindling her relationship with her father and her other relatives she'll find Lake Sackett harder to leave than she expected.

I loved the quirky idea behind the plot: moving back to a small southern town to help with the family funeral home and bait shop. What a combination. I loved the quirky family aspect of the book, and some of the shenanigans they got into at work. The book did start a bit slow for me, and I wish it would have been a little more packed with funny conversations and situations but I liked it well enough. I liked Margot and Kyle and the contrast between the two of them. I liked his daughters and the relationship that they had. I'm kind of a sucker for a single parent as the main love interest in the story. Overall I think I wanted just a bit more quirk, and it to go just a little bit faster. I was just kind of bored. I have the second and third books, so we'll see how it goes.

The Kiss Theif by L. J. Shen* - ARC, ebook

3 Stars - I might recommend if you enjoy books categorized as "dark romance". For me it was fairly problematic from time to time. Caution!

Francesca Rossi is the daughter of the toughest mob boss. She has been groomed her whole life to marry someone from her father's outfit. She has her heart set on Angelo Bandini. On the night that she thinks he will finally kiss her, the kiss is stolen by senator Wolfe Keaton, and soon after she is married off to him to keep her father's shady business under wraps.

This had the over-the-top vibe that I was looking for at the time. I loved the mob + politics + high society romance element. At first it was a blast to read, but I did have some issues with the male character and of their relationship in general. There were definitely some things that were possibly considered "dark romance" i.e. they were kinda problematic for me.... but I was still rooting for the characters. I think if it hadn't been SO "dark" I would have liked it more. Dark romance isn't really my thing. It's not a healthy situation. A lot of manipulation and dangerous miscommunication going on. Aside from the problematic stuff, the plot is entertaining. A mob boss is being blackmailed by a senator, so he marries his daughter off to him to meet his demands. Love/hate relationship ensues. Mixture of high society lifestyle, politics, and mob life was interesting and made for an interesting setting. In the end I was still rooting for the characters and enjoying the setting. Just a little less dark and I would have quite liked it.

Monthly totals:

Read - 3
Owned - 0
Ebook - 2
Physical book - 1
ARC - 2
Library/Borrowed - 1
Bought - 12 (11 physical, 1 ebook) -- this does include a boxed set of The Chronicles of Narnia books for $40! SCORE!
To Let Go - 1

Yearly Totals:

Read - 22
Owned - 11
Ebook - 13
Physical book - 10
ARC - 8
Library/Borrowed - 4
Bought - 26 (21 physical books, 5 ebooks)
To Let Go - 6

Linking up with Jana and Steph for Show Us Your Books today. :) 

What have you been reading? What do you hope to read this month?! 

Let's be friends on Goodreads!

XO,

Alexandra

* Asterisks denote titles that I was given advance access to by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. These reviews are my own opinion, and based on the edition of the book I was given at the time. Thank you Netgalley

**Double asterisks denote books won via a goodreads giveaway! 

***Triple asterisks denote titles that I was given advance access to by Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review. These reviews are my own opinion, and based on the edition of the book I was given at the time. Thank you Penguin First to Read!

****Quadruple asterisks denote titles that I was given advance access to by the author of the book in exchange for an honest review. These reviews are my own opinion and based on the edition of the book I was given at the time!