January Reads

The 14 books I read this month!

Books are, and always have been, an intrinsic part of my life. Like.... I read a lot. I purchased a Kindle at the start of the New Year, which fueled my reading consumption even more. I adore my little Kindle, as I can take it anywhere with me: to class, my carry on at the airport or in my purse. I 100% recommend investing in one for my reader friends, it was definitely worth the hype.

At the end of every month, I will dedicate a post to go over what I read during that time, and give a short blurb on my thoughts as well as my rating on the piece. I know we all have endless "To Be Read" lists, so hopefully some truly honest reviews can help you narrow down your next selection of what to read next.

Without further ado, here is what I read in the month of January 💌

Betting on You by Lynn Painter

My rating: 3/5 ⭐️

This was my first read of 2025, which was a good way to start off the year. I love Painter's ability to create a cute, light-hearted romance that leaves the reader feeling smushy. It was not my favorite book I've ever written, because you know exactly what is going to happen, but not a bad read either. Lots of Taylor Swift references which I love.

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

My rating: 3/5 ⭐️

I've been obsessed with Freida McFadden ever since I read the Housemaid and discovered that she had a huge catalog of other published works. Her books are fast paced and keep me guessing the whole time, and honestly serve as perfect palate cleansers between thick fantasy novels. This is her newest one, and I really enjoyed it, I think it is definitely one of her better ones. I finished it in less than a day.

Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

My Rating: 2/5 ⭐️

Okay, I've seen so many great reviews about this book and was so excited. It was my least favorite book of January. The plot had SO much potential to be great, but was not articulated great. I love the concept of Archer's character, but the whole story was... cringe? Not really sure how to describe it, I guess II'm glad I checked it off my TBR, but probably would not recommend.

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

My rating: 3/5 ⭐️

I've seen a lot of people say that this is one of their favorite Freida books, and I can see why. I love how she can create the perfect unreliable narrator that makes you question everything. I always think I have it figured out and then she humbles me. I read a lot of Freida books this month and this was not my absolute favorite of hers, but definitely one of her better ones!!

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

My rating: 3/5 ⭐️

I really wanted to love this one. It just had.... no real plot? Like it was kind of boring? But it was cute, and I flew through it in less than 24 hours. I just felt like a lot of parts could be cut out to make the story more interesting, I felt like I was losing interest in some chapters. Overall not a bad romance read for summertime and for anyone who wants a quick read. Not exactly light hearted, but comical.

Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders

My rating: 3/5 ⭐️

This book was not on my radar at all, but it popped up on my Kindle Unlimited and I gave it a try. I am so glad that I did, because it was amazing. I love the author's writing style, and how she really made the reader question if our perspective was sane or not. Such a good read. Not sure if I loved how the plot twist was executed, but I demolished this book in a few hours. I definitely want to read more by Nicola Sanders. Would recommend this to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller or likes Freida McFadden.

Ward D by Freida McFadden

My rating: 4/5 ⭐️

When I told ya'll I read a lot of Freida books, I was not kidding. This book is my new favorite of hers, it was so so good and kept me literally tense the entire time I was reading it. For new thriller readers, I would recommend this one. It kept me uneasy the whole time, because the reader is unsure if our perspective is unreliable or not.

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

My rating: 2.5/5 ⭐️

This was not one of my favorites of hers, but she's not really capable of creating a "bad" book. I just felt like this one was more boring than a lot of her other ones, and relied too heavily on the last few pages for a crazy plot twist. As always with her books, I finished this one really quickly.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary. E Pearson

My rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Wow. Okay, this was a really good low fantasy read for me. The details are so vivid, and I had NO IDEA who was who until it was like actually revealed. Mary E. Pearson really had you thinking one way, only to completely flip the script afterwards. It was not the BEST fantasy book I've ever read, but it was really entertaining. I immediately downloaded the next two books in the series to my Kindle.

Don't Believe Her by Nicola Sanders

My rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Somehow, this one was even better than the first book I read by this author. I loved this one a lot, I thought it was great. Sanders does an excellent job at keeping me on the edge of my seat from page one, and you quite literally feel anger FOR the main characters at not being believed about anything. Definitely would recommend this one out of what I've by her so far.

The Heart of Betrayal (Remnant Chronicles 2) by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 4/5 ⭐️

This book was even better than the first one. My jaw was dropped for the good latter half of the story, and I am foaming at the mouth to start the next one to see what happens. So obsessed. Eeek.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

My rating: 4/5 ⭐️

These books are just.. deep breath... sooo good. I didn't LOVE this one as much as I did the first book, I felt like half of the 620 pages were Violet and Xaden arguing about something, but still so amazing. The storyline, plot, the twist at the end, the magic world building... CHEFS KISS. I cannot wait to start on Onyx Storm and see what happens.

All the Lies by Nicola Sanders

My rating: 3/5 ⭐️

This is the third and final book written by this author, and I really hope a new one is in the works! I absolutely love her books, even though this one was not my favorite out of the three. Still really good, solid tension and characters, and she really knows how to make your skin crawl throughout the entire story. Recommend any of her books.

The Crash by Freida McFadden

My rating: 3/5 ⭐️

This was Freida's new book released on January 28th. It really gave off "Misery" by Stephen King, which was such a good book/film. The plot was strong and I liked the overall eeriness throughout, but felt like the ending could have been a bit stronger.