What I Read in December

Hey y'all,

It happened, I finished my GoodReads goal right before we entered 2020! I ended up reading (or listening to) 75 books! Here's what I read/finished in December:

Regretting You - Kindle Unlimited

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.
Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.
With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.
While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together. 

I grabbed this book on my Kindle app without even reading the description since I typically fly through Colleen Hoover's stories. This was no different as the book starts off with a very tragic accident that colors Morgan and Clara's relationship completely until Morgan finally shares the truth of the accident and her relationships from the past. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Nesting Place

In The Nesting Place, Myquillyn shares the secrets of decorating for real people—and it has nothing to do with creating a flawless look to wow your guests. It has everything to do with embracing the natural imperfection and chaos of daily living.
Drawing on her years of experience creating beauty in her 13 different homes, Myquillyn will show you how to think differently about the true purpose of your home and simply and creatively tailor it to reflect you and your unique style—without breaking the bank or stressing over comparisons. Full of easy tips, simple steps, and practical advice, The Nesting Place will give you the courage to take risks with your home and transform it into a place that’s inviting and warm for family and friends.
There is beauty in the lived-in and loved-on and just-about-used-up, Myquillyn says, and welcoming that imperfection wholeheartedly just might be the most freeing thing you’ll ever do.

I started this book back in June but let it fall to the wayside on my coffee table. This book is a great reminder to decorate your space within your budget with things you love. Your space doesn't have to be a Pinterest masterpiece but it does need to work and reflect you.⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winter Street - audiobook

Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can't get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley's second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines.
As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who's playing Santa at the inn's annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley's ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.

I had been recommended the Winter Street series as a fun winter family drama. I picked up the audio book at the library and I did enjoy learning more about the Quinn family. It was a cute story and a quick read. ⭐⭐⭐

The Royal Treatment - Kindle Unlimited

Ultra-private, ridiculously handsome Crown Prince Arthur has always gotten by on his charm. But that won’t be enough now that the Royal Family is about to be ousted from power once and for all. When Prince Arthur has to rely on the one woman in the kingdom who hates him most, he must learn that earning the love of a nation means first risking his heart.
Twenty-eight-year-old Tessa Sharpe, a.k.a. The Royal Watchdog, hates everything about Prince Arthur. As far as she’s concerned, he’s an arrogant, lazy leech on the kingdom of Avonia. When he shocks the nation by giving her the keys to the castle, Tessa has no choice but to accept and move in for two months. It’s lust at first sight, but there’s no way she can give in to her feelings—not if she wants to have a career or a shred of pride left when her time at the palace ends.

A royal blogger that critiques the monarchy is invited into the palace for a few months for them to work on their public image. This is the first of a series and I am excited to learn what else will happen in Avonia.

Shades of Milk and Honey

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane’s skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody’s suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right—and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

If you are a Jane Austen fan mixed with fantasy this would be a series for you. I grabbed the whole series at the Wake County Library Sale in May. Glamouring is not on the list of requirements for an accomplished woman. This was a slow to start book and it felt like the ending didn't expect a sequel so I'm intrigued to start the next book in the series.⭐⭐⭐

Naturally Tan - audiobook

Tan France, star of Netflix's smash-hit QUEER EYE, tells his origin story for the first time. With his trademark wit, humor, and radical compassion, Tan reveals what it was like to grow up gay in a traditional Muslim family, as one of the few people of color in Doncaster, England. He illuminates his winding journey of coming of age, finding his voice (and style!), and how he finally came out to his family at the age of 34, revealing that he was happily married to the love of his life--a Mormon cowboy from Salt Lake City.

I loved that Tan read the audiobook himself especially since Antoni also joined in a bit in the middle. This is a sweet book that reflects on Tan's past and I learned a lot more about his life and career before Queer Eye.⭐⭐⭐

To All the Boys I've Loved Before - audiobook

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.
But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh.
As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

In prep for the second movie releasing on Netflix in February, I thought I would grab the books. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the movie adaptation is very close to the original book. This was a quick young adult book and I was excited to continue on with the second book.⭐⭐⭐

P.S. I Still Love You - audiobook

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

I loved learning more about LJ and Peter's childhood in this book. It will be exciting to see this one on screen especially the dance at the retirement center. This book is a realistic high school relationship with jealousy, parties, volunteering, a game, and more.⭐⭐⭐

A Court of Frost and Starlight

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve.
Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

This was my least favorite in the ACOTAR series and I think it is because this is mainly an in between book as Sarah Maas is now writing stories of the other characters of the court. It dragged on and it broke some of my faith in some of the characters seeing how they are processing and living after the war in the previous book. ⭐⭐ .5

In the Unlikely Event - Kindle Unlimited

They met in Ireland when she was searching for her father. Instead, they promise that if they ever meet again, they will drop everything to be together. Well, fate brings them back together and it has been rough on both of them.

I grabbed this after liking The Kiss Theif by the same author. I would skip this. It was filled with a lot of hate and anger towards one another that sometimes was violent. This was not a relationship I would support. ⭐

Link up with Jana and Steph.

What have you been reading?

Best,