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Does anyone else feel like November just kind of flew right on by? Just me?
Seriously, I blinked and suddenly I was back at school flipping my calendar over to the last month of the year! Despite November passing so quickly, I was still able to finish four books. One them is definitely on my list of top reads in 2020, and if you know my reading tastes, the book might surprise you!
It has been awhile since I wrote an actual book review. I have been experimenting with book review Reels on Instagram/bookstagram, and I’ve really enjoyed the shorter format of those reviews. I have been wanting to get back to writing reviews on my blog as well, so I thought a wrap-up of mini reviews would be a nice change.
Related: Should You Start a Bookstagram Account?
November Recent Reads
One by One by Ruth Ware
A tech company goes on a ski work retreat. The company is in limbo, with half the board wanting to sell and the other half wanting to hold on to the company they helped create. Tensions continue to grow as one member of the party disappears after a ski outing. Then the group is suddenly trapped in their chalet by an avalanche. The group begins to wonder who they can trust-and how many of them will meet the same fate as their co-worker?
Ruth Ware and I have a complicated history. She is one of my favorite authors even though 90% of the time I am disappointed with her endings.
I was really nervous to read One by One because it got super mixed reviews. But I went for it anyway because it was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and my library hold came in at the beginning of the month.
One by One is one of my favorite mystery/thriller tropes: isolated setting and people start dying. I would say One by One is heavily influenced by Agatha Christie’s classic mystery And Then There Were None. I think reviews were mixed for this because readers were expecting a psychological thriller, but this is 100% a whodunnit mystery book.
my rating: ★★★★
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
Owen, a recently suspended teacher, is a 30-something virgin living with his aunt. Owen’s teenage neighbor thinks he is creepy and swears he followed her one night, leading her parents, Cate and Roan, to be suspicious of him. When one of Roan’s former clients, a teenage girl, disappears, Owen becomes a suspect. Suddenly his life is being picked apart by the media as the police dig into his past.
Lisa Jewell is another repeat author for me. I have always enjoyed her books, but Invisible Girl missed the mark for me. The plot was quite slow at times, and I didn’t find it very suspenseful.
One of the main characters was dreadfully unlikable, which I realize was the point, but I was actually really irritated anytime a chapter from him POV came up.
The plot to Invisible Girl was pretty similar to Jewell’s previous book, Watching You, which I did really enjoy. However, Invisible Girl just had too much going on for me to feel connected to the story.
I will still continue to read books from Lisa Jewell, but this was not a favorite.
my rating: ★★★
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Addie has been warned not to pray to the gods who answer after dark, but in a moment of desperation, she does just that. The deal she makes with the god will send her on a 300 year long journey. Her deal is actually a curse, as no one Addie meets ever remembers her. But one day she meets a boy who does remember her name..
This book. I still can’t put my thoughts into words. Addie is a beautifully written slow-burn, character driven story. If you know me, you know I am not much of a fantasy reader, so Addie was a complete show to me. I still can’t believe how much I loved this story.
Addie is a book I look forward to re-reading, and possibly annotating, very soon. I mostly listened to this book, so I would love to go back and read it physically so I can make notes of the beautiful quotes throughout this story.
my rating: ★★★★★
A web series team goes to the Grand Canyon to search for a hidden cave. They believe the existence of this cave is being hidden, and they seek to expose the conspiracy theory for their viewers. But what they find is more than they bargained for. What is this cave? What is it for? And why did the previous explorers try to seal the cave up forever?
The Anomaly is an underrated gem of a book! This was a re-read for me, and I loved it just as much the second time.
Imagine Indiana Jones meet The X-Files and you’ve got The Anomaly. This is a fast-paced thriller with some truly terrifying moments, especially if you are scared of the dark or small spaces. I’ve read this book in less than 24 hours both times that I’ve picked it up now because once you start, you can’t stop until you know what happens to the characters!
my rating: ★★★★★
I just realized that all four books I read in November are available from Book of the Month! BOTM is my favorite book subscription service. You can sign up using this link and get your first book for only $5 with the code BOOKWISH at checkout.
Related: Is a Book of the Month Subscription Worth It?
TBR Pile December 2020
Want to know what I’m planning to read next? Check out the titles on my TBR pile for next month. Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter so you can find out which books I actually end up reading!
What was your favorite book in November?
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