It’s crazy how much I’ve read in the last 3 months alone, especially since I started working in publishing (and have mostly forgone any gaming or streaming for reading as it’s been bringing my heart the most joy). It’s been so fun acquiring and reading more books and I’ve found a few 5-star reads that are definitely worth mentioning.
Disclaimer: I am currently working at Hachette Australia, so some of these books, which I received through work will likely be a bit more biased, but I still loved these books regardless!
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
I read this book during the Breath of the Wildathon and it truly captured my heart. I know a few readers have said it was slow and boring but I loved every second of this long urban fantasy book. We meet a girl who makes a deal with the devil, in that she is immortal but nobody remembers her – until she meets a boy who does. The premise, the storyline, the characters, the devil and the magic – I loved it all! It’s likely now one of my all-time favourite books and I still think of it fondly whenever I buy myself pastries or pass by a bookstore. Highly recommend!
Ali Hazelwood’s Entire Published Bibliography
One of my colleagues works on marketing Ali Hazelwood’s books and even though The Love Hypothesis was extremely hyped last year on BookTok and Instagram, I hadn’t read it yet – nor had I even planned to read it! Alas, I was too curious and I ended up devouring it and literally every other book or novella that Ali Hazelwood has written (including her upcoming novel, which is her best yet). I know a lot of people dismiss these books as bad fanfiction with shallow characters, but honestly, these books are just pure romance/rom-com fun and that’s exactly what I get out of them.
The characters are cute, and funny and don’t have the same annoying characteristics. I love that they focus on women in STEM careers as we don’t see that often enough and that it’s science-geeky and literary at the same time. I had absolutely no regrets reading these and I’ll probably end up rereading them again next year – Ali Hazelwood is now one of my favourite romance authors, up there with Christina Lauren and Helen Hoang, because these are just incredibly fun and cute reads.
Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
I didn’t know about this book until I started my new job and I honestly didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. This book made me laugh, it made me well up in tears and it will continue to stay with me for a long time. I’d recommend ANYONE to read this book – it’s short, it’s funny, it’s poignant and heartwrenching and I loved it all. In this book, we follow Isaac, a man grieving the sudden death of his beloved wife, who finds a peculiar egg in the woods which changes his life forever. I won’t say any more but this book encapsulated the process of grief and healing after such a tragedy. It’s an impeccable debut that isn’t talked about enough online.
A few trigger warnings for depression, suicide and death for this one.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Another amazing, heartwrenching book that also made me laugh and cry was A Man Called Ove. A super grumpy man who tries yet fails to take his own life multiple times after the death of his wife because of his new neighbours, whom he finds himself begrudgingly befriending. This translated book from the original Swedish was full of wit, heartfelt moments and laughs as we watch this roasted marshmallow of a man make new friends and find the joy of life again. I won’t say anymore but I loved this book, I loved the characters and the writing and it was refreshing for an elderly main character who is as unique and loveable as Ove.
Disclaimer: another trigger warning for suicide, death and heartbreak. Have your tissues ready.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
I was a bit stuck on the idea of reading Emily Henry, as her books have so far had mixed reviews, but I did mostly enjoy You and Me on Vacation and all my friends kept telling me that this is her best book yet – and I’m so glad they were right. I loved this cute small-town romcom about a literary agent who keeps bumping into an editor nemesis, who happens to be super good-looking, while she’s on a small holiday with her pregnant sister. I was glad to see this win Best Romance of the Year at the Goodreads Choice Awards, as it really was such a fun, well-written and enjoyable read. I couldn’t put it down and flew through it – I really hope Emily Henry’s next book is as good as this one.
And those are some of my newest 5-star reads that I really enjoyed in the last few months. I know I’ve been pretty inconsistent with blogging this year but I’m not beating myself up about it. I’ve had quite a year and I’m learning to do things that make me happy when I feel like it!
Let me know if you also loved some of these books, and I’ll see you in the next blog!
Until next time,
