November 2021 Book Haul & Wrap Up

It's the end of a month which means a quick recap on my reading goal and book haul. 

This was a huge book haul month for me because I was gifted so many great books for my birthday. Because of my birthday and a couple preorders, I was able to add 13 books!

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon 

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon 

A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore 

How to Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days by K.M. Jackson 

The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth 

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover 

Holiday Hotel by Poppy Minnix 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 

Kingsbane by Claire LeGrand 

Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey 

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo 

Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler

I was honestly hoping to read a lot more than I did and I am a little bummed that I only had enough time to read four. My average seems to be around four or five books so I am not sure why I thought I would be able to read closer to ten.

Eight Days of Christmas by Starla DeKruyf

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

So, This is Christmas by Tracy Andreen

How did you do with your monthly reading goal? Did you hit it or fall short? What about your November book haul? Did you get anything really awesome?

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Eight Days of Christmas

Eight Days of Christmas

(Pineridge, #1)
by Starla DeKruyf

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Publication Date: Oct 19 2021
Publisher: City Owl Press
Pages: 308
ISBN: 9781648980992
Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance | Holiday
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Isabella Whitley hasn't been back home to Pineridge, Colorado in over ten years, but must return to celebrate the family's Eight Days of Christmas tradition along and her younger sister's Christmas day wedding.  But when a snowstorm grounds Isabella's flight, her only options are to wait out the storm until the morning or to get a rental car. That's when Isabella's high school sweetheart, Leo, enters the picture. Turns out Leo is also on his way back to Colorado because his younger brother Landon, is the groom in the upcoming wedding. By the time Leo and Isabella get to the car rental, there is only one car left so they reluctantly agree to share the ride to Colorado.

Being in close proximity to each other brings up a lot of past feelings and resentment and both Isabella and Leo must learn to navigate those feelings if they are going to survive the Whitley's Eight Days of Christmas, Norah and Landon's wedding, and then go on their separate ways once again.

Review: This book is legit holiday magic! Right from the beginning I couldn't help but get Hallmark movie vibes. Can I also just swoon over how absolutely perfect the cover is? It's definitely in the top 10 of all-time favorite covers - shoutout to whoever did the cover art! Also, can I please be a member of the Whitley family? A family that does the eight days of Christmas, every single year? Yes, please! I want to make gingerbread houses, go sledding, bake sugar cookies, and string popcorn. The Whitley family is the quintessential holiday family that everyone wants to be and reading about them doing all those adorable holiday traditions just makes readers want to celebrate the holidays that way as well.

I will admit that bits of the story are a bit cheesy and at times I wanted to smack both Izzy and Leo and tell them to get over themselves. However, that's what I love about romcoms and Hallmark movies, they are all so cheesy but in the most delicious way possible. Everybody loves a feel-good story and I enjoy reading about characters that aren't perfect, that make mistakes, that say or do stupid things because that's what makes it more realistic. 

“Shouldn't all of this be easier? If two people love each other, shouldn't that be enough?”
― Starla DeKruyf, Eight Days of Christmas

Overall I give this book 4 stars because the story is adorable, the characters are fun, and the cover art is charming.

Special thanks to City Owl Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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November 2021 TBR

Happy first day of November, bookworms!

Now that October is over, I am ready for Christmas! Starting today I will be reading Christmas books for the next two months and I can’t wait! I’ve also been recording the Hallmark Christmas movies and now that it’s Nov 1st I can start watching them. Bring on Christmas!

Here's what I'm planning to read this month:

Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

So, This is Christmas by Tracy Andreen

Eight Days of Christmas by Starla DeKruyf

Special shout out to Viking Books (So, This Is Christmas) and City Owl Press (Eight Days of Christmas) for the gift copies. Look for my reviews coming soon! 

Here's to hoping for a great reading month! What about you? What are you reading this month?

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