My January 2024 Book Reviews

Here we are again, another new year, another new Goodreads goal.  Yet again I have set the goal that I would read 50 books. Hopefully this year I’ll actually hit it. I find that the goal of a book per week is obtainable but when I get busy I tend to neglect reading.  What I am going to do this year is try to include some Audible books. I listen to so many podcasts when I’m driving, why not throw in a book or two and help knock out some of my TBR pile.

The Family Upstairs
by Lisa Jewell

I gave this book five stars!

I couldn’t put this book down. If you are into thrillers, you have probably read a Lisa Jewell book or two and this one did not disappoint! It was the story of a girl who was adopted as a baby and she finds out at her 25th birthday that she inherited a house from her birth parents.

This is a twisty story of a cult, deception, and family. I really liked it! There were plenty of twists and turns, some I saw coming and some were complete shocks!

The Family Remains
by Lisa Jewell

I also gave this book five stars!

It is uncommon for me to like a sequel as much as I liked the original book. But The Family Remains is a sequel to The Family Upstairs and Lisa Jewell did a great job letting you know what happened to Libby and her family after they inherit the house. I don’t want to say too much about the plot of this one because I don’t want to spoil the first book but it was good!

The Coworker 
by Freida McFadden

I gave this book four stars.

I have read one other book by Freida McFadden and I felt like it was a bit overrated. In both of her books that I have read, I have struggled to find a likeable character and this makes the book less enjoyable for me.

This book was a quick read, and it definitely took a lot of unexpected turns. But there was no likeable character for you to relate to and that bothered me. If you like Freida McFadden or a quick thriller, I recommend the book.

The Great Alone
by Kristen Hannah

I gave this book four stars.

This is the story of a man, his wife, and their daughter. Ernt, the father, is a veteran and POW who struggles with his mental health. Upon his friend, and fellow veteran’s death, he inherits a house in Alaska and decides that this is the opportunity that his family needs. Leni and her mom spend their time walking on egg shells to keep him happy, while Leni also has to decide her future after graduation.

This book took me two tries, and I’m glad I gave it a second chance. I really like Kristen Hannah so that is the only reason I came back to it. I tried to read it last year and I had to give up because there were scenes that were just soooo long and unnecessarily detailed.

The Invisible Hour 
by Alice Hoffman

I gave this book three stars. 

Alice Hoffman seems to have a good following of readers. I have read a lot of positive things about her books. But this was my first Alice Hoffman read and I was not impressed.

I found this story to be confusing. It was like she trying to include too much into the plot, while also keeping it on the shorter side. The book weighs in at 265 pages, which is shorter than most books that I read. I think Hoffman would have been better off getting rid of some of the side storylines.

If you decide to check out any of these books. Comment on this post and let me know!