The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor, 288 pages

I am a sucker for anything horror related, so I was really pleased to read this book and be genuinely scared while reading it. I was having nightmares and had to put it down for a few days to give myself a mental break. I really liked this book, and recommend it to any who loves horror/psychological thrillers.

Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson, 304 pages

I love this author. A few of her books have been turned into Hallmark movies. I have to admit I hesitated on reading this book. Beauty pageants aren't my thing. The main character is an elementary school librarian so my interest in this book didn't quite go away. I figured I'd wait for the library to get their copy in and then give it a try and then if it really wasn't my cup of tea I'd just turn the book back in unfinished...no harm, no foul. Then a book subscription box that I'm a fan of posted a one time box they were doing for Valentine's Day. It was a rom com box. Turns out this was the book. So yet another sign I should read this book. I started reading the book on a Friday night and didn't get out of my chair until I had finished it. Obviously I could not put this book down. There are a lot of Harry Potter and Jane Austen references. Two literary loves of my life. I had to stop and take a picture close to the beginning of the book because the main character was wearing a Harry Potter shirt and so I was.

I messaged most of my friends and told them they have to read this book. Mind you if you're not into Harry Potter and/or Jane Austen you might roll your eyes at the references or miss them entirely. This book spoke to my nerdy soul. I was sad when I got to the end. I almost wish I hadn't read it so fast. I can't wait for my friends (and some library patrons) to read this book so we can discuss it.

How She Died, How I Lived by Mary Crockett, 417 pages

This book was a great read that made me question my beliefs in a wide-range of things. This book tackles a lot of intense topics, including survivors guilt, rape, murder and forgiveness on top of all of that. This book lacked the depth that I thought it would have, but I thought that it really addressed those tough topics well.

Never Tell by Lisa Gardner, 416 pages

I received this e-book as an advanced copy from NetGalley. It sounded like something I would love to read, but I got about half-way through and realized that this was the tenth book in a series. Fortunately, this isn't a book that you necessarily have to read in chronological order, but now that I've finished this one I plan on reading the rest of the series! My only complaint about this book was that some of it seemed extremely unrealistic, but it was suspenseful and kept my interest for the most part!

I'll Be There for You: The One About Friends by Kelsey Miller. 305 pages

Friends is one of my favorite television shows of all-time, so I had to read this one as soon as it came out. This book dives into the phenomenon that was Friends, and also gives a neat behind-the-scenes look at the show, including details of the casting process. It also points out the trends that the show inspired, and some of the most hilarious, iconic scenes from the series. I enjoyed this read and recommend it for any Friends lover!

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser, 336 pages

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser. Forget You Know me is set to be published in February 2019. This book really started out strong, and had such a creepy feel to it when one of the main characters is in the middle of a video chat with her best friend, when she sees an intruder via the webcam after her friend had walked away for a moment. It felt like a horror movie at this point, so I was really excited and couldn't put it down. Unfortunately, it went downhill really quickly after that. I felt like this book was trying too hard to be too many genres- thriller, romance, mystery, plain ol' fiction, etc. There was just too much going on in the story, and it became extremely hard to follow. The only character I found myself drawn to was Henry, who we had only a few chapters of. I was overall disappointed in this book and the ending, especially since I felt like it had such huge potential at the beginning. 

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes, 337 pages

One of my reading goals this year is to read more non-fiction. This was an easy, fast-paced read that I really enjoyed. Shonda Rhimes is the creator of one of my favorite shows, Grey's Anatomy. Her witty, sassy attitude is hilarious and charming. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times while reading this. I wish that she would have talked more about the shows she's created, but I still loved this book.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, 232 Pages

Mary Poppins is the first fictional character that I can remember idolizing as a child. I grew up watching the movie over and over, but had never gotten around to reading the books. With the new movie in theaters, I decided to finally read the book and... I didn't love it. This version of Mary Poppins is not the version that I grew up loving, so it was difficult for me to even finish the book! I did enjoy it, but I was expecting to add it to my list of favorites, and it unfortunately wasn't even close!

Bird Box by Josh Malerman, 262 Pages

Bird Box has been on my "To Read" list for quite a while now, and once my husband started bugging me to watch the new Netflix adaptation of it with him, I bumped it to the top. (Can't watch it without reading it first, y'all!) I don't scare easily in regards to book and this book truly scared me. By scared me, I mean it was so intense and horrifying to think of a world like the one these poor people are living in. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who is a horror fan like myself, or anyone who enjoys a good, suspenseful book!

Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson, 352 Pages

Even If I Fall is a Young Adult book set to be released on January 8th. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was fast-paced, and held my interest the entire time. The book is about Brooke and her family, who are going through an extremely difficult time after her brother, Jason, is convicted of murdering his best friend. The entire family is forced into seclusion after being shunned by everyone in their small town. Brooke is attempting to find a sense of normalcy when she ends up befriending the brother of the guy Jason murdered, Heath. Heath and Brooke both know that they can't be friends due to the circumstances, but still find themselves drawn to each other and meeting in secrecy.