
We are in the last few days of 2023 and I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by. So far, I’ve read 11 books throughout December (as of 21st December). I am hoping to read a few more books this month as I’d love to reach 120 books read this year. But, I wanted to make sure this post went live on time.
In this post, you will find a bunch of mini-reviews for the books I read, so far, in December. Here they are!

Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Andy’s story wasn’t meant to turn out this way. Living out of a suitcase in his best friends’ spare room, waiting for his career as a stand-up comedian to finally take off, he struggles to process the life-ruining end of his relationship with the only woman he’s ever truly loved.
As he tries to solve the seemingly unsolvable mystery of his broken relationship, he contends with career catastrophe, social media paranoia, a rapidly dwindling friendship group and the growing suspicion that, at 35, he really should have figured this all out by now.
Andy has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend’s side of the story.

Dolly Alderton is such an extraordinary author who can somehow make you laugh and then cry within the space of a sentence. This book has quickly become one of my favourites of 2023. It is relatable, funny, wise and written beautifully. It is an interesting look on a person after a break-up and it is well worth the read.
โ โ โ โ โ
Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello
City girl Tia Solankรฉ is dreading the festive period. Sheโs on a break with her boyfriend and the last thing she wants to do is spend Christmas away from London. Arriving at Saiyan Hedge Farm, Tia takes an instant disliking to it. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How is she meant to stalk her ex now and concoct a foolproof plan to win him back?
Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year theyโve been selected to host the biggest event in the town’s calendar โ the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success. The only problem is, heโs told everyone he has a date to the ball, when in reality that couldnโt be further from the truth.
At first, Tia and Quincy donโt see eye to eye, until they realise they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. But when a snowstorm threatens to cancel the Winter Ball, their fake relationship is put to the test. Will Tia and Quincy be able to keep up the pretence and save the day, or will real feelings get in the way?

This is such a sweet and heart-warming Christmas YA contemporary novel. It brought me a lot of joy whilst I was reading it and was certainly perfect to read in the lead up to Christmas. If you are looking for fake-dating, family, friendship and Christmas then this is one for you. A full review of this one can be found on my blog.
โ โ โ โ
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s house … But with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

What a wonderful new instalment in Nick and Charlie’s story. I loved this one so much and seeing how much Nick and Charlie have progressed as both a couple and in themselves. There are so many wholesome moments in this one too. I love it a lot and cannot wait for the next, and final, instalment!
โ โ โ โ โ
Snapshot Books!
Here is a little snapshot of 6 of the books that Iโve read this month along with the rating I gave them. I enjoyed all of them this month!
- The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwaiย โ โ โ โ โ
- The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Learyย โ โ โ โ โ
- Snow Place Like LA by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simoneย โ โ โ โ
- Lovelight Farms by B. K. Borisonย โ โ โ โ
- So Happy for You by Celia Laskeyย โ โ โ โ โ
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins โ โ โ โ โ (re-read)ย






A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
Kallum Liebermanis the funny oneโข. As the arguably lesser of the three former members of the boy band INK, he enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame and then moved home where he opened a regional pizza chain called Slice, Slice, Baby! Heโs living his best dad bod life, hooking up with bridesmaids at all his friendsโ weddings. But after an old one-off sex tape is leaked and quickly goes viral, Kallum decides heโs ready to step into the spotlight again, starring in a sexy Santa biopic for the Hope Channel.
Winnie Baker did everything right. She married her childhood sweetheart, avoided the downfalls of adolescent stardom, and transitioned into a stable adult acting career. Hell, she even waited until marriage to have sex. But after her perfect life falls apart, Winnie is ready to redefine herselfโand what better way than a steamier-than-a-steaming-hot-mug-of-cider Christmas movie?
With decade old Hollywood history between them, Winnie and Kallum are both feeling hesitant about their new situation as costarsโฆespecially Winnie who canโt seem to fake on screen pleasure sheโs never experienced in real life. Sheโs willing to do the pleasure researchโfor science and artistic authenticity, of course. And thereโs no better research partner than her bridesmaid sex tape hall of fame costar, Kallum. But suddenly, Kallumโs teenage crush on Winnie is bubbling to the surface and Winnie might be catching feelings herself.

I was so excited for another instalment in the Christmas Notch series and this one was a lot of fun. Although it wasn’t as good as the first, in my opinion, I still enjoyed reading it. I think this writing duo are excellent and I would absolutely love if there is a third book in this series that features Isaac as a main character.
โ โ โ โ
Snowed In by Catherine Walsh
Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. Sheโs the village pariah, the she-devil who left local golden boy Isaac at the altar four years ago and ran away to the big city. She could really do without the drama. Particularly as heโs engaged again, and sheโs just been dumped for the fourth time this year.
Christianโs fed up of being on his own every Christmas. He doesnโt mind being alone , but he hates his familyโs sad eyes and soft tones as they sit around coupled up. Because heโs actually, totally, fine.
So when Megan literally bumps into Christian in a Dublin pub, they come up with a pact to see them through the holiday season. Theyโre going to be the very best fake dates for each other, ever .
Rules are drawn up, a contract is signed on a wine-stained napkin. They will sit through each otherโs family gatherings and be outrageously in love until freed from their annual obligations. After all, itโs only for a few weeks.
But with everyone home for the holidays, two big families to deal with alongside old friends, old flames and old feelings, things are bound to get messy. And when a snowed-in cabin and a little Christmas magic are added to the mix, anything could happenโฆ

Catherine Walsh’s Christmas romance books are some of my favourites. This one is a companion novel to Holiday Romance which was one of my favourite books of last year. I loved reading about Christian and Megan as well as seeing Andrew and Molly from the previous book. This one is adorable, heart-warming and perfect to read for Christmas. I loved it!
โ โ โ โ
Statistics
Books read this month:ย 11
Pages read this month:ย 3,861
Books read this year:ย 115
Pages read this year:ย 39,552

There you have it, that is everything I read in December, so far! What have you read in December and what are you looking forward to reading in January? Let me know in the comments!


Can a novel in the Heartstopper series be bad? I don’t think so, the characters are simply too adrorable ๐ โค๏ธโจ๏ธ๐๐๐ป
LikeLiked by 1 person