January 2021 Book Review

It’s been one full year since I started my monthly book reviews, and each month, it becomes one of my most visited posts time and time again. I love that I have some fellow readers in this little slice of the world!

Last year, I had some amazing favorites. One book in particular that may have been in my top 3 all-time favorites. If you missed all my 2020 reads, plus what my favorite books of the year were, you can find it HERE.

If you’re new here (hey girl, hey!), I share what I’ve read each month and give my honest, unfiltered feelings on the reads. No spoilers. No endings. Just my true thoughts on the books, the authors, the characters, the plot. You know, all the stuff that makes or breaks a book. I love anything from historical fiction to chick lit, biographies to dramas, and I have a real soft spot for anything suspenseful that keeps me at the edge of my seat (or bed, because reading at night just needs a comfy bed).

So, let’s get to it! My January Book Review!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Sometimes when I would explain shows that I was watching like Stranger Things or Game of Thrones, I would actually laugh as I was explaining because the premise just sounds ridiculous, right? How could I watch something about the Underworld and love it so much? So when I got about halfway through Mexican Gothic and I started to understand what was going on, I was equal parts taken back by the extremely fiction concept and equal parts hooked.

When Noemi gets a scattered letter from her recently-married cousin, Catalina, claiming voices were speaking to her through the walls and that she needed someone to help her immediately, she is told by her wealthy father that Noemi is to go see her and get Catalina the help she needs. Noemi travels to High Place, a cold, dark, gloomy stone mansion on the top of the highest mountain outside of the local town. Soon she is having her own vivid nightmares, is sleepwalking at night and finding herself in obscene situations, and is finding herself slowly becoming stuck between saving herself or saving her cousin.

I loved the suspense. I loved the characters and the vivid way Moreno-Garcia portrayed them. I loved the way I couldn’t put the book down. But let me tell you, this one is a tricky one to explain to another person. 🙂 It’s extremely fantastical, it’s a little spooky, and it’s a whole lot of what?!, but it is just so, so well done. I really loved this book for all its weirdness and I loved that I started the year with a book that I just couldn’t put it down.

It’s Never Too Late by Kathie Lee Gifford

I always have and always will love Kathie Lee Gifford. She was the loveable goofball that I grew up watching on Regis and Kathie Lee, but then adored even more when she joined Hoda Kotb on the fourth hour of the Today Show. She was always so secure and so confident in her faith. She spoke about God, she preached her faith, and she was unapologetic along the way. And not only did she speak His truths, but she lived them fully. When her husband, Frank Gifford, very publicly cheated on Kathie Lee, she forgave him. And her reason? Jesus forgives us for our sins daily. Who was she to not forgive human sin when Jesus can? She built several buildings in NYC to house children born with the AIDS virus, and even personally sued the state of New York because of their mistreatment of those babies. I love her fight and her tenacity, and especially love the way she walks with God.

This memoir was Kathie Lee’s ode to never stop dreaming. To never stop believing that you are capable of doing great things at any age. It’s stories from her past mixed with a lot of her faith to inspire you to keep reaching, to keep dreaming, and to be the best person you can be. I would end a chapter and sometimes have to sit and process just how meaningful and beautiful her lessons were. I read this one in about 24 hours and I think I could read it all over again. She is a beautiful person, a hard worker, a firm believer, and a great storyteller. This one made me love KLG just a whole lot more.

Forever Wild by K.A. Tucker

This is the third book of The Simple Wild series, and it was the perfect “tie it all up in a pretty bow” finale to the series (even though I hear they may be working on another book to add to it focusing on the town vet). I read the first and second books in the series last year and I just think they are the perfect, adorable, cozy, and quaint reads.

The premise of the entire series is a young girl moves to Alaska to work on the relationship with her dad and ends up finding love on the way. This third book takes place during Christmastime, so adding in all the cozy settings, Alaskan town, charming characters, quaint café scenes, you also get holiday cheer and Christmas lights.

This is such a likeable series and I was just always happy reading it. If you’re looking for something that is happy, light, and an easy read, The Simple Wild Series is exactly what you’re looking for.

I already started to read my next book for February’s review, and I think I have some great ones coming after. I’m already excited to find my new favorite reads for 2021! What are you reading to start the year?

xx Rachel

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