Book Haul // Christmas 2022

Hi Friends,
I am finally getting around to doing my Christmas book haul! After taking a small break after completing Bookmas 2022. Yes, I successfully did Bookmas. This year, unlike past ones, I didn’t receive that many books. However, as an avid book buyer I’m completely fine with that fact. But, I did end up getting a ton of amazing books to add to my shelf.

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light
“A fun, flirty teen debut from Wattpad phenom Alex Light about a fake relationship and real love.”
Related Post: The Upside Of Falling // Book Review

The Stand-In by Lily Chu
“Readers will delight in this glamourous, swoon worthy enemies-to-lovers romance that is as hilarious as it is heart-wrenching.”

She’s Gone by David Bell
“A new page-turning thriller from USA Today bestselling author David Bell. When a girl disappears, who do you suspect?”

Don’t Let In the Cold by Keely Parrack
“A claustrophobic, high-stakes thriller that will have you fearing what waits out in the cold.”

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
“Veronica Mars meets The Craft when a teen girl investigates the suspicious deaths of three classmates and accidentally ends up bringing them back to life to form a hilariously unlikely – and unwilling – vigilante girl gang.”
Related Post: Undead Girl Gang // Book Review

A Christmas Carol Murder by Heather Redmond
“In this clever reimagining of Charles Dickens’s life, he and fiancée Kate Hogarth must solve the murder of an old miser, just before Christmas.”

Seance Tea Party by Reimena Yee
“A middle-grade graphic novel about growing up that’s perfect for fans of Ghosts and Making Friends.”

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
“A supernatural thriller about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.”
Related Post:Hidden Pictures // Book Review

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
“A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic.”

The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens by Charles Dickens
“This illustrated edition features the classic Christmas stories of Charles Dickens!”

Baloney and Friends (Baloney & Friends, Bk. 1) by Greg Pizzoli
“Meet Baloney! He’s the star of this book, along with his best buddies: empathetic Peanut the horse, sensible Bizz the bumblebee, and grumpy Krabbit — he’d rather not be here, but what can you do?”

How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T. Smith
“This illustrated advent story tells of the adventures of an adorable mouse and how a good deed can lead to a very happy ending.”

There you have my Christmas 2022 book haul! I am so grateful for all the gifts I was given and the love that I have in my life. This holiday season went by so fast and I just cannot wait until next year. In the comments, let me know what books, if any, you were gifted. And, please give my little book blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Christmas Readathon 2022 // To Be Read

Today for Bookmas Day 19, I’m doing an impromptu TBR for the Christmas Readathon. The readathon started on December 17th and ends on the 31st. I wasn’t going to take part in the readathon, but I decided to join in on the fun. You can find out more about the readathon by visiting its Twitter Page.


A Muppets Christmas Carol: A Book Featuring Ghosts or Time Travel

Arthur Christmas: A Sweet Or Cozy Read

“One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.”


The Polar Express: A Book With A Journey

“She thought being stranded was the worst thing that could happen. She was wrong.”


Home Alone: A Book Featuring Thieves, Con Artists, Or Tricksters

“In this feminist, suspenseful thriller the daughter of a con artist is taken hostage in a bank heist—and will need to tap into all her skills in order to survive.”


Deck The Halls: A Book With A Festive Word In The Title

“A heartwarming, page-turning adventure about one child’s love for his most treasured thing, and how far he will go to find it.”


Elf – Jolabokaflod: Buy Someone A Book And Spend Some Of Christmas Eve Reading


I might not be able to get to every book on my TBR, but I am usually overly ambitious when it comes to readathons. In the comments, let me know if you are participating in the Christmas Readathon. If you are enjoying my Bookmas content then please follow the blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Christmas Clash // Book Review

About The Book
Sworn enemies from rival families, Chloe Kwon and Peter Li have always hated each other. But when their local mall is put up for auction right before Christmas, they band together to help save it, along with their families’ food court restaurants. This fun read will leave you nostalgic for that magical feeling of the mall at Christmastime.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3hekMNY

My Rating


If you like a YA enemies-to-lovers, with a slight Romeo and Juliet aspect, then you should give this book a read. In the book, we follow two teens, Chloe and Peter, who’s parents run restaurants at the local mall. However, their parents are sworn enemies.

Chloe and and Peter are meant to be seen as enemies throughout the book, but I got more of a frenemies vibe from them. We hear a lot about how they dislike each other, yet their interactions during the story are fairly civil. And I could definitely see something developing pretty early on between them.

I found Peter and Chloe yo be likable characters. It was nice that they could be honest with each other. There were times that they would be snarky, or snap at one another, but they were mature enough to apologize for their attitudes.

The dialog between the two was funny and real. I could tell from the beginning that I was going to enjoy the story. Although the writing was good, it did feel very YA. But, not necessarily in a bad way, if that makes any sense.

“I was just thinking about us. And how I didn’t really know you just two months ago, and now I can’t picture life without you. It’s truly a Christmas miracle.”

There were a few heavy topic touched on in the book, one being that parenting is hard. Children don’t always see the struggles that parents have to go through. Things aren’t always easy when it comes to being a parent.

The other major subject that the book focused on was racism. First and foremost this is a YA romance, but it did showcase that racism is still a big part of the world we live in today. I think that the race issue was handled well, but not sure it fit with the story. I wanted a more light and fluffy Christmas read, yet it is still a serious issue, so it is good when books shed light on real world topics.

Overall, the story was cute, enjoyable, and a quick read. However, I did find the ending a little far-fetched. It was one of those cheesy, happy, everyone wins kind of endings that can be a little too much for me at times. Nevertheless, it was a good reading experience, and there was a subtle nod to food delivery apps that was a nice bonus.

In the comments, let me know if you are a fan of enemies-to-lovers. I myself cannot get enough of them. Don’t forget to follow my blog if you like bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Cozy Christmas Book Tag

Hi Friends,
Happy Bookmas Day 8! For today’s post, I wanted to do a fun holiday book tag. This is the Cozy Christmas Book Tag, which was created by Call Me After Coffee on YouTube. I must say that I love how one of the question is called ‘The Perfect Tree’, because a lot of people forget how great the movie ‘Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree’ is. I mean, we get a young Robert Downey Jr. singing. What could be better than that? Now that I’ve said that, let’s get on to the tag!

Related Post: Five Feet Apart // Book Review

Related Post: The Holiday Swap // Book Review

Related Post: Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel // Book Review

I want to tag all of you to do this tag, because it is a lot of fun. Leave me a comment, letting me know if you did (or have done) this tag, and I will be sure to read it. Feel free to like and share this post with others, and follow my book blog too!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Christmas Murder Game // Book Review

About The Book
Agatha Christie meets Clue in this delightful, tense manor house murder mystery. This clever murder mystery is the perfect gift for fans of classic mysteries, festive Christmas books, and armchair detective work. Twelve clues. Twelve keys. Twelve days of Christmas. But how many will die before Twelfth Night?
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3UBj1s0

My Rating


I had been looking forward to this book since I heard the plot, but sadly, it was a complete let down. When I think of this book, the word that comes to mind is ‘boring’. That’s not to say the plot was bad, because the story truly did have potential. However, it was executed poorly.

Most of the characters were unlikable or uninteresting. The tolerable characters played relatively small roles within the story. And, we didn’t get to know each person enough to fully understand them.

The main character, Lily, was okay, but I felt as though the author made her out to be this golden girl. She was smart, kind, and clearly her aunt’s favorite. At times, I could understand why her cousin, that aunt’s daughter, couldn’t stand her.

It was annoying that Lily never came to terms with her mothers death. Sure, finding her mothers body was terribly traumatic but it is infuriating when fictional characters ignore seeking help for something so obvious. You can only really move on once you have faced the loss.

“It’s cruel, when she thinks of it, to ask her to return to this house, with its secrets written on walls and she’s the one who has to strip back the wallpaper.”

Now the second half of the book was a lot faster-paced then the first half. Although, it was pretty clear to me who the killer was. I wasn’t completely correct on the killer, and didn’t guess their motive, but I was half right.

Overall, the book was slow, and the murder-mystery aspect didn’t actually take place until the halfway point. I will say that if you are looking for a book with a complicated family relationship in it, then you might want to give this one a read. Because family being ruthless is very central to the plot.

As for the writing style, it wasn’t horrible, so I might try to give this author another chance. This particular book just wasn’t for me. Also, there is a romance situation that I can’t talk about much since it’s a spoiler, but definitely research trigger warnings for this book before picking it up.

In the comments, let me know if you’ve read this book or are planning to. Don’t forget to support my book blog by giving a follow, too!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Holiday Book Recommendations // Underrated Reads

Hi Friends,
In my Bookmas day 4 post, I’m going to be talking about some underrated holiday books. I always seem to see book lovers recommending the same old holiday reads, so these are some books that I think deserve more recognition.

What Light by Jay Asher
Honestly, I can’t remember a lot about this story, but I do know that it had a Christmas Tree farm setting. The plot follows a young girl that spends the holiday season helping run her Christmas tree lot in California. Although this is a sweet holiday romance, it’s really a story of forgiveness and redemption. I remember this being a slower read, but it is a great wintertime book.

My New Crush Gave To Me by Shani Petroff
Nobody ever talks about this book, which is crazy to me. This is an enemies-to-lovers Christmas story that is a jolly good time. The book follows Charlotte. who rigs the Secret Santa drawing, so that she draws her crush, Teo’s, name. However, she needs to enlist the help of her crush’s cousin J.D., who she can’t stand, in order to get Teo the perfect gift. This is a fun holiday romance with a fun Secret Santa plot.

Snow In Love by Various Authors
This is a collection of four holiday short stories by different different YA authors. The stories focus on the holiday season, and of course there is romance involved in every story. My personal favorite story was written by Kasie West, but she’s one of my favorite author. So, there’s no surprise I’d enjoy her story most. However, the book as a whole is a pretty decent holiday read.
Related Post: Snow In Love // Book Review

Whiteout by Various Authors
This is another holiday short story collection, which was released in November of 2022. I, myself, have yet to read this book but it sounds amazing. The story takes place in Atlanta, before the Christmas season, and is all about black teen love. I find that this book has flown completely under the radar, yet I can’t wait to give it a read.
Related Post: December 2022 // To Be Read

The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody
Although this isn’t exactly a Christmas book, it is still a holidays read in my opinion. The book follows a teenage girl trapped at an airport on New Years Eve, which happens to be the day before the anniversary of her best friend’s death. Sure, there is a romance plot, but the main focus is about letting go and the loss that goes along with it. It is a beautifully written and well done story. Also, every reader could use a good sad holiday read right?

There you have some of the holiday books that I think deserve more hype. And yes, they are all YA book recommendations, but that’s my go-to genre. Before you leave, give my little book blog some love by becoming a follower.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Winter Wonderland Tag // Toss-Up Tuesday

Hi Friends,
Since it is getting a lot colder here and the holidays have arrived I thought it would be fun to do a winter tag. This isn’t a bookish tag, but it does contain some fun wintery questions.

1.) What is your favorite winter /fall song?
This is a hard one, because I’m always listening to music. For fall song that would be ‘Safe and Sound’ by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars. The song gives me major fall vibes. I don’t have a go to winter song, because by the time winter comes I am mostly just listening to Christmas music.

2.) What is your favorite winter/fall pajamas?
Every year on Christmas eve I get a new pair of pjs, so my current favorite winter pajamas would have to be the ones I received last year. They are from Lauren Conrad’s Kohls fashion line and they are so cute. They are cozy, christmasy and not too warm, which is perfect for someone who is always hot, like me.

3.) What is your favorite winter/fall item that makes you happy?
This scarf is my absolute favorite fall/winter fashion piece. A few years back, I searched everywhere for a scarf like this and it is my go to scarf. The colors remind me of Thanksgiving and I love it.


4.) What is your favorite winter/fall thing to do?
Read holiday books and watch holiday movies! I love snuggling up in bed with a cute Christmas movie or book and a warm drink. It is the best way to spend a chilly winter night in.


5.) What is your favorite winter/fall drink?
I am going to branch out from the typical Starbucks drink answer even though their White Mocha is a forever favorite of mine. I am going to say a milkshake, and yes a milkshake counts as a drink. The peppermint milkshake at Chick-Fa-La is delicious and my favorite winter beverage. As weird as that might be.


6.) What is your favorite winter/fall movie?
‘The Princess Switch’ trilogy is the best trilogy of all time! I could watch these movies anytime of the year, but especially at winter time. Honestly, the first movie ‘The Princess Switch’ is my favorite movie ever!


7.) What changes during your winter/fall routine?
I sleep in a lot. For some reason, during the cold months I just don’t want to get out of bed in the mornings. This isn’t uncommon for me all year long, since I hate mornings, but something about winter makes me want to sleep in everyday of the week.


8.) What are you asking for, for Christmas or Hannukah / holidays?
A Tiffany’s Necklace! Just kidding, kind of. I don’t tend to ask for things, because I tend to buy myself things throughout the year. But, books are always appreciated. I normally just share my Amazon wishlist with my family.

In the comments, let me know your favorite fall/winter song, since I am always looking for new music. Don’t forget to like this post so that you get notified whenever there is a new post. I mainly post bookish content, but every now and then I do fun non-bookish posts too.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

All I Want For Christmas // Book Review

Synopsis
“This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish–someone to kiss under the mistletoe–is the perfect holiday escape!”


In the book, our main character, Bailey, is a teenager girl, that only wants one thing for Christmas – a boyfriend. She is consumed with having a Holiday romance, but I think she has watched far too many Hallmark movies. She did admit to loving those movies. Don’t get me wrong, as a teenager, I too was eagerly hoping for a boyfriend. But Bailey came off desperate and boy-crazy. Also, I want to make one thing clear. I too love Hallmark movies, despite how cheesy they tend to be.

Bailey tries hard to come off as a holiday addict, but not being in a relationship made her more of a ‘Holiday Grinch’. Listen, being single isn’t the end of the world. Bailey acted as though a holiday romance would magically make the season better. Truthfully, relationships are hard work, and during the holidays, you should focus on making memories with the ones you love.

In the first chapter, not only are we introduced to Jacob Marley (yep that’s his real name). Can you get any more cliché? After meeting Jacob, and Bailey being outright rude to him, I could already tell where the story was going to go. Sure, Bailey was starting to feel something for Jacob, but she kept making him out to be someone he wasn’t. If I were Jacob, I would have never even given her the time of day.

I thought that this was an enemies-to-lovers YA contemporary, but then Bailey meets Charlie. He is a charming British boy, which does make him more appealing than Jacob. Why are accents so attractive? Nevertheless, I was very bothered by the fact that Bailey was suddenly all about Charlie – way too quickly. She barely knew him, but already thought he was her boyfriend. Honestly, Bailey came off as immature, vain, and argumentative. And, all readers know that disliking the MC makes for a less than enjoyable reading experience.

“I’ve watched more than my fair share of Hallmark Christmas movies, and even though I’m not a big-city lawyer who has moved back to my hometown to save the family business or a world-weary writer who falls in love with a recently widowed baker, I still believe in the power of Christmas Magic.”

Frankly, a lot of the time I felt that the plot was going nowhere. I didn’t even know what was going to happen throughout a vast majority of the book. However, the book is under 250 pages, so it is a very quick read. I finished it in two days, yet I didn’t find the story to be particularly interesting.

As for the ending, I was blown away with how ridiculous it was. I could see what was going to happen before it did and I was still floored. The fact that the author went this route was comical. One small spoiler about the ending – think ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ meets ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’.

Overall, I don’t regret reading this book. but feel that it was a waste of time. Maybe it is meant for a younger audience, since I could see tweens and young teenagers liking the story. The writing style wasn’t terrible, but as I said before it was a little juvenile. I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you want to read something that will make you roll your eyes.

Before you go, give this post a like and share. If you want to spread some love, please give my little blog a quick follow. And, don’t forget to leave a comment below!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Holiday Swap // Book Review

Synopsis
“A feel-good, holiday-themed romantic comedy about identical twins who switch lives in the days leading up to Christmas–perfect for fans of Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze and Josie Silver’s One Day in December.”


Mark my words – this will be a Hallmark Christmas movie one day. I have seen many Hallmark, movies and this book follows the exact same format. Small town, unexpected romance, and the rest is history. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way complaining about the predictable plot. In fact, I found the book quiet enjoyable.

In the book, we follow two twin sisters – workaholic Charlie, and shy Cas. The sisters decide to trade places after an accident leaves Charlie unable to do her job as a food competition judge. I found the sisters to be likable, but I don’t think there was enough character development. Honestly, we learned more about Cas than Charlie, but still not enough to get super attached to the character.

As I mentioned, Charlie is a host and judge on a Food Network type competition show. She is competing as well – against her co-host, for a permanent position on the Network. There is talk about being a female in the TV food industry, and how we females aren’t taken seriously. Sometimes we are excepted to stand still and look pretty. I found this subject matter a nice addition to the book, but the competition itself didn’t play a big plot in the story.

Upon switching with Cas, Charlie must return home to her family bakery in her quaint mountain hometown. Why does it’s always have to be a small town? And, a bakery or bookshop. Anyways, I found that Charlie didn’t take her position as Cas very serious. While on the other hand Cas was doing everything she could to help Charlie keep her job.

As for the romance aspect, the love interests were very obvious. You could tell from early on how the romances were going to play out. There was some instant love at play, which I don’t generally care for, but that is typical in a Hallmark movie type of story. Both the love interests were nice characters, but I found myself liking Charlie’s love interest, Jake, more.

“Time heals all things. If time fails, try cake.”

The sisters kept wondering if the guys liked them for them or the role they were playing. They would go back and forth on whether or not to come clean, which was slightly annoying. It’s not like the guys could blow up their plan. Honestly, the switch idea as a whole was a bit immature. However, I found lying to someone while also getting close to them to be even more immature.

By the end of the book, you could see that Cas and Charlie had grown as people. Although, I do think the author put more thought into Cas’ character growth. Still, the twins ended up forming a strong sister bond that wasn’t really there before. Most of all, the story shows that it is never too late to change your life in a way that makes you truly happy.

Overall, I found the book to be a cute and cliché read, which is usually how I feel about any TV romance movie. This book is certainly not for everyone, because there really isn’t much depth to the story. You jump right into the plot and you can basically figure out how the book is going to play out right way.

Yet, I enjoyed not only the storyline, but the easy writing style as well. My only major con is that the book isn’t very Christmasey. You’d think a holiday book would have thrown in a little more of the holidays. Give me Christmas overload! Nevertheless, I did loved that there was a time jump epilogue. In the comments, let me know your thoughts on this book. Don’t forget to hit the follow button before you go.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Books I Regret Buying #1 // Spring 2022

Hi Friends,
If you watch beauty videos on YouTube or follow beauty blogs than I guarantee you have seen people talk about the products they regret buying. Well, I thought it would be fun to do a bookish twist on this type of post. I am going to be talking about the books that I regret buying.

Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Actually, I didn’t buy this book, but I was gifted it for Christmas 2021. I received it from my older brother after adding it to my Christmas wishlist. At the time, I hadn’t read the book, but after reading it I instantly regretted wanting it. I was not a fan of the book at all. It was even on my worst books of 2021 list. Honestly, I don’t get how this book became so popular, but maybe I just wasn’t the reader for it.

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
This was another Christmas gift, but I was with my mom when she bought it for me. So, I am counting this as a book that I bought. By now you all should probably know how much of a disappointment this book was for me. I thought the premise sounded amazing but the story fell flat. This book is loved by a lot of readers, so I might be alone in my dislike of it. I kind of wish that I had read it before asking for it.

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn
I have a review up on this book, which goes into more detail about why I didn’t like it. However, I thought this would be a cute Nashville (the TV show) type of read. But, the book was filled with way too much drama and heavy plot points. Also, I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style or characters. It was just a little boring in my opinion.

A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard
This book is a pretty hard read, but I bought the ebook copy when it was released back in 2011. I used to be really into stories that dealt with kidnapping or just sexual abuse in general. Partly because I was a big fan of ‘Law and Order’, but mainly because I think that sexual abuse is horrific especially if it involves a minor. I used to be very interested in the thought of stopping sex crimes whether that meant being a lawyer or FBI agent (I am a dreamer). Any who, this book was not my cup of tea. I understand this is Jaycee’s real experience but she was to nice in how she talked about her abuser. And, you could tell there was some Stockholm syndrome there that wasn’t touched on. I couldn’t even finish the book, and will never pick it up again.

Looking For Alaska by John Green
Now I could mention ‘The Fault In Our Stars‘ and ‘Paper Towns’ as well, because I do regret buying and reading them. However, I haven’t read this book yet and can’t for the life of me fathom why I thought it was a good idea to buy it. Something about me and John Green books don’t mix. I haven’t liked any book I have read from him, with the exception of ‘Let It Snow’, but his story was my least favorite out of the three. This book is on my ‘These Books Will Self Destruct‘ challenge and honestly I don’t even care enough to give it a chance.

I probably rambled a little about the last two books, so I am going to stop here. If you want to see part two of this post let me know in the comments. Sadly, I am sure there are more books that I regret buying. I keep telling myself to stop buying books I haven’t read, but I don’t listen to my own advice. Before you go, give my little book blog a follow because it really helps me grow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny