January 2026 Reads
Good morning, good morning!
We are off to Pickleball here in just a little bit, but wanted to log on and share my reviews of my January reads. I thought I’d get through a heck of a lot more of my TBR considering we want on a reading retreat this month with the book club ladies. But, y’know, it was shorter than we were expecting and we squeezed in a lot of yapping (as the young ones these days are saying) and eating. And we watched People We Meet on Vacation in the AirBnB’s theater room!
Here are my reviews, copied and pasted from GoodReads. (I got a StoryGraph. It’s gonna take a hot minute for me to transfer all my books over to there. So, for now, I’m still a GoodReads girl).
4 out of 5 stars
PS I Hate You by Lauren Connolly:
A heartfelt, bittersweet journey about grief, second chances, and love. Maddie is forced to travel the world scattering her late brother’s ashes with her brother’s best friend (and the guy who once broke her heart). Long story short (and probably pretty predictably), the trip brings them closer, rekindles old feelings, and slowly uncovers long-buried truths.
This is a cheesy romance, but not in a everything-falls-into-place kind of way. At times, it was hard for me to connect because things felt a little too convenient. Like events unfolded exactly as Josh hoped with like zero resistance from the universe. Still, I appreciated how the story acknowledged that grief isn’t linear. It shows up differently for different people, ebbs and flows, and doesn’t magically disappear just because she found love again.
4 out of 5 stars
`The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo:
A multigenerational family drama following four very different sisters as long-buried secrets resurface.
It’s a messy, dysfunctional family story that feels honest and relatable, showing both the love and the tension between parents and siblings. Jonah’s arrival brings something important to everyone, even if the book could have been shorter and more tightly paced.
“Her kids would never fully understand her, just as she’d never fully understood her own parents and just as she, in close proximity to this girl, once a tiny baby who’d grown inside her body, would never fully understand her kids.”
4 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written story on first love and lifelong consequences. The story follows a charged college love triangle and the way its unresolved choices ripple into adulthood.
I was very invested in the plot (not necessarily invested in the characters). I think I would have loved it even more if I were well-versed in literary fiction, but it was still a worthwhile read.
Was taken on a rollercoaster, but that’s just life and the author captured it so well.
4 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book! It was chosen for our book club book, would never think to pick something up like this on my own. But I’m so glad I read it.
I was so invested in the whole storyline. It went off the rails at the end and we all finished it being like WTF, but maybe that was the author trying to set up book #2 and 3.
Regardless, I do love a book that makes me want to keep coming back. And this was that for me! Can’t wait for the prequel to come out next month!
3 out of 5 stars
I’m used to a smutty book. But this was like next level. A few lines of plot here and there in between all the action.
I jumped on the bandwagon and knew what I was signing up for. I appreciate the author’s commitment to calling out hockey culture and its toxic masculinity. I just want more plot. But I think I’ll get that in book #2!
Okay, that’s it!
I’m currently reading: Dolly All The Time and Heated Rivalry.
Tell me in the comments – have you read some of these books? What’d you think? And what’re you currently reading?!
