September 2022 Book Review

Welcome to my monthly book review! I love reading (although to be honest, most of the last couple of weeks have been getting this blog up and running and my books have taken a backseat). My goal in 2022 is to read 30 books, and as of currently, I’ve read 28! I started logging all my books through Goodreads in 2018 and it’s been a game changer. This month, I read 4 books, so let’s get reviewing!

Tokyo Dreaming

Tokyo Dreaming is book 2 in the Tokyo Ever After series by Emiko Jean. It follows immediately after the first book, which is essentially the Japanese version of The Princess Diaries. This book focuses more on her journey to navigate becoming a Japanese princess, finding her identity post-high school, and has not one, but two love interests!

It’s written as if you were the main character, so the language is simple, making it a quick, easy read. While it had a few unexpected twists, you pretty much know what you’re getting when you pick up a book like this (re: happy ending).

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Final Gambit

The Final Gambit is the final book in The Inheritence Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This series follows Avery Grambs, a young adult who is set to inherit billions from a man she has never met, assuming she follows the rules, which is made very difficult by the Hawthorne Brothers, the original assumed heirs. “Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.” The series is basically one giant puzzle with unexpected intertwining of characters and plot twists.

I read this book in 1 day. I *may* not have gotten much sleep that night, but I just needed to know the ending ASAP! This book did not disappoint and was very similar to the first two. It had a bit just the right amout of romance, suspense, and mystery.

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars!

The Best is Yet to Come

Debbie Macomber is a classic author for me. I’ve been reading her books since I started reading in high school and is a go-to when I’m in the mood for that “feel good” book. This book is technically book 3 in the Oceanside series, but can absolutely be read as a stand-alone book. As most of her books go, it starts in a small town with a women after the midst of a tradegy who isn’t looking for love, but find it unexpectedly. This book did have a bit of a secondary plot, which was nice to give the book a bit of depth, rather than being so predictable.

I don’t think this book will be winning any favorites awards from me, but you can’t go wrong with a Debbie Macomber book.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Hotel Nantucket

Unpopular opinion: Elin Hilderbrand is not my favorite. I really try to like her because she has such a following, but I never quite connect with her books. In her newest book, she writes about a hotel where a tragic fire had occured decades previously and had fallen into disrepair, but is bought by a wealthy millionnaire to be restored. The main character is the hotel manager, but it follows each of the stories of the other hotel workers and it all connects nicely in the end.

What I didn’t enjoy about this book was the ghost. Yes, the ghost. In the fire decades previously, a young chambermaid passed away and was “haunting” the hotel ever since. I just thought that it was a completely unncessary point of view and I probably would’ve enjoyed the book more without it. The book was also pretty slow, especially in the beginning. While I did finish the book, it took me much longer than it should have and I contemplated not finishing on more than one occasion. It wasn’t a terrible book, it just wasn’t for me.

I have this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendations

That was it for September! Overall, it was a pretty decent month for books. Have you read any of these books? What did you think about them? Let me know if there’s any books I should read next!