Well friends like the famous TikTok sound, I may have girlboss a little too close to the sun. I knew that reading was going to be a habit that I kept up with in the new year, but I didn’t realize how much reading was going to be a part of my everyday life. My goal was to read 50 books this year, and at this rate, I may just reach over 100 before the year is over. This month, I found quite a few gems with a few that left much to be desired. My game plan for next month is to read a few more business books, so I may not be able to breeze through them quite as fast as I did this lot.
The Lost Apothecary
Rating: 3/5 
Description: A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them – setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.
Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.
One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose – selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate – and not everyone will survive.
My Thoughts: I mean come on – as soon as I saw this book on Goodreads, I knew I had to read it. A murderess apothecary set in the 1700s is right up my alley, and the story was very well written. While I loved how the story blended both stories together, I did feel like it could’ve been more. The modern day story felt a little under-developed, and I feel like the author could’ve taken it a completely different way that would’ve been much more exciting as a reader. Overall, it was a decent, short read that I like overall.
The Stranger in the Mirror
Rating: 4/5 
Description: Addison’s about to get married, but she’s not looking forward to the big day. It’s not her fiancé; he’s a wonderful man. It’s because Addison doesn’t know who she really is. A few years ago, a kind driver found her bleeding next to a New Jersey highway and rescued her. While her physical wounds healed, Addison’s memory never returned. She doesn’t know her real name. Or how she ended up injured on the side of a road. Or why she can’t shake the notion that she may have done something very, very bad . . .
In a posh home in the Boston suburbs, Julian tries to figure out what happened to his loving, caring wife, Cassandra, who disappeared without a trace two years ago. She would never have left him and their seven-year-old daughter Valentina of her own free will—or would she?
As these two lives intersect, The Stranger in the Mirror hooks readers with riveting drama, told with Liv Constantine’s hallmark blend of glamour, tense psychological thrills, and jaw-dropping twists.
My Thoughts: At first, I wasn’t really feeling the story but as the story and characters continue to develop, I started to really enjoy it. I read the entire book in one sitting as the story and writing style truly sucks you right in and makes it hard to put the book down. If you’re a fan of psyc-related thrillers, then you’ll enjoy the twist and turns found in this storyline.
Talon (The Talon Saga)
Rating: 4/5 
Description: THE DRAGONS OF TALON: Once hunted nearly to extinction, they are now poised to take over the world.
THE ORDER OF ST. GEORGE: The legendary dragonslayers will stop at nothing to wipe dragons from the face of the earth.
These mortal enemies are locked in secret and deadly combat, with humanity none the wiser.
To take her rightful place in the Talon organization, young dragon Ember Hill must prove she can hide her true nature and blend in with humans. Her delight at the prospect of a summer of “normal” teen experiences is short-lived, however, once she discovers that she’s also expected to train for her destined career in Talon. But a chance meeting with a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught.
As Ember struggles to accept her future, St. George soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian is tasked with hunting her down. But when faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything the Order has ingrained in him—and what he might be willing to give up to uncover the truth about dragons.
My Thoughts: Per usual, I’m a big of fantasy stories, and this one does a great job of blending fantasy with a little bit of romance and thrill. As Ember is learning how to be herself in a world that wants her to be anything but, you get to see her become a bad-ass and fall maybe in love with not 1 but 2 characters. I’ve already sped read the rest of the series because I couldn’t wait to keep reading to find out what adventures the misfit group of Ember, Garret, Wes, and Riley got into throughout the remaining books. While I was sad to see it end, it was a good story that kept you on your toes, and you instantly fell in love with each of the characters.
Other books in the series are Rogue, Solider, Legion, and Inferno.
Sex and Vanity
Rating: 1/5 
Description: The iconic author of the bestselling phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians returns with a glittering tale of love and longing as a young woman finds herself torn between two worlds–the WASP establishment of her father’s family and George Zao, a man she is desperately trying to avoid falling in love with.
On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can’t stand him. She can’t stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have the view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Curzio Malaparte than she does, and she really can’t stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin, Charlotte. “Your mother is Chinese so it’s no surprise you’d be attracted to someone like him,” Charlotte teases.
Daughter of an American-born-Chinese mother and blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucy is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world–and her heart.
Moving between summer playgrounds of privilege, peppered with decadent food and extravagant fashion, Sex and Vanity is a truly modern love story, a daring homage to A Room with a View, and a brilliantly funny comedy of manners set between two cultures.
My Thoughts: I really wanted to like this book as it came recommended, but I’m actually more upset that I finished the entire book. The author unfortunately spends a lot of time describing the fashion, the scenery of Capri, and name dropping in every other sentence that it makes it hard to read the actual story. For me the story and characters were underdeveloped, and this book should’ve never hit the shelves. I would not recommend at all.
Single Black Female
Rating: 3/5 
Description: Ivy Donovan is a successful stylist, entrepreneur, and single mom who has been loyal to her sons’ father, Michael, who’s serving a lengthy prison sentence. But life has gotten lonely over the years, and Ivy wants more for herself. Michael, however, isn’t about to lose his family.
Coco Norris is well-off, single, childless, and struggling with her allegiance to emotionally unavailable men. When she finds a man who seems like he can give her everything she has ever wanted, Coco soon discovers that she has taken on more than she can possibly handle.
Deja Maddox is a real estate agent who is married to Bobby, a police sergeant with the NYPD. They have assimilated, looking down on anything that doesn’t fit their buttoned-up, polished life. But Deja isn’t as satisfied as she would like everyone to believe. When Deja’s past returns with a vengeance, she’s forced to face herself as her “perfect” life begins to crumble.
Nikki Diamond is a savvy, self-made businesswoman and social media darling who lives large and with no regrets. She’s also Deja’s little sister and thinks her sister can have so much more than her ho-hum marriage. And Nikki is all too happy to lend a “helping” hand to make that happen.
Things come to a head when Ivy’s youngest son, Kingston, is caught up in a polarizing encounter with the NYPD. Everyone must figure out where they stand, including Bobby, who suddenly has to decide if his “blue life” matters more to him than his Black life and the Black lives of those he loves.
Single Black Female highlights the nuances of Black love, the often tested bonds of Black families, what it means to face the world as a Black man and the joy and pain of being a Black woman.
My Thoughts: While I love the writing style of the author, the story felt a little typical with the struggle of the black women and black men into drugs. This book came recommended as it gives off a “Sisters” vibe, which is why I enjoyed the book. I just wish the ending was more than what it was. Personally, I just want to read books where black people get to find love and enjoy life outside of rapping, poverty, and drugs. If that’s what you also want to read, then this isn’t the book for you. Tracy Brown though is a great author, and I’m interested to read other books by her.
Local Woman Missing
Rating: 4/5 
Description: Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.
Now, 11 years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find….
In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times best-selling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.
My Thoughts: Just wow. This book was totally unexpected, and there were so many twists and turns. At first, it starts off a little slow as it builds up the suspense and develops the story from different angles. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but trust me it gets good and you won’t be expecting the ending. If you enjoy thrillers/suspense books, then you’ll want to add this one to your reading list.
Pretty Things
Rating: 3/5 
Description: Two wildly different women–one a grifter, the other an heiress–are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear.
Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Nina learned from the best: Her mother was the original con artist, hustling to give her daughter a decent childhood despite their wayward life. But when her mom gets sick, Nina puts everything on the line to help her, even if it means running her most audacious, dangerous scam yet.
Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer–traveling the globe, receiving free clothes and products, and posing for pictures in exotic locales. But behind the covetable façade is a life marked by tragedy. After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family’s sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven: A mansion of dark secrets not just from Vanessa’s past, but from that of a lost and troubled girl named Nina.
Nina, Vanessa, and Lachlan’s paths collide here, on the cold shores of Lake Tahoe, where their intertwined lives give way to a winter of aspiration and desire, duplicity and revenge.
My Thoughts: At first I thought that I would love Nina’s character, but I actually loved Vanessa more. Nina just seemed like a girl that was mad at the world and others for her mom’s poor decisions while Vanessa is well-aware that she is rich and shallow despite her using social media to fill a hole in her life. As the story unfolds, you really get to see more about each character as a person including their struggles and misgivings. Overall, I liked the story even though the ending was not what I expected.
What are you currently reading?
