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As a new Book blogger, I figured one really fun thing to do at the end of each month is put together a blog post about all the books I read during the month. So welcome to my January 2023 reading wrap up!

In January, I read five books. Two were nonfiction, one was a romance, two were mystery/thriller, and I loved ALL of them.

Without giving away too much, I’m going to talk about what I thought about each of the books and what I rated them out of 5.

I’m Glad My Mom Died – Jennette McCurdy

Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audio

I grew up in the iCarly era. iCarly was everywhere, which meant so was Jennette McCurdy. Like just about everyone else, I loved the show, but had no idea what Jennette was going through behind the scenes.

Jennette talks about how she got into acting at the age of 6 because it was always her mother’s dream to be an actress. She would have done anything to make her mom happy, so acting it was.

Reading her story, I really got a grasp of just how hard it is to be a child actor on mental and physical health. She gave a great insight not only the industry, but the pressure put on children by their parents, Jennette especially by her mom.

It was heartbreaking reading what Jennette went through in her older years as she processed the trauma and abuse she experienced as a kid. But it was also inspiring to read how she overcame her struggles.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Jennette’s story and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs. Five stars, for sure.

Family of Liars – E. Lockhart

Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audio

Next up on my January reading wrap up is Family of Liars by E. Lockhart. While this is a prequel to We Were Liars, I highly recommend you read this after as it does contain spoilers.

Family of Liars follows a story about the mothers of the kids from We Were Liars when they were around the same age. The story mainly follows Carrie, the oldest, during the summer she was 17, the year following the death of their youngest sister.

A surprising set of guests come to the family island with Carrie’s cousins – teenage boys. There is some love, some fun, and a dark secret shared between sisters.

I will admit, I definitely did not expect the twist that was coming. I knew there was going to be some twist, but I couldn’t have guessed what happened.

4 stars out of 5 for this book because I enjoyed reading it, but it did have a hard time holding my attention in some places. Overall, I do recommend this book!

Book Lovers – Emily Henry

Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audio

This was the first Emily Henry book I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read, with a really well thought out plot. The story is told from Nora’s point of view, a book agent in NYC, as she goes on a trip with her sister.

One of Nora’s authors based a novel on a small town called Sunshine Falls, which is where Nora’s sister, Libby decides she wants to go on their trip. While there, Nora runs into Charlie, a book editor she doesn’t really get on well with.

I wasn’t very surprised when Charlie and Nora started getting closer and eventually caught feelings for each other, but I was pretty surprised when Charlie said the relationship will never be able to go anywhere.

There is a lot of on and off in their short relationship before Charlie reveals why they can’t be together and Nora agrees. A few more twists and some crazy suspense later, the story is over. I don’t want to give much about the relationship away, so I will end there!

Another 4 star rating for Book Lovers. I really loved it, but I did think it was a little predictable up until the end. However, I do highly recommend this book to lovers of romance!

Beyond the Wand – Tom Felton

Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audio

I’ve been a Harry Potter fan for literally as long as I can remember. As soon as I found out Tom Felton was releasing a book, I knew I needed it. My husband was sweet enough to even splurge on a signed copy for me!

It was really interesting to read about what Tom Felton’s life was like not only before becoming one of the most well-known bad boys of the wizarding world, but also what is was like during and after.

I learned a lot about Tom reading his book that I didn’t know about him before. He was very open and honest about what his time as a child actor was like and how it was working on a movie set of such a popular movie.

There was a lot in this book that I was completely unaware of, and I am glad I took the time to read and learn it. For this reason, and too many more to list, I gave Tom’s book 5 stars.

Sometimes I Lie – Alice Feeney

Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audio

Another mystery/thriller book for this monthly reading wrap up. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney definitely kept me on my toes until the very end.

The narrator, Amber, wakes up in the hospital but quickly learns she’s in a coma, as she can hear everything going on around her. Three timelines take place in this book, which can make it a tad tricky to follow unless you are really paying attention.

The three timelines consist of the present (Amber in a coma), the week before and leading up to the accident that put Amber in a coma (as she slowly starts to remember what happened), and a series of diary entries from 20 years prior.

The writer of the diaries isn’t revealed until almost the end, with the most shocking twist being revealed even later. There are legitimately so many surprises and twists I could barely keep up. 4 stars for this one!

That’s it for my January reading wrap up! Have you read these books too? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

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