Best In Books | November 2018

Best in Books is a monthly feature created by BookTuber Hope Ortego. 

A playlist of her Best In Books videos can be found HERE.

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I'm so excited to be back with a Best in Books post! Best in Books has long been one of my favorite features but it's shown up pretty infrequently this year - a sign of my inconsistent reading and some big life events that left little time for reading/blogging. In fact, the last Best In Books post was way back in May! But I'm happy to say that November was a return to the norm, in reading if nothing else. And there was enough read to actually put together a Best In Books post. *insert wild cheering* So let's jump right into it...

First the stats:

Books read in November: 8

Ebooks: 4

Audiobooks: 4

DNFs: 1 

Ratings:

1 @ 4.25 stars

5 @ 4 stars

2 @ 3 stars

Tie: Sophie from Steadfast and Lark from Keepsake

I usually have no problem picking one per category but I gave up this month and allowed a couple dual picks. Both Sophie and Lark were real stand-out characters and I couldn't pick one over the other. Sophie had lost so much (her brother, her boyfriend, a functional family) but she didn't spin out of control. She was strong and dependable, hard-working and loyal. And her love for Jude was unwavering. Lark was dealing with the aftermath of a horrific experience but was taking steps to move past it. I loved how she allowed herself to be vulnerable with Zach and was strong enough and brave enough to admit when she needed help.

Tie: Jude from Steadfast and Zach from Keepsake

Can you tell the characters from these two books made an impression on me? In Steadfast, my heart broke for Jude again and again. This was a guy who had so much stacked against him, had been treated so unfairly and was being kicked while he was down, and yet he just put his head down and kept moving forward. He didn't recognize the strength of his own character and determination and it was easy to cheer him on all the way. Zach was absolutely precious and it was impossible not to fall in love with this gentle man. Zach had a past few could understand and he struggled to find his place and believe in his own worth. I loved watching as he opened his heart to Lark and provided strength when she needed it most.

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World
To be honest, there were some rather cheesy covers happening in November and it made picking the best of the bunch fairly easy. The cover for Quiet Girl in a Noisy so perfectly summed up Tung's tale of being an introvert. 

What He Always Knew by Kandi Steiner 


“All I'm asking is that you try, that you let me in again. Just... give me this time with your heart before you decide to give it all to him."

The Truth About Lies by Aly Martinez

The whole plot of The Truth About Lies was over the top so a plot twist (or three) was to be expected. The last was a real kicker and provided the perfect set-up for the next book.   

The Truth About Us by Aly Martinez
The baddies in this duet were straight out of a B-movie. Organized crime bosses, crooked politicians... they were here and they were larger than life characters who used drugs, abused women, and killed without a thought. Their actions were so extreme (and unchecked) and their dialogue so crazy that it sometimes went into eye-rolling territory, but they definitely qualified as the "best" villains I read about all month. 

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung

This graphic novel was filled with so many funny moments, mostly because they were so relatable.

it rode in on

Steadfast by Sarina Bowen

Sadly there were no 5 star reads in the month of November but that doesn't mean I didn't have plenty of enjoyable reads. And at the top of the list is Steadfast. I was so invested in this story of first love and second chances. Jude's struggle with addiction and guilt hurt my heart and I marveled at his strength and resiliency despite having very little in the way of support. Sophie had a generous spirit and often put others ahead of herself, when it was appreciated and even when it wasn't. This was a case of two people being so much better together than apart. 

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Now it's your turn: 
What is the best book you read in November?