I don’t know if any other reader and reviewers out there get bogged down by the TBR but sometimes it feels almost too deep to come out of!
For me, there is nothing worse than an overdue task list and the fact that I have around 10 or so books that didn’t get reviewed on time looms heavy on my mind.
But it’s 2023 and whether or not your into new years resolutions, it’s still the start of something new.
Writing and reading has always felt like a huge part of myself. So I find happiness here in early reads and reviews and summarizing a book. So I may as well try to re-commit to this blog and a little more happiness for this year.
The second book of the year for me is Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn.
Kate Clayborn is an author I adore. Her books just bring you in like a warm hug. Books such as Georgie, All Along just leave you with a happy feeling after you've shut the book for a final time. It's not to say she shies away from tough subject matter, but rather finds ways to focus on love and light and self-growth at the same time. In Georgie, All Along our female protagonist, Georgie, is kind of floundering. She's back to her small town from LA where she had served as a personal assistant to the big wigs in Hollywood. Her last boss having just decided to take a step back and reevaluate her life, while good for her, has left Georgie scrambling to figure out what she wants to do, what she wants from life, where she wants to be. All the big questions that we are bombarded with from the time we're five (what do YOU want to be when you grow up?) like we should have the answers figured out and never veer from that straight and narrow path. But what if you don't know? What if it doesn't seem like a clear path? Coming home and being around some of the people who made her feel less than as a young adult, isn't exactly something she's looking forward too, but being with her best friend right before she delivers her first baby and housesitting for the parents she loves doesn't seem like too bad a place to crash land while she figures things out. What she doesn't expect is to run into Levi Fanning, a man labeled as TROUBLE when they were growing. That image doesn't quite fit with the quiet and stoic man she meets when she's back in town. Our male protagonist, Levi, is also trying to figure things out. He's constantly working to be better and more stable than the young man he once was. While he may think he's got it figured out and is living his best life, he's letting his past rule him and Georgie may just be the person to help him see that clearly. This read left me feeling cozy and happy with the ending, proud of the characters and how they grew and the truths they uncovered about themselves. It's easy to see yourself in at least one of the characters Clayborn creates in this space.
Before I was wrapped up in Georgie, All Along, I was finishing up my mother-daughter book club’s January pick: Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren.
My sister has been raving about this duo’s writing all year. During December I was in the mood to read something festive, but not cheesy – insert In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. Such a cute read, fast-paced, easy to read, leaves you feeling good.
After finishing that book, I was eager to get my hands on Love and Other Words. This was so much more than cute and feel-good. The way these writing partners were able to make you FEEL the feelings was almost overwhelming. Told in alternating timelines between past and present, I could FEEL young and the first crush, first love, big overwhelming, anxiety-inducing feelings. The feeling of “this is too much.” The way you almost wanted to hide from those big feelings because even if they also felt good, they felt scary too.
This book dealt with the death of parents and grief. I wanted to mention that as a trigger warning, but I also think it might be a relatable and comforting read if its something you’ve gone through yourself.
Book club meets this Friday and I’m so excited to discuss this one!
Happy reading!
Angela
Librarian Wannabe 