I have some lofty reading goals for 2025, folks. My goal is at least 150 books. Once upon a time pre-kids, that wouldn’t be an issue at all. Now, with three kiddos, a job, homeschooling, and more, I basically squeeze my reading into time on the treadmill and the hour or two Ryan and I have together before bed. Nevertheless, I made some great progress this month and read four books. So, I’m sharing my January 2025 book review roundup – something I hope to do each month this year!
January 2025 Book Review Roundup
Enter the world of the professional dancer. Allie was a standoffish yet relatable character, while Hudson was fun and inviting. The combination of the two made for a fast-paced, enjoyable read that had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. While parts were predictable at times, I didn’t guess the overall arch, which made me happy because it kept me entertained. And the ending? Love. It was an emotional and beautifully-written journey from start to finish. 4.5/5
All the Little Raindrops by Mia Sheridan
Oof. I chose this book because it came up on my “suggested reads,” and I’m so glad I did. Part thriller, part mystery, this one is powerful, emotional and, honestly, the darkest book I’ve read in a long time. I found Noelle and Evan to be relatable characters who managed to transcend their designed character tropes, and the violent aspects of the book were graphic without being gratuitously so. Ms. Sheridan is an amazing writer and navigated some dark and powerful story lines very well. TW – violence and SA. 4.5/5
The hype surrounding this one has been unreal, and I actually really loved the first two books, which made it even harder to properly review the third book. That being said, to put it most succinctly, I was disappointed. This book felt like an overstuffed info-dumb with a subplot that we’d seen and read before. Violet and Xaden’s journey felt tired and forced, and I was honestly just bored halfway through. Was it worth the wait? For me, no. I felt like this one jumped the shark, and that was a bummer. 3/5
The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent
First and foremost, I read the other books a hot minute ago, so it took me a while to get back into this world, but I love Ms. Broadbent’s writing style, which helped. Following Mische’s story was a lot of fun. This was a fast-paced, enjoyable read that had me really enjoying the journey and all its characters – Asar and Vincent, in particular. Oh, and Luce? Sold. The ending was criminal though, so there’d better be another book coming. 4/5
I picked up the first book because it was all the rage last year, and it was fast-paced and, overall, enjoyable. While somewhat repetitive, I was intrigued enough to pick up book two, at least. Reckless, however, fell flat for me. The pros were simple – it was a fast read, and I finished it in a day. The cons, however…it felt like all Paedyn and Kai did in the second book was run, swoon, get mad, run, swoon, rinse and repeat. Maybe that’s YA these days? Honestly, the only thing I really enjoyed was the ending, which surprised me. Will I read the next one? We’ll see. 3/5
Basically, January’s book review roundup was kind of a mixed bag. The good ones were really good. The average ones were meh, at best. A month like this makes me appreciate some variety though, which helps! I may actually finish my current read this month, as well, but I’ll group that one in with February because, like you I’m sure, I’m ready to bid January adieu.
