Six Books I Read in December

Happy Monday, friends! Chris is in the middle of working 12 days straight, so we didn't get much of a weekend, but there is light at the end of a tunnel with a three-day weekend coming up! After only managing to read six books total in October and November, I ended up reading six in the month of December (and the first part of January!). I attribute this to two things-I read some really good books, and Anthony had a week where he didn't want to go to sleep till 11. I ended up reading a wide variety of books last month, so hopefully there is something you will enjoy, too!

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
(c/o NetGalley)
I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought some of the twists were extremely clever and surprising. My problem was the build up took FOREVER, and I prefer for my thrillers to get exciting as soon as possible. That said, I would still recommend this thriller just for how good some of the twists are.

When You Disappeared by John Marrs
(c/o NetGalley)
First off, I must say this book was well written. It kept me interested, and I wanted to know how it ended. Part of the ending was really obvious from the beginning, but that's not what bothered me. Simon, the main character, is just awful. This is truly just a depressing, terrible story about a broken man and how he broke his family. I wish I would have passed on it.

A Vicarage Christmas by Kate Hewitt
(c/o NetGalley)
This book was a lot more serious than I expected, but I ended up enjoying it. It was really more of a novella, so it was a quick read. It's the first in a series of four, and I think I'll keep reading them.

The Trust by Ronald H. Balson
(c/o NetGalley)
I have loved all the books I have read by Ronald H. Balson, but this one is my least favorite so far. I liked learning more about Liam Taggart and the conflict in Northern Ireland, but I think he made who the killer was a little too obvious in this novel. That said, there were some really interesting plot twists, and I enjoyed the book overall. Also, I really like how even though this is technically the fourth book in the Liam & Catherine series, all of the books can easily be read as standalone novels.

The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman
(c/o NetGalley)
I sped through this book. Usually, when a book is in a past/present format (though the "present" is the 50s in this case), I usually prefer the past, but both parts of this story were great. Ellen Marie Wiseman does an amazing job of tackling important topics (in this case child abuse and animal cruelty) in interesting ways. I must admit I didn't expect this book to be so depressing, and I finished it feeling a bit bummed, but it was fascinating to learn more about circus life and the treatment of those in the sideshows. I thought the big reveal at the end was pretty obvious, but it didn't detract from the story. I do want to note there was some horrible animal cruelty in this book, but it was only a few pages long, and you can tell it's coming for those who would want to skip it.

The Little French Bistro by Nina George
(c/o NetGalley)
This book started off really depressing, and I was worried I would hate it. I turned out to like this journey of a woman finding herself after finally walking out on a horrible marriage. The prose is just beautiful, and all of the other characters are on journeys of their own. It's a lovely novel to read at the beginning of a year.

Favorite reads in December: The Life She Was Given and The Little French Bistro.

Linking up with Steph & Jana.

I love book suggestions. What have you read lately?