Hello hello,

I am running way behind on my reading goals for 2023 but I haven’t been forcing myself to sit down and read. While travelling last month I read 2 books that were the perfect travel reads. In fact, one of the books I read has become one of my favourite reads ever. So what books did I read?

Happy Place By Emily Henry

Plot: Harriet is a surgical resident who is looking forward to her annual vacation with her best friends at her friend’s family cottage in Maine. The group consists of her two college best friends and their partners. The group is reuniting one last time at the cottage where they’ve been vacationing together for the past decade. On arriving at the cottage, she is shocked to learn that her ex-fiance, Wyn, has also joined the group for the vacation. Wyn and Harriet were college sweethearts who broke up 6 months back but put off telling their friends about it. They decide to pretend to still be a couple during the week-long vacation so as to not ruin it for everybody. As the week progresses, secrets are revealed that threaten the friendships the group has shared. Will they be able to save their friendships?

Review: I LOVED THIS BOOK! I was not expecting to be floored by this book but I was. I howled my eyes out while reading the book. The book felt so relatable. The way that Harriet felt about her family, Wyn, her career – I felt like I was reading about my own thoughts and feelings. I felt like someone had gotten into my head and put into words things that I still find hard to put down. The book accurately describes adult friendships and how friendship changes with time no matter how much you love each other. The book made me reach out to my best friend with whom I have had a rocky relationship over the past few months. I am going to be re-reading this book! If you’re in your 20s and 30s, when your life is in constant transition, I think you will absolutely love and relate with this book.

Verdict: 9/10 (a must read!)

Buy it here on Amazon.

Relatable feelings?

The Maid by Nita Prose

Plot: Molly Gray is an unusual 25-year-old hotel maid. She lacks social intelligence and finds herself misreading the intentions of others. Her grandmother used to help her with understanding social cues but after her passing, Molly finds herself very alone. On a regular day, while cleaning rooms in the hotel, she enters the room of one of the hotel’s wealthiest guests and finds him dead. When police investigators interrogate her, her lack of social intelligence makes her a suspect in the case. With no friends or family, how will Molly prove her innocence?

Review: I love thrillers and had to read one while travelling. The Maid made no remarkable impression on me. From the beginning, I had an inkling about how the story would unwind and my inkling was correct. I found the book kind of bland. I wish the characters other than Molly had more depth. I didn’t find myself relating with anyone or feeling any kind of emotion (including suspense) while reading the book. It is an okay, one-time read.

Verdict: 5/10

While I am behind on my reading goals, I hope to catch up this month and reach my goal of reading 30+ books this year. Any recommendations for easy, fast but fun reads? What are you reading currently? Any spooky reading recommendations for the month?

Books read so far in 2023: 17/30

PS: I started a side project of designing cool, quirky and relatable t-shirts, totes and mugs. If you’d be kind enough to check them out, shop or just give me feedback, I’d be grateful. Check it out here.

If you haven’t already, check out my other recent posts –

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• Choices
• And Now I…
• Life Update – Happy Panda Is Back (Maybe?)
• I Got Inked – My Experience, Dos, Don’ts and More (Tattoo Newbie)