Life
Books
Travel
Style
Beauty

Life
Books
Travel
Style
Beauty

Instagram
Twitter
Tiktok
Goodreads
Pinterest
Email

Skip to content

Life
Books
Travel
Style
Beauty

Home
About
Contact
- Partner With Me + Policies

Instagram
Twitter
Tiktok
Goodreads
Pinterest
Email

star-crossed smile

NYC life and style blog

Life
Books
Travel
Style
Beauty

Books

2 Nov 2010

On Doit Lire

I love this tee, which features a girl carrying a stack of books and the word ‘lire’ in script, which means to read in French. …

Hello!

I’m Nnenna and this is my online journal where I write about the books I can’t put down, my personal style, the places I’ve traveled to, the products I love, my favorite spots in NYC, and more!

More About Me

Let's Connect

Instagram
Twitter
Tiktok
Goodreads
Pinterest
Email

My Recent Read s

Shop

NYC Guide

Posts navigation

@scsreads

KISS HER ONCE FOR ME by Alison Cochrun (@atriabook

KISS HER ONCE FOR ME by Alison Cochrun (@atriabooks #gifted) • Coming to you today with a review of KISS HER ONCE FOR ME, which was the first holiday romance I read this month!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The Christmas/winter setting of this book was so wonderfully cozy. I also loved the descriptions of the holiday traditions that Ellie participated in with Andrew’s family. Reading about them made me even more excited to go home this Christmas to spend some quality time with my family.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ellie was a mess, which was the whole point of her character, but I was like, girl, you need to start taking responsibility for your actions! I also found the writing a bit repetitive. It was certainly a sweet story, but maybe at times it was a little too earnest for me personally. I did love how Ellie and Jack saw each other for who they really were. If you find that person who really sees you, it’s one of the most special things in the world.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In general though, I enjoyed myself while reading this. I loved the queer representation and that the theme of chosen/found family played a big part in this story. Also, her conversations with her bestie, Meredith, were my favorite, because Ellie needed some tough love. Oh and boozy grandmas! Boozy grandmas are hilarious!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you’re looking to cozy up with a holiday romance that will warm your spirits, then this might be the book for you.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Have you read any holiday rom-coms this month?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
[ID: A few shots of the book sitting on a white rug underneath a lit Christmas tree.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#KissHerOnceForMe #bookreview #scsreadsreviews #holidayromance #cozylittlechristmas #cozychristmas #simplechristmas #themostwonderfultimeofyear #romcombooks #readromance #holiday2022 #christmastree #romancereaders #romancebook #whattoreadnext

THE IT GIRL by Ruth Ware (@gallerybooks #gifted) • I’m always excited for a new Ruth Ware novel, and in general, I enjoyed this one! I also think it would be a great read to cozy up with this winter.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I loved the premise and the campus setting of this book. I felt transported to Oxford and I appreciated Hannah’s awe at being a student there. I would have felt the same way in her shoes. Reading this made me look back fondly at my college days, but I do not miss the days of classes and essays and exams!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I did think this book could have been 50-100 pages shorter. Ruth Ware’s books are so readable, that even though I wished the plot would have moved a little faster, I still wanted to keep turning the pages. Although it’s not replacing THE TURN OF THE KEY as my favorite Ruth Ware book, I still thought this was an enjoyable read. And I would just like to note that I had a couple guesses as to who the killer was, and I wasn’t entirely wrong! I rarely guess correctly when I’m reading thrillers, so I was lowkey proud of myself for figuring it out, although it’s probably pretty obvious to a lot of people, lol 😅
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Have you read this one or is it on your TBR?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
[ID: 1. A copy of the book sits on top of another open hardcover book. 2. Another shot of the book, this time with the spine facing towards the camera.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#TheItGirl #bookreview #scsreadsreviews #fictionreads #bookishinstagram #mysteryreads #bookperson #bookishcontent #readingrecommendations #booksimreading #bookreviewer #thrillers #mysterybooks #recentreads #booksinbed #whattoreadnext #thrillerbooks #winterreads #bookstagrammer #bookflatlay #bookaesthetic #darkacademia #bookishlife

Just a few books that I read this year that I rate

Just a few books that I read this year that I rated 5 stars (thanks to the tagged publishers for the free copies)! Don’t be surprised if you see some of these in my list of top 10 books I read in 2022 👀

[VD: A stack of books, then Nnenna shows the covers of the following books: BEFORE I LET GO, LOVE RADIO, THE HOOKUP PLAN, TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, BLOODMARKED.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#BeforeILetGo #LoveRadio #TheHookupPlan #TomorrowAndTomorrowAndTomorrow #Bloodmarked #fivestarreads #5starbooks #bookrecommendations #whattoreadnext #yafantasyseries #romancereader #bookstoread #booklist #bookishreels #bookreels #amreadingya #bookreel #literaryfiction #thrillerbook #bookrecs #fivestarbooks #booksonbooks #bookvideo #booktok #booksandbooks

BOOKS I WANT TO READ BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There's a couple weeks left in 2022 and here's a few books that are on the top of my TBR this month (thank you @seekingdystopia for tagging me and thank you to the publishers tagged below for the free copies)! Check out the books on my list below:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
KISS HER ONCE FOR ME (via @atriabooks): This one I've actually finished already (✔️ for me!). I was in the mood for a holiday romance and this book was first up on my list.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
FIVE SURVIVE (via @getunderlined): I also finished this a couple days ago and this book kept me on my toes. So nice to read a thriller that was actually thrilling!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
PEOPLE PERSON: I freaking loved QUEENIE, so I was very excited when I heard that Candice Carty-Williams was coming out with a new book. And I love the UK edition of this book, which I picked up when I was in Australia a few months ago.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
AGE OF VICE (via @riverheadbooks, out 1/3): I was lucky enough to attend an event for this book a couple months ago and I finally started reading it this week. I'm not very far in, but I'm already intrigued by the story.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Have you read any of these? What books are you trying to read before the end of the year?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
[ID: Three images of the books listed above from various angles, spread out on top of a white fluffy blanket.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#KissHerOnceForMe #FiveSurvive #PeoplePerson #AgeOfVice #stackofbooks #bookstack #booksinbed #2023books #holidayromance #yathriller #bookstoread #TBRlist #TBRpile #thrillerreads #endofyearreads #nycbookstagram #bookaccount #idratherbereading #debutnovel #TBRstack #tamingtheTBR #bookstoreadbefore #bookishphotography #bookishcommunity #paperbackbooks

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin (@aaknopf #gifted) • Everyone was raving about this book, including several people whose taste I trust, so I had to pick it up a few months ago. Well, y'all were right! I loved it and I thought this was a beautiful book, both inside and out.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s interesting to see how the friendship between Sam and Sadie, the two characters at the center of the novel, evolves over the years. At their best, Sadie and Sam really see and understand each other. They both describe how the intimacy they share is both different and in some ways better than their romantic relationships. But at the same time, there are things that they don’t know or misunderstand about each other, even after years of being friends.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
These characters really grabbed me. This is definitely a slower-paced, more character-driven story. But every time I picked it up, I was excited to get back to these characters and read more about their lives. Zevin’s writing in this book was beautiful and I liked the way she played around with the writing style at certain points in the book.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As several people have mentioned, you do not have to be into video games at all to enjoy this book. It's about artistry, craft, relationships, and friendships that are difficult to categorize. It’s about the ability to build or escape to a world that’s better than the one we live in. This book was excellent and I’m not over these characters yet. I’ll be thinking about them for a while.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you've read it, what did you think?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
[ID: Nnenna holds a copy of the book in front of a beach with some greenery and the water visible in the background.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#TomorrowAndTomorrrowAndTomorrow #bookreview #scsreadsreviews #fictionreads #beautifulbooks #booksinstagram #booksintheair #whattoreadnext #literaryfiction #2022books

NOVEMBER WRAP-UP (thanks to the publishers tagged

NOVEMBER WRAP-UP (thanks to the publishers tagged below for the free copies) • Except for one book, everything I read last month was 4 stars or higher, which is a very good reading month in my book! Swipe left to see what I thought about each of the books I read in November:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📖 BLOODMARKED (via @simonteen)
📱 MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW [not shown here as I’m holding from sharing thoughts due to the HarperCollins strike]
📖 BEFORE I LET GO (via @readforeverpub)
🎧 WILD RIDE
📖 OUR MISSING HEARTS (via @penguinpress)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Have you read any of these or are they on your TBR?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
[ID: A carousel with the title "What I Read in November 2022" followed by slides with the cover of each book listed above + a few thoughts + my star rating.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#Bloodmarked #MoreThanYoullEverKnow #BeforeILetGo #WildRide #OurMissingHearts #bookishthought #ratingbooks #secondchanceromance #diversespines #booklist #2022reads #readingwrapup #coolgirlsread #booksandbooks #minibookreivews #whattoreadnext #romancebook #recentreads #readromance #bookratings #monthlywrapup #whatiread #bookrecommendations #memoir #yafantasy #literaryfiction #2022books

© Nnenna Odeluga 2022

Theme by EmPress

What are you searching for?

X Close