October was great. Busy. So much going on. But great.
I turned 40. Spent a long weekend in the Rocky Mountains. Saw my bestie. And did a lot of other things. And I read books! In October I read my favorite book I’ve read all year AND a couple of my least favorite books I’ve read this year.

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The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

Buy the hardcover copy here.
Download the audiobook here.

To begin with, I’ve only ever read one other Alice Hoffman book and I wasn’t really wild about that one. So if you like Alice Hoffman, this may be exactly what you’re looking for. But for me it was… not so great.

The Invisible Hour has a really interesting premise! Mia Jacobs was born into a cult where she wasn’t allowed to read or think for herself. Her mother thought she was doing right by her by choosing this family for her but after her death (and after Mia discovers the library), she doesn’t see a way she can live this way any longer. This book fits in magically with Banned Books Week which was the first week in October, this year. Also there’s a time travel element that I can’t even begin to understand, let alone explain it to you. It felt very out of the blue to me.

I was so intrigued through the first half of the book. Hanging on every word! And then abruptly, in the middle of the book it switches to a completely different time in history. Which I’m usually fine with except I found this side of the story infinitely boring. It could have just been the mood I was in, but I just never really got back into things after that.

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Buy the hardcover here.
Download the audiobook here.

This book! THIS BOOK! I loved this. I’d never read a book by Adrienne Young before but now I want to go back and read everything by her. This book has moved Bright Young Women into the 2nd place spot for Best Book I’ve Read This Year.

The Farrow Women are all subject to a curse that causes them to, at some point in their life, lose all their memories. Doctors are baffled because it doesn’t present in the way that any known form of dementia presents. But regardless–it happens to them. Just a few days after burying the grandmother who raised her, June learns that there’s a lot more to the curse and a lot more to her family than she’s ever known.

This. Book. Has. Everything. There’s complicated family dynamics (a personal favorite of mine). There’s a murder mystery. There’s a love story (or two? are there two?). There’s time travel. There’s a big reveal that will make you text your friends in the middle of the night. I read this one before it came out so on it’s publication day, I had several copies at the shop and I sold out of them all on the first day because I couldn’t shut up about it. And everyone who has gotten back to me about it has said they loved it!!

All The Feels by Olivia Dade

Buy the paperback here.
Download the audiobook here.

My friend Jes brought this book in to the shop and I decided that I should read it before I put it on the shelf at the store. I discovered a new romance trope that I love: cutie, fat main characters!

This book was excellent for my brain just because this very traditionally hot dude (he’s an actor that plays a Greek god in a Game-of-Thrones-style television show), is sooooo into this fattie! Also this book was way hotter than I expected. These books always have adorably illustrated covers and yet I am constantly surprised at the things these characters will do in a hot tub. For example.

Another thing I loved about this book is that this guy has been in therapy for a long time. He has his faults like anyone but toxic masculinity isn’t it. OH! And she is a therapist, too! This relationship doesn’t go into toxic territory at all. There are complications, of course. That’s how stories progress. But they weren’t the complications that annoy me in romance books. I can’t wait to read more by Olivia Dade!

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
Listen to the audiobook here.
Buy the paperback copy here.

I don’t have much to say about this book because I’m still livid about it. I downloaded the audiobook a looong time ago and then I saw a preview for the movie that’s coming to Netflix soon. The preview got me so excited! And, honestly, I still can’t wait to watch the film. I just hope they change things a little.

I will leave you with the entirety of the review I wrote of this book on my StoryGraph: This book was like a song that builds and builds and builds and then! The whole orchestra gets up and walks away.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Download the audiobook here.
Buy the paperback copy here.

I finished this book a few days ago and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It’s got an incredible premise: Alicia Berenson killed her husband six years ago and hasn’t said a word since. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. Once he starts working at her care facility, he’s determined to get Alicia to communicate.

I can see why people are going wild over this book. I liked the structure of the story a lot. We learn a lot about Alicia’s version of events and state of mind through glimpses into her diary. There’s also a massively impressive and satisfying plot twist near the end. But there were just a few minor things that I didn’t particularly care for. Mainly, the way that Theo and his colleagues in the hospital approach therapy. It just kind of gave me the ick. But in a way that, it felt to me, was unintentional on the part of the author.

I’m starting November with two books that I’m loving so far! I hope the rest of this month follows suit. With The Holidays ™ upon us, I need really good escapism.