November Wrap Up (2024)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my November Wrap Up (2024)! 

I basically read exactly what I planned to this month, AND I managed to finish everything too! 

I read a total of four books, starting off at a strong start, getting slower towards the middle of the month, but then finishing strong by reading lots yesterday! 

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on all the books I finished. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

1. Daydream (Maple Hills #3), by Hannah Grace

I didn't think it was possible to like a duo more so than Rory and Russ in Wildfire... but then I met Hayley and Henry, and I completely forgot all about them. 

Bookish and overcommitted to helping everyone around her, Hayley has decided, after being broken up with, to put herself first, focus on herself for a change. All of that goes right out the window when she meets Henry, whose last minute attitude has landed him a slot in his least favourite class, with his least favourite teacher. Hayley agrees to help him pass the class, in exchange for experiences that will help her with her brand new project: writing a book to submit, to win a place on a top-notch writing class in the summer. Although Hayley and Henry agree that all of this is for the purpose of the novel, that they will always stick to the rules they've laid out at the start of this deal, sometimes dates turn to feelings. 

And it's not long before the rules go completely out of the window- and then they're in for a whole host of trouble. 

I'm sure anyone who has read this book will agree: it is so easy to fall in love with both of these characters, and their story is so wholesome and cute, you so easily get hooked in their story, it's hard to put this book down once you get started. 

Not only that, but characters from the first two novels are more involved, so you get to see what happens with other characters you've connected with in Wildfire and Icebreaker, so it's sort of an ending for everyone. My only critique is that I can't read this whole series with fresh eyes, and experience it all again. 

I can't wait to see what Hannah Grace comes up with next. 

2. Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams

After finishing Daydream, I wasn't quite sure what I was in the mood for. I had a few books that I was feeling in the mood for, and then I thought, fuck it. And I picked up the book I thought I was going to have the most trouble with getting into. Little did I know, I was about to finish the whole thing within two days. 

Right now, I have so many thoughts whizzing around my head, I have no idea what to say first. All I know is, I will be doing a full review of this at some point. I'm not sure when, because I have more posts than usual that I want to write this month, since it's December. But rest assured, it's coming. 

There are a lot of good reviews for this book, and there are a lot of bad ones too. Queenie definitely got a lot of attention upon it's release, and the fact that it won two categories means people were always going to read this book. Basically its about a woman who is on a hiatus with her boyfriend that wants to check in in a couple of months. He is genuinely awful, but poor Queenie is suffering an awful lot, thinking it's her that's the issue. She finds comfort in some of the worst places she can, from various different men, and trying to make sense of why she feels so miserable all the time. This is a book about growth, seeing Queenie pick herself up and try to start again when she's dealt a bad hand. I highly recommend if you're in the mood for a raw, heartfelt read that will have you gripped from the first page. 

3. Think Again, by Jacqueline Wilson

After Queenie, I knew I needed something a little lighter, a little funnier, than the book I'd just finished. Think Again was exactly what I needed. In Think Again, we're going back to the life of Ellie Agard, from the Girls series, Jacqueline Wilson had written back in the early 2000s. But this time, Ellie has just turned 40, and has a teenager daughter, in her second year of University! 

Think Again gives us a chance to fill in the gaps of where Ellie, Magda and Nadine's lives led to, after the original series, which honestly, I didn't know I needed until I found out about it. 

I liked the feeling of the book, I liked the nostalgic feeling of reading from Ellie's perspective, I liked meeting some of the new characters, as well as seeing what had happened to Magda, Nadine, and her family- Eggs, her Dad and Anna. 

Although some bad events happen to Ellie in this book, they never really felt as dire as they could have been- that's my only issue. It was a fun, easy read for the most part, one that I enjoyed picking up- I'm glad I got the chance to do so- but it wasn't mind-blowing. 

Thankyou Jacqueline Wilson, for the chance to find out what happened to one of my favourite trios growing up. 

4. The Girl on the Cliff, by Lucinda Riley

Finally! The last Lucinda Riley book- finished! I finished it right on the brink of November/December as well. 

To be honest, I forgot it was the last book the minute I picked it up, I just got so invested in the story. 

The Girl on the Cliff follows Grania, who has escaped to her homeland- the cliffs of Ireland- to try and figure out what to do next. Out on a leisurely walk, she comes across a girl called Aurora, who has just moved back to their house, after years of being away- just like Grania. 

Mysteriously drawn to Aurora, Grania discovers that their families' history is deeply entertwined. As Grania finds out more about what happened in the past, Grania must find out if there is a way to change the future, by understanding the past? 

Even two days later, it still hasn't fulled sunken in that I've finished every Lucinda Riley book that currently exists. The Girl on the Cliff felt like the perfect book to finish on, because part of it is about acceptance and moving on. Of course I loved it. 

What next? I can only hope that Lucinda has more unfinished work that her son can edit. 

Her books have had a massive impact on me for the last 16 months, and I am so glad that I had the pleasure of picking them up. 

Okay! Those are all the books I finished this month! 

I'm pretty happy with my strong start and finish, and with how much reading I managed in general. 

I hope you were happy with your reading month too. 

I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon with my December TBR (2024)- the last month of the year! 

See you guys- byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx