#1 Recent Reads Book Reviews (novels & audiobooks) 2024

The Hobbit, Nineteen Steps, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,  All The Light We Cannot See, White Bird, Wonder, The Book Thief, What Are Friends For?, Murder on the Orient Express, Love & Gelato, Why Didn’t they ask Evens?, Look for Yellow, 

Today I am sharing my recent book reviews for novels & audiobooks! It’s going to be a long once since I haven’t shared ANY of my book reviews on my blog since July!!! JULY!!! Understandably, I was just starting to have eye issues so I stopped everything and even stopped blogging for a few months. *sad face* But now that I am back…I’ll be sharing the ones I wrote below! 

So first up we have the books I read in January reviews (I read 4 books but only reviewed 2). It’s in order from favorite of January to least. 

Then we have 2023 reviews going from July all the way to December! The 2023 reviews are put in order from December to July reads (I don’t know why I ordered them that way but that’s what we got)! XD

So, here we go! 

2024 Reads (January) 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 

Gandalf looked at him. “My dear Bilbo!” he said. “Something is the matter with you. You are not the hobbit that you were.” 

—J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Rating: ★★★★★

Cleanness: ★★★★*

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis (a.k.a. the voice of Gollum)! I LOVED IT!

A little backstory. This book has been a hard one for me to get into. When I was ten and later fourteen, I tried reading this book but never made it past the 5th chapter. The battle scene with the goblins confused me and I never made it past that scene. Then at seventeen I wanted to try it again but in audiobook form. My library only had one and the narration was terrible with the narrators not being able to stop laughing. I feared I would never read this book. Then, at eighteen I checked Libby and found they added a new copy of The Hobbit read by Andy Serkis. I listened to the preview and was hooked! 

Now, after finishing this book I can happily say it’s a new favorite of mine! <3 

This was such an incredible book! The perfect fantasy that was exciting and cozy all at the same time! I loved Bilbo’s character throughout the book and that you really do get to see him grow as a character! I love good character growth and this was done amazing! I also loved all the descriptions of food (I so want to make a hobbit feast now) and all the songs were really fun to listen to. 

The audiobook narrator sang the songs and I think he actually did a really good job. *claps* Usually when audiobook narrators sing it’s really cringey and I always skip it. XD This time I loved it! It made me smile a giggle. This was also such a perfect cozy comforting read while I’m feeling run down. 

Something I loved was the world building. Everything felt old and established like a world that’s been lived in and not just made up. I really loved that! 

I also started tearing up near the end at a certain goodbye. 

I feel like I have a lot more to say but I think I’ll end here and just say: you must read this book! 

*cleanness: 

I’d say this is a really good and clean book. The only thing I’ll put here is it is a fantasy with magic and creatures both good and evil. There are battle scenes with deaths and injuries, etc. Still, I think this is such a good book and would be a good family read if you are okay with what I’ve addressed above! 

…………

Nineteen Steps 

Rating: ★★★

Cleanness: ★★.5 

I don’t know what I think about this book. 

Quite possibly I’m not the target audience for this novel. I love WW2 historical fiction, I love stories based on real life, I love moving/emotional stories, sweet clean romances are my jam, and sweet male characters are always a favorite of mine. This book had a lot of potential. It has a lot of the elements I love in books. It just didn’t sell it for me which is sad. 

I don’t know what I think about this book. I’m not loving it. I don’t hate it. It’s just not…engaging or very gripping to me personally. A fine book but nothing that really stands out. Forgettable. That’s what it is for me. 

I have nothing against the two authors, I just don’t particularly enjoy this novel. It could have maybe used another development edit to smooth out some parts. There were sweet moments and lovely lines but it was far in between. 

This was a love at first sight book (not my favorite or very realistic). By the third time Nellie and the love interest meet, they have already kissed. They kiss a lot, about once a chapter though they don’t even really know each other. It feels a bit shallow. I get it’s in a war and that changes things but this just didn’t sell it to me. 

It also felt a bit odd how Nellie goes from calling her parents by their given name and as dad and mam. 

Also, there was a portion of chapters in the middle (when it gets to the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster in 1943) where the writing feels…jarring. It goes from a simple surface level story that lacks death to an extremely heavy and violent situation where hundreds of people are dying. It felt jarring going from a surface level story to heavy. It could have been intentional but it feels amateur to me and is something I have seen in other books that make it feel poorly written (and honestly, this could have been fixed with some developmental edits). It took me out of the story and made me want to stop it. It is a horrifying event and I felt sick thinking about it, which I suppose is good storytelling (this is one of three books I’ve felt dizzy from reading) but…the writing still felt so jarring I’m not sure if that’s a positive. It does stay consistent in this heavy sad writing for the rest of the novel but it was still a big shift and I’m not sure it was intentional. 

Spoiler: Also, this is just something I thought was interesting but…in the story the characters seem to keep “accidentally” killing each other. Nellie “kills” her aunt and uncle by telling them not to get to safety so they die in a bombing. Ray drives a car that when it backfires sounds like German guns. A woman screams that Germans are shooting. People panic and run and trample over each other and Nellie’s sister and dad die. Why are the characters killing other characters? Nellie also blames EVERYONE in the novel but herself. 

The story was basic. There was a lot of information that kept repeating itself. Honestly I skimmed through most of it. I wasn’t invested in the story though I still wanted to at least see the ending. It’s so sad and depressing. I understand that it is war. War is sad. War is horrible. But this book just felt…depressing. 

I will say, something I thought was a bit odd was how the writing style seemed to completely change and shift in writing styles around the 40% mark then again during the 80% mark. Each part of the book has a different feeling and style from the others. I don’t know if that was intentional by the authors or not. 

2023 Reads (July-December) 

All The Light We Cannot See 

Rating: ★★★★

Cleanness: ★★.5

*listens to Clair de lune* 

The whole book until part 11 was INCREDIBLE! 5 stars! I love the characters and the story! Brilliant! 

Then part 11 ruined it for me. Chapters 11 on are 2 star but because of how amazing the beginning was…I’ll still give it a higher rating. So now it’s 4 stars instead of 5. 

(view spoiler) The whole beginning was amazing. I just wish parts 11 to the end were cut (save maybe the last chapter) . It felt unnecessary and honestly kinda ruined the story for me but oh well. That’s just me. 

Otherwise, loved the story (the first 10 parts). I also love loved the tv show which is how I heard about this story! The audiobook narrator was also really good! <3 

It reminded me a bit of The Book Thief with a bittersweet ending, great storytelling, war, and lovable characters. This one is just not the cleanest in my opinion. 

.

.

.

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*Note: this is not the cleanest book. There is war, death, killing, violence, etc. As well as cursing (S—, F—, D—, H—, etc). It’s talked of girls getting taken advantage of and raped (you would probably want to skip part 11 if that bothers you). It is a book about war. These are all things to consider before reading. 

I’d probably recommend this 18+

…………

Look For Yellow 

“sunflowers are gifts

of sunshine

you can hold in your hand

wave them like a wand

to make the 

nighttime 

disappear” 

Rating: ★★★.5 

Thank you SO MUCH Anna for sending me this beautiful ARC of Look For Yellow and for the little note and verse you inscribed inside! <333 

“Be still and know that I am God.” -Psalm 46:10 

This was a lovely collection of poetry! I’m so happy to add this to my collection of yellow books! It’s such a beautiful cover and all the yellow makes me happy (and the above poem with the sunflower picture that’s also the cover is perfect)! <3 

I loved the artwork scattered through the pages. Some poems make me feel seen. So many were feelings I could relate to…that I grew up feeling and experiencing. Some made me tear up…sad for the feelings for existing and hurting. 

This was really lovely and I found some beautiful poems I know I’ll want to read again. It was also really fun annotating the inside. <3 

One of my FAVORITE parts was hearing Anna’s love story! I had heard about it on Instagram but I loved this poetic touch to her real life love story! It’s so cute! <3 

While there were parts I loved there were some parts…I didn’t as much. This honestly is because I may not be the target audience for this book. Some of the poems felt incomplete and half finished. The beginning of a wonderful idea but stopped half way. This could have been intentional by the author as an art style but it’s not really my style if that makes sense (again I am probably not the target audience).And honestly I’m just being nitpicking because overall this is such a great collection and the artwork just gives it that added shine! 

I will say this is a darker book than I thought. It’s real and raw. The author tells of depression and it feels real and genuine and like what I’ve gone through in the past. Still it is a bit dark so that is something to think of when going into this collection. There were also some parts that felt… intimate. Private. Like they were thoughts not to be shared with the world and maybe that’s just because I’m eighteen and not married but that’s what I felt when reading some of the poems from “for the lover” part of the book. XD 

I’m not really a poetry reader so I probably am not the “target audience” for this book. I’m very selective. *nervous laughs* Anyways, I did rate this as a 3.5 star book and that’s mostly from something that felt missing for me (again I think it was more I had an expectation on how the collection would be and it wasn’t the books fault but mine for having that expectation). This book’s description is, “Look for Yellow navigates what’s it’s like to have depression and anxiety as a Christian.” Yes, this is the overall theme of the collection…I just wish there was MORE. More faith and Christian themes and poems in this book. It’s still there but I was expecting it to be more present. This isn’t a bad thing. There are beautiful themes of Christianity in these pages just I was wanting more (again more a me problem then the books *starts humming “It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me”*). 

Still, this was a lovely poetry collection! Easy to read. I think it would be good for beginner poetry readers (something I am)! I definitely recommend reading (I think this would be best for YA and adult readers because of the topics). I look forward to what Anna will write next!

***Again, thank you to the author for sending me this ARC! I was not required to write or leave a positive review. All thoughts expressed are my own. 

…………

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?  

Rating: ★★★★★

Cleanness: ★★★.5

This is my favorite!!! 

This was such a fun read and mystery! I loved this story! I love how everything connects and the characters are all really fun! <3 This was for me a five star read all the way through (sometimes I have a hard time knowing what to rate Agatha Christie’s books but this time it was an easy rating XD). 

…………

Murder on the Orient Express 

Rating: ★★★★★

Cleanness: ★★★★

What???

*mouth dropped in surprise* 

That ENDING! 

Agatha Christie has the best endings that surprise me EVERY TIME! What!? I was not expecting that ending at all. She really has wonderful twist endings and I love how everything connects to each other. 

Reading Agatha Christie novels in the autumn is my new tradition! I read And Then There Were None last autumn and fell in love with the mystery, writing style, autumn aesthetic, and plot twist endings that I was not at all expecting. While And Then There Were None is my FAVORITE of the books I’ve read by Agatha Christie, this one was still so good and I loved that it was set on a train! Trains and autumn (winter too) just go together in my opinion! 

I listened to the audiobook and it was SO GOOD! Dan Stevens (Downtown Abbey , the Beast in the live action Beauty and the Beast) narrated the audiobook and he did really good! I highly recommend listening to the audiobook! 

Cleanness: 

This is a murder mystery novel. Nothing was very graphic, it was all described almost like pieces of a puzzle and nothing too gory which I really liked. Death, stabbing, kidnapping is in this book but as I said before, it was nothing very detailed. 

…………

What Are Friends For?

Rating: ★★★.5 

Cute & sweet read! The winter setting was fun and I liked the characters! Though not a favorite (I liked If the Broom Fits better with the autumn aesthetic) it was still a fun audiobook. <3

…………

The Book Thief 

“People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spot blues. Murky darkness. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.” 

― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Rating: ★★★★★

Cleanness: ★★*

*cries*

The first time I read this book I was fourteen. It blew my mind and crushed my heart. I hated the ending with a vengeance and wished and dreamed it could have been different. It was one of the first books I read about WW2 and began a lifelong love of that time in history and is the book I would compare all other WW2 books to. It became one of my all time favorite books even with the ending. 

“I have to say that although it broke my heart, I was, and still am, glad I was there.” 

Four years later I have come back to these inked pages and find myself entranced. I appreciate this story so much more than before. I don’t think I caught on to so much my first read. 

Death (our narrator) hates mystery. He says so himself and proceeds to spoil almost everything. He spoils the ending in the first chapters of the novel. Again and again he tells of what is to come (of what deaths are to come). Yet, there is still so much suspense albeit a quiet suspense. Quiet like a whisper in the wind that draws you in to see the full picture and to hope what you believe the full picture will be is not the one that is written. You are told of devastation and broken hearts yet you hold on to hope that it will all end in a “happily ever after”. 

I love this book. This beautiful heartbreaking book and I love it so much more than the first time reading it. It seems being older has given me more understanding and appreciation for this book and death and the ending. I do not hate the book as I did before (yes it was also love for the book but I wanted to change it). Now I see there really is no other way it should have gone. This is death’s tale. Yes, the Book Thief’s too but she and death are interconnected so this book is the same way though maybe not in the way you’d expect. (Though I still wish the ending could have been different). 

“He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry.” 

This is a book I would recommend EVERYONE reading at least once in their life. 

——EDIT——

The audiobook narrator was the perfect “Death”. I very much recommend listening if you like audiobooks! 

*Cleanness: 

This is a beautiful, terrible, emotional & heart wrenching book. It is real and raw. It is war & loss & growing up. It is not the cleanest of books…far from it actually…but that doesn’t stop me from loving or recommending this book. Normally a low clean score would mean me not liking or recommending it but this is not the case with The Book Thief. The Book Thief captured my heart and broke it (in a good way). It’s a book that sticks with you and leaves its imprint on you. It’s a book that makes you think. It’s a book that makes you appreciate stories and the power of words. 

Now onto the clean guide. 

Language: many many curse words in German. Multiple a— and s— words. Gods name is used in vain MANY times along with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. There is a LOT of language in this book yet…it doesn’t feel dirty to me if you know what I mean. Some books feel dirty and offensive when they have even the slightest bit of language in them yet…for whatever reason this one is fine for me. 

Romance: Nothing beyond kissing. There is a scene where boys are examined and have to strip in detail (showing their embarrassment and how uncomfortable they are). A girl imagines what a boy looks like naked and this is brought up a few times. 

Violence & frightening & intense scenes: There are many. This is not a book for children. This is a book about war. This is a book narrated by Death himself. This is a book of loss, of death, of war, of WW2, of the Holocaust, of hiding Jews, of bombs, of destruction, of stealing, of death. This is a beautiful book but there is death and violence.

…………

Love & Gelato 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cleanness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love this book so much! 

After reading it I craved going to Italy (and still do). All the places felt so real like I was actually exploring Italy with Lina and Ren! 

This is the perfect summer book! You will be wanting to eat gelato while reading this book! 

Lina is a strong character. I loved her character growth throughout the story. She actually grows as a character. I like how she finds more about herself while finding out more about her mother and her father. 

REN! Ren, I love Ren! He is SO sweet! I am obsessed with his character! I was team Ren from the start! I love how caring he is to Lina and that he helps her in finding out more about her mother. 

Addie is such a good friend! I love how much Addie cares about Lina, so much so that the bulk of her story is supporting Lina and trying to help Lina come back to the states. 

Howard is a big softy. I love how much he wants to be a part of Lina’s life but he also supports her in anything she does. He doesn’t try to control her but instead earns her trust. 

The Gingerbread house. I LOVE Ren’s gingerbread house! I so want to see him living in a gingerbread house! I kept laughing when I heard the description. 

I love that there is a bit of mystery and how much adventure and sightseeing are in this book. It makes it more fun to go to all these places through the book. One day I would love to go to Florence and do a book stop at all of the places in the book!

I tenten recommend you read this book! If you love sweet summer stories, traveling, food, and adventure, you will LOVE Love & Gelato! 

If you want to read the full review including a parents guide, check out my blog post: 

https://fablerosemc.blogspot.com/2022...

—— second read | 2023 | audiobook—— 

AHHH! This is such a cute and happy book! 

I SO want to go to Italy! *dreamy sigh* One day! 

The audiobook book really good! *clapping* The narrator was lovely and it was fun hearing the Italian words pronounced. 

I L O V E this book! It’s a sweet story about first love, Italy, gelato, family, adventure and a mystery! Love it and totally recommend reading (& listening)! 

Ciao ragazzi! 

*starts looking for gelato or some other sweet frozen delicacy*

…………

Wonder 

“You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder.” 

― R.J. Palacio, Wonder 

Rating: ★★★★★

Cleanness: ★★★★.5

*happy cries*

*hugs book* 

This is such an incredible and heartwarming book with such a wonderful message to “choose kind.” I love Auggie and all the characters! They all have such wonderful strong voices and no matter how many times I read this book I will still love it. 

I love how one life can change and impact so many. This is such a beautiful story and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING! 

It was really fun listening to the audiobook this read through. It’s read by a FULL cast and all the voices are perfect for the character. 10/10 recommend!

…………

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 

“It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"

"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.

"Are -are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.

"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” 

― C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 

Rating: ★★★★★

Cleanness: ★★★★*

This is one of my FAVORITE BOOKS EVER! I actually think I might like this one more than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! *shock face* There is something so beautiful and comforting about this book. The character transformation is INCREDIBLE! My favorite part (besides the quote above) is the part with Aslan and Eustace at the well. That part *cries* I LOVE IT and it makes me cry! <3 

The audiobook narrator was pretty good (some voices I was annoyed with but then again I’m VERY picky with audiobook narrators). The British accent is really good though so I do recommend that! XD 

I’ll definitely be writing a longer review hopefully SOON! 

*Cleanness: 

This book is clean! Hurray! 

There are some fight scenes. There is a “trafficking” island where the Pevensies are kidnapped for a time. There are enchantments (death, sleep, etc) and a wizard with a magical book (still with clear distinctions of good and evil). 

Some a— words but nothing more. 

There are (for me at least) some emotional scenes so crying could be a side effect from reading. XD 

Otherwise, this is a clean story and I highly recommend reading & listening to this book! It is also PERFECT for read aloud time with young children! 

…………

White Bird 

Absolutely beautiful! R. J. Palacio does a masterful work with this novel and in shedding light into the holocaust and World War 2. Palacio is a beautiful writer and her illustrations are heartwarming. White Bird will touch your heart. This is a book I will surely come back to and I fully recommend this for all to read!

Second read | audiobook 

*cries* 

This book! *wipes tears* This is such a beautiful & heartbreaking book. I absolutely LOVE the audiobook! It’s so fun having multiple narrators and background sounds and music. It sounds like watching a film. It’s beautiful and I love the theme of kindness and doing good things—little things—that make an impact and impression on others. 

If you love Wonder, WW2, full cast audiobooks, emotional/moving stories then I HIGHLY recommend listening (and reading) this lovely book. <3

…………

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 

I loved this book/audiobook! The narrators were splendid and so wonderful to listen to! I’m very thankful for audiobooks right now! *smiles* I loved the movie (which is how I found this lovely book) and can now happily say “the book is better”! I can’t wait to write a more in-depth review & share some favorite quotes! 

On a side update: I’ll need to leave for now but hopefully I’ll be back to writing reviews & blog posts SOON! My eyes *sighs* are still not great so I can’t write anything more than this (already the screen is starting to turn blurry and rest is needed). 

Anyways, just wanted to pop on for a moment to say I LOVE this book and HIGHLY recommend the audiobook! <3

…………

Part of My World 

This book is so amazing and inspirational! I love Jodi’s story! I love how she always points back to God! There were moments I laughed out loud, moments I had to talk about to whoever was nearby be with was SO GOOD, and moments that brought tears to my eyes! This is such a beautiful and incredible book! I cannot recommend this enough! 

Thank you NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for giving me this eARC! All opinions are my own.

Truly this is an incredible book and I highly recommend reading it if you love The Little Mermaid, Christian testimonies, emotional, beautiful, and inspiring stories, and musicals!

July 2023 — 2nd read — audiobook 

I LOVE the audio book!!! 10/10 recommend! It’s so fun being able to hear Jodi narrate her book! You can feel the emotion and her heart and intent for this book even more with her being able to tell her story. Also, it’s Ariel’s voice!!! How fun is it to have a book narrated by The Little Mermaid herself? 

I love Jodi’s heart and her love for God and her family! I love hearing her story and seeing her trust in God throughout her career, life, family and everything! 

I HIGHLY recommend listening (and reading) this beautiful book! <333