Happy 2026, friends! It’s been over 5 months since my last blog post, where I hinted at a season of change. However, if you missed my Instagram post, we’re expecting a baby girl next month (can’t believe how fast my pregnancy flew by). Now that it’s a new year, I’m feeling reenergized and motivated to get back into a blogging and reading routine, so today I’m back with book review volume XXI. I hope you’re all enjoying a cozy new year filled with some great reads.
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
I picked this up as my first Kennedy Ryan book, based on reviews promising a highly rated romance. The story follows Soledad Barnes as she rebuilds her life after a major betrayal by her husband, focusing on self-discovery, motherhood, and eventually, new love. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite land for me. While I appreciate a slow burn, I didn’t feel much chemistry between Soledad and Judah. Though there was potential for sparks early on, it stayed on the back burner for so long that it ultimately never reached its full potential. It felt more like women’s fiction than a romance, with Soledad’s self-love journey taking center stage, which is fine, but not what I had anticipated. If you’re hoping for a swoon-worthy romance, it might underwhelm, but it’s still a decent read with a strong message about rediscovering yourself.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
This YA romcom was indeed better than the movies! Hopeless romantic Liz Buxbaum has had a lifelong crush on aloof Michael. He never knew how she felt before moving, but now that he’s back in town, Liz is determined to get on his radar, even if it means befriending Wes Bennet, the annoyingly attractive boy next door. As they scheme to get Michael to notice Liz, she slowly realizes she likes being around Wes, who is infuriating and irresistibly charming at once. Now, Liz must reevaluate everything she thought she knew and what her own happily-ever-after should look like. If you enjoy cute childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers stories, this one’s perfect for you.
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
In this memoir, journalist Stephanie Foo blends her deeply personal narrative with thoughtful research into complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). By age thirty, Foo is successful on paper, but behind closed doors, she suffers panic attacks and emotional distress that she can’t quite explain. Then she finally receives a diagnosis: C-PTSD, a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years. This book is both Foo’s story of determination to heal and a nuanced look into trauma, including immigrant family dynamics, the pressures of cultural identity, and intergenerational trauma.
Twisted Lies by Ana Huang
After seeing this book promoted at every bookstore, I finally decided to pick it up. Typically, I love a fake-dating billionaire romance (why read about millionaires when you can have a billionaire book boyfriend?), but to be honest, I cannot for the life of me even recall the plot of this one, so it mustn’t have been very memorable. The only thing that I remember is that at 560 pages, this book felt unnecessarily long; I might’ve enjoyed it more with better pacing. All I know is I gave it three stars on Goodreads, which is probably generous looking back, but it seems I’m in the minority for not loving this one. This is the fourth and final book in the Twisted series, but it can be read as a standalone, as I did. Although this was a miss for me, I’m open to picking up another Ana Huang book.
Summer in the City by Alex Aster
A NYC romcom? Yes please. Summer in the City feels like summer, made for warm days and iced coffees. I absolutely adore NYC and love how the author made the city feel like its own character. This is another fake dating billionaire romance starring screenwriter Elle, whose new neighbor turns out to be tech CEO Parker Warren, her stairwell hookup from two years ago. Elle struggles with writer’s block but realizes Parker might be her twisted muse, helping her finish her screenplay, while Parker needs a relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. What starts as a summer agreement is meant to be simple, but some connections linger long after the season changes. If you want an easy, feel-good read, this is a great book to get you out of a reading slump.
What have you recently read that I should add to my 2026 reading list? I’ve been in a reading slump for the past couple of months, so please leave your suggestions in the comments! To see all of my book reviews, click here. xo
I enjoyed both Better than the Movies and Summer in the City too. There is a book 2 to Better Than the Movies called Nothing Like the Movies that was pretty cute too.
Thank you for inspiring me to get back into reading. I’ve also been in a reading slump! I’m gonna check out a few new books in 2026!
This books sounds interesting. Got to pick it up. Thanks for the recommendation.