Just when I thought I was finally back on track and ready to break the record for the most books I've read in a single month this year, I silently, but surely, started falling back into a reading slump.
The problem with this time of year is that you either end up having plenty of time to read, or end up in a reading slump that barely makes you finish a book in a month. So while last year my October Recap looked so much different from what I came in with, this month turned into a complete mess.
This was actually supposed to be another month with at least 5 reads, as I did in my previous monthly recap because I had a very clear list in my head of books I wanted to read, and I expected to be full of action, making me easily turn one page after another while completely forgetting about the passage of time. But sadly, that was not the case, and you'll soon find out more in the 2nd review of today's post.
- His & Hers
by Alice Feeney ★★★★★
Generated with ChatGPT since I've read it on my Kindle and I don't own the real book
Until the last 5% of the book, I said I'd rate this book with 4 stars just because I figured out the plot twist quite early and it kept being obvious until the end, but I couldn't be more wrong about it.
It was actually my first time reading something from Alice Feeney after hearing many times that her writing is very similar to what Freida McFadden and John Marrs usually write, namely, criminal thrillers where it is almost impossible to guess the plot twist.
So, despite being a huge fan of the other two authors, I also started this book with high hopes and big expectations, but everything seemed like it was following a predictable course, except there was this mysterious POV of the criminal that seemed like it could be anyone. Happily, the double plot twist I got to experience in the last 30 pages showed how easily one can play with someone else's mind, despite being a book that mainly focuses on the art of lying and how everyone has their own dark secrets.
There were still a couple of disturbing details that I can't entirely understand the purpose (I won't name them to avoid revealing spoilers), but they didn't feel a good reason to rate this book other than with 5 stars. And I can't wait to read even more from Alice Feeney.
I also rated this on: Goodreads
- The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)
by Laurie Gilmore ★★☆☆☆
The problem with this kind of books is that once you finish reading 2 or 3 of them, everything seems quite repetitive. There is nothing wrong with the story itself, as in fact, if you are reading one of the Dream Harbour books for the first time, they all are pretty cool, quick and cosy reads.
The problem is that the same thing is repeated in all books: the same unexpected love story with the new guy in town, where each of the characters feels the same, but it's only revealed dramatically in the 2nd half of the book, and obviously it comes with a happy ending.
Despite speaking about the same universe where all couples are present in all the other books as well, and despite having different jobs and life stories that could easily depict a less repetitive universe, it still leads to the same stuff.
At this point, after reading 5/6 available books of the series, it became a pain rather than a pleasure because I know for sure the story will be pretty much the same as the other books, and what's supposed to be a cosy and comfortable read turns into a possible reading slump.
I also rated this on: Goodreads
Check out my previous monthly recaps:
2025:
- August Recap: 9 Books That Kept Me Hooked
- September Recap: What I've Read Last Month?
- October Recap: My Best Reading Month Yet
- November Recap: The Good, The Cozy, and The Unexpected
- December Recap: The Books That Closed My Year
2026:
- January Recap: New Year, New Books
- February Recap: Books That Stole My Attention, Not My Heart
- March Recap: From Thrills to Cozy Corners
- April Recap: Smut, Thrills & Bad Decisions
- May Reading Recap: The End Of My Reading Slump
- June Reading Recap: Chaos, Obsession & Unexpected Turns
- July Reading Recap: Twists, Trials & Magical Worlds
- August Reading Recap: A Little Reading, A Lot of Life
- September Reading Recap: Love Hurts, Vampires Bite & Debbie Has Had Enough
- October Reading Recap: Slowly Falling Back Into Reading Slump
Gabriela Travels is a Curator for Worldmappin and Hive Gaming communities, but also the FOUNDER of "Festival Mania" who started this community from the passion of attending various festivals and with the purpose of encouraging more people to explore festivals all around the world and share their experiences. At the same time, Gabriela is an independent Graphic Design Freelancer since 2019 completing over 600+ orders in this time and collaborating with various businesses and people from all over the globe. Additionally, Gabriela has her own corner on the internet since 2017 where she writes various articles for her blog, the most popular being the travel ones (350+ articles written on this field), but also approaching other topics as well, like game and book reviews, lets plays, movie and series reviews, photography posts, cooking recipes and more, boosting the total number of articles written to 850+ blog posts. Gabriela is also a gamer since she was 11 years old and gaming remains one of her biggest passions along with traveling, owning a YouTube channel for each of the two.
~ @GabrielaTravels ~
