Everything I read in January
An *extremely* excellent start to the year (book wise)
On The Sunny Side is a weekly round-up where I share a few sunny things that have brightened my days, what I’m reading, watching, and obsessing over too.
We did it friends! January is officially over. The month that kept on going, and going, and going… but really, it felt like it lasted forever. Although I must say the end of the month really picked up. I attribute that to things moving on the job front, ‘beating’ the winter blues, and lots of socializing. Restaurant week in Chicago is in full swing and my friends and I have been using it as a (welcomed) excuse to get together. I tried three new restaurants in the last week and a half. And two new coffee shops!
I’d recommend checking out Akahoshi Ramen (if you find a ressie grab it), Allez Cafe for their breakfast sandwich (which my hubs said was better than Kasama’s!), and Ceiba which was an unexpected Latin-fusin delight!
In terms of my 2025 intentions, I’m feeling good about them! Although I did purchase three clothing items this past month… I might need to enforce a no-buy for February.
Let’s chat about the books I read in January.
In total I read/listened to seven books in January. Two were carry-overs from 2024 (I never know how I feel about counting these, but oh well), one of those was a Dramione fanfic and my favorite to date! The others were a mix of books I meant to get to last year and some highly anticipated 2025 reads.
The Favorites by Layne Fargo | Fiction | Highly recommend, amazing on audio!
I’m calling it now (other than Onyx Storm) this is going to be the book of the year. And rightfully so! It was fantastic!! Like you will not believe you are reading a fictional story. And the audio….!!!!! Top tier. The story surrounds the career highs and lows of Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha, a professional ice dancing pair. I’m debating relistening to this already, it was *that* good. If that doesn’t convince you, please enjoy the following reel courtesy of @apaperbacklife.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros | Fantasy | Highly recommend!
I mean, obviously! The first hundred pages dragged and had me questioning if I might have short-term memory issues, but then around two hundred pages in this book ramped up. In. A. Big. Way. I will not be saying more! This is a spoiler-free zone but that ending…. but pls send me all your theories, I’m living for them.
The Right Thing to Do by LovesBitca8 | Dramione FanFic | Highly recommend (if you like fanfic!)
By far my favorite Dramione fanfic I’ve read yet! Oooh, this one was soooo fun. I was giggling! I thought the author did a spot on job of capturing both characters and I can’t wait to explore her alternate universe (AU), fanfic of this story and read her traditional published story, Rose in Chains, that is based off that AU being released later this year. In my personal experience, if you’re interesting in exploring the Dramione fanfic universe, I’d start here.
One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin | RomCom | Highly recommend!
Another book that starts off slow, but trust me it gets sooo good. The premise of the story is actually based off of a true event that happened to Laura Hankin—she walked down the aisle at a friends wedding with someone who gave her latest book a one-star review on Goodreads—I mean come on! Talk about great source material. The book spans a decade and although, yes at it’s core it’s a romance, it deals with so much more. Finding yourself, career changings, friendship pain, aging parents. At times it was like Hankin looked into my soul and expressed some of my deepest insecurities in ways I couldn’t even formulate into words!
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young | Mystery | Recommend
This has to be my least favorite Adrienne Young book I’ve read to date, and I think it has to do with the story leaning far more on the mystery side of the spectrum than the magical realism side of things. The audiobook narration is lovely and it has that atmospheric quality I adore in Young’s books, but there was something lacking… Again, I pinpoint it to the lack of magical realism which to me would’ve taken it to the next level. I’d still recommend and would highly suggest the audio!
Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens | RomCom | Recommend
A bit farfetched but extremely heart warming is how I’d describe this one. There is something about Cousens writing that speaks to me—her female leads are quirky without bordering into cliched, her settings are extremely tangible, and the plots have more going for them, then: boy meets girl. I will say, I was surprised this didn’t have a magical element like The Good Part (I thought all of her books had a touch of magical realism but I need to double check).
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli | RomCom | Could possibly pass
I thought this one was fine. It kept me captivated while listening, but it didn’t have me hooked. It gave me Serpent and Dove X Bridgerton vibes, and I had really high hopes. But, it took me a really long time to get through for an audiobook, which is usually a big ole red flag. Will I pick up the following books in this series? Undecided. If my sister decides to listen to the second one and likes it then I probably will, but all in all I think you could pass on it.
That’s it for me. Any standout favorite books you read in January??? Tell me in the comments!
Until the next one,
MacKenzie
OMG Onyx Storm was amazing! I just can't handle that it'll be so long before the next book comes out.
I loooooved the favorites!