Other Wrap-Ups

January 2021 Wrap-Up

Hello everyone!! ☀️ How are you guys doing? I hope January was a good month for all of you. For me, it was stressful and filled with unwanted news, but I’m trying to power through it ☺️ Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to stay on top of school, I started a new writing project and I’m catching up on all of YOUR posts!! Many of you were recently spammed by me 😬, and I’m sorry, but I’m trying to do my best effort at catching up and I decided to do that one blog at a time instead of all at once. If I still haven’t gotten to yours yet, I will, so prepare for my spam 😄 Also, if there are any posts that you’ve written this month you are particularly proud of (whether I follow you or not), please feel free to drop the link below and I’ll make sure to check it out! 😊

Anyways, today I bring you guys my wrap-up for January 📚! I’m super excited for this (as always) because I consumed A LOT of media this month. In fact, much more than I expected or should have 😅 This means that this is an extremely long post, so feel free to skip to the parts that interest you! But, I did have a lot of fun putting it together so I hope you guys do like it!

I am so proud about the amount of books I read this month, specially because of how busy I’ve been with assignments and tests. In January, I read a total of 9 (technically 10) books 😱!! I said technically ten because there is one book that I still haven’t finished, but I’m just missing a little at the end, so I’m counting it. Overall, I had a lot of fun with most of these and, although most of them weren’t heavy novels, they definitely helped me distract myself from the stress and anxiety that comes with school.

Code Name: Hacker by Sawyer Bennett (Jameson Force Security #4) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars — After reading one of this author’s short stories on these characters, I was very intrigued by it and couldn’t wait to read it. However, I wasn’t interested in reading all of them or reading them in order, which worked out great because these books can all be read as standalones 😄! I chose to read this installment first because it caught my eye from the get-go. It definitely hooked me and entertained me for a while, but it wasn’t mind-blowing 😕 I think Saywer Bennett has very good, original ideas, and she does take advantage of them. However, for some reason, they aren’t as fascinating as I (usually) hope. Still, I do recommend it if you enjoy crime, romance, and action!

Code Name: Genesis by Sawyer Bennett (Jameson Force Security #1) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5 stars — I picked this one up immediately after Code Name: Hacker and enjoyed it much more. I thought the romance was very interesting, particularly because our main characters already had a history, and I always enjoy stalker-centered plots (yes, I know that’s messed up, but oh well 🤷🏽‍♀️). Overall, this was very exciting and action packed. The romance took its time, but I wouldn’t say that it was a slow-burn either. The male protagonist was annoying at times, but at least it was addressed. I do recommend it if you’re interested and enjoy all the thing mentioned in the previous book 😊

Bridgertons #2, #3, & #4 by Julia Quinn — I didn’t really want to talk about these individually because they’re so similar it would be repetitive. Overall, these are pretty good and very entertaining. You shouldn’t really expect historical accuracy or the most intricate plot ever, but they do their job, which is to make you love each of these characters’ story 🥰 One of the things I loved the most from all of these was the relationship between the Bridgerton family itself. If you already watched the show, then you know that they’re a beautiful family, and that is definitely important in the books as well. My least favorite from the ones I read was An Offer From a Gentleman because I thought the plot was under-developed and I had many issues with Benedict 😒🙄 But, the other two were great. Hopefully, I’ll post my review on each of them soon!

Until Now by Leslie Pike | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars — This was the first ARC I read this month and I had a great time with it. I am a big fan of the Happily Ever Alpha World, created by Aurora Rose Reynolds, and this round of books has been amazing so far 🤗 If you’re a fan, this one is advertised as a companion novel for Until July, but it is definitely much more similar to Until December. If you’re not a fan, this is a fun story about family. Obviously, it is romance and that’s the main aspect of it all, but the single-parents subplot is very strong and important throughout the novel (one of my favorite things of it overall). Do keep in mind that the novels in this world are insta-love (though they do a good job of developing the relationships, in my opinion), so if that’s not your cup of tea, I would think twice before picking this one up.

What We Leave Behind by Linda Oaks | ⭐️⭐️.8 / 5 stars — Second ARC I read this month (!!), and it took me forever… 😓 Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one as much as I hoped. I think that it had a lot of potential and great ideas, but it fell short. The romance didn’t appeal to me at all, and I did not like the male love interest 😑 I think that the story line regarding our main character and her mom was definitely the strongest part of the book, but still it dragged on a little too long. As for the other components, they were drowned by one another, so they didn’t shine as much as they should have either. If you like steamy romance, found-family tropes, and a little crime, you might want to give this one a try 🙂

Until Amy by Jessica Ames | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 / 5 stars — I read so many ARCs this month!! And Until Amy was definitely my favorite one 🤩 This is definitely not the most amazing book I’ve ever read—it doesn’t have exceptional writing, or plot, or character, or anything. But, I judge books subjectively, so my rating depends on my personal enjoyment, and this one definitely checked all of my boxes 😍 Again, this is part of the Happily Ever Alpha World, and it’s connected to Until Harmony from the Until Her series by Aurora Rose Reynolds. Now, that is probably my favorite book by this author and I’ve reread it about a thousand times. Because Until Amy was connected to it, and was also very similar in vibes, I’m not surprised that I loved it as much as I did. I thought the characters were great, the plot was exciting, and it had the right amount of intrigue and crime so that everything was complemented, rather than overshadowed by one another 😉 Definitely loved it and I’m excited to post my review on it in a few days!!

The Invitation by Vi Keeland | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5 stars — I think Vi Keeland writes great romance, and this book was filled with the cute, romantic scenes that this author never fails to deliver. She always manages to introduce new topics and situations into her books (which I really appreciate), and it definitely gives each one of them a unique vibe. The Invitation starts off as a Cinderella retelling, but quickly turns into its own story with a kind of rivals-to-lovers trope that goes away pretty soon, so I’m hesitant to call it that 😬 I definitely recommend it as it is the perfect, short read to distract you after a stressful day!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars — I haven’t finished this yet, and I was even considering not rating it before finishing it, but I’m almost done so I decided against that. Graceling has definitely been intriguing and engaging! I picked this one up on a whim after watching Regan’s (aka Peruse Project on YouTube) video on her reread of the trilogy and I was very excited about it 😆 While the writing style isn’t my favorite, it is amazing the level of description that the author manages to incorporate. This world is very unique and everything I know about till now has fascinated me. I really like the characters (Katsa and Po are just the best ever 😍), and I can’t wait to see how their journey will end. So far, there have been many twists that I should’ve seen coming but didn’t, so I’m also a little nervous about what will happen in these last few pages 😅 But, I do recommend it if you’re a fantasy fan because this is definitely a story you won’t want to miss.

This month I watched 16 movies and 7.5 seasons across 6 TV shows!! That is a lot more than usual, 😬, but I knew I would be busy throughout the month and binged everything I could find during the first two weeks of January. As usual, I won’t be talking about all these because that would be ridiculous 😅, but still I talked about a lot of stuff, so feel free to skip to the ones that interest you.


👗 The Prom 👗

Main Cast: Jo Ellen Pellman, Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells.

My Rating: ⭐️ 10 / 10 stars ⭐️

I love musicals, I live for musicals… I breathe for musicals… I think you know where this is going 😏 I ADORED this movie and I can’t wait to watch it again. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the Broadway show, so I don’t know how good of an adaptation this is, but I had a blast with it 💃🏽 The soundtrack was amazing and the story touched my heart (definitely very important on today’s political and social climate). Please watch it and let me know what your favorite songs are. So far I’m loving Love Thy Neighbor, Tonight Belongs To You, Alyssa Greene, and Dance With You!


🚀 The Mandalorian — Seasons 1 & 2 🚀

Main Cast: Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers.

My Rating: ⭐️ 8 / 10 stars ⭐️

My friends have been pestering me for ages to watch this, and this month I finally did! I enjoyed it much more than I expected, and it’s definitely a well thought-out show. I don’t think you have to be a Star Wars fan to like it, but you should have a general knowledge about the films to have the best experience with it. The Mandalorian is one of those series in which each episode is a new adventure, but all of them tie into one another. This was cleverly done, specially because lots of characters came back when the situation called for it, but… This format isn’t my personal favorite 😶, which made it a little tedious to watch sometimes. Again, that’s just my preference and I know many people that have loved that. The season 2 finale was very good and definitely satisfying (with a big twist so avoid spoilers as much as you can), though my heart did hurt a lot cause I wanted something very specific and irrational to happen… and it didn’t. But that was just me being the sentimental blob that I am 🥲, I do admit it was a good ending until the next season comes out.


🕶 The Matrix 🕶

Main Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne.

My Rating: ⭐️ 8.5 / 10 stars ⭐️

Can you believe that I had never seen The Matrix before??? I know… OUTRAGEOUS. I didn’t have high hopes for this, but it was a thrilling ride that I had much more fun in than I thought I would. It was very intriguing and definitely left me with many philosophical questions 🤔 But, as a regular action movie, it was great too!! I was hooked from the beginning, and the ending was definitely the best part. The middle portion (Act 2 I guess) dragged and bored me, but it wasn’t long before things picked up again ☺️ However, I will say that there’s kind of a twist towards the end (because this has a Chosen One trope), and I didn’t like that very much… But that is just my opinion. I do recommend it and I don’t think it’s overhyped at all.


💫 A Star Is Born 💫

Main Cast: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper.

My Rating: ⭐️ 9 / 10 stars ⭐️

My heart is broken and I don’t think it will recover any time soon. This movie destroyed me, and I was definitely not in the right state of mind to watch this. It wrecked me 😭

This story is real. Because it is real, it hurts–life is hard and not everything goes as we wish it would. Though, I will say that I was fascinated by the acting in this movie! I never doubted Lady Gaga, cause I think she’s incredibly talented and was perfect for this role. BUT, Bradley Cooper exceeded my expectations 😳 I know that I’m in the minority here, but I don’t like him very much. For no specific reason, he is one of my least favorite actors that I know of. I don’t have anything against him, but I usually don’t like his acting roles. However, this movie proved me wrong. He was absolutely amazing and definitely showed his talent. I’m not sure if he won an Oscar or not, but he definitely earned it 😌


☄️ Deep Impact ☄️

Main Cast: Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Leelee Sobieski, Morgan Freeman.

My Rating: ⭐️ 10 / 10 stars ⭐️

My heart is broken and I don’t think it will recover any time soon, PART 2… Oh God. This destroyed me all over again. And it doesn’t help that I watched it the day after watching A Star is Born 🤦🏽‍♀️ This is an action packed, apocalyptic story that shines a light on human cowardice, bravery, and perseverance. It is an amazing movie that I think everyone should watch, but I cried all the way through it. I was devastated by everything that happened (though I’m very sentimental, so pay me no mind), and I was constantly waiting for the next horrible thing to happen 😥 If you like this type of film (and if you don’t) you should watch it.


🍼 Madre Solo Hay Dos (Mother From Another Daughter) — Season 1 🍼

Main Cast: Ludwika Paleta, Paulina Goto.

My Rating: ⭐️ 6.5 / 10 stars ⭐️

I was extremely excited about this show when I first heard of it because I really like Paulina Goto. Also, the story seemed very interesting and reminded me of the show Switched at Birth. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as I hoped 🙁 It’s not bad, but it definitely lacks plot development, and most of the characters were extremely annoying. However, this show does carry a very important message about Women Empowerment and equality 💪🏽, which I LOVED. It really shined a light on the issues and discriminations that mothers face, as opposed to fathers, and I appreciate the way that it was all handled. Also, there was representation of the LGBTQ+ community 🏳️‍🌈!! This might not seem like a big deal to some of you, but this is still extremely unusual (almost taboo, though it’s getting better) on Latin American shows and telenovelas, so it was nice to see it being incorporated as well.


EVERYTHING ELSE THAT I WATCHED:

  • Godmothered
  • The Princess Bride
  • Bridgerton — Season 1
  • The Crown — Season 2
  • A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish.
  • Greys Anatomy — Season 4 & 5 (rewatch)
  • Arrow — Season 4, Episodes 13-23 (rewatch)
  • Pitch Perfect (rewatch)
  • Justice League (rewatch)
  • When in Rome (rewatch)
  • The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2 (rewatch)
  • A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (rewatch)
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (rewatch)

I have done a horrendous job at keeping up with the blogging community this month 🙈, and I’m not proud of that. As I binged read all of the posts I missed, I did pick out some cool ones from the blogs I follow, so I hope you guys decide to check them out ☺️! Also, I think I’m going to be as busy this month so, as I said earlier, please link some of your favorite posts of your own, and I’ll make sure to check them out!

Highlight & Favorites from the Community

🌺 First of all, do check out Alicia’s Monthly Bingo over at her blog A Colorful Bibliophile! The prompts are so cool and fitting for February. I’m definitely participating this month and hopefully you guys can join in too 😉!

🌺 On that note, Jen @ Book, Brew, Blanket shared her TBR for the #FaRoFeb readathon! It sounds so cool, specially because it’s combining fantasy and romance, which in my opinion is the perfect marriage 😍 Do check out the books she’s planning to read as well as the prompts for the readathon in case you’re interested!

🌺 We’re all very aware that I’m obsessed with the Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, which means that I read almost every single review that I find of it out there. I particularly enjoyed Georgia’s review on A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire on her blog Lost in Neverland! If you’re considering picking this one up, I definitely recommend reading her thoughts on the series ☺️

🌺 I was so excited to find out a few days ago that Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books started a YouTube channel!! I’m so happy for her and definitely encourage all of you to go support her 🤩

🌺 Like everybody in the world, I’m obsessed with Bridgerton at the moment 😅 I wish that everyone I know would watch and like it, which means I’m constantly telling people every reason I can think of to make them give it a chance. So obviously I was thrilled to find out that Amy over at A Fangirl’s Opinion made a post listing 7 great reasons to watch Bridgerton!

🌺 And last, but definitely not least, Jess @ Comfort Reads also made a list, but this one on all the book to movie adaptations set to come out in 2021 (that she could think of)! It’s very hard for me to keep up with all of these, so I was very grateful to read this one and try to catch up will all the movies that will come out soon 😆

This month I won’t have message of the month, but I promise I’ll make it up to all of you next time. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and that you have a beautiful February! ❤️

What are some of the movies that you watched or books that you read this month? Are any of those in my wrap-up? Remember to link your posts down below so I can read them!