Down the Rabbit Hole

It’s the end of the year, and while 2023 was truly a bumpy ride (wedding planning will do that to ya), I am looking back on the reads I both loved and didn’t love so much that marked this year.

I may not have been blogging as much as I could have this year, and I may have some ideas for changing things up on the blog and overall next year, but I wanted to bring this post back as I did in 2021 to ring in the new year.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (Review)

Summary:

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J.D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tea room floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to who killed J.D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the case threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past—because long ago, she knew J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery post-haste. If there’s one thing Molly knows for sure, it’s that dirty secrets don’t stay buried forever…

Molly is such a unique and wonderful protagonist that just made this story fly by in a heartbeat. The mystery was also lovely, but I mostly adored entering the Regency Grand again and seeing all these familiar characters working together again to solve yet another murder.

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4.5 star, YA

ARC Review: Stay With My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan

December 30, 2023December 30, 2023 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

From the author of Counting Down with You and A Show for Two comes a new YA contemporary about a girl who accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band and falls for the guitarist while secretly trying to make up for her mistake.

Liana Sarkar lives and breathes music, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her A&R coordinator father. Maybe if she succeeds, he’ll finally give her the time of day instead of drowning himself in work to distract from the grief of her mother’s passing.

When Liana accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band, Third Eye, she makes it her mission to steer them towards success—without them discovering her role in their setback. But as she gets closer to Third Eye, especially their enigmatic leader Skyler Moon, it becomes harder to hide the truth.

With both her heart and their futures on the line, will Liana be able to undo the damage she’s caused?

Overall Recommendation:

Stay With My Heart is full of musical references and a romances that sweeps you off your feet. Liana was a well-fleshed out protagonist to sympathize with as she embarks on this secret mission to make the band, Third Eye, into a great success. I loved the realness of her struggles, the songs she connected with, and her growing relationship with each of the boys in the band. The romance was so organic even while the impending blow up over her secrets hangs overhead. I couldn’t put this down, and Tashie has slowly secured a spot as a writer that just gets what I want in a love story.

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discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – End of Year

December 29, 2023 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Aria @ Book Nook Bits is the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

December 29: End of Year Freebie

Prompts: It’s the fifth Friday of December, and almost the end of the year! Use this week to revisit an old LTB topic, or write about something you’re interested in! You can also check out the LTB archives on my blog and on Rukky’s for more topic ideas.

Welcome to the last week of LTB here at DTRH for 2023! It’s been quite a crazy year (do we say that every year?) and I have no doubt 2024 will also be just as eventful in its own way. Nevertheless, I wanted to take a moment at the end of this year to reflect a bit on some reading or bookish things from 2023.

I definitely succeeded this year in making sure reading was not a chore this year, and that I really only read when it was enjoyable for me. That being said, as a result I read significantly less books, unsurprisingly. But looking back, I think that was still for the better, and it was likely a lot of other factors as well that ultimately led to me reading less books this year, which I think I ought to be kind to myself about.

I had my ups and downs this year with blogging too as I experienced many things for the first time, which made me busier than usual. But I think overall I was still able to achieve my goals and look back fondly on this year as a success regarding the bookish side of things. I may have read less books in number, but I was also able to reach out to different readers this year to get suggestions on books that I would never have otherwise read. I also read a number of books for my book club that I may not have picked up otherwise. I would call that a success too!

For me I’d say this year was definitely a bit different from the rest, but all in a good way. In fact, I think there will be several things in store for next year, if things do pan out. So hopefully there will be some exciting new content for you all in the community in 2024! I am certainly looking forward to it, and I hope that I will also continue to grow as a reader and as a blogger.

I anticipate (once again) some busy moments in the upcoming year already, and I am unsure how it will ultimately affect my reading habits, but if this year has taught me anything, it’s that I really do love to read, and especially when someone else talks up a book, it really does get me excited to commit to a book no matter how busy I am that time of year. I’m glad to know that I don’t really have to worry about me “giving up” on books, and really all I got to do is to slip in various pockets of time for me to read, even if they aren’t necessarily long stretches. Looking back, I read a lot on the commute this year, which definitely helped to increase my reading volume in the end.

How do you all feel about all things bookish, looking back on this year? Is it an anomalous year, or just the same old? Do you prefer it that way (same or different)? Let me know in the comments below, and Happy New Year!