Book Reviews: December 2015 (pt1)

As much as I want to keep reviewing books individually, I will never catch up on book reviews if I continue to do it that way.  So, since Victoria announced a book link-up, I figured this was the perfect time to reformat my reviews.  I am going to start with the books I read in December and work backwards from there.

Here are the first half of the books I read in December 2015. 

I have a love/hate relationship with Lauren Oliver's books.  The story was great, the overall plot was great, and I loved the characters.  However, sometimes I feel like her books drag out a bit.  This one wasn't as bad as some of them, but it did have parts that seemed a bit fluffy.  Overall, I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it, especially if you're a Lauren Oliver fan.
I gave this book a 3/5 on my GoodReads.

I read Call Me Mrs. Miracle as part of the Popsugar challenge as my book that is set during Christmas.  I had actually seen the movie on the Hallmark channel so I pretty much knew what to expect.  This book was cute, cheesy, and fluffy.  It wasn't fantastic or anything but it was cute and took no time at all to read.  All the characters are likable and it will definitely put you in a good mood. (The book is better but I do recommend the movie, as well).
I gave this book a 3/5 on my Goodreads.

Going in, I wasn't really sure what to expect of the Mara Dyer series.  I had read mixed reviews and honestly, the description on the cover is not helpful.  I have officially joined the side of the people who love this series!  It's mystery, magic, paranormal, and looney all in one, and the characters are fantastic.  I absolutely could not put this book down!  (I'm currently reading the third book and my opinion still holds).  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little bit of, I guess a psychological/paranormal thriller.
I gave this book a 4/5 on my GoodReads.

I read We'll Always Have Paris as part of the SCWBC.   Cute is the best word I can think of to describe this book. I loved reading about Jennifer exposing her daughter to travel rather than giving her too many material things.  I wasn't a big fan of the flashbacks to her childhood - I understand why she included them, but I just wanted to read about the travel.  As far as reading about the trips she and her daughter took, I really enjoyed it.  I would definitely recommend this to parents who love travel.
I gave this book a 4/5 on my GoodReads. 

The Boy Next Door is another book that I read for the SCWBC.  This book is written in e-mail format which I was fine with; it leaves a bit to the imagination but in the case of this book I feel like there wasn't a lot of sustenance to the plot. I've read other books in this format and I feel like this one maybe left a bit too much to the imagination.  It was a light and fluffy, cute, cliche book that was easy to read.  I enjoyed it but I don't think I'd go out of my way to recommend it.
I gave this book a 3/5 on my GoodReads.