To aid my efforts to clean up my endless TBR, I decided to go with the Goodreads TBR Cleanup (created by @ Mega Bunny Reads). This challenge can be done bi-weekly or weekly (or any other timeframe that suits you). If you’re interest in the other Down the TBR Hole meme, then you can check it out following the links. The meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story — she has a new blog though called Sunflowers and Wonder!
How It Works:
- Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
- Ask Siri (or any other generator) to pick a number between 1 and however many books are on the list.
- Go to that book and look at it and the 4 after it, for a total of 5.
- Read the synopses of the books.
- Decide: keep it or should it go?
For the number selection, I used an online random number generator.
TODAY’S RANDOM NUMBER: 983
1. Not That Kind of Guy (The Nolans series)
[Published April 14th 2020 ]
State attorney Bridget Nolan is successful in all aspects of her life–except romance. After breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, she’s been slow to reenter the dating scene. To be honest, she has more important things to do like putting bad guys behind bars. But with her brother’s wedding right around the corner, she suddenly needs a date and fast. Lucky for Bridget, the legal intern is almost done with his program.
Matt Kido is dumbstruck by Bridget–total love at first sight–but there’s one problem. She’s totally off-limits while she’s his boss. But the moment he no longer reports to her, Matt asks her on a date. An impulsive decision takes them to Las Vegas where, as the saying goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Unless you put a ring on it.
THOUGHTS:
This novel sounded like a fun read, so I could not understand why it was rated lower. There were multiple people who stated this book does a better job of telling the plot compared to showing it. I am a fan of some exposition, but there is a limit, for me. Maybe one day I can circle back to eventually see for myself, but, for now, this one is a pass.
2. Mr. Malcom’s List
[Published July 28th 2020]
The Honorable Jeremy Malcolm is searching for a wife, but not just any wife. He’s determined to elude the fortune hunters and find a near-perfect woman, one who will meet the qualifications on his well-crafted list. But after years of searching, he’s beginning to despair of finding this paragon. And then Selina Dalton arrives in town…
Selina, a vicar’s daughter of limited means and a stranger to high society, is thrilled when her friend Julia invites her to London. Until she learns it’s part of a plot to exact revenge on Mr. Malcolm. Selina is reluctant to participate in Julia’s scheme, especially after meeting the irresistible Mr. Malcolm, who seems very different from the arrogant scoundrel of Julia’s description.
But when Mr. Malcolm begins judging Selina against his unattainable standards, Selina decides that she has qualifications of her own. And if he is to meet them he must reveal the real man behind…Mr. Malcolm’s List.
THOUGHTS:
This novel is another one with a seemingly enjoyable premise, but multiple negative reviews. The consensus for this one seemed to be that it just was forgettable as nothing made it stand out to be great. I was well on my way to labeling this as a toss when I was reminded that this one is to be turned into a movie, I believe it is Netflix – either way I do know this was on the list that went around with books that have been picked up to be put on screen. Therefore, curiosity got to me as I want to read it before I see it on screen.
3. Husband Material
[Published December 30th 2019]
Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she’s a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, Charlotte has worked hard to move forward. Great job at a hot social media analytics company? Check. Roommate with no knowledge of her past? Check. Adorable dog? Check. All the while, she’s faithfully data-crunched her way through life, calculating the probability of risk—so she can avoid it.
Yet Charlotte’s algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband’s ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her perfectly coiffed, and perfectly difficult, ex-mother-in-law—and her husband’s best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not.
But soon a shocking secret surfaces, forcing Charlotte to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness. And when a chance at new love arises, she’ll have to decide once and for all whether to follow the numbers or trust her heart.
THOUGHTS:
I have a few friends that have read this so I generally know what to expect from the plot, but I was still on the fence with this one. The synopsis is a mix of heart-warming moments with some humorous ones and it generally is the type of novel that I would enjoy. This book has some elements that I have found in other recent reads, so I have a feeling I would enjoy it. For now, this novel is a toss just for timing as I do not believe I would get to it this year or even next based on my other reads.
4. The Flip Side
[Published November 17th 2020]
To coin a phrase, Josh is suffering a quarter-life crisis. He just broke up with his long-term girlfriend, lost his job, and moved back home with his parents (shudder). Welcome to rock bottom in Bristol. As Josh starts questioning all his life choices, he has a mad thought: Maybe he would just be better flipping a coin. After all, careful planning has landed him homeless, jobless, and single.
What starts as a joke soon becomes serious and Josh decides to start putting his faith in the capriciousness of currency. He doesn’t have anything to lose.
But when the chance of a lifetime and the girl of his dreams are on the line, will the coin guide him to a rich love life or leave him flat broke?
THOUGHTS:
I have heard mixed things about this book with some absolutely loving it and some finding it just okay. It sounds like a fun premise, but similar to other novels on this list, I just do not see myself actively trying to read this novel any time soon.
5. They Wish They Were Us
[Published August 4th 2020]
In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.
Freshman year Jill’s best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.
Now, it’s Jill’s senior year and she’s determined to make it her best yet. After all, she’s a senior and a Player–a member of Gold Coast Prep’s exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill’s year. She’s sure of it.
But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham’s innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn’t kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.
THOUGHTS:
Another novel with a very split audience with some loving it and some disliking it. For this one I actually have a copy of it that someone gave me so I read part of it just to glance. I skimmed part of it just to see if I could connect to any of it and sadly I just couldn’t. This could be a story that actually requires you to read it fully to appreciate it, so maybe one day I will come back and give it a try, but, for now, it is a toss.
Clean-up number 15 is now complete! I kept the same formatting as last week as I like the condensed descriptions. Now, I just need to make some adjustments to get the details just right. This is another great clean-up week as I tossed four of the five novels. The fifth actually would have been a toss if I was not curious to read it before it is put on screen. I am not sure about the details about it though. Most likely this novel will hang out on my TBR and then when there is an official announcement for the show/movie, then I will pick it up and read it. Happy Clean-ups to those that are doing these every week and good luck to those who are giving it a shot!
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