My 2021 Reading Challenge – Books 1-5

Some of these books were sent for the purpose of review – these will be clearly marked. This post also contains affiliate links.

I managed to achieve my 2020 reading challenge so I am very hopeful for 2021. I have set myself a goal of 25 books in 2021 and have already read 7 books towards this goal – I’m currently on my 8th.

Just like last year, I am going to be sharing my thoughts on the books every time I read five books. You can see what I am currently reading on my GoodReads here. So what books have I started the year off with?

It Will Be Quick by Karl Drinkwater – 5/5 (Sent for review)

You can read my full review here but to put it simply, I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Some stories were stronger in terms of plot than others and some I enjoyed much more than others but this was an enjoyable collection overall and I will definitely be checking out more of the author’s work. You can buy the book here {affiliate link}.

The Syndicate Six Murder by Geoffrey Osborne – 4/5 (ARC sent via Netgalley for review)

This was my first introduction to this author and I will definitely be reading more in the future. Focussing on a police college, those investigating must tread treacherous waters as they end up investigating their own people, trying to find out exactly who is the culprit.

I really liked the characters – especially the newly married couple John and Becky, both keen to impress those older and more experienced than them.

The story slowed a little in places but picked up pace and whilst I had an inkling about who the culprit/culprits would be and found it to be correct, there are many twists and turns along the way. You can buy the book here {affiliate link}.

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (translated by Ho-Ling Wong) – 4/5 (ARC sent via Netgalley for review)

An island setting, seven people on the island, dying one by one.
Sound familiar?
Paying homage to And Then There Were None, this book keeps you on the edge of the seat when you try to work out exactly who the culprit. Is it one of them on the island? Or is it the man everyone presumed dead last year? Just who exactly is doing it and why?

This story kept me gripped and as I got towards the end, I couldn’t put it down as I so badly wanted to know exactly who had done it – and why they had done it. I had a feeling that love would be the root of it all and there were lots of different types of love featured in this book – familial love, romantic love, friendship love of friends who’ve been there for each other since childhood.

I was shocked at the reveal but it made complete sense. Very, very impressed. You can buy the book here {affiliate link}.

Just My Luck by Adele Parks – 5/5

This is a book that I have seen a lot about and feedback seems to be very mixed. I am firmly in the ‘I love it’ camp and I am still thinking about it a week or so later. If all her books are as good as this, I definitely need to give them a read. You can buy the book here {affiliate link}.

Murder On The Menu by Fiona Leitch – 4/5 (Sent for review)

Having read and enjoyed books by the author before, I just had to be on the blog tour for this brand new . You can read my full review on this book when the review goes live on February 3rd but I really enjoyed this and like the characters a lot. I’ve already read the second book in the series for the same blog tour and can’t wait to continue on with the series. You can buy the book here {affiliate link},

So these are my first 5 books of 2021. What have you been reading lately?

If you want to read another post about a reading challenge, check out Jennifer’s post!