August 2024 Reads

Y’all. August came and went in a BLINK, and I did not get much reading done lol. 

I was traveling much more than usual, and although I brought a book on every trip, the success rate of me actually reading mentioned books was LOW. 

However, I’m happy to share that after having lived in the Mitten State for 30 years, I finally made it up to the other peninsula! :) Yes, yes. I know. How have I lived in Michigan my entire life and yet have never been to the UP? 

Well, for multiple reasons, but I made the most of this maiden voyage. Activities included but were not limited to: exploring Tahquamenon Falls, hiking Sugarloaf Mountain, stopping by Presque Isle, jumping from the Black Rocks, visiting Michigan’s only romance bookshop in Marquette, kayaking Pictured Rocks, seeing the natural wonders of Kitch-iti-kipi, and of course, eating a pasty while drinking a Faygo pop. (IYKYK.)

I truly went “Michigandering,” eh? See what I did there? Anyhoo, pics or it didn’t happen, amiright? 

From top to bottom and left to right: me and my friends posted up at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, me standing at the upper Tahquamenon Falls, the POV from the seat behind me as we kayaked Pictured Rocks, and of course, the most Michigan lunch you’ve ever seen: a fresh pasty with a Faygo to wash it down lol.

Moving onto what I read this month. Unfortunately, I had a weak start in terms of picking bangers. The starting line-up was a bit meh in the first half. Luckily, the second string managed to put the team on their backs and finish out the month stronger than it started.

You can obviously read my thoughts on everything I read below, so let’s get into it!

**All summaries are paraphrased or taken from Goodreads.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

My Thoughts: Woof. I love Kristin Hannah as a writer and thoroughly enjoyed The Four Winds, The Great Alone, and The Nightingale. This book, unfortunately, was a victim of its hype and the high expectations I had for it. I’ll start with all of the positives. This book really opened my eyes to what veterans of Vietnam went through during that brutal war. I also wouldn’t have even thought about the women who went over there as nurses and aids, so I’m grateful to have learned so much about their experiences, even through a fiction-based lens. I’ve read plenty of WW2-focused historical fiction books but never a Vietnam War one, and it made me realize how little this war is talked about in general. No wonder so many soldiers came back with severe PTSD. Not to mention, how terribly most of them were received and treated once they returned to U.S. soil after experiencing some devastating and traumatic shit whilst fighting for their country. Now for my main critiques. For starters, I guess I assumed from the title and my experience with other KH books that this story was going to be told from multiple POVs. Specifically, multiple women. That was not the case. Second, there was a lot of grief dumping going on in order to emotionally provoke the reader and it just felt a little manipulative. Like yes, what the main character is experiencing and going through is terrible, but the number of extremely sad things that happened one after another felt a little excessive. Additionally, all of the romance storylines throughout Frankie’s experience felt like afterthoughts and not well-planned out. I also called one of the very last plot twists of the book right from the beginning and was like okay I bet X is going to happen though. Sure as shit it did. Which felt a little too on-the-nose and predictable for me. Was this book impactful? Sure. Was it everything people praised it to be? Not in my opinion. I had high hopes, but I’m sad to conclude that this is my least favorite KH book thus far. 

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

THE PAIRING by Casey McQuiston

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Summary: Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all. Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past. All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately. It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition? But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have.

My Thoughts: Okay this is a very flat 2.5-star rating. Which pains me to say because I really do love Casey McQuiston’s writing. I’ve read a couple other books by them like One Last Stop and then the popular, Red White and Royal Blue. However, this book just kind of missed its mark for me. Theo and Kit broke up four years ago right before taking this European food and wine tour. They haven’t spoken since, but both received a voucher for the trip and with the expiration date looming, both decide to finally cash in as individual travelers. Cue being stuck on a weeks’ long trip with your ex trying to pretend like everything is fine and nothing bothers you. After calling truce, they decide to enter a friendly wager to see who can sleep with the most people while on this tour. Y’all. CM did not hold back on the detailed salacious scenes in this book and there are at least one or two in each city they stopped at. You know I love all levels of smut, but this was getting a little out of hand IMO. It was like everyone they encountered in these cities were insanely hot and thought Theo and Kit were also insanely hot, and they could flirt their way into any situation. It started taking the term “food porn” to an entirely new level lol. It was cool to hear all the sommelier and culinary references throughout the book for each specific region. However, so much of what was happening kind of diluted the overall experience for the story for me. So although this audiobook was enjoyable enough to finish, I doubt I’ll ever recommend it to someone. 

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core. Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him. When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

My Thoughts: Okay this book felt like a remix/mash-up of How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, and Recursion by Blake Crouch. The plot included themes of time travel, deadly pandemics, and touches of post-apocalyptic space colonization. All of which tangled into each other through the POVs of multiple characters like a man in the 1800’s relocating from Europe to Canada, a famous writer 200 years later whose best-selling pandemic novel has her traveling all over Earth on a book tour when all she really wants to do is return home to the moon colony, and Gaspery-Jacques Roberts who is a detective working for a time traveling agency from even farther in the future. Although I was a little confused as to what was happening in the very beginning, as soon as it switched to Olive Llewellyn’s (pandemic author) perspective, things started to click into place. I appreciated how much was packed into this sci-fi story in such a short amount of time (the audiobook was literally only 6 hours long) and how easily the author connected all of the dots at the end. Any lingering questions I had about where things fit into the plot were completely answered by the time everything wrapped up. Just like her other book, Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel effortlessly sucked me into her writing and it was a breeze getting through this book. The only reason I’m docking it in rating is because the content didn’t feel like anything groundbreakingly new. If you read any of the books I mentioned above though and are looking for something quick, this book definitely fits the bill!

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins. A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life. Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home. But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat. Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

My Thoughts: Lisa Jewell is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors. I just read another one of her bangers last month, Then She Was Gone, and also loved that twisty novel. So I was excited when this audiobook hold finally came through for me on Libby after months of waiting. If you’re going to read this book, I cannot recommend listening to it enough. There’s a podcast element to the plotline and conversations from various episodes and later new interviews are sprinkled throughout the story. So it was incredibly engaging and fun to hear the format change up every few chapters. As for the actual story, this shit was creepy, twisty, and gave me the body shivers on multiple occasions. Literally, this is why I don’t mind that my social awkwardness can come off as rude to some strangers because NOPE. One minute, Alix Summers is just trying to be polite to a woman named Josie who she “randomly” bumps into at a restaurant, and the next moment, she’s in over her head with this unhinged person. Unreliable narrator doesn’t even BEGIN to describe the winding journey this book takes you on. Even after everything is wrapped up at the end, I’m STILL questioning who I can truly believe and who is telling lies. Needless to say, this is definitely a mystery/thriller I will be recommending to everyone for the foreseeable future and, if you’re going to read it, do it via audiobook. 

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE by Tia Williams

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Summary: Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing. Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her. When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers. One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.

My Thoughts: Y’all. I don’t know how to feel about this book. It took me FOREVER (like almost the entire month) to read it and although I definitely thoroughly enjoyed it, I can’t say it’s a solid four-stars for me. It’s definitely better than a 3.5 though. SO I’m meeting those two in the middle and giving it a 3.75. The premise of this book was so unique outside of the regular romance story tropes lol. Ricki Wilde is the black sheep of her family and wants to prove to them that she can be successful whilst following her dreams to open a flower shop. She flees to NYC where she meets a sweet old woman, Della, who owns a large brownstone with an empty space at street level. While she’s unwinding from the stress of a new business one evening, she runs into the most handsome man she’s ever seen, Ezra. From that day forward, they keep randomly running into each other and can’t get the other person off their minds. However, Ezra’s life is a little complicated. Not to spoil anything, but he’s been 28-years-old since 1928 and every Leap Year returns to NYC to find his one true love. Although I’m not super sold on the instant love trope, the connection between these two characters was undeniable. Both felt so naturally safe with the other and let their vulnerabilities show without a second thought. The plot kept me hooked and although I figured out how it would end, I still enjoyed reading it nonetheless. The author also incorporates a lot of cool information about Black influence in our culture, specifically music, throughout the ages. Overall, I really liked this book. I just wish I liked it more?

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich

Rating: 4/5 stars (with a grain of salt)

Summary: Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”? Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life. Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.

My Thoughts: Okay I’ve been seeing this book everywhere over the last few months and finally decided to dive into it. I have to start with a disclaimer that this audiobook was four stars with a grain of salt. It was objectively good writing. The stories this author managed to tell were thought provoking and deep, it just took a minute to understand her writing style. The beginning portion of this book was a slow burn for me. There are multiple character POVs and you have to really grasp onto the current storyline to understand what’s going on. I did feel lost for a little bit in the middle, but as the main two plots started to intertwine a bit more in the second half, it was easier to stick with it. It kind of reminds me of how Fredrik Backman incorporates many characters’ perspectives within one book. However, I feel like it’s usually very clear as to how those storylines connect. Erdich’s writing took a bit longer to click with. Nonetheless, the stories told in this book were beautiful and I love that it’s based on a true story from Erdich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and led the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Congress in Washington D.C. You probably have to have a genuine interest in these characters and the narratives behind them to stick with this novel, but I think it’s so important to hear stories from Native American perspectives and understand how poorly they’ve been treated by our government since our ancestors literally stepped foot onto their land. With that being said, I know this won’t be for everyone, but if you’re even mildly interested in this book, I definitely recommend giving it a try. 

That’s it for August!

I’m joining my friend for nine days in California on her 7-week road trip in September and she has already expressed interest in listening to some audiobooks in the car while we make our way across the golden state. So between that, three long flights and one layover in Atlanta coming home, I’ll knock out a few books during Virgo szn lol. 

2024 Book Count: 85

Add me on Goodreads if you haven’t already.

YOUR TURN! What was the last audiobook you listened to?

July 2024 Reads

July both flew by and felt like it lasted 5ever. 

It was just a jam-packed month. Not that I’m not complaining since we’re in the final stretch of summer now. :’( 

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m quite the mood reader and, going into July, I felt like I just needed some easy, low-stakes reads. Throughout the first half of the year, I read a few heavier books and although I loved and learned a lot from them, I just wanted a little mental breather. So, I switched gears back to my guilty pleasure genre and read a lot of smutty romance with some fantasy, a thriller, and a contemporary fiction mixed in.

One good thing to come out of this transition is that I was able to get back into eyeball reading some physical books. Don’t get me wrong, audiobooks were/are still my main and preferred format, but bringing a book with me to the beach was definitely a game changer. Peep me reading in the middle of a birthday beach party lol:

Reading on the beach lol.

Outside of reading, I’ve been binge watching the latest season of Love Island, the Olympics have been a regular fixture on my TV as of late, and... BIG BROTHER IS BACK. :D IYKYK that I’m a huge fan of Big Brother. To those who think it’s a dating show, it’s not. It’s like Survivor but in a house instead of on a deserted island somewhere. There’s a lot of social game and physical game involved and you have to balance both. It’s amazing and I highly recommend.

Okie I think that’s it for my intro. Let’s get into everything I read in July.

**All summaries are taken or paraphrased from Goodreads.

Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher

LOVE REDESIGNED by Lauren Asher (Lakefront Billionaires #1)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Julian - If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile. So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer. At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex. The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town. But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue. What happens if I want her to stay? | Dahlia - People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one. Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy. I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer. Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits. Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions. Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love? That isn’t part of the plan.

My Thoughts: It’s been a while since I’ve read a Lauren Asher romance, but I was excited to learn she has a newer series out. This book takes place in a fictional lakeside town in Michigan where Julian Lopez has become a billionaire real estate construction mogul. He built his business from the ground up which means his love life hasn’t been a priority for a long time. His last romantic tangle was when he kissed his childhood rival, Dahlia, during their freshman year in college. Fast forward a decade and Dahlia hasn’t heard from Julian since he unexpectedly dropped out after his dad’s death to take over the family business. After graduating, Dahlia ended up staying out west with her wealthy college boyfriend (Julian’s old college roommate) to pursue interior design. However, after ending her flashy romance and losing her home design tv show, the only place she wants to be is home and out of the media spotlight. Although these two still have an enemies-to-lovers vibe to their relationship, they decide to partner up on a renovation project for one of the town’s historic homes. One thing leads to another and a deal is struck to be friends-with-benefits. As we can all guess, these characters start to develop some very real feelings for one another, but they also have to face all of the insecurities they haven’t dealt with before moving forward. This book was super cute. I thought the characters were really well developed and extremely relatable, even if their lifestyles are not lol. This story also examines grief and anxiety in a way that shows it’s possible to move forward when you’re supported by those who you love and trust. There’s plenty of comedic relief throughout as well, so it’s not all serious. I definitely think this book is worth the read if you’re a Lauren Asher fan. If you haven’t read her yet, I recommend starting with either her F1 series OR her Dreamland Billionaire series. There are characters from both of those that make an appearance in this book. 

Happy Place by Emily Henry

HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t. They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives, have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood, and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

My Thoughts: This book has been on my radar since it came out last year, but as I’ve mentioned over the last few months, it’s been difficult for me to read physical books lately. However, thanks to a couple of beach days planned at the beginning of July, I was forced to put down my kindle and pick up this beauty. Per usual with Emily Henry’s writing, these characters instantly had a chokehold on my feelings lol. Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago, and for various reasons, haven’t told their friends yet. However, that secret gets harder to keep when they’re invited to one final hoo-rah at a cottage in Maine that has served as this friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Cue the tropes of forced proximity and fake dating with an overall theme of second chance romance. I was obsessed with the dynamics between Harriet and Wyn, and the TENSION? Thicc, my friends. It was impossible not to root for this couple, especially as the book dove deeper into their origin story and how they came to be. The various personalities of the other two couples in the friend group added so much depth to the experience and I loved how everything played out. Honestly? This was the perfect summer read and exactly what I needed to break my physical book dry spell lol.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

ONE TRUE LOVES by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever. Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness. That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves. Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

My Thoughts: Listen, the first line of this book was a ZINGER. “I’m finishing up dinner with my family and my fiancé when my husband calls.” Like WHAT? Our MFC, Emma, marries her high school sweetheart and love of her life, Jesse. However, when he disappears in a helicopter accident on their first wedding anniversary, she’s left reeling with the grief of losing her person. True to TJR’s poetic writing style, this portion of the book had me in an absolute CHOKEHOLD. I don’t cry much in general (we’re working on that in therapy lol), but even I couldn’t fight the giant lump in my throat while watching Emma pick up the pieces of her sanity after losing Jesse. Although the healing process takes time, Emma does find love again in a guy from her past named Sam whom she never really gave a chance to when they were younger. Fast forward when they are now engaged and the miracle phone call comes through announcing that Jesse is alive. Emma is left to decide if she wants to continue in this new life she’s built with Sam or if she wants to pick up where she and Jesse left off four years ago before the crash. Although the writing in this book is fantastic, I wasn’t AS SOLD on the second half of it which is where I docked 1.5 stars. I can’t imagine being put through a situation like this, but it felt safely fictional and that kind of took me out of the story a little bit. That said though, I definitely recommend picking up this book if you’re looking for the sensation of pushing on an emotional bruise for a bit. 

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

THEN SHE WAS GONE by Lisa Jewell

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: THEN She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. NOW It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter. And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet. Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter. Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away. Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back. What happened to Ellie? Where did she go? Who still has secrets to hide?

My Thoughts: Okay this book was TWISTED. It started a little slow, but as soon as it started gaining momentum, we were full steam ahead. Although the main story is told from the POV of Laurel whose daughter Ellie went missing ten years ago, you eventually get the POVs from other characters involved in the bigger mystery of Ellie’s disappearance. I never knew who to trust and did not see the various connections between characters coming. I was even highly sus of the young girl Poppy, whose character was supposedly sweet and innocent. There are so many facets to this psychological thriller and I was INVESTED in every moment of it. Especially as Laurel starts doing her own digging into the past of her new boyfriend Floyd and some WILD realizations start to surface. I did appreciate how the story ended because it took a character who had been villainized the entire book and shed a not-so terrible light on them. If you’re looking for a quick, creepy read, I highly recommend trying this audiobook!

Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher

LOVE UNWRITTEN by Lauren Asher (Lakefront Billionaires #2)

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Summary: Rafael - Ellie Sinclair is a hopeless romantic who writes love songs. I’m a struggling workaholic who could inspire a hundred breakup albums. On paper, we have nothing in common except for my son. For eight months, I avoid her until our summer trip. Fourteen days. Two islands. And one nanny I shouldn’t be attracted to. Spending time with Ellie is expected, but enjoying her company? That isn’t part of our travel plans. After my divorce, I swore to protect my heart at all costs. Even if it means breaking hers in the process. | Ellie - What’s worse than working for a grumpy single dad? Admitting that I once had a secret crush on him in high school. Thankfully, Rafael Lopez and I have changed since we graduated from Wisteria High. He is a billionaire with a company to run and a child to take care of. I’m an unemployed songwriter he hired to watch his son and teach music. We coexist without any issues until a vacation changes everything. Lines blur and old feelings for Rafael return with vengeance as I face a new dilemma. Being his son’s nanny is one thing, but wishing for more? Sounds like a heartbreak song waiting to be written.

My Thoughts: Ugh okay. So I very recently have gotten on board with the single father/nanny trope in romances, but they have to be done SO RIGHT for me to fully buy in. Unfortunately, I think this one missed the mark a little bit. However, I really appreciated the amount of care that the author showed these characters’ previous traumas. This book was mildly disappointing for a couple of reasons. For starters, this book was fucking LONG. It had no business being longer than 400 pages and I think it was almost 600 pages. So the end of it started to DRAG. Another factor is that I have loved Lauren Asher’s other books and this one felt like she was rushing while trying to write a slow burn - which was just a contradictory experience in itself. Ellie was a solid MFC for this story and I really enjoyed the depth of her character arc. In contrast, Rafael was a little bit harder to like. It seemed like he tended to react rather than respond to any perceived adversities, and it didn’t make me swoon for him - especially with my red flag radar beeping in the background. The timeline of this story also felt a little bit unrealistic. They supposedly fell in love over a two-week vacation that had literally like three cute moments and the rest of the time they were fighting. So like? ALSO, you know I am a SIMP for some well-written salacious scenes and this book was just not it. As I said, it felt like a slow burn because they didn’t do anything until more than halfway through the book, and even then, they just jumped right into it. There was no heady lead-up to get the blood flowing. It was just like BOOM. DONE. And, if that doesn’t feel unrealistic, idk what does. Anywho, although this book was not my cup of tea, I’m sure anyone who loves a single dad/nanny trope would appreciate it. I still love Lauren Asher and will probably continue with this series after she publishes the next book. 

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa De La Cruz

THE QUEEN’S ASSASSIN by Melissa de la Cruz

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he's the Guild's most dangerous member and the Queen's one and only assassin. He's also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow--to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians. Shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts--to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the Guild. Though magic has been forbidden since the Aphrasian uprising, Shadow has been learning to control her powers in secret, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt. When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a new sinister threat to Renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they'll uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they'll stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom in this stunning first novel in the Queen's Secret series.

My Thoughts: I actually won this book in a giveaway the publisher was doing on Instagram a few years ago, but I still opted for the audiobook when it came down to it. Although I was pretty lukewarm overall about this book, it was still a decent YA fantasy! I can’t say I understand why it’s titled “The Queen’s Assassin.” One of the main characters, Caledon, is the head assassin for the queen, yes. However, he didn’t do much assassinating in the actual story. I was hoping to see a little more action or, at the very least, get more insight into Caledon’s life as the assassin. However, it was basically just his occupational title and that’s really the only impact it had on this experience lol. Shadow’s character was a bit more complex. She’s the Queen’s daughter who hasn’t been seen by the public in years as she’s raised by her aunts in the countryside. Magic has been outlawed in their world since the last war, but Shadow has been working on powers in private. There is a romance aspect to this story that I didn’t TOTALLY buy into, but it does add an entertaining element nonetheless. The plot was decent and well thought out, but it wasn’t anything groundbreaking tbh. I own the second book in this duology and will probably continue onto it at some point this year, but it definitely won't be right away.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by Ashley Poston

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it. So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it. And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again. Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future. Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed. After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

My Thoughts: Okay, this book? FREAKING CUTE. I can’t believe it took me this long to pick up an Ashley Poston book, but I’m so glad this was my first taste of her writing. I was INVESTED. Starting with how unique the premise is. Basically, Clementine had kind of an eccentric aunt growing up who said her apartment was magic, and would sometimes take you back in time. Because she absolutely adored her aunt and loved her stories, Clementine assumed she was just exaggerating or being facetious. However, after Clementine moves into her late aunt’s apartment and finds a strange man there, she starts to consider that maybe her aunt wasn’t just telling stories. Inside her apartment, Clementine is seven years in the past getting to know this aspiring chef and the sweetest man ever, Iwan. He’s currently subleasing the apartment for the summer while Clementine’s aunt is on a trip to Europe. When Clementine walks out of her front door though, she’s back in the present. She has no idea where the current-day Iwan is or if he would even remember her, but as she starts falling for the Iwan of seven years ago, she realizes she wants to know where he is now. This book had me giggling, blushing, and kicking my feet like a giddy idiot. The plot had so many complex layers to it and the characters each had so much depth, it was impossible not to buy into their connection. It was so freaking heartwarming. Grief is a large topic in this book, but it was handled with the utmost care. I honestly couldn’t put this book down and highly recommend it!

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

THE CITY OF BRASS by S.A. Chakraborty

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...

My Thoughts: Okay this book has been on my radar for a MINUTE and I’m so lucky Hoopla had the audiobook because I don’t think the experience would’ve been as immersive had I eyeball read it. Let me start by saying, this book is your quintessential “world building, scene setting, background providing” first book in a trilogy. The author really makes a point to walk you through the different types of magic beings, the politics of their world, and more. Although this book is a large information dump, it was still easy to follow and enjoy the story. It starts by mainly following Nahri who is a young con woman in Cairo. She uses tactics she’s learned throughout the years surviving alone in the streets of the city to trick tourists out of money, pick pocket unsuspecting bystanders, and more. Until one of her cons takes a turn when she accidentally summons a dark and powerful djinn. She’s forced to face the fact that maybe the magical world people talk about in kids’ stories might actually exist, and it just so happens she’s the descendant of a powerful healing family that was believed to be extinct. Cue a long journey to the capital of this magical world (The City of Brass) with her djinn travel partner. The politics they walk into are much trickier to navigate than she could’ve ever expected. The story is eventually told in a dual POV format that switches between Nahri and Ali, the second prince in line to the throne. Although I didn’t fully buy into the romance storyline in this book, I was invested in the complexities surrounding the politics and how those influence so many characters’ actions. I’ve never read a book where the main characters are djinn, efrit, etc., only books where they interact with those creatures. So that alone was a refreshing take on this type of folklore. I don’t plan to start the second book right away, but I do plan to continue on with this trilogy overall.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: This is a world divided by blood—red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

My Thoughts: Okay, for starters, I want to say I didn’t LOVE the narrator of this audiobook, but that factor didn’t bother me the entire book. So, I wouldn’t say the audiobook isn’t the way to go, but if you’re picky about narrators, that might impact your opinion if you decide to listen to it. I would say this book is as if Shatter Me and The Selection had a love child and then that kid hung out around the kids of Hunger Games, Red Rising, etc. pretty regularly lol. There’s a dystopian element to it and people’s hierarchy is dependent on the color of their blood - silver or red. Most people who have silver blood also have a hidden magical ability. Whether that’s wielding fire, manipulating metal, reading/controlling minds, etc. Reds are normal humans and because they have no special abilities, they’re at the bottom of the totem pole - often in occupations that involve serving the Silvers. However, once our main red blooded character, Mare, unexpectedly shows the ability to control electricity, all hell breaks loose. The royals quickly sweep her powers under the rug by creating a fake background story for her, and she is absorbed into their world. Cue Mare scheming with a rebel Red group by giving inside information to take down the silvers and get justice for her dead brother. All the while, she is dealing with a love triangle between her betrothed, the young prince Maven, and his older brother/future king, Prince Cal. I think this book had great legs to it and it ended on a cliffhanger that was interesting enough for me to keep going in the series. I might not jump into it right away, but I think I’ll be continuing on regardless. I just need to decide if that will be via audiobook still since I don’t love the narrator, or if I will be eyeball reading it. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy with a little bit of everything, I highly recommend giving this one a try.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez (Part of Your World #3)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soulmate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

My Thoughts: To roughly quote Maddy (the FMC’s best friend), Justin is the epitome of “if he wanted to, he would.” Like holy hell this man… we must protect sweet Justin at all costs. After posting to Reddit about his “Good Luck Chuck” type of curse, a woman named Emma slides into his DMs saying she has the same problem. Clearly, the only way to break this curse is for them to cancel it out by dating each other and breaking up afterwards. As a travel nurse, Emma is able to move to Minnesota where Justin lives so they can see this thing through. Once they start getting to know each other though, it’s clear this fake dating thing feels very real and definitely shouldn’t end. I was obsessed with how easy and natural their relationship felt. They were so silly with each other while still being able to develop a deeper connection. Both are dealing with some family issues and I appreciated how those played into where this story went. It isn’t your typical path for a romance novel, but I absolutely loved it. This is a bold claim, but I’m pretty sure this was my favorite book of the Part of Your World series. 

Play Along by Liz Tomforde

PLAY ALONG by Liz Tomforde (WINDY CITY, #4)

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: Kennedy- I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago. But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand. Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake. Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband. They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… sometimes it follows you right back home. Isaiah - As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman. I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed. We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material. Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose. So come on, wife… play along.

My Thoughts: I’ve been WAITING for Isaiah’s story in this series and was so excited when this book finally made it to my Kindle. I think this may be my favorite book of the Windy City series tbh. Isaiah and Kennedy were such different people, and although on paper they’d never work, they took the time to peel back each other’s layers and get to know their depths. It was so heartwarming to watch them be truly vulnerable and love one another so uniquely. There are plenty of comedic moments to balance the serious ones and, not to mention, high quality steamy salacious scenes lol. I can’t say I recommend reading this as a standalone because you really do feel a kinship with the other characters in this series that continue to make an appearance throughout this book. Plus you also get more background on Isaiah and Kennedy’s characters. So in conclusion lol, I definitely recommend this book, but also advise reading the rest of the series first. 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities. Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.

My Thoughts: Y’ALL. I had only heard good things about this book before going into it and let me say, every single bit of praise this story receives is ridiculously well-earned. I was ENTHRALLED in this audiobook. Hats off to the narrator because his voice put me into a trance every time I popped my AirPods in to keep listening. Demon is one of the most dynamic characters I’ve come across in a very long time. Life has dealt him a rough hand and after he ends up in the foster care system, the curveballs just keep coming. Despite all of the adversity Demon faces throughout this story, there is still just enough hope and optimism that keeps you cheering for him to make it out of the circumstances he was born into. Although they weren’t all your traditional forms of support, the people who Demon had on his side making sure he could have a better life was so incredibly heartwarming. There are also HELLA comedic relief moments throughout this book that make swallowing the hard parts a little easier to wash down. I am THOROUGHLY impressed by the way Barbara Kingsolver’s mind works because the number of layers to this complex story was incredible and the execution of her writing is honestly inspiring. If you haven’t read Demon Copperhead yet, I highly recommend it, but definitely go for the audiobook if that’s a format you jive with.

Okieee. That’s it for July!

I have two trips coming up in August - one to Bellaire and one to the UP - so although I’m going to bring a book, I’m sure those might slow down my reading a touch this month. 

I promise to switch up my genres a little bit next month as well lol. 

2024 Book Count: 79

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YOUR TURN! What was the last book you took on a long trip or vacation with you?