My July month of reading was nothing short of a midsummer night’s (and day’s) dream! This was unequivocally my best reading month of the year so far. Which is how it should be—I hope they keep getting even better from here, if that’s possible! I adored these SO much, and each one was so incredibly different that it also felt like the most well-rounded. As a result, I have added more easy/fast/fun rom-coms to my TBR pile, in addition to seeking out YA gems and maybe even more twisty sci-fi!
I’m honestly having a super hard time picking a favorite, but I think I’d have to go with My Lovely Wife, an incredibly done and highly delicious thriller. More details below! I also completely A-D-O-R-E-D my book club’s pick for the month, The Unhoneymooners. So heart-warming, hysterical and just breezy! If you want to just laugh and smile and be swept right into a witty little romance in Maui, this is the book for you! I can’t think of a better vacation-vibe read for the poolside or beach side or airplane.
Here you go, friends! Enjoy!!!
Momentary Favorite Thriller This Year
This sharply paced, consuming novel immediately took the lead as my top thriller of the year so far. I say this all the time, but I looooove this genre. It might even be my favorite. That said, book after book, criminal after criminal, after a while, they can grow a just a little redundant. Spotty character development, predictable twists, you know. At least if they’re not outstanding. Well, this one is a genuine outlier and I was obsessed! Family, love, murder, manipulation! Real estate agent Millicent and her country club tennis pro husband may appear every bit the golden married couple from the outside—but what sinister pastime fuels their bond? This story is super disturbing and pretty much all about serial killers… which made me want to run and buy it but might make YOU want to run and hide with your flashlight. Ha! It was just so creepy and creative and I could not put it down! Or rather: Stop listening, because I did the amazing audiobook. I kept upping the listening speed to 1.5x and then 1.75x and eventually 2.0x because I needed to know what happened next! (Did you know you can do that in the Audible app?! It is such a great feature!) The male narrator’s voice really nailed the tale and might’ve even enhanced the experience. I also loved the role of the couple’s teenage kids, Rory and Jenna. Five superstars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Most Perfect Beach Read
My Book Club’s last pick was Miracle Creek and let’s just say it was NOT a fan favorite, guys! (NOR was it anywhere close to a beach read.) Mostly 2 stars across the whole board! (We always open Book Club by giving our star rating.) THIS breezy read, though, was thoroughly enjoyed by us all and sent me right to wanting more from this author! Well, technically, authors—co-writers Christina and Lauren pen their wildly popular books as a team, and while it’s hard to wrap my head around how exactly this works, it most DEFINITELY works for them! I find it so fascinating and just love their style! Generally unlucky twin and Maid-of-Honor Olive and handsome, witty Best Man Ethan find themselves on the bride and groom’s dreamy Maui honeymoon after every. single. other. wedding guest is struck down with serious food poisoning. The duo’s frenemy banter and obvious chemistry really carries the fun-loving tropical adventure, and I was rooting harder for them with every page! Not to mention laughing out loud! I also found the book surprisingly insightful and poignant at times, and totally loved the ending. It does contain language and sexy scenes, so please be aware. Four-and-a-half bright stars from me! I really loved this one! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Momentary Historical Fiction
Something else I always say is that historical fiction doesn’t tend to be my #1 go-to. However, when they’re good, they’re SO GOOD, and this keeps me searching for the very best gems! Our Book Club read Summer Wives earlier this year, and I instantly fell in love with the author, Beatriz Williams. When I saw her latest book as an option for June’s Book of the Month, I knew I had my selection! Enter The Golden Hour. What I’ve been telling all my friends about this hot new release that I really, really loved it—but that it also had some slow parts for me. The overall story and ending were amazing, but it took me more than a full month to read. I read pretty much all these others here intermittently because they were so much faster! (Side conversation soon about how I’ve increasingly become someone who reads more than one book at a time!) Williams writes with such beauty, grace and meticulous detail, though; it’s simply not the type of writing you speed through. Or at least, I don’t! Anyway, this book felt a little slow to me at times, but those portions still felt super worth it! I very much cried at the end. I also learned a lot about The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the glitzy Bahamas social scene during World War II, and a scandalous, high-profile murder that remains a mysterious unsolved crime of American history. (If anything, I wanted a little more on that murder… obviously. Ha!) One of the book’s main storylines was also incredibly moving to me in regard to mental health, postpartum depression, and true life-long love. Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary YA Delight
One of my voracious reading besties recommended this to me as the best YA book she has read in a while—and oh my five stars, she was right! I absolutely adored it. The whole story was so sweet, moving, funny and unpredictable. Heroine Jessie is just beginning her junior year of high school at a totally fancy prep school in Los Angeles where she knows absolutely nobody, except for her sassy stepbrother. Fresh from Chicago, she lost her mom to cancer only two years ago, and you feel the fresh loss in her fragile yet resilient, wise-beyond-her-years character as she navigates a new life in a new city with a new stepfamily. Enter the mysterious supposed classmate of Jessie, Somebody/Nobody (SN)—who begins emailing her anonymously with the offer to help her wade through the scary waters of her new school. Despite Jessie’s skepticism, SN pretty quickly becomes a genuine confidant and eventually her best friend. But who is he?! Or is it all just a joke?! This is such a fun, fast, meaningful read. Total five stars for exactly what it is: a delicious Young Adult genre treat! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Momentary Mind-Bending Masterpiece
Wildest ride of the year so far goes to THIS book right here!!! Wow, wow, wow. My MIND! This is a truly unforgettable, time-hopping tale of science, memory, invention, humanity, love. As a side note, I also feel like this would be a great read for the MEN! It’s written by a man, with a strong male lead, and it’s as solid a sci-fi thriller as they probably come. Also really fast-paced. Except for when I was quite honestly confused out of my mind. Ha! The puzzle always came back together, though, in the best way! Moved to action by her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s, brilliant scientist Helena dedicates years to inventing a way to preserve precious memories before they deteriorate. Meanwhile, Detective Barry Sutton remains broken by the various cards life has dealt him, and increasingly curious about a medical condition called False Memory Syndrome that’s infiltrating NYC. As the stories of these two slowly collide, we the reader are faced with some BIG questions. What if we could alter our memories? What if we could take that further and actually change the past? What of everyone in the world had this power? What is time, reality, memory, truth, chronology? Gah, I loved this book so much. I knocked half a star only because it was SO outside of my normal genre that certain parts did require more focus than I am used to. And don’t even try to attempt the audio! I can’t imagine! I needed the hardback to keep flipping back to make sure I had everything straight! Still, this is a masterpiece that I totally recommend. Four-and-a-half stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
