July 2023 Reads

The book was fun, but nothing to write home about. I liked the ladies, but only Billie stood out to me. There were several threads I felt were dropped (Minka and Travener), and I wish they had been a little more detailed and deeper. I liked the action and the spy stuff, and I totally can see this as a movie. I just wish there had been more.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened this book, but it wasn’t what I got. And I mean that in a good way. This book exceeded expectations. It is a horror fantasy book, so know that going in. But I don’t want to say too much more about it, because I don’t want to spoil it. I will say, I couldn’t put it down.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

As of right now, this is my favorite book I’ve read this year. My life has been missing a great fantasy series (this is book one of five), and I think this is going to fill that whole. I haven’t had something to obsess over in a long time. The book is a lot of world building, but what a world. I loved everything so much. Violet. Xaden. We won’t talk about Dain. The cliffhanger at the end has me counting down the days to November.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

After a slow start, the book became impossible to put down. It was a very interesting concept for a book, and it really made me think. The events of the book felt realistic. I loved all of the characters, but Amie and Ben were easily my favorite. We read this for one of my book clubs, and it lead to a lot of very interesting conversation.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book wasn’t what I expected, and I ended up not liking it at all. I thought this was going to be a romance, and it wasn’t. I really didn’t like the narrator or the plot, and I couldn’t wait to finish reading it.

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC, and I am reviewing it with my honest opinion.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I read this book too quickly, and now I am sad that I am out of Heartstopper material. As usual, the book was adorable, a quick read, and the events Nick and Charlie deal with are realistic.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Cute romance. I loved Sam and Ben together. I felt her dyslexia was a little overplayed (we get it, you don’t need to mention it every other page), but it didn’t detract from the story. I really enjoyed Sam and Tyler’s sibling bond. I’m hoping for a sequel featuring Em, because she deserves a happy ending.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was a re-read for me to fill a prompt for a reading challenge, and I loved it as much as I did in high school. I love when the Hardy’s and Nancy team up, and this is one of my favorite mashups. Frank and Nancy have “a moment.” There are very few books where this happens, and I have them all! Knocked a star off for Ned showing up. No one likes Ned.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Jane Eyre is my favorite book of all time, and this is a retelling of it, with magic and set in Ethiopia. In other words, this book was amazing. I loved Blackwood’s take on the story. Her characters were rich, her magic system was amazing, and I loved how you could tell it was an Eyre retelling without it explicitly hitting ever beat of the original.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I’m pretty sure the fact Peter Capaldi read this to me, and he did an amazing job at it totally influenced my view of this book. I really enjoyed it, especially when I learned it was a retelling of The Aeneid. I became really invested in the survival of these bunnies, and couldn’t stop listening.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

A beautiful story of magic and family. The imagery was so vivid in this book, I could picture everything. Told as if it were a proverb or fairy tale, I was completely drawn in.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Another book club pick, this book was hilarlious. I loved listening to the author read her autobiographical essays. I laughed out loud several times. Especially her essay about her cat. I will definitely be checking out more of her work.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Another book club pick, this is a series of short stories that are seemingly un connected except for the fact they are all about fishing. And they are all sad. And most of them have questionable age gaps between couples. I enjoyed a few of the stories, hence the star rating, but i wouldn’t recommend it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Leave a comment