I did a decent amount of reading in July — 6 books in total. This is the most I’ve read in months and I think it’s because I had more time and a lot of the books I read were true page turners so I flew through them. I also cheated a bit and read one novella which is outside of my usual realm.
How to Fall in Love in the Cereal Aisle by Alissa Derogatis
I received an ARC via NetGalley of Alissa Derogatis 2nd novel, How to Fall in Love in the Cereal Aisle, and LOVED IT. I’m part of Alissa’s writing community, Hot Girls Who Write, which has been so positive for me and my author journey.
This was such a unique story — it was almost inception like where our main character Ainsley is a romance author who is going through a rough breakup and trying to write her next novel. She decides to take to social media
It has a unique twist of both a romantic breakup and a friendship breakup, adding an extra layer that feels very realistic. It was the perfect mix of finding yourself, making peace with change, and love.
The story was beautiful, with no real, frustrating third act breakup and Alissa did a great job at bringing Ainsley to life. I felt like I truly knew her.
The Page Turner by Viola Shipman
This was my favorite read of July! The Page Turner by Viola Shipman has been in my library for over a year and as a lot of readers do, I was waiting for the perfect time to crack it open. It was nothing like I expected and it ignited something in me.
This was not a romance but more of a coming of age novel where our main character, Emma Page, is the daughter of literary publishers, the sister of a book influencer and an aspiring author who has a deep connection to her grandmother who has passed.
She is trying to make peace with not agreeing with her family’s choice of novels to publish, rebelling against their curated image and wanting to break free to write novels her family wouldn’t approve of.
At first, I wasn’t sure where the story was going but I was quickly on board; blackmail, secrets, and a family broken that comes back together.
This is a true love letter to books and the publishing industry (which I learned so much about) and I loved every moment of it. This will be a book I come back to constantly.
The Crying Killer by Jess Lourey
The Crying Killer by Jess Lourey was another book that I had an ARC of and I truly loved every minute of it. The story of Tuesday who witnessed the murder of her sister nearly 10 years ago and has since taken custody of her niece — who does not know she is living with her aunt and not her mother. The murderer was apparently killed (and Tuesday saw his body) but she never believed it was actually him.
Now, Tuesday is a private investigator and is convinced the killer, Arsen, is after her and her daughter. What spirals from there is a thrilling, edge of your seat, novel that leaves you breathless. It has a series of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming from a mile away and truly twisted my mind in ways I didn’t know possible.
It’s your classic domestic thriller that I will be recommending to mystery & thriller lovers for years to come. I cannot say enough positive things about it.
Where She Rests by Stacy Green
The Detective Nikki Hunt series by Stacy Green is one of, if not my favorite, series of all time. Where She Rests is the 12th book in the series and it was just as good as her others. It follows the same format of the other books — we see a crime being committed, Nikki gets the call to investigate and we proceed from there. It always ends with an insane twist that you didn’t see coming and there’s an element of personal storyline for Nikki woven throughout. It’s predictable but always interesting & thrilling.
Lies Between Us by Jessica Goodman
Lies Between Us might’ve been my least favorite of the books I read this month. It was a YA thriller, taking place in Long Island, with three sisters at the center of it. There is a death, of course, and a lot of speculation but it just didn’t move me as much as other similar books I’ve read. It wasn’t necessarily predictable, but the payoff wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Perhaps that’s because it’s more YA so technically it can’t be as intense, but I’ve also liked Goodman’s other books so maybe this just wasn’t for me.
S’more of You by Tessa Bailey
This is the novella I read and it was fine. S’more of You is part of Amazon’s ‘Summer Lovin’ Collection, a series that contains a bunch of novellas from various romance authors that is free with Prime. Amazon does this quite often with different themes and different authors and it’s a fun little way to get more reading in. I read this in less than an hour and like I said, it was fine; a little spicy, of course because it’s Tessa Bailey, and cute enough. There wasn’t much ‘story’ but it is a novella so it’s to be expected.
As of now, I haven’t finished any books in August and we’re almost halfway through so we’ll see what next month’s recap contains.
Putting The Page Turner on my tbr!