When I was in my prime blogging years, I was constantly writing about the books I was reading but when I moved to Substack, that part of my writing fell off. Originally, Gilty Pleasures was meant to be an all encompassing hub for anything society wanted you to feel ‘guilt’ for aka pop culture and while that has been my niche for a while, I want to try to encompass more of what I enjoy.
As I continue on my 2nd draft of my debut novel, I have found myself wanting to be more immersed in the book world, more tuned into what goes on around me and not just be a passive reader. Hence, why I’m going to start doing these monthly reading recaps.
In the past, by July, I would’ve probably hit my reading goal by now. This year I set it at 50 books, but if I knew in January what I know now, I would’ve made it lower. Heated Rivalry fanfiction has taken over my life and I read it every chance I get so regular books have taken a back seat.
The fascination with AO3 is beginning to fade and as I indulge in more books that keep my attention, I can read a bit faster.
I’m at 24 books now, having read three in June, all of them being good but one being outstanding.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
I’ve had The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark sitting on my Nook (I have both a Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook because I have issues) for probably over a year and finally decided to read it, needing a simple thriller to get lost in.
Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter and she gets a call for a new project; another famous author with a sordid past who wants to reveal what really happened when his brother & sister (Danny & Poppy) were murdered so many years ago.
It turns out, the author is Olivia’s father who she has not spoken to in years and has tried to distance herself to the point of changing her name.
The book is a dual timeline, switching between the present (1975) and 50 years later aka 2025. We get to see the way Danny & Poppy died and how Olivia is determined to drag the truth out of her father.
Vincent Taylor has Lewy Body Dementia and as he begins to forget his life, he is desperate to tell the story he has been holding inside for so long and the only person who can do it is his daughter.
What ensues is a wild goose chase of suspects, stories and Olivia trying to find out if her father actually murdered his brother & sister, like their small town has suspected for the past five decades.
I will say, as much as I liked this book and how it kept me on my toes, it was a little slow in the beginning. I don’t think it really picked up till a little more than halfway through but all the reveals, all the twists, made it worth it.
To me, this was a classic thriller that will keep you hooked even when you want to give up.
We Would Never Tell by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
I’ve read a few Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau novels before and liked them enough to read her latest, We Would Never Tell. I received an ARC of it and when deciding what I needed to read after The Ghostwriter, I wasn’t willing to give up my thriller kick just yet.
The story is told through three points of view, alongside a third person POV written as a police transcript which showcases different characters along the way. It’s how we kick the book off so it’s clear that someone dies, though you do not find out who until nearly the very end.
Lou is an actress, Marnie is a PR assistant and Constance is a stylist, all three making their way through the Cannes Film Festival, surrounded by the Hollywood A Listers that they hope to be in business with.
Each woman tells their story, the secrets they keep and eventually, you see how they are all intertwined and how their arcs come together in the end.
After a few chapters, a realization hit me — this was based on the Don’t Worry Darling scandal during Cannes a few years ago, with Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh at the center of it.
Of course, the fictional version was more scandalous but the bones were there, from the older woman director making her debut, to the movie title Don’t Be Sad’ and the drama between director & young actress (who was aptly named Fiona Pills, baring the same initials as Florence).
While it was good, I thought the book was too long, clocking in at 448 pages. We could’ve gotten to the point a lot faster but it was still an excellent read, with twists & turns that you don’t see coming and a really nice merge of every character at the end.
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Yesteryear has been the topic of HOT discussion over the past few months and with good reason — it’s a controversial plot that shines a light on a very real conversation happening in our society right now.
Trad wives & influencers, and what it means to live in this way.
Based on Ballerina Farm, (and Ruby Franke, in my opinion), Natalie Heller Mills is a famous ‘tradwife’ influencer who has millions of followers and makes her fortune showcasing her life living on her family farm ‘Yesteryear’.
That is, until she wakes up one morning and it’s 1855. She doesn’t recognize her children, her husband or her life. Nothing is as it seems and she doesn’t know how she got here.
Throughout the book we go back and forth between the past and present; we see how Natalie met & married her husband Caleb, how they bought the farm and how she got started with influencing. We then see how she is handling life in 1855 and the entire time you’re left wondering…how did she get here?
The writing in this is crass; reading Natalie’s thoughts is like word vomit, especially in ‘present day’. She is unhinged, unfiltered and seemingly a little nuts when it comes to her social media career.
I had no idea how we were going to get to the end of this. How did Natalie end up in 1855? Was it time travel? A time loop? A dream? A reality show? I couldn’t place my finger on it and Burke does an excellent job at keeping the real story close to the chest.
When I tell you, I nearly screamed when it was revealed what was going on, I am not lying. It was the most delicious twist I’ve ever read — right up there with Gone Girl and Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. It was a fantastic reveal that goes by quickly; I had to re-read the paragraph a few times. This is not a reveal that should be spoiled so I won’t even get into it, it’s something you just need to sit down and read.
While it doesn’t sound like it, this is the kind of book that is going to make you think. It will make you question influencers and what you see depicted on your tiny, handheld screen; it’ll make you think about the children of influencers even more and how this will all affect them.
The book gets political at one point, with a cult movement resembling MAGA making it’s way into the story and you will get full body chills reading the disgusting things being said. It touches on the manosphere and red pill content, and how easy it is to fall into a rabbit hole on the internet, how easy it is for your mind to be molded and overtaken by conspiracy.
I was enthralled by this book; there is a reason so many people are discussing it. It’s polarizing and a little bit insane but I loved it so much.
I loved the ending of Yesteryear! I have no idea how they’re going to translate the story to film without giving away the twist though