With the kids back at school last month and their sports and activities in full swing, I’ve had very little reading time. I somehow still managed to read five books but I know that my reading will continue to slow in this busy season. Here are my September reads that I’m sharing with Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books link-up. What was your favorite September read?
3 stars:
Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena (Thriller, July 2021) Three three siblings attend Easter dinner at their parents’ house. Their very wealthy parents, who are found murdered the next day. Each sibling has secrets and their own motive to kill them. I wasn’t a fan of this book and didn’t like the ending. I have to stop reading Lapena’s books because I’ve read a lot of them and have been disappointed in most of them.
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry – (fantasy/historical fiction, March 2020) Set in Danvers, MA (which in 1692 was Salem Village) this story is about a field hockey team that believes they are channeling the powers of witchcraft to help rid themselves of their losing streak and take them to the state championship. I originally got this book for my daughter to read since she plays field hockey. She tried it but gave up after a few chapters. So I decided to give it a try. Overall it was an okay story, but was a slow read.
4 stars:
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon (Contemporary Romance, January 2021) Two employees at a radio station end up fake dating for a radio show they are hosting but end up actually falling for each other. This was fun, light read.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley – (Contemporary Fiction, May 2021) Gay Uncle Patrick ends up taking care of his niece and nephew after their mother passes away and their dad goes to rehab. Having no experience with kids, he learns that parenting is no joke, but that he is capable. While the cover of the book makes it look like a light read, there was actually some depth to this story. There were even some LOL moments for me. While I read this book, I pictured Robert Brotherton, from the Netflix series My Unorthodox Life, as GUP!
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston – (Romance/Science Fiction) August Landry moves to NYC knowing no one. She finds some eccentric roommates and gets a job at a 24-hour pancake diner while also going to school. But then one day on the Q train she meets Jane. She falls for Jane fast but discovers that Jane is displaced from the 1970’s and stuck on the Q train. Through the course of the book August finds herself and her tribe in NYC. With the help of her new friends, August will try everything to help Jane. I didn’t really know anything about this book before reading it and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
My sentiment after reading Not A Happy Family was similar – I always read her books and am always very meh at the end.
Yes, I need to just stop reading them! There are so many other books I want to read!
I really liked One Last Stop too! I own The Guncle and need to read that soon. I also own Not a Happy Family but I’m a bit nervous!
I think you’ll enjoy The Guncle!
I loved One Last Stop and The Ex Talk and also really can’t wait to read The Guncle!! I liked how readable that Shari Lapena was but the characters were awful.
Yes, I didn’t like any of the characters in Not a Happy Family.
One Last Stop sounds interesting!
It was a good read!
I love the concept of The Guncle.
Yes, it was a good read!
Totally the same feeling on Shari Lapena. I actually just avoid her books. If I’m going to read a thriller, I want it to be good, not completely low-bar. I never was able to connect/care with her characters in the first couple of books.
I need to stop reading her books. I’m always disappointed!
I just read The Ex Talk as well. I’ve requested Not A Happy Family from my library, but the waitlist is long!
It was a cute read. Hope you enjoy Not A Happy Family when you finally get it.
I feel like I have Not a Happy Family on my Kindle from NetGalley yet have not attempted to read it yet. Maybe soon.
I have a bunch of books on my kindle now from NetGalley that I have to get to!