reviews

Happy summer! Reading on the beach is my favorite summer reading spot and I’m fortunate to have been able to enjoy a good amount of this over the past couple of weeks. Today, I’m sharing my June Reads with Steph and Jana’s monthly SUYB linkup. June was not a great reading month for me. I only read four books, which was disappointing. However, we’re not even half-way through July yet and I’ve already read four books! Yeah for summertime! Here are my June reads:

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3 stars:

Passion On Park Avenue by Lauren Layne – Naomi Powell is the successful CEO of the jewelry and accessory subscription company, Maxcessory. She discovers that her new neighbor Oliver is the boy who used to torment her when she was younger. Naomi also becomes friends with Claire and Audrey when the three discover they have something (or should I say, someone) in common. This was my first Lauren Layne book. It’s the first book in a three book series, that I will likely not continue. However, I may give one of her other book series a go if I’m in the mood for a romance. Overall, it was an okay, cute romance novel that fits the bill if you’re looking for a light summer read.

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss – Meredith’s father was supposed to be in prison for nine years, until she turned 18. But now at 15, he is being released and her newly, safe world is disrupted. Trigger warning – this book deals with child sexual abuse/rape. It was a dark and disturbing read that sickened me to think that there are adults who sexually abuse their own children. I want to believe that “in real life” it wouldn’t be so easy for this father to come back into his daughter’s life like this one did.

4 stars:

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue – Jende and his wife Neni are Cameroonian immigrants, trying to make it in America. It’s the fall of 2007 and they are living in Harlem, when Jende gets a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Jende and Neni think they are, “living the dream” but then Lehman Brothers collapses and everyone is affected. The many themes of this book including immigration, social class and relationships made it a great book club choice, for the local book club that I recently joined.

Run Away by Harlan Coben – Simon and Ingrid haven’t seen their daughter in forever. Addicted to drugs she’s gone into hiding with her boyfriend. But Simon sees her one day playing the guitar in Central Park and follows her. This time he’s on a mission to find her and bring her home, but he ends up going down a dark and dangerous path. I’ve been a Coben fan for awhile and know that when I pick up one of his books it will be a quick, suspenseful read. This one didn’t disappoint.

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January was a great reading month for me in terms of quantity and quality. I am hoping to keep this reading streak going for the rest of the year! As usual, I’m sharing this post with Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup. Here are my January reads in order from least to most enjoyed.

3 Stars

The Exes’ Revenge by Jo Jakeman – Imogen, Naomi and Ruby have all been with the cruel and manipulative, Phillip at some point. Each has their reasons for wanting revenge. The three women end up teaming up together to get back at their ex. Overall, this was just an okay suspense read for me.

She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell – Twin sisters Bel and Rose attend the prestigious, private Odell Academy. Sarah and Heath Donovan are the dorm heads of Moreland Hall, where the girls live, as well as Bel and Rose’s advisors. Bel ends up hanging out with the wrong crowd and hazes her sister. They each turn to their respective advisors for support. When the story opens we know that one of the sisters dies, but we don’t know which one, how or why. This story is a psychological thriller that had some twists and kept me guessing.

4 Stars

Clean My Space by Melissa Maker – This was my non-fiction book of the month. I heard about this book from a podcast. It’s a book about cleaning. Yes, it’s a bit repetitive at times, but Maker, who owns a cleaning business really details the process of cleaning. From making your own cleaners to the supplies you need, to the best way to clean each room in your house, this book is a wealth of cleaning information.

Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen – I didn’t read Teigen’s first book Cravings. However, I really enjoyed reading this cookbook. Teigen writes in a very down-to-earth, relatable way. There are so many recipes in this cookbook that I want to make. So far, I have made one recipe from this cookbook and it was delicious!

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren – Millie is the only girl in a gang of guys, all of them professors at UC Santa Barbara and all of them single. When they have a black-tie gala to attend, they decide that they need dates and try online dating. Things get a little messy when Millie and one of the guys, Reid, end up spending a half-night together. I have been devouring Christina Lauren’s books and have enjoyed all of their books that I have read! Just like the others, this one was a fun read and did not disappoint.

Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen – (c/o Book Publicity Services) Thomas Wildus is almost 13. When he stumbles upon an old bookstore he is introduced to the Book of Sorrows. To read the book he must follow a strict set of rules. But the lure of magic is worth it to him. Through this book Thomas is introduced to a new world, discovers information about his family and learns that he has magical powers. I read this fantasy middle grade fiction book with my son. It was an engaging read, filled with magic and adventure, that we both enjoyed.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell – Someone is murdered in Melville Heights, a nice neighborhood in England. But who did it? This book has lots of suspects and secrets that keeps the reader guessing. Jewell writes a good suspense novel that doesn’t disappoint.

5 Stars

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain – It is 1970 and Carly Sears lost her husband in the Vietnam War. But she is pregnant with his baby and learns that at 27 weeks her daughter has a heart defect that will kill her. Carly’s brother-in-law has a possible way to help her baby, which requires Carly to have strength and courage that she never realized she had. Prior to reading this, it has been years since I’ve read a Chamberlain book. I didn’t think that I’d be interested in the topic of this book, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.

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It’s the second Tuesday of the month and time to share my October Reads with Steph and Jana’s Show Us Your Books linkup.  I’m going to be honest, October was a pretty disappointing reading month for me.  Almost all of my reads were 3 stars and just okay reads.  And it was a slow reading month for me with only five books read.  Here they are from least to most liked:

3 stars:

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin – I used to be a big Emily Giffin fan and have read almost every one of her books.  I actually enjoyed this story that shows the divide between the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy and the effects that bad decisions teens make can have on their peers and families.  My only issue was that the story felt unresolved to me and rushed at the end.

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances – Laura is happy to meet her son’s new girlfriend.  But she doesn’t get good vibes from Cherry (yes, I had a problem with this name!), and thinks that she’s a manipulative gold digger.  But her son has fallen for her and now must choose between his girlfriend and mother.  When Daniel is injured in an accident, Laura makes a decision that she thinks is in his best interest….but ultimately there are consequences.  Some things in this book were a bit far fetched, but overall an okay suspense read.

Next of Kin by James Tucker – This is the first book in the Detective Buddy Lock series.  I’ve been avoiding starting a new series, but decided to give this one a go.  Detective Lock investigates the murder of the prestigious Brook family.  Their 10-year-old son Ben, is the only survivor, but someone wants him dead too.  Buddy tries to keep Ben safe while finding the murderer.  This was a quick read and an okay mystery.  I’m willing to give the next book in the series a try.

The Other Woman by Sandie Jones – I didn’t realize when I put this book on hold that it had a very similar premise to The Girlfriend – son has a girlfriend, mom is jealous.  So, I might have tired of the plot line and thus my 3 star rating.  But I don’t know.  The story had me interested, but questioning why does Emily stay with Adam?  Pammie did some shady things to keep Emily away from her son.  This was a suspenseful read and the ending totally surprised me….so it may be worth the read if you like suspense books.  Of the two, I’d recommend this one over The Girlfriend.

4 stars:

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis – This was my non-fiction read of the month.  I have become a fan of Rachel Hollis after listening to the Rise Together podcast that she does with her husband.  Then I learned that she has her own podcast Rise and realized that I read one of her fiction books Party Girl and really liked it.  In this book, she talks about the lies that we tell ourselves and how we need to get over them to live our best life.  It’s an inspiring read told in a very down-to-earth way.

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It’s hard to believe that summer is over.  And it with it, the lazy weekends and extra time to read. Although my schedule doesn’t change come the fall, the kids’ schedules get filled up with their activities, and my reading time seems to decrease drastically!  I feel like I read a good amount over the summer but know I won’t be able to keep up reading 6-8 books a month.  See that library haul of books in that photo above?  Sadly, half of them will be returned unread.  Last month was great in both quantity and quality of reads.  Here are my August reads from least to most liked that I’m sharing with Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup.

3 Stars

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll – I read Knoll’s other novel, Luckiest Girl Alive and only gave it three stars as well.  That should have been a warning, but I decided to give this book a go.  For some reason, it’s categorized as a mystery/thriller, but I do not think it should be.  This book follows several different women in a reality television show called “Goal Diggers.”  There is of course drama and each woman is harboring secrets.  I love a good reality television show.  I think because I went into it expecting something else I was a bit disappointed.

Promises by Belva Plain – When I was growing up my mom used to read a lot of Belva Plain’s books.  By default, since they were around, I also read her books and found them enjoyable.  Somehow, a couple of Plain’s books have been sitting on my bookshelf for YEARS.  In an effort to clear off my bookshelves I decided to read Promises. It appears my reading tastes have changed drastically from those college years.  Even though most of the story takes place in the 90’s, it felt so antiquated.  What wife says, “Oh darling” when referring to her husband?!! And nowadays, I don’t believe a woman would put her career on hold for her husband’s advancement (or I hope she wouldn’t).  This book probably rates close to 2.5 than 3 stars for me, but Goodreads doesn’t allow me to give half star ratings.

4 Stars

The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky – Miranda Regent is one of 6 kids chosen around the world to prep for a mission to Mars.  The only American chosen, she soon starts receiving threatening messages.  Is she in danger? This is a middle grade fiction book that I picked up at the library for my son to read.  He wasn’t that into it and didn’t finish it.  However, if it’s not manga or a graphic novel, I’ve been having difficulty getting him to read it.  I read it and thought it was a pretty good read.  You have to go in with the expectation that it is geared toward children and fiction.  Like, super smart teenagers going into space fiction.  But there was a lot of action and adventure.  So, if you know of kids who like this type of book I’d have them give this one a try.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hiller – Georgina “Geo”, Angela and Kai were high school best friends. One night Angela disappears and is never seen again.  Fourteen years later her remains are discovered and Kai, now a police detective discovers that she was a victim of serial killer Calvin James.  Calvin just happened to be Geo’s girlfriend at the time of Angela’s disappearance.  This book had lots of secrets and hidden surprises.  This is the type of book that I think of when I think of a mystery/thriller.

The Neighbors by Hannah Mary McKinnon – In 1992, Abby and Liam were dating and in love.  But when her brother dies in a car accident, Abby feels responsible and pushes Liam away.  Fast forward to present day and Abby is married to Nate, the man who came upon the accident and actually saved Abby’s life. They have a teenage daughter and are happily married.  But then, Liam and his family end up moving in next door.  Will their past be discovered?  Again, I didn’t really find this book to much of a mystery/thriller.  But about half-way through it became a page-turner.

Reading People by Anne Bogel – This a collection of different personality tests/frameworks that Bogel explains in hopes of helping the reader learn more about herself and others.  Personality frameworks have always interested me and I found this book to be enjoyable and insightful.  This was my non-fiction read of the month.

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It’s the second Tuesday of the month and time to share my June Reads with Jana and Steph’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup.  I thought June was off to a great start.  But in the end, like last month, I only read five books.  Quality-wise, most weren’t even that great.  But, July is  a new month.  I feel like I read more in the summer, so I’m hoping that still remains true! Here are my June reads:

2 stars

The Perfect Nanny by Leiia Slimani – This was one of the times that I should have relied on the goodreads rating of this book.  This book was translated from French and I was interested in seeing what kind of thriller this would be.  Let’s just say this wasn’t suspenseful at all.  I felt like it didn’t go anywhere and there were no likable characters.  Overall, this was a big disappointment.

3 stars

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay – I got this book years ago after reading and loving de Rosnay’s book Sarah’s Key.  The book focuses on the complexity of family relationships but the secret was a bit of a letdown.  I’m happy to have finally read a book off my own bookshelf though and can now pass it on.

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod – This was my non-fiction book of the month.  At age 20, Elrod was clinically dead for 6 minutes after being hit head-on by a drunk driver.  This accident made him reevaluate his life.  He realized the power of getting up early and performing a consistent morning ritual. His morning practice, L.I.F.E.S.A.V.E.R.S., is the foundation of The Miracle Morning.   I found Elrod’s story inspiring.  And I really believe there’s a connection between being an early riser and success.  I just need to actually put this book into practice!

 4 stars

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center –  Maggie had it all – a dream job, a nice apartment and an amazing boyfriend.  However, everything changes on the night of her engagement.  She wakes up in a hospital having to face that her life will never be the same.  She does a lot of growing and a majority of the book focuses on her coming to terms with her new life.  I believe that this book was recommended in the last SUYB.  I had wanted to read one of Center’s other books, Happiness for Beginners, for awhile now.  I am hopefully going to get to that one sooner than later now, since I enjoyed this book.

The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman – I’ve been a big Viola Shipman fan since I read The Charm Bracelet.  Her books tend to have a formulaic quality, with objects, or in this case recipes, leading to a story.  This book in particular felt a little repetitive to me at times, but overall it was an enjoyable story.

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It’s time to share my May 2018 Reads with Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup.  May was a slow reading month for me.  I was busy and when I did have some free time, I was just not motivated to read.  June is off to a great start though, so hopefully my reading mojo is back!  Here are my May reads:
3 Stars

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus – I started this book months ago, wasn’t into it and returned it to the library unfinished.  Then, several SUYB bloggers raved about it.  So I decided that I needed to give it another try.  It was Breakfast Club-esque.  It’s also a YA book and I feel like it read like a YA book.  Overall, it was an okay read for me but I’m glad that I went back and finished it.

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler – I hadn’t heard of this book until I discovered that Starz was creating a television show based on it. I’m all about reading the book before the show or movie so I had to give it a try.  As a foodie, I loved reading about the food and getting a behind the scenes look at the restaurant.  However, I found the writing to be overly-wordy and I found none of the characters really likeable.  I’m curious to see what the show is like though.  Has anyone seen it?!

You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero – I really liked Sincero’s first book, You Are a Badass.  Her second book focuses on bringing more money into your life via manifesting and mindset.  Not a bad book if you are into that type of thing.

4 Stars

Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins – When Nora Stuart is injured in an accident, she moves from Boston back to her small hometown of Maine to recover.  While there, she ends up discovering things about her past and forges new relationships.  I enjoyed this book and think it would make a good summer read.  This was my first Higgins book, but I think I may check some of her other books out.

Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt – This was the second non-fiction book that I read this month.  Your Best Year Ever provides an actionable 5-step plan to reach your goals.  It’s motivational and helpful in goal setting.  However, I think I’d get more out of this book if I owned it, rather than borrowed it from the library.