My September and October reads included all types of books: rom-com beach read, young adult novel-in-verse, epistolary suspense novella, final book in a fantasy series, and graphic thriller! Did you have a good reading month?
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (and a half)
Format: Audiobook
Quick Synopsis: Sara and Luis serendipitously meet in a Key West parking lot after her boyfriend bails on her family vacation. Desperate to please her mother and him with a need to kill time after forced leave, Sara and Luis agree to fake date for the week, but how long before the past catches up with them?
Quick Review: I was very pleasantly surprised with this book - much more than just a steamy beach read. My favorite part of this story ended up being how Sara and Luis' character arcs were shaped by the relationships with their siblings. It was unexpected, considering their motivations for fake dating didn't have anything to do with their siblings at all. But unexpected doesn't mean misleading, for their siblings really help everyone to come full-circle. A little hummingbird told me there's a second book, Anchored Hearts, for anyone needing that last dose of sunshine before Fall gets into full swing!
Who Should Read This: Anyone who needs a tropical vacation. Anyone who has a love-hate relationship with their siblings. Anyone who loves a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie.
Genre: Young Adult Novel-in-Verse
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook
Quick Review: Yahaira and Camino are of the same cloth, they share so much, yet have no idea the other exists, until the day their father is lost in a plane crash and their lives come crashing together.
What I Think So Far: So much to say about this book. Their father may have had a double life, but his greatest fault may have been keeping these two apart. Yahaira and Camino were destined to be sisters, protecting and loving each other fiercely as soon as their existence comes to light, although I do wish we got to spend more time with the two of them together. And for being sixteen years old, the amount they have to say and teach us about loss, grief, forgiveness, adversity, and family is tremendous. It is also eye-opening to see how Elizabeth Acevedo, an own-voices Dominican-American author, incorporated the complexities, uniqueness, and duality of both cultures identities into the book. Of significant note is the author's written word. Please don't be hesitant of the novel-in-verse format, as everything Acevedo writes is magical.
Who Should Read This: Anyone who values loyalty above all else. Anyone who appreciates slam poetry. Anyone who likes dual points-of-view.
Genre: Epistolary Suspense Novella
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook & E-book
Quick Synopsis: Carrie and David correspond through letters, trying to understand the details and motivations of the affair their spouses are having.
Quick Review: Dear Reader, I know this may come as a shock, but Taylor Jenkins Reid continues to slay. She's solidified herself as a contemporary, romance, and historical fiction writer and queen of the oral history. But now you can add short story and epistolary to her resume as well. This story needs no more introduction or research, and will take you less time to listen to than the entire Aurora album by Daisy Jones & The Six.
Who Should Read This: Anyone who needs more TJR in their life. Anyone who is going on a 2 hour road trip alone. Anyone who has listened to all of the podcast episodes in their queue.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
My Reviews: Goodreads
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (and a half)
Format: Audiobook
Quick Synopsis: Do I need to recap this? Finally, the seventh and last installment of the Harry Potter series!
Quick Review: For those who don't know, I never read Harry Potter as a kid, and really didn't feel the need to, except for the fact that Harry Potter permeates every facet of pop culture and people are always talking about it. Cue me resolving to read the books as a 27-30 year old millennial for the first time. My reviews are sassy, but what can you expect when I missed the hype as a kid, and I feel pressured to be in the know about this series? I'll have to post a Harry Potter blog now that I'm finally done with the books, but suffice to say, thank Voldemort I'm finished with this series.
Who Should Read This: Anyone who still needs to finish the Harry Potter series?
Genre: Graphic Thriller
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook
Quick Synopsis: Claire and Lydia are estranged sisters leading fractured lives sparked by the devastating disappearance of their third sister over 20 years prior. When Claire's husband is murdered and the FBI shows up at her house, secrets begin to emerge that could connect the two crimes together but leave Claire and Lydia trusting only in each other.
Quick Review: The book was addicting - I found myself wanting to know more about the missing girls and their families. I loved reading the father's letters to his missing daughter, Julia. Unfortunately, my main issue with Pretty Girls was that it just wasn't super thrilling. There is a lot of graphic violence and gruesome torture in Pretty Girls, but it's a lot of re-telling or re-watching, as the story is often recounting the events, rather than happening in real-time. I think this goes to show that graphic violence doesn't always equal suspenseful or thrilling, it just equals disturbing.
Who Should Read This: True Crime enthusiasts. Anyone who doesn't mind reading about graphic violence.
What's on deck for the next two months?
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle to read with a friend on bookstagram
Christmas Dessert Murder by Joanne Fluke to read do some Christmas baking with a friend!
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown because it's the next book in the Robert Langdon series and just became a TV show
The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie because the ending gets spoiled in another book I want to read
10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston because I wasn't able to fit this holiday book in last Christmas, so I'm planning a buddy read for it this year!
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles since Mike read it earlier this year and I'd love to discuss it with him
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen because I loved their first book together!
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