Hi friends! July was a weird month, I got sick and I felt pretty terrible for a week, and then my mom had surgery (it went really well), so I ended up not posting for most of July which sucks, but things just got away from me. Despite all of that I did manage to read a lot and, while I found some new favorites, I read so many middle of the road books that I felt like it was a very mid reading month overall.
Withouth further ado, here are my thoughts on the books I read:
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie (5 stars): This was entertaining, spooky, and surprising. I was invested from the beginning and it kept me at the edge of my seat. All the characters were distinctive and captivating for their own reasons. I loved that this was told through transcripts of found video footage, journal entries, emails and text messages. This has such a cool premise and the execution delivered, the plot was fascinating and the pacing was just right. I never knew quite where the story was going but I enjoyed the road there.
How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (4 stars): The dolls and puppets in this were really creepy, there were some gross and disturbing scenes, the narrator wasn’t completely reliable which made the book more interesting, and learning little by little about the complex family dynamics was very compelling. Nonetheless, I had some issues with the pacing, and I didn’t really like the chapter that it’s told from a point of view that it’s not the main character, because I found it weird but boring.
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (4 stars): This was such a fun read. It was entertaining and had a distinctive and compelling narrative voice from the beginning, the way the main character broke the fourth wall throughout the story added to the fun style of storytelling. I really liked the mystery in this and the unique way it was told through chapters about each member of the family and the story of how they killed someone. Also, I really enjoyed the resolution of the mystery plot.
The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett (3.5 stars): It took me a while to get into this because it was told entirely through transcripts so the narrative was a bit choppy. Also, for a big portion of this book, the plot didn’t advance at all and it was a bit boring. Nonetheless, the story revolving around the mysterious code was intriguing and it was told in a very unique way for a conspiracy story. Moreover, in the last 35% the pace picked up, I couldn’t put this book down and I liked the way everything was resolved.
Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (4.5 stars): This deals with very hard topics from the very beginning but it does it thoughtfully and I really appreciated that. The writing was great as always, with that fairytale feel to it, and the new world introduced in this book was captivating. This story, as most of the others in this series, was bittersweet and the idea of “everything has a price”, which has been present in this series before, was explored in such an interesting and sad way.
Heartstone by Elle Katharine White (4 stars): I heard Pride and Prejudice with dragons and I knew I needed to read this, and I’m so glad I did. This captured the heart of Pride and Prejudice, in terms of relationships and character development it followed the same story beats with some small changes, but it added an entirely new and captivating fantasy plot and world-building.
Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White (3.5 stars): This was not as good as the first book but it was still good. This book follows the same two main characters from book 1, which are inspired by Elizabeth and Darcy, but all the other characters are not present in this and their absence was very noticeable to me. I still really liked the main characters relationship and their chemistry but I missed their connections to other people. Also, plotwise this felt like a side quest, where the characters had a lot of mini adventures and faced mini dangers, and those weren’t that interesting to me. Nonetheless, I think the world and the magical creatures in this series are so fascinating, which compensated a little bit for the not-so-gripping plot.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (5 stars): I love books where the guy falls first and spends part of the book pinning for the girl while she is oblivious. This book delivered that perfectly. It also did a great job showing the development of their relationship from dislike to like to love. It was believable, I was rooting for the main couple the entire time, and I found the hero very swoony. Also, this is set against the backdrop of academia and, as someone who works in academia even if it’s in a completely different field, I could relate to a lot of what was happening in this book and that was fun.
Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean (3.5 stars): This is the third book in a series of companion novels and the hero is actually the villain of the series. Unfortunately, I felt that he didn’t grovel enough and the heroine forgave him too quickly, so I never found myself fully rooting for the romance. Besides that, the plot was kind of slow and not very intriguing. However, I did enjoy the incredible chemistry between the two characters. It was off the charts. Grace, as a character, was captivating. I loved her independence and strength, as well as her role as the queen of Covent Garden.
A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams (3.5 stars): It took me a bit to get into the story because I couldn’t quite understand why Colton liked Gretchen. She came off as judgmental and somewhat condescending. However, as the story progressed, I began to see why they worked well together, and I appreciated the way their relationship developed. It was especially enjoyable to see Gretchen letting her guard down. The steamy scenes were good, and I also liked the storyline involving Gretchen’s family. Nevertheless, although it was an entertaining read, it wasn’t particularly memorable or unique. It was just okay.
Pretty Face by Lucy Parker (4 stars): I really liked both of the main characters in this story, they were very compelling as individuals, and they had incredible chemistry and banter with each other from the very beginning. While the transition from dislike to like was well executed, the evolution from attraction to love was a bit rushed and not as believable. Nonetheless, they won me over with how beautiful their relationship and connection were throughout the rest of the book. Also, I liked the whole storyline revolving around her family and I liked the direction this took at the end even if it was not what I was expecting. It actually made me cry towards the end which I wasn’t expecting at all from this book.
Making Up by Lucy Parker (3 stars): This was ok. I really appreciated the way this explored the impact that an emotionally abusive relationship can have on a person and I liked following Trix’s journey of healing. Also, the main couple was sweet and there were a few interesting side characters. Nonetheless, I didn’t find the main characters that compelling, they didn’t have as much chemistry as I wanted, and the plot didn’t keep me engaged, I was bored at some point reading this.
The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker (3.5 stars): I was really enjoying this at the beginning, but then the emphasis of the book seem to shift from the romance to the plot, which was a bit convoluted, not that interesting and had a resolution that was kind of obvious. I liked the couple a lot at first with their banter but also the way they understood each other. Nonetheless, once the focus changed, I found the romance a bit boring since I wasn’t invested anymore.
The Marriage Effect by Karla Sorensen (3 stars): I had really high expectations for this book because the ratings are so good. Unfortunately, this was fine but it wasn’t very memorable. The main characters had good chemistry, but it was more of a purely physical relationship and I didn’t see the transition of that physical attraction into love between them. I liked the hero’s little sisters, the relationship they had with him, and, especially, the relationship they developed with the heroine, how they distrusted her at first but she slowly won their trust and love.
Defekt by Nino Cipri (3.5 stars): Just like the first book, this has a very interesting premise – revolving around the multiverse which is connected to a furniture store- and I appreciated the criticism about capitalism and labor. In this case, the premise is better executed than in the first book, and the plot was tighter. Still, I never felt completely invested in the story, and the romance felt a bit weird to me since the main character had a crush on a different version of himself (kind of).
Bookish Wanderess 