Books – August 2021

My month started out with a DNF, so I was a little worried that I was going to have another slump month. But then we read The One for book club, and I got a few books from the library that I had been waiting on…and things picked up quickly. Also, check out how many NetGalley books I knocked out! I have a real problem with going on requesting sprees, I am trying to clear my shelf. Linking up with Steph and Jana.

The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding

This one snagged my interest right away. The chapters in the book switch from Viv, to Thomas, to Eli to Tarryn. I really liked how we get each family member’s perspective. I love a good family drama, and this definitely delivered. Each person had their own secrets they were hiding from the rest of the family. It was truly messed up stuff, so that was interesting. I didn’t really like any of the characters, but I don’t think you are supposed to. The first good chunk of this book kept me going, and was fairly intense. And then the ending sort of fell flat for me.

Bottom Line: Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. It was really hard to put down, definitely kept me guessing the entire time. I just wish the ending was different somehow? It was sort of a let down.

**I received a copy of The Perfect Family from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The One by John Marrs

This was the July choice for book club, and I was excited to jump in. There have been so many good reviews on this one floating around blog land. And now that I am finished with it, I am left torn. I liked how the book goes back and forth between the different POVs of the Matched characters we get to meet, it really sucks you in immediately. Each of the storylines was very interesting, giving you surprises and heartache. But then I realized about half way through that they were all quite depressing, really. My faith in humanity has greatly diminished since finishing this book. None of the characters were all that likeable, they were very one dimensional. Each storyline was just so fucked up. As far as the dating DNA storyline goes, I liked Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren much more.

Bottom Line: I am not sure how many stars I want to give this book. It really held my interest the entire time, and it was very hard to put down. But then when I finished the book, I just felt sad for humanity and wanted to go cry in the shower. However, I remembered a lot of details about it to tell Chris about all the storylines, so it stuck with me. I also really liked talking about it with book club.

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

I am sure you are shocked to see that there are a few CL books I haven’t read yet. I am finally getting to this one, and I gotta say, it was well worth the wait. I liked how the story alternated between the past and present, and we saw the relationship between Macy and Elliot grow every other chapter, and then got present day. I felt like the relationship between Sean and Macy wasn’t super believable. It seemed way to easy and detached? But that was also the point. When we finally find out what happens, oh man. Cue the tears! I really enjoyed this one, and it will move on up towards the top 5 CL books for me. Another book I tore through in just a few sittings.

Bottom Line: Read it!! I feel like even if romance isn’t your jam, there is something to appreciate here in this book. This one is less romcom than their usual books, with more serious elements thrown in.

King of the Court by R.S. Grey

This book is available for pre-order. It comes out August 12, 2020

A new R.S. Grey?? Sign me up! I think I read this one in about 24 hours, which never happens for me. It just grabbed me from the beginning. I liked that we had a time jump between part 1 and part 2. It was very different than any of the other RS Grey books I have read in that sense. Honestly, I felt like Raelynn was a pretty badass female, doing what she needed to do to get by. I also liked Ben, and R.S. Grey is always good about side characters, Lele, Trey and Anthony were all pretty cool. I would love to have this as a series with the different guys from Ben’s team.

Bottom Line: If you like romcom, check it out!

**I received an ARC of King of the Court from R.S. Grey in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

I am so behind on Jasmine Guillory books, but I was excited to jump back into her world. I liked both Nik and Carlos, probably Carlos the most. And I really like how Guillory brings characters from previous books into this book. The meet cute was really fun in this one, and probably the strongest part of the book for me. I felt like the humor of the book fell a little flat.

Bottom Line: With the baseball/California setting…it is the perfect summer read!

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee

I was really excited to jump in, the premise sounded fun and a bit unique. I will say, I felt like I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I liked that it wasn’t an insta-love romance…but it also left me very frustrated. The characters basically had a hard time communicating their feelings to each other through the entire book. I felt like some of their thoughts were a bit childish? And Tara’s whole situation. She was 28 and she had two 30 year old twin brothers, and they all lived at home with their parents still? I did like that Tara was a brew master. Having a female heroine in a predominantly male driven world was pretty cool.

Bottom Line: This one passed the time fine, I wouldn’t not recommend it. But I also wouldn’t be in a hurry to read it either.

**I received a copy of The Dating Dare from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

I got about 30-40% into this book, and I decided to quit. I just can’t with the main character. The whole premise of the book, her pretending to be her best friend for a job and hiding it from said friend is just messed up. How can you do that to your friend? And Birdy is such a mess of a person in general. She makes one stupid mistake after another. Get your shit together, girl! Plus, the author takes cheap shots at Americans, acting like we are all classless idiots. No thanks. I don’t think I will be picking up anything else from this author.

Bottom Line: Pass

**I received a copy of The Summer Job from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

This book comes out in October 20201

I didn’t realize this was the third book in a series when I requested it. (Some of the reviews said you do no need to read them in order.) I think this one one of those “read now” deals I got an email for. The premise sounded good with family secrets, but I just couldn’t get into this book. The writing was sort of all over the place, and the characters were not very relatable to me. I was bored and maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time.

Bottom Line: At the time of my review, the book had really good reviews on Goodreads, so I can’t say not to read it since I didn’t finish it. Maybe it picked up? It just wasn’t for me.

**I received a copy of Oh William! from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Currently Reading

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand