July Book Wrap-up
Well, July has come and gone with the quickness! I finished the month having read 6 books. July is a little (extra) special for me because I finally reactivated (if that’s how you’d describe it) my library card. Now that Libby is apart of my reading experience, I foresee more audiobook listens to help me forge through my TBR. Along with my stats this time, I’ve decided to include mini reviews for each book. Let’s get into them.
July Book Stats
Number of Books Read: 6
Number of Pages Read: 760
Audiobook Hours: 41.50
New Favorites
While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (5 Stars): Here’s to another one of Jasmine’s Jewel (coining it now). The exploration into stigmas projected on plus size actors, mental health, and coping mechanisms brought depth and dimensions to the characters. In true fashion, the steam was in abundance and a bit next level. ‘The Proposal’ is still my favorite of the series, but I welcome this new addition with daps and hugs. If you’re searching for a Summer rom-com to dive into, I couldn’t recommend this more.
Early Morning Riser By Katherine Heiny (4 Stars): I picked this one up because (no surprise) I fell in love with its cover art. I was thoroughly engrossed in this story and characters because it felt real. I plan to review this separately, but do yourself a favor and pick up this less buzzy, but worth more hype read about guilt, loss, and family.
Like, But Didn’t Love
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (4 Stars): The story of Nora having a chance to live out multiple lives while in a library based purgatory was unique and sharp. I was a little exhausted with her discovering new lives as opposed to just living them out. I’d still suggest this one, but would highly recommend checking into its trigger warnings associated with suicide beforehand.
The Paper Palace By Miranda Cowley Heller (4 Stars): Don’t let the book cover fool you, this is anything but a light beach read. Every trauma you could think of was within this story. There also weren’t really any redeeming characters. I don’t typically mind dark storylines, but let’s just say I could have used a hug or a deep discussion to workout my thoughts when I finished reading it. So, reader beware.
That’s A No For Me, Dawg
Honey Girl By Morgan Rogers (3 Stars): I wanted to like this one because of its exploration into purpose and self discovery, but it just fell flat. It felt as if much of the story was repetitive and some of the characters relationships with one another were just strange and hard to follow. Also, if I never hear the word ‘honey’ or ‘champagne’ again, it would be too soon.
A Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires By Grady Hendrix (3 Stars): Talk about a let down. This had the makings of pulling me in (I. e vampires, the south, and book clubs) and it did for a minute, BUT there was much to be desired after a while. I grew tired of having to suspense belief when it came to its interpretation of persons of color and women. I see the author has recently released a new book that I’m curious to read, but if the same energy from this one is anywhere within it, I’m out.
—What Did You Read In July?—
