I have something super exciting to share before I get into August’s book reviews: my book club has gone digital. Inspired by the What Should I Read Next? podcast that my book club leader has been listening to lately, she brought up the idea of forming an Instagram account where we share what we’re reading and where we’re reading, along with other book-loving goodness, with other people in the hopes we can help them find their “next great read.” We coined our account “Our Storied Lives” and I’d love for you to give us a follow! It would mean the world to all of us! (We’re signing our posts with our initial and an emoji. My emoji is the anchor, because of course.)

So, with that bit o’ news shared, let’s jump right into what I read in August. I felt like this was a slower reading month, probably because I was busy with freelance work and packing and shopping for my new place, so reading fell a bit on the back burner. I still read 6 books, most of which were romance.

The Unwilling Executive by Miranda P. Charles (★★☆☆☆)

This was a free Kindle book that I bought a while ago because I thought the premise sounded interesting: a woman is tasked by her boss to hand-deliver a message to his estranged son and to try and get the two of them on speaking terms again. It’s a completely inappropriate request, but she does it and, surprise, said son is a hunk and the woman falls for him. The book was okay, but did solidify for me why I stay away from free or cheap Kindle romances: they usually aren’t very good. This was a self-published title that could have really used a strong editor because it just lacked a bit of depth. I also laughed at the disclaimer: “This book is for adults only. It contains hot sexual scenes.” LOLZ. It’s a romance novel; that’s kinda expected.

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (★★★★☆)

I really loved this novel. In fact, I’m surprised at how much I loved it because I didn’t think I would. It follows a very dysfunctional and fairly unredemptive family, the Plumbs, after one of the siblings, Leo, gets into a car accident with a woman who is most assuredly not his wife and has to draw from “the nest” to pay her off after she’s badly injured. This “nest” is what all of the other siblings have been waiting for and now, because of Leo, they realize they won’t be getting a multimillion-dollar payday. They’re getting a $50,000 payday. Ouch.

While I did feel like the author had too many side plots going on (I really didn’t understand the point of the story of the man with the stolen statue…), I still loved this novel because I love dysfunctional families. Novels like this help me feel less alone. I felt a kindredness with the Plumbs. I think, in the end, they all found their own kind of redemption, even if it may not be the neatly tied-up version we always expect.

Heat Exchange by Shannon Stacey (★★★☆☆)

This book was okay, but I have really high standards for my romance novels and this one failed to live up to them. The dialogue didn’t seem to be true to life and the characters were a bit underdeveloped. I found the misogyny in the book to be hard to handle, too. Since this book was about firefighters, I am going to assume some of the misogyny is authentic to what happens in a firehouse, and that’s fine, but it needs to be addressed. This should have been one of the main themes of the novel and I think if it had, this book could have had a major impact. Instead, I don’t think I care to continue reading this series or this author.

Under the Wire by Cindy Gerard (★★★★☆)

If the previous novel is one that doesn’t live up to my high romance standards, then this book is completely different. Cindy Gerard can write a romantic suspense novel like nobody else, and I loved rereading this story for… the fifth or sixth time. Heh. I think I first read this novel way back in 2007 when I was a struggling college freshman and felt very sad all the time. I found this book in my college bookstore and decided I needed to read it immediately because it seemed like it would take me out of my misery. And it did! And I’ve continued to reread this novel and all her other ones, since then. This story sucked me in and I finished it in less than 24 hours. Yessss!

Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl (★★★★★)

This might be my favorite Dahl novel ever. I could relate to the female protagonist so much and I loved how Dahl wrote the character of Veronica. She was slightly sassy and naughty, but also incredibly sweet and joyful. She had a ton of heart and I was drawn to her immediately. And the male protagonist? He was hot, hot, hot. And a librarian to boot! I loved his character and he felt so true and authentic. Dahl just knows how to write a romance novel, no bones about it. She’s one of the romance novelists I am so inspired by and aim to be like in my writing. This book ends the Girls Night Out series, and now I’m finished with all of Dahl’s contemporary novels! Time to get started on her historical ones.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (★★★★☆)

This book is a beast at 871 pages. A beast, I tell you! I wanted to finish it before the move so that a) I didn’t have to lug this tome to my new place and b) Roomie and I could watch the accompanying movie for our last Roomie Date Night (wah). I would probably admit that this book is my least favorite in the series, but like, that’s not saying much because I still totally loved this novel so much! As expected, I hated Dolores Umbridge with fiery passion. And the disconnect between Harry and Dumbledore made me really sad. I love their bond so much. This novel moved a bit slowly until the last 300-400 pages, and then I just never wanted to put it down. I’m so excited to watch the movie!

AUGUST BOOK STATS

• Number of books read: 6 (2,550 pages)
• Format breakdown: e-books (4), physical books (2)
• Genre breakdown: romance (4), fantasy (1), fiction (1)
• Number of diverse reads: 3 out of 6 (50%)
• Where I got my books from: Overdrive (3), a friend (1), library (1), Amazon (1)
• Money spent on reading this month: $0

What’s the best book you read in August?

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July was a pretty fantastic reading month for me. I read 7 novels, 5 of which I gave four or five stars.

If you pick up any of the books from this list to read, make sure it’s Jane Steele. That book was bonkers awesome, as my gals on the All the Books! podcast like to say.

Here are the reviews!

Over the Line by Cindy Gerard (★★★★☆)

This was a reread for me, but I read the novel years ago (apparently before I had a Goodreads account since I didn’t have a record of having read it). This was such a fun novel and I read it in less than 24 hours. This was a typical romantic thriller where the twists and turns kept me guessing right up to the very end. Cindy Gerard is one of the best in this genre.

The Regional Office Is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales  (★★★☆☆)

In this novel, we follow the story of the Regional Office, which is a group of female assassins dedicated to protecting the world from annihilation, as it comes under attack due to a defector from within. The novel starts out strong but then splits off into a million different directions and became disjointed really quickly. And, in the end, I truly didn’t care whether the two main characters (Sarah and Rose) lived or died, so I guess that gives a good understanding of how I felt about the novel.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (★★★☆☆)

Half of this book is a memoir and half of it is a primer on writing. Interestingly enough, I enjoyed the memoir much more than I enjoyed the writing advice. I thought some of the advice was dated and common sense, though there were some fantastic points made that I’d never thought of before. Still, this is a must-read for writers, if only to learn about how Stephen King got his start in the industry.

The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins (★★★★☆)

This was such a fun, cute read – it’s perfect for summer! In this novel, Honor has been “dumped” by her friend-with-benefits who then becomes engaged to her best friend. Heartbroken and lost, she impulsively decides to marry Tom, a cute British professor whose visa is expiring and who needs a green card immediately. Of course, this is a romance novel so we all know where this is going, don’t we? The whole let’s-pretend-to-be-in-a-relationship-whoops-we-fell-in-love trope is one of my most favorites in the romance genre, and Higgins did a great job of allowing the relationship to evolve at a natural pace.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (★★★★★)

This is my favorite book in the series, and it remains so for many reasons. I love it because the Triwizard Tournament is just so much fun to read about. I love it because there’s so much drama and angst, and it feels so lighthearted when most of the novel feels so dark. I love it because there’s a lot of Ron action between fighting with Harry over the tournament and then with Hermione over the Yule Ball, and since Ron is my favorite character, I just loved him in all his terrible glory. I’m nervous to start the next book, but I also can’t wait!

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas (★★★★★)

This is the final novel in Kleypas’s The Hathaways series, and I must say that I am sad to say goodbye to these characters. They were truly sensational. Through the last four books, I watched little Beatrix grow up and get in trouble. I had no idea what kind of man would be a match for her, but Christopher Phelan was absolutely perfect. Christopher was a soldier with whom Beatrix had a deceptive correspondence, as Beatrix was writing these letters as if she was her friend, Prudence, a former suitor of Christopher’s. There is so much to love about both these characters, and I could just feel how much Beatrix loved Christopher and, while I knew a HEA was imminent, I didn’t know how everything would turn out, which kept me on my toes.

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (★★★★★)

Jane Steele is a reimagining of Jane Eyre (a novel I’ve never read), except with a slight twist – Jane is a serial killer. Frankly, the men she offs deserve it and you’ll understand why as you dive into the book. Everything comes to a head when Jane becomes a governess at Highgate House, the home she lived in until she became an orphan, and the place she believes rightfully belongs to her. During her time there, as one does, she ends up falling for the captivating Charles Thornfield and has to decide how to tell him about her, er, problem with murder. This book was everything I want in a novel, and I’m already planning on buying my own physical copy so I can read it whenever I want. It might just be the best book I read this year!

JULY BOOK STATS

• Number of books read: 7 (2,931 pages)
• Format breakdown: e-books (4), physical books (3)
• Genre breakdown: romance (3), science fiction (1), nonfiction (1), fantasy (1), fiction (1)
• Number of diverse reads: 3 out of 7 (43%)
• Where I got my books from: Overdrive (4), a friend (1), library (2)
• Money spent on reading this month: $0 (yay libraries!)

What was the best book you read in July?

I’m the type of reader – and I’ve been this way since I was a child – that has to force herself to stop reading. Not in a “ooh, this book is getting good!” sort of way, but in a “Stephany, you need to work on your novel right now” or “Stephany, you need to clean your apartment” or “Stephany, you need to get ready to go out” sort of way. My favorite way to spend my free time is reading, which is why I read so much. I will put off doing the things I know I need to do so that I can dive into the book I’m currently reading.

It’s why it’s hard for me to relate to people who spend an entire month reading one book. I just… I don’t have the mental capacity to spend 30 whole days on one book. My attention span can’t handle that. I start to get antsy if I’m still reading the same book after a week. Please don’t get me wrong – I don’t feel any judgment toward people who read one book a month because, at the end of the day, reading is reading. But it’s interesting how much it consumes my world.

This month, I tried to slow down my reading. I tried to set it aside in order to get things done, like writing, like socializing, like cleaning. I still read 7 books, but I feel like I really took my time with them and didn’t try to finish them as quickly as possible. It was an interesting experiment for a month, but I’ve already almost finished my third book for July, so I’m not turning over a new leaf, I don’t think.

Here’s what I read in June!

November 9 by Colleen Hoover (★★★★★)

Colleen Hoover makes me want to give up writing completely. She is just so dang good at writing! It affects me. It messes with my world. When I’m reading one of her novels, it’s all I can think about and I lose all focus. This novel follows Fallon and Ben over the course of five years, as they meet for one day every November 9. For the other 364 days, they have zero contact. No text messages, no phone calls, no Facebook. It’s such an intriguing premise (even though I know it’s not completely original…) and I loved every second I spent with this book. Colleen, please never ever stop writing.

Flirting With Disaster by Victoria Dahl (★★★★☆)

I read this book from beginning to end on a lazy Saturday. It wasn’t anything special – just your average contemporary romance from Dahl – but it was sweet and cute and I just didn’t want to put the novel down. I also love that Dahl creates feminist characters that talk about sex in a positive, healthy way. It’s inspiring.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (★★☆☆☆)

I had high expectations of this book, and it really fell flat for me. It seemed to be less about feminism and more about race and pop culture, which is fine, but it’s just faulty marketing. I thought I would read this book and fall completely in love with Roxane Gay, but it actually made me realize she’s probably not someone I’d ever be friends with. (I know she’s devastated.) We have very different viewpoints on a lot of issues. There were some really interesting essays, like when she talked about the struggle narrative in seeing black people in pop culture or her essays on feminism, but then there was essay after essay of her giving opinions on movies, books, and TV shows. And most of the opinions were negative and didn’t seem to have a point to them. (Like, why even include it other than to badmouth a creator?) All in all, it’s not an essay collection I’d recommend.

Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆)

This novel was just plain fun! I love everything Jill Shalvis writes because her style is very similar to the style I’d like to write – sweet romance novels with lots of heart. I thought the MC’s storyline was really interesting and not something I read about too much in romance novels, so it kept me intrigued until the very end. All of the happy sighs.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (★★★★☆)

I suggested this book for book club since there are a couple of us going through a Gilmore Girls binge right now. I had read some mixed reviews of the book, but I actually really enjoyed it! For a fiction novel written by a celebrity, I thought it was really well-written with authentic characters. It was more chick-lit than I expected, but I love this genre so I didn’t mind it. The novel follows a struggling actress living in New York City in the mid-90s. She came to NYC to become an actress but gave herself a timeline of three years to make it, and when the book begins, she only has six months left until she has to go back home and become a teacher. I imagine this book closely reflected the struggles Lauren herself faced in the years before she found success, so a lot of it felt true-to-life. As a wannabe novelist, I also loved this quote:

“…how do you know? How can you tell if anything will ever come of it? How can you endure the waiting for someone else to, well, recognize you? How can you stand the not knowing?”

“I don’t know, actually. You just do it, I guess. There isn’t another choice but to wait and see, as long as you can take it.” (p. 78)

Thrown by a Curve by Jaci Burton (★★★☆☆)

This was not Jaci Burton’s best novel, which is surprising because it’s the fifth book in her Play by Play series. Some of the language felt very, very cheesy and the dialogue seemed inauthentic. I didn’t feel a strong connection to the hero or heroine. The whole book just felt rushed. I mean, it’s still a great romance novel and very well-written when compared to other romance novels, but I’ve enjoyed her other books a whole lot more.

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins  (★★★☆☆)

I don’t read too many short story collections because I don’t enjoy them, but I read this book’s companion (My True Love Gave To Me) in December, and when I found out this anthology was being published, I immediately requested it from Overdrive. And it was cute! It was really, really cute. There were some stories I loved, some I liked, and some I hated. There was a continuation of a story from the previous collection, which made me swoony, and then a story that made me want to throw my Kindle across the room because it frustrated me so much. Ya win some, ya lose some with short stories.

What kind of reader are you – do you read books slowly, or do you get antsy if you’ve been reading the same book for a week or more? What’s the best book you read in June?