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?

It’s time for another monthly book review and I’m excited to talk about the books I read this month. In May, I read nine books, putting me at 38 books read so far in 2016. I’m interested to see if I can read 100 books this year as I did in 2013, but I’m a little bit behind on that. Time will tell!

Let’s dive into my reviews!

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

This is the first book in a series, about a small-town community in Idaho. Lilah is a struggling kennel owner who is working her way through college after a series of events caused her to drop out when she was younger. Brady is a pilot-for-hire who is just stopping through to visit his foster brothers. The characters were a little stereotypical and the plot was completely predictable, but I still loved this novel. Lilah was such a fun character to read about! Definitely a must-read for contemporary romance lovers.

The One & Only by Emily Giffin (★★★★★)

Perhaps it was the fact that I read many not-so-positive reviews of this novel, so my expectations were lower, but I loved this novel. I’m pretty sure it will make my top-ten list this year. The novel centers around a woman, Shea, and the football town of Walker, Texas, where she has lived her entire life. The story opens with tragedy and we see how the people react to what happened. I can understand some of the criticism because there are a lot of loose ends that aren’t exactly tied up and I downright hated the relationship between Shea and her best friend, Lucy, because it was more contentious than loving. But, still, this novel gave me all the feels, which is why it gets five stars from me. Another criticism of the novel is all the football talk, but psht, that was probably my favorite part! I’m someone who will talk to you about football all day long if you let me, and I appreciated Shea’s knowledge of the game. This book is not for everyone, for sure, but I think this might be my favorite novel of hers. I’m okay with being in the minority. 😉

Playing to Win by Jaci Burton (★★★★☆)

This is the fourth novel in Burton’s Play By Play series, where we meet Cole, an NFL star who has a short fuse that gets him in trouble with the media often; so much so that many teams don’t want anything to do with him, even if he does have talent. Enter Savannah, an image consultant, who works with Cole to change his attitude and his relationship with the media. I loved that Cole was brash and petulant and stubborn – he was such an antihero in the beginning! And I loved Savannah and her sassiness. The chemistry between these two was smokin’ hot, and I enjoyed the way the romance played out in an authentic, believable way.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (★★★★★)

This book reads a bit more slowly than the previous two books, but now that I’ve read the entire series, I know it’s because this novel sets the scene for what’s to come. We are introduced to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, two key characters in the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Harry’s dad through people who knew him when he was Harry’s age. Snape is still the worst, though. I understand his character and why he is the way he is, but man, these first few books with Snape are hard to bear!

The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries (★★★★☆)

I kept hearing about this book through Book Riot; it sounded like something that would ring all of my bells, and boy, did it! It’s a Regency romance about a woman, Clarissa, who is being stalked by a powerful French diplomat so she agrees to marry her cousin’s best friend, the gruff and cynical Edwin, in the hopes that this would force this man to leave her alone. This book was feminist at its core and that’s what made it so wonderful. It’s well-written, historically accurate, and perfectly steamy.

Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas (★★★★☆)

This is the fourth novel in Kleypas’s “The Hathaways” series and it follows the story of Leo, a character who was very unlikable in the first few novels. Leo must marry and produce a male heir within a year, or else his entire family loses their home. So, Leo decides there’s no better woman to choose than his sisters’ paid companion, Catherine Marks. This book was such a delight, and I loved the back-and-forth between Leo and Catherine. I can’t say these books are entirely historically accurate, but eh, who cares… it’s romance! Stretching the truth a little is what makes this genre so enjoyable.

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf (★★★★☆)

One morning, two girls go missing from their bedrooms. The girls are best friends and one of the girls is a selective mute. There are multiple narratives – from the parents of the girls, the girls themselves, the brother of one of the girls, and the deputy in charge of the investigation – which I thought flowed very well. My only criticism of the novel is that the voices between the narratives weren’t very different (i.e., the voice of a forty-something professor should be very different than the voice of a seven-year-old girl!) But, even still, it was a gripping novel that kept my attention from beginning to end.

Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen (★★★☆☆)

This is a character-driven novel about what it’s like to have it all but to lose the most important essence of you. Julia and Michael are in their thirties and highly successful, living in a multi-million-dollar mansion and experiencing all of the good – and the bad – that comes with such a high level of success. Then, Michael has a heart attack. He survives, but is a changed man, wanting to give away all his money and start over fresh. This was the type of book that I could set down easily and not feel the urge to pick it up again. The pacing is slow and it’s more about the characters and who they were/are, less about a fast-paced plot. It’s beautifully written and has a strong voice, but I didn’t find it particularly engaging – probably because I didn’t actually like Julia or Michael very much. Judging by the reviews on Goodreads, I’m in the minority with my opinion, so I’d recommend people who love a good character-driven narrative to pick this one up!

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins (★★★★☆)

Kristan Higgins is a pro at creating complex yet utterly endearing family relationships. I like the way she writes families because they seem so real – not completely dysfunctional yet not completely perfect. There’s jealousy and hurt feelings and good times and love and betrayal. In this novel, Faith comes back to her hometown of Blue Heron to stop her father from marrying someone who is 100% wrong for him and, in doing so, she realizes she has to confront her past in order to move forward into her future. It’s funny and heartfelt and romantic, even if some of the situations Faith got into felt a little too silly and overdone.

May Book Stats

• Number of books read: 9 (3,650 pages)
• Format breakdown: e-books (5), physical books (4)
• Genre breakdown: romance (6), fantasy (1), fiction (2)
• Number of diverse reads: 3 out of 9 (33%)
• Where I got my books from: Overdrive (5), a friend (1), library (3)
• Money spent on reading this month: $0 (yay libraries!)
• Where I visited:
  
  Idaho (1), Texas (1), Missouri (1), Iowa (1), New York (2), and England (3)

How many books did you read in May? Which one was your favorite?

I’ve decided to bring back my monthly book review posts because I really missed doing them. I love to write them, and I’ve heard from people that they love reading them. So, they’re back and I couldn’t be happier about it. I hope you enjoy and find some new books to add to your TBR list!

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (★★★★☆)

This book gave me all of the feels. It follows two women throughout their friendship – from their first meeting as young girls in the 70s all the way through college and first jobs and marriage and babies. It shows the ways friendships can ebb and flow over time, how it can change as we evolve into different people with different life paths. The women were frustrating at times, vulnerable at others. I connected much more with Kate than I ever did with Tully, and I felt her struggle so much more deeply. It’s quite the novel at nearly 500 pages, but the time is so worth it. Kristin Hannah definitely knows how to pull at my heartstrings.

Taking a Shot by Jaci Burton (★★★★☆)

This is the third novel in Burton’s “Play by Play” series, and follows the story between professional hockey player Ty and bartender Jenna. Like Burton’s other novels, this one had more sex scenes than seemed necessary, but I was happy that there was more of a conflict between the characters before that all started happening. The overarching theme that Jenna is putting her life on hold to be there for her family was well-explored and I loved the way everything unfolded so naturally. And, who can deny the chemistry between Ty and Jenna? Sizzling!

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy (★★★☆☆)

I was excited about this book because it features a plus-size protagonist, something I don’t see in many books. (And, if the protagonist is fat, she usually hates her size and all she wants to do is lose weight.) Dumplin’ was different in that this story didn’t center around Willowdean’s weight. Of course, it’s a central theme of the story – loving yourself as you are, and that you are just as deserving of good things as your skinnier counterparts – but there’s more to it than that. There’s friendship and how it evolves, romance and how it can change you, entering a beauty pageant even though you feel as if you may not fit in. As lovely as this novel was, though, I do wish the author hadn’t fallen into the trope of making fun of skinny people (i.e., “twigs”) because body acceptance is about accepting all body types, not just fat ones. I also think the story could have used a more solid plot because there were times the story dragged.

Suddenly One Summer by Julie James (★★★★★)

I read this book in 24 hours, as I typically do with James’s novels. She’s the writer I find myself most wanting to emulate in my novel because I love the way her stories develop. This novel followed the story of divorce lawyer Victoria and investigative journalist Ford and had a cute subplot of the two of them teaming up to help Ford’s sister find the father of her baby, with whom she had had a one-night stand. A fun, light-hearted novel!

The Magician’s Lie by Greer Macallister (★★★☆☆)

This was April’s book club pick, and it definitely had an interesting premise: it’s the early 1900s and a female illusionist’s husband is murdered. She’s the prime suspect and has one night to convince a policeman that she didn’t do it. During this long night, we learn about the illusionist’s past and how she got to where she is today. I find stories about magic to be very hit-or-miss for me (I loved Water for Elephants, but it took me two tries to get through The Night Circus), and I found this novel to be just okay. There were strong characters and a fast-moving plot, but I was disappointed by the ending.

Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins (★★★☆☆)

This wasn’t my favorite novel from this author, but it was a good read nonetheless. Higgins’s novels usually have the typical chick-lit tropes in them, but they seemed to be toned down in this novel, thankfully. I also loved that characters from her other novels made cameos – that was a fun surprise!

Looking for Trouble by Victoria Dahl (★★★★☆)

Another novel I read in less than a day! Dahl’s novels are typically quick reads for me because she creates great conflict and interesting characters, even if the books are a bit raunchier than I typically enjoy. Some parts of this novel felt a little over-the-top, but overall, I loved this novel and the romance between Alex and Sophie.

A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca (★★★★☆)

I read this for the postal book club, a memoir by award-winning poet Jimmy Santiago Baca. I wasn’t too keen on reading it because I knew it would be a heavy read and boy was it. Baca had a very, very tough life – abandoned by his parents at the age of 10, thrust into an orphanage, living on the streets at 14, and then convicted on drug charges at 21. When he entered prison (where he ended up serving six-and-a-half years), he was illiterate, but he learned to read and write while incarcerated. Baca’s story is raw and gut-wrenching and uncomfortable to read at times. I constantly had to set the book down and walk away from it for a while because it was affecting me so profoundly. I’m glad I read it, though, because it reminds me of the power of the human spirit, and how we can persevere even when life looks the most bleak and hopeless.

April Book Stats

• # of pages: 2,831
• Quickest read(s): Suddenly One Summer and Looking for Trouble (less than 24 hours)
• Longest read: The Magician’s Lie (9 days)
• Format breakdown: physical book (4), e-book (4)
• Genre breakdown: romance (4), fiction (2), YA (1), nonfiction (1)

What was the best book you read in April?