Linkup Guidelines:
1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Please display the button or link back to us on your blog post
2. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!
Here's what I read since the last linkup.
Engrossing Reads
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - This book physically pained me. Anyone can be a mean girl and anyone can be the victim of a mean girl. After I finished this on the train one morning, I walked into my Dunkin Donuts and saw a gaggle of high school girls waiting for their drinks. I wanted to clutch them all to me and urge them to be kind.
Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos - I waited for this book to come in for me at the library for over two freaking months so I was very happy when it didn't disappoint. I liked the story fine and liked some of the characters and disliked others...but I loved the writing. I'm coming for more, Dean. Don't let me down.
Passed the Time Just Fine
Identity (Fina Ludlow #2) by Ingrid Thoft - Second in the Fina series. I love her as a kickass female private detective with a fucked up family. I'm on board for more.
Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner - Received a copy for free from Netgalley. This was truly just okay for me. A little slow in places, but I didn't think hmm maybe I shouldn't finish this. Do I think you should rush to read it? No.
Mad River (Virgil Flowers #6) by John Sandford - Another in the That Fuckin' Flowers series. This was Bonnie and Clyde-ish and a little violent at times, but still a good Virgil story.
Nowhere Girl by Susan Strecker - Freebie from netgalley for an honest review. I was totally sucked into this book, convinced everyone was a murderer at some point. I read it in a day. There were some holes in the story but overall not bad.
Hard No
The Good Neighbor by A.J. Banner - Do not do not do not. I received this for free from Netgalley too, and I did finish it just to know who did it. I was annoyed from the start with the protaganist: portrayed as a weak and ridiculous woman who can't think independently. Not really my type. There was potential but the execution wasn't there.
The Brockhurst File by Lynne Adair Kramer and Jane Mincer - I received this for free in exhange for an honest review and honestly? I couldn't finish it. I pushed to get halfway through and then said no more. It needed another two rounds of editing. I liked one of the characters out of the 20984 that were introduced in the first 10 pages. But it wasn't enough to overcome the sprawling and messy plotlines.
Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos - I waited for this book to come in for me at the library for over two freaking months so I was very happy when it didn't disappoint. I liked the story fine and liked some of the characters and disliked others...but I loved the writing. I'm coming for more, Dean. Don't let me down.
Passed the Time Just Fine
Identity (Fina Ludlow #2) by Ingrid Thoft - Second in the Fina series. I love her as a kickass female private detective with a fucked up family. I'm on board for more.
Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner - Received a copy for free from Netgalley. This was truly just okay for me. A little slow in places, but I didn't think hmm maybe I shouldn't finish this. Do I think you should rush to read it? No.
Mad River (Virgil Flowers #6) by John Sandford - Another in the That Fuckin' Flowers series. This was Bonnie and Clyde-ish and a little violent at times, but still a good Virgil story.
Nowhere Girl by Susan Strecker - Freebie from netgalley for an honest review. I was totally sucked into this book, convinced everyone was a murderer at some point. I read it in a day. There were some holes in the story but overall not bad.
Hard No
The Good Neighbor by A.J. Banner - Do not do not do not. I received this for free from Netgalley too, and I did finish it just to know who did it. I was annoyed from the start with the protaganist: portrayed as a weak and ridiculous woman who can't think independently. Not really my type. There was potential but the execution wasn't there.
The Brockhurst File by Lynne Adair Kramer and Jane Mincer - I received this for free in exhange for an honest review and honestly? I couldn't finish it. I pushed to get halfway through and then said no more. It needed another two rounds of editing. I liked one of the characters out of the 20984 that were introduced in the first 10 pages. But it wasn't enough to overcome the sprawling and messy plotlines.
This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next one is Tuesday, December 8.
Non-bloggers, what have you read recently? Let me know what you recommend and what to stay away from. Bloggers, link up your posts below.
The paragraph that you've written for Some Girls Are (already on my to read list) is a similar feeling I had to a book that I read this month (Side Effects May Vary). None of my libraries are carrying Dean books (and I've recommended them) so I've decided to order them in my annual "step-mom and dad give Erin an amazon voucher so she orders lots of books purchase". You know I love That Fuckin' Flowers. And, I added Nowhere Girl. Sounds entertaining enough.
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are sounds interesting. I have not been around high school girls in so long, I am totally shocked anytime I see a mean high school / college girl in person. I do the same thing; I just want to say, "Hey, be nice! Life already sucks when you're a teen; don't make it worse."
ReplyDeleteI have your first two marked as to read already glad they were good. Nowhere Girl is downloaded and hoping to get to it this month, it will be nice if I can get it read in a day too. So much to read!!
ReplyDeleteYou always have intriguing books, lady! My TR list grows every month because of you. Both of your first books sound like great reads and Nowhere Girl sounds RIGHT up my alley.
ReplyDeleteNow I have more books to add to my To Read list!! Thanks for always giving such good recs!
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are sounds like a good read for me in a few years before my girls are teenagers. Summerlong sounds like a good one too!! Thanks again for hosting this awesome link up :)
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are sounds like a good read for me in a few years before my girls are teenagers. Summerlong sounds like a good one too!! Thanks again for hosting this awesome link up :)
ReplyDeleteLooking some of these up...I've read none of them!
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed at how many books you get in in a month. I do good to do the link up every other month :)
ReplyDeleteNowhere girl has really high ratings and sounds so captivating. I'm also checking out the mean girls book, oh middle and high school Heather.
ReplyDeleteWhere do these kids learn to be unkind!?!?!?!? All this media stuff about bullying, etc. and it still goes on. Lights and angels and positive energy to all to be kind. Totally off the books to read topic, I know!
ReplyDeleteStay as dry as possible today and safe and sound!
Love, Your MOMMA
I just finished listening to Some Girls Are on audio and it will be in next month's review....but aagh! I have a daughter and I'm afraid.....very afraid! I haven't heard of any of the others that you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteWhen you wait for a book for 2 months you can only hope it lives up to it - glad that one did!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are is SUCH a tough read. The doughnut shop reaction is just right.
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are and Nowhere Girl sound really good to me. I'm adding those to my TBR list. There was a book that I read this month that involved mean girls at school and it really made me cry! Stuff like that gets to me.
ReplyDeleteI've actually have never heard of any of these books so I've got some new ones to put on my radar. Summers must have a thing for writing about mean girls because i read her other book "All The Rage" and it was cringe worthy with how mean she writes the high school kids to be. that being said, i really did not like All The Rage. i found her writing style to be..random? I'm not really sure how to say it, but i didn't enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are is a good book... But it has been dredging up some old memories for me so I'm taking that one pretty slow. It is a really well-written book though and hopefully I'll be able to finish it this month!
ReplyDeleteI hate when authors introduce 20 million characters within the first few pages because I always feel like I'm flipping back to the beginning to figure out who is who! Some Girls Are sounds like a great read, but also a little bit tough because it deals with some difficult issues. Plus I think that everybody has been on one side of the equation, either being the mean girl in high school or being the one that was picked on.
ReplyDeleteclicked on the last 2 just to make sure they weren't on my list, haha. added the first two and nowhere girl to my list. you and Jana both make me want to read Summerlong, but several of my goodreads 'friends' rated it super low, which made me hesitant, but screw them. I read what I want!
ReplyDeleteI love books when the writing is superb. I'm going to add both Dean and Summers to my list. At least you got the Brockhurst file for free?
ReplyDeleteI love the variety of books you have! I've gone back and forth on The Good Neighbor because it seems like I see it all over the place, but I'm not sure I would like it that much based on your review, so I'll keep passing on it for now.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any of these on my list! I just added Summerlong to the library holds. I've got to learn to give up on bad books, I've done it a few times lately though so I'm making progress. I actually like when someone shares they don't finish one, it's a good review because it says something about the book. Plus it gives me a reminder I don't have to finish a bad book :)
ReplyDeleteNowhere Girl is being added and I already had Summerlong (which sadly, my library doesn't have as an e-book). Still love your rating system, still want to create my own version, still too lazy to actually do it.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you enjoyed Summerlong because you know how I feel about Dean. Also, Some Girls Are. That was a hell of a book.
ReplyDeleteI had a hard no of a book this month as well. You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine. It was TERRIBLE.
I added Some Girls Are to my list this fall after I found out South Carolina schools banned it, I'm worried reading books like that might make me a crazy mom though so I've put off reading it.
ReplyDeleteMy library only has the audio version of Summerlong, that is so annoying. One of these days I'm going to try the interlibrary loan program but the 2 week check out deadline always feels like so much pressure. haha
I definitely want to read Some Girls Are, glad to hear it's so good! I also want to try Nowhere Girl, adding them to my list now!
ReplyDeleteYour first two are high on my list. Some Girls Are, I'm a little afraid of what it might do to me emotionally, which sounds lame but is just the way I am. Summerlong, I have a feeling I'm going to need to just buy this one. It was either you or Jana who recommended it to me after I raved about Shotgun Lovesongs, which I only just finished a few weeks ago and already want to read again and again.
ReplyDeleteThanks as always for your honest reviews and keeping us from time wasted reading bad books!
I haven't read any of these, I love being able to add new books to the to-read list. I really need to step up my reading game though.
ReplyDeleteSo excited to find this link up. I can not wait to add to my To- Read list!
ReplyDeleteI'm adding Some Girls Are! I liked Summerlong too, even though it was totally depressing to me.
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are is definitely being added to my list! I think I would have reacted the same way as you did in Dunkin afterwards ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think I might find the high school girls thing a little stressful. Or maybe it will make me relieved I'm not back there again! I might try Summerlong; after the month of books I've had I need some decent writing! I'm intrigued by the sound of the twin thing in Nowhere Girl so I think I'll give that a go.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll have to read Some Girls Are, because let's be honest, that kind of behavior doesn't always stop in high school!
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad I got The Good Neighbor for free; I've seen way too many reviews dissing it! I think I'll skip it; thanks for the heads up! :) Happy Tuesday! :)
ReplyDeleteSave yourself! LOL
DeleteI already have Some Girls are on my too read list. I just added Summerlong and Nowhere Girl sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteInteresting list. I may have to check a few of them out!
ReplyDeleteJust read the synopsis of Summerlong. Definitely add in to my TBR list. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of any of these. I'm living under a rock. Thanks again for the most helpful link up in all of blog world.
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are was already on my list and I'm waiting for Summerlong to even be available at the library. Glad it was good. I can't wait to read it when it comes in.
ReplyDeleteSome Girls Are and Summerlong are already on my list, so I'm glad to see that you also highly recommend them both!
ReplyDeleteI'm also adding Nowhere Girl. I love a good thriller full of twists!
It sucks that you had a couple of horrible reads this month, but I guess that's bound to happen when you're a book junkie. I read a couple of blah books since the last link-up as well (including one that was just really fucking terrible).
Well, the book I was reading last month (Sophie's Choice) is still in progress. First time in years I have had to keep a dictionary with me while I read! On the plus side, new vocabulary. I thought I was fairly erudite before this book!
ReplyDelete