July 2022 Reads

Well, July and the last two weeks of June. Going forward I'll  keep to the months and post at the end of the month or the very beginning of the next month. I should just say whenever I get to it, because it's still for me and do people read blogs anymore anyway? I don't think so. I've tried to post what I read for the week in Instagram stories, but I am 50/50 consistent on that. 

Here's what I've been reading since mid-June:

Engrossing Reads

Upgrade by Blake Crouch - I devour Blake Crouch novels, and this one was no different. It might be my favorite since the Wayward Pines trilogy. Timely and so interesting even as a non SciFi type of reader. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown - This was a lot to think about. Some great commentary on what is expected of women as mothers, and how deep they bury those expectations even among “family.”

And what is family?

There were some things that I hated in regards to rigidity of characters and an almost carefree attitude of two men, but the more I think about it the more I think that might have been the point. Some people will absolutely hate this for the writing itself, it has a slightly syrupy combined with patronizing and omniscient type of flavor? Difficult to describe, but if you get a few chapters in and that's you hating it, stop. 

TW for infertility, adoption. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center - I loved everything about this, and disliked the main character for a much shorter time period than any other Katherine Center novel. A really good book to get you out of a reading rut. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier - I love starting a story and thinking it’s going to be about something and it’s really about something else. I enjoyed peeling back the layers on this one. Hillier has become a new favorite. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Do not know anything or care anything about tennis and I loved this. Carrie Soto forever. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review, publishes August 30

Passed the Time Just Fine

The It Girl by Ruth Ware - A few years back I decided Ruth Ware was not for me after thinking The Woman in Cabin 10 was absolutely ridiculous, and I have been happy with that path. I was sent this unprompted and decided to read it and it wasn't bad, I zipped through it and only raised my eyebrow a few times. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Corinne by Rebecca Morrow - This was slow the first 15%, and I would have liked more at the end that dealt with now life in exchange for some of the kissing or sex scenes - not in a prudish way but there were a lot of both, and I would have taken less of either and more dealing with life outside of their home? As a non-religious person all of that was difficult for me concept-wise. Overall passed the time fine. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - A new book by the author of AJ Fikry? I tried to temper my expectations going in and I'm glad I did. I have absolutely zero interest in gaming and anything associated with it and Zevin managed to hook me into the story anyway. The relationships and characters were excellent, deep, memorable - the main characters and also the side characters. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Hidden One (Kate Burkholder #14) by Linda Castillo - Another solid Kate read. As always, I prefer Kate in Painter’s Mill but also enjoy her outside of it, on her own usually gives us more depth to her and her past and that was the case here. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Tanqueray by Stephanie Johnson, Brandon Stanton - Like an update and fleshing out of the instagram stories. I'm glad this is in print and that Stephanie has some comfort in her later years by sharing her life stories that most of us consumed like wild on the internet. Normalize paying people for their content if we're going to continue to consume it this way Hard cover, own, pre-ordered through Bookshop

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams - I got this in the spring of 2020 and never read it. It was fine? I am nearly always fine with Beatriz Williams, I enjoy her writing a lot and typically like her characters. Both were true here. Although I am weary and wary of anything touching WWII even remotely, so that storyline was only meh for me. Also typical of Williams, it was slow out of the gate and racing to the finish with gabs of shit in between, aka a lot of pages many of which I would have taken a red pen to as an editor to cut, and some things never explained or not lining up. Hard cover, own

Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin - I don't really read cute books, but this was cute and a smidge witchy and YA and not super deep, which was good for me at the time I read it and served as a palate cleanser for me which is always appreciated. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review, publishes today

Not For Me/Did Not Finish

One of the Girls by Lucy Clark - Pacing felt a little off, and the actual action rushed at you in the last 10%. I ended it sort of annoyed at myself that I had stuck through. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland - I could not connect with this book or bring myself to care. Beth was really hard to take as the driving character and the unreliable narrator/untrusted woman is overdone recently in books so it is a victim of that as well. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lodger by Valerie Keogh - Can we stop with the unreliable narrator, particularly the female unreliable narrator? I'm done. Absolutely nothing believable or connectable in this entire book.  Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering - Nah. NFM. From Netgalley

First Born by Will Dean - DNF, from Netgalley

Groupies by Sarah Priscus - DNF, from Netgalley

The Counselors by Jessica Goodman - DNF, from OCNJ library

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World (Aristotle & Dante #2) by Benjamin Alire Saenz - I regret to inform you that this was a DNF for me, which is hard since I loved the first one so much. As I was moving it to the DNF shelf on Goodreads, my eye caught on a review (I standardly do not read the reviews of others before I read something) that said something like this book was the Walmart version of the first and that made me laugh like a hyena but also agree hard copy, own

Such a Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar - DNF at 30%, free copy from Netgalley 

What have you been reading?