It’s August?!?! How?? This was supposed to go up yesterday, but we were flying home from a book festival where I appeared as an author (that’s a thing I can do now!) and our flight was delayed, so we ended up getting home super late and I didn’t have the energy to write this up. But here I am, only a day late. Also, no Top Ten Tuesday this week (sorry). But the official schedule is back next week, so all is well!
A reminder of the wrap-up rating system:
The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean
This was my first take on regency romance where I wasn’t rolling my eyes in my skull! I actually really liked this. I may or may not have been bitten by the romance bug. Such light, fun, sexy reads!
Rating: 4 dogs petted. If you’re into regency romance with punny titles, Sarah MacLean is your girl.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This was a reread of Perks for me, and I loved it almost as much as the first time I read it. The framing, with the whole story being told in letters, is so great. But some things that appear in the book are definitely products of their time.
Rating: 4 dogs petted. A classic of contemporary YA. This book shaped me, and I’ll read it again.
Chasing Eveline by Leslie Hauser
This was such a cute debut – full review here!
Rating: 4 dogs petted. So cute, and some of the best descriptions of music I’ve ever read.
The King of Bourbon Street by Thea de Salle
I have read very little erotic romance, and I found this to be very good. The only caveat was the discussion of babies after about 4 days. That’s probably the most unrealistic thing I’ve ever read. But the rest was lovely.
Rating: 3 dogs petted. A great example of erotic romance, consent, and New Orleans. Also, I want a book about Vaughan.
Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki
Full review can be found here!
Rating: 2 dogs petted. Some people will love this book, but I was very ‘ugh’ about the ending. It ruined it for me.
Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza
While I appreciate that NetGalley gave me access to this book, it was a hard no from me. Full review can be found here.
Rating: 1 dog petted. There were problems, which I talked about in my review. But yeah, I didn’t love much about this.
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
Okay, I loved this, and what a lovely way to finish out the month. Plus, I met the author this weekend, and she is also completely lovely.
Rating: 4 dogs petted. The pacing wasn’t awesome toward the beginning, but it all paid off in the end.
July felt super busy to me, but I still got a decent amount of reading done. Funny how that seems to happen. I anticipate that August is going to be a lighter reading month solely because I’m also writing again! Which feels so, so good. We’ll see how it goes.
I still can’t believe it’s already August. Where has the time gone this year?
Happy reading!
-A.
Snark & Squee 