Another month, gone! I’m taking a little breather this week, giving you just one review on Thursday and then starting fresh again next week – it’s a holiday week, after all! (Happy Labor Day, US people!) So today, I bring you my snarky reading recap of August 2019. It’s similar to ARC August, but I’ll go into a bit more detail in this one. Plus, my very fun rating system!
A Snarky Reading Recap + ARC August
Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
Oh my goodness, y’all. Sarah MacLean is probably one of my favorite authors of all time, romance or otherwise. She’s just so great. And you know what sucks? Some idiot wrote an article about how romance writers aren’t out there “saving the Amazon as it burns” or some bullshit this weekend, and she started questioning herself. Sarah MacLean, you are a superhero. You are one of few authors where I’ll pick up a book and start reading it without question or without reading the synopsis. Don’t question yourself. It’s all worth it. ❤ Full review here.
Rating: 4 dogs petted.
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
This book was wonderful and unique and I was sincerely disappointed by some of the reviews I saw on Goodreads saying they didn’t like it. I appreciated the anxiety rep, and the #MeToo rep, and the CTE rep! It was wonderful. Full review here.
Rating: 4 dogs petted.
Announcing Trouble by Amy Fellner Dominy
I’ve had to sit with this one for a bit. I really didn’t love it when I first finished it, as you’ll see from my review. But looking back on it, thinking about it a little more, I like it more. I was really upset with Josie and her mom and the way the whole book was framed to not even give Garrett (or Josie’s own dreams) a chance. So my review is a little harsh, but it was pretty fresh. I stand by what I said, I just don’t think it was as bad now that I’ve sat with it a bit. (And that’s saying something, because usually it’s the other way around for me – if I sit with an iffy book for too long, I like it less. *shrug*)
Rating: 2.5 dogs petted (rounding down)
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
I’m in love with this book. I’ve read all three in the series now, and this one is my favorite. I have a soft spot for all of them and will honestly probably reread them many times, but Alexa and Drew have my heart. More books in this universe! More Alexa and Drew! Full review here.
Rating: 4+ dogs petted.
The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
I had already read The Proposal, so I skipped right to The Wedding Party. And listen, I love a good secret relationship/kind of enemies to lovers book, but to me, this didn’t hold a candle to The Wedding Date. (Again, I’ve been sitting with these books, and Alexa and Drew are the ones who are sticking with me, not Theo and Maddie, even if I love them too.) So I’m going to disagree a bit with my original review, but that’s fine! I’m allowed to change my mind! I think I’m going to have to start doing rereads to see how my mind is really changing as I read more books. That’s a topic for another post. Anyway! Full review here, this was wonderful, but The Wedding Date has my heart.
Rating: 4 dogs petted.
Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl
I’m going to be up front here – the only reason I kept reading this book was because the writing was good – that was my thought at the 25% mark, at least. But it got so much better! It turned out to be a really fun book in the end, and I LOVED Paul. Like, a lot. He was my favorite character by a long shot. So anyway, read the full review, and know that this one starts a little shaky but ends with sunshine and rainbows and female empowerment.
Rating: 3 dogs petted.
She’s the Worst by Lauren Spieller
On the other hand, I loved this from the very beginning. It’s a sisters book, and it so perfectly captures that feeling of your sibling drifting away from you, and not knowing how to fix it. I feel like that happens to just about everyone. I related to this book HARD, and I think a lot of you with sisters will too. Full review here.
Rating: 4 dogs petted.
What’s the moral of the month? Read romance and YA with good voice. You’ll have a month full of high reviews and happiness.
Happy reading (and happy September!)!
Snark & Squee 