Yesterday we talked about the books we added to our shelves in July, so now it’s time to talk about the books we read last month. How was our reading month? Did we discover any new favorites? Keep on reading to find out in our July wrap up.

Candyce

July started off really strong, had a little dip, and then ended really strong. I really can’t complain about my reading this month. I ended up reading 21 books (8 paperbacks, 6 audiobooks, 4 ARCs, and 3 e-books) and I had an average rating of 3.8. I’m really hoping to have another amazing reading month in August.

Nyxia & Nyxia Uprising – Scott Reintgen

Nyxia was on my shelf for quite a few years and I’m so glad a friend asked if I wanted to buddyread it. I loved the characters and the twists and turns. I can honestly say the same about Nyxia Unleashed. The world is interesting, there are lots of betrayals, and I have no clue how the author is going to wrap everything up in just one final book.

Book Lovers – Emily Henry

Book Lovers was a book that made my book loving heart very happy. I loved all of the references to book, tropes, and other things we see often in romances. The characters were amazing and I loved the slow burn romance. I was truly sad when I finished the last page.

Along for the Ride – Rachel Meinke

I bought Along for the Ride last year when a friend on bookstagram raved about this book. It took me almost a year, but I finally read it. Along for the Ride is such a cute romance and I loved the fact that the characters were on tour, but that our main character was still also following her dream of playing soccer.

Heartstopper Vol. 4 – Alice Oseman

In all honesty I don’t know what took me so long to pick up the fourth volume of Heartstopper, but once again I loved everything about it. Alice Oseman deals with really heavy subjects, but in such an amazing way. I’ll definitely be rereading this series.

It Happened One Summer – Tess Bailey

It Happened One Summer is a book I’ve seen everywhere. Even though it sounded right up my alley I was afraid to dive in, because of all the hype. This was actually a really fun romance. Our main characters both grow a lot in this story and I loved the small town and all its people.

Layla – Colleen Hoover

I’ve been trying to keep up with catching up with Colleen Hoover’s backlist. Layla was a bookclub read. I finished Layla a few days ago and I honestly still don’t know what to think of this one. Unfortunately, this one was my least favorite CoHo book.

Every Summer After – Carley Fortune

Another book that has been all over bookstagram and BookTok. Every Summer After takes place in two timelines: now and different summers when our main characters were together. This story is emotional, sweet, and addicting. I just couldn’t stop reading. I could’ve done without the reveal at the end, but all in all a good summer romance.

In the Weeds – B.K. Borison

I love the cover of In the Weeds and ended up really enjoying Evelyn and Beckett’s story. It takes awhile for this story to really get going, but once it does I couldn’t put it down. Also, I would love to live at a Christmas Tree farm. I need to go back and read the first book in this series.

Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry was such a pleasant surprise. Our main character is way beyond her years and won’t let anyone tell her what her place as a woman should be. I loved that she lets know one stop her. This book is told from multiple POVs and the author does this without you noticing or it being annoying. We even get to read from the dog’s POV who ended up being my favorite character.

The Love Connection – Denise Williams

Novellas tend to be a hit or miss for me, but The Love Connection was so much fun. A romance that starts at the airport between an author and an owner of a pet grooming salon. Their meetings were sweet and I loved the build up. Yes, I would’ve loved more of them, but this story was amazing!

The Dead Romantics – Ashley Poston

The Dead Romantics was a book on my anticipated reads list and it didn’t disappoint. Our main character is a ghost writer, but doesn’t believe in love anymore after a relationship ends. This story is also filled with grief and finding your way. I hope Ashley Poston writes more romance.

The Godparent Trap – Rachel Van Dyken

If you love the movie Life As We Know It you’re going to enjoy The Godparent Trap. This story is emotional, but I loved seeing two people who didn’t necessarily like each other come together for something much more important.

The Accidental Newlywed Game – Jaci Burton

I was excited about The Accidental Newlywed Game, but unfortunately it ended up disappointing. Our main characters accidentally end up married and before getting divorced start developing feelings for each other. This book has just a bit too much drama and things get repetitive. It started out strong, but fell just a little bit flat for me.

The Sizzle Paradox – Lily Menon

I’m all for best friends to lovers and fake dating stories, so The Sizzle Paradox caught my eye. Studying sexual chemistry in romantic partners and what makes long-term relationships successful is hard when your own love life isn’t exactly perfect. To figure things out her best friend decides to help with dating tactics. Yeah, The Sizzle Paradox is predictable, but it’s funny and cute.

Queen Me – Amber Lynn Natusch

Queen Me was the next book in the Immortal Vices and Virtues series. I loved our main character Rowe. She’s feisty and funny. This paranormal romance gets spicy and I loved some of the twists that develop. Another great story by Amber Lynn Natusch.

My Mechanical Romance – Alexene Farol Follmuth

This contemporary romance is an enemies to lovers romance with a female passionate about STEM. I loved this, because it’s not something we get often in books. My Mechanical Romance also deals with things like figuring out what you want to do after high school and dealing with a divorce or high parental expectations.

Island Time – Georgia Clark

Island Time has such an interesting concept. I mean can you imagine getting stuck at your tropical paradise for six weeks instead of a weekend when a volcano erupts? No, I can’t either. This brings up lots of family drama, relationship issues, and just things that the characters are dealing with. While it is an interesting story the amount of POVs we follow makes it harder to really get to know the characters.

The Wife Upstairs – Rachel Hawkins

The Wife Upstairs is another book I’ve seen around a lot and was really curious. There were certain things I was expecting, but definitely some things I wasn’t at all. The audiobook was done really well and I want to read more by this author.

My Killer Vacation – Tessa Bailey

My Killer Vacation was a book I was really looking forward to. I mean why wouldn’t I want a spicy murder mystery? Unfortunately, this book just didn’t do it for me. I felt that the sex scenes overrun the story and the mystery aspect was a bit of an afterthought. The big reveal seemed really unrealistic and I mean I love spicy scenes, but some of them just made me uncomfortable.

Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic – Lauren Ho

Lucie Yi has an interesting premise. Lucie isn’t a romantic person and decides it’s time to take having a baby into her own hands. She finds someone to make an agreement with. They’ll take care of the baby together and that’s it. The story kept my interest until about halfway, but after that I got tired of the relationship drama and how certain things were dealt with. It was a fast read, but not my favorite.

 

Summary:
Favorite Book: Book Lovers
Least Favorite: My Killer Vacation
Most Surprising: Lessons in Chemistry

Isabelle

This has been my best reading month of the year! It was so nice to have some time off and be able to just relax and read my books. I’ve finished 7 books this month, which is a quarter of all the books I read this year, haha. Four audiobooks and three eARC’s, I don’t think I can complain!

Harry Potter 3 & 4 – J.K. Rowling

Still doing another reread, these books are just really relaxing to listen to when I can’t sleep or when I have to do some chores. Since I know them in and out it doesn’t matter if I miss a minute here or there and that really helps me.

Gone Dark – Amanda Panitch

I started listening to this one a while ago but I recently finished it. The premise was so cool and I wanted to love it badly, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. It was still an enjoyable read but it just could’ve been so much more in my opinion. There wasn’t that much of an actual plot and I figured everything out almost from the start.

Even Though I Knew the End – C.L. Polk

This is a novella and it was amazing. I loved it so much! Tordotcom has yet to disappoint me haha. Every time I read a (sff) novella I’m amazed at the amount of world building and story an author can pack in less than 200 pages. Highly recommend this one!

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins

I saw a tiktok about The Hanging Tree song and someone commented on it about a scene from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. That was enough for me to finally read this one, I adore The Hanging Tree. It’s a great moment in the books and even more emotional in the movies. Just talking about it makes me want to rewatch the movies, although I’m not sure I’m ready for that heartbreak to be honest. Anyway, the book was enjoyable and I loved being back the in the world. It had some issues but I’m glad I read it.

Three Kisses, One Midnight – Roshani Choksi, Sandhya Menon & Evelyn Skye

This isn’t something I’d normally pick up but I got the eARC and used it in one of my Netgalley Next posts. And somehow I really enjoyed the first paragraph or so. So I figured I would just continue reading it and since it’s less than 300 pages I finished it quite fast. You can expect a review soon but I will say I really enjoyed it.

You’re Invited – Amanda Jayatissa

Wow! This is an adult mystery thriller set in Sri Lanka and it was amazing. I was grabbed by the story from the first page and was invested until the end. It did not disappoint and I’m already recommending it to all my reader friends. I will definitely keep my eye on whatever this author writes next.

Summary:
Favorite Book: Even Though I Knew the End
Least Favorite: Gone Dark
Most Surprising: Three Kisses, One Midnight

 

So these are the books we read in July! Have you read any of these? What did you think? And how was your reading in July? Any favorites we need to know about? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.