It was an excellent month of reading! Lots of winners. I was thinking recently how much I dreaded “summer reading” as a kid and now I’m beyond grateful to get to choose whatever I want to read without the stress of a test on the first day of school or having to turn in a project. I may not have as much time to read as I did during the summer as a kid/teen, but I’ll 100% take having a limited amount of time and the choice of what to read over unlimited time and a set list of books to read.
SUNNY SIDE UP by Katie Sturino
4.5/5 Stars
I really enjoyed Katie Sturino’s book Sunny Side Up. After I read it, I found out that she used a ghost writer, which wasn’t clear to me when I picked it up, but even still, I thought it was well-written and enjoyable. It felt like a light, summer read (perfect for a vacation), while still having a good amount of “meat” on the bones. It tackles love after divorce, adult female friendships, body positivity, and also (my favorite part) entrepreneurship.
MESS by Michael Chessler
2/5 Stars
I originally rated this three stars, but now that I’m sitting down to write this, I think I’d actually rate it two stars. It was kind of forgettable, though it had all the makings for a great book. A professional organizer loves to help her wealthy clients tackle the messes in their life, but her personal dating life is a mess. I wanted to love it, I really did. It was just boring and I think a book written by a man about from what’s supposed to be a female perspective just didn’t do it for me.
ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.5/5 Stars
Okay, TJR books can be hit or miss for me, yet I’m always willing to give them a try. This one TOOK MY BREATH AWAY. I was, truly, holding my breath at the end and then broke down in tears. I listened to the audiobook and it was phenomenal– I found myself driving around for an extra 30 minutes just to finish because I couldn’t turn it off. It has also kind of sparked a personal obsession with space now. Set in the 1980s, Joan, our main character, is discovering who is she is while working for NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Highly recommend!!! It was a little tedious and slow in the middle– stick with it… the ending is worth it!
THE ISLANDERS by Meg Mitchell Moore
4/5 Stars
A classic summer beach read! I was missing my annual Elin Hilderbrand novel and this older novel by Meg Mitchell Moore scratched my itch. It’s based on Block Island, which almost becomes a character in itself. I loved the stories and how the characters’ stories all wove together. It’s not the most exciting “plot” so to speak, but as far as light beach reads go, it’s great.
THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD by Claire Lombardo
4/5 Stars
When I posted that I read, and enjoyed this, I had a lot of people respond via DM to say that they couldn’t get into the book. This was actually my second time attempting to read it– I had a hard copy when it first came out and also couldn’t get into it. This time I listened to it because the audiobook was available through my library and I really did end up enjoying it. It’s a long, slow burn, but if you’re in the mood for a sweeping family drama that leans heavily on character development rather than plot twists, it’s worth the ride. The story follows a big, messy family, and most of the characters are deeply flawed… often frustrating, occasionally unlikeable, and prone to making some very questionable decisions. But that’s where the drama lives. If you’re into rich character studies and slow unfolding emotional tension, this might be your next read.
IT’S A LOVE STORY by Annabel Monaghan
4.5/5 Stars
Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script is one of my favorite books and I will forever read whatever she writes. It’s A Love Story was absolutely charming. I didn’t want it to end! One of my favorite things about how she writes is how real and relatable all the characters feel. It doesn’t feel Hallmark-y and cheesy– the characters all feel like real people you know and love in real life. Another excellent choice for a summer beach read!!
WE MIGHT JUST MAKE IT AFTER ALL by Elyce Arons
4.75/5 Stars
In We Might Just Make It After All, Elyce Arons writes a beautiful memoir about her friendship with Katy Brosnahan aka Kate Spade. I’m going to admit that I picked this book up assuming it would go into more detail about Kate Spade’s mental health struggles– I was curious. But I was pleasantly surprised that it was a deeply respectful memoir that focused on the beautiful (and challenging) parts about growing a fashion empire with your best friend. I loved it. I haven’t been able to stop talking about it and have made some friends promise to do a mini book club with me about it because I need to discuss it all IRL. Highly recommend.
