Hey, guys!
This month I read so many books! I'm really excited about the lovely stories I've read this month. August is going to be even better. I'm really excited about my TBR. Please stay tuned because I plan on either posting about it on bookstagram or going live on Instagram and posting it to my IGTV.
Here are the books I read!
5 stars
Chloe Brown has a piece of my heart. When first reading her story, I fell head-over-heels in love with Talia Hibbert's style, wit, and the relationships that come from the story. This book is so masterfully done and will be in my top-tier romance reads for sure. I cannot recommend this one enough! I'm so glad I could reread Chloe's story before the release of Dani's. Definitely pick this one up!
🍑 #ownvoices
🍑MC = black young woman who struggles with chronic pain & an invisible illness (beautiful representation)
🍑 gruff (secret softy) hero with a soft spot for cats - struggles to move on from an abusive past relationship
🍑Salacious, romantic, and will make you swoon
🍑 Adorable slow burn friends to lovers story
🍑 THERE’S A CAT
🍑 Trigger/content warning: discussions and thoughts about recovering from abuse
Dreams from Many Rivers by Margarita Engle
3 stars - until I reread
This was such a lovely audiobook experience, but I definitely struggled to follow the vignettes through the audio format. I definitely will be picking this one up physically in the future to fully get the history, the beauty of the poetry, and the really cool formatting. This is a must-read. If you want to learn more about the history of the Latinx US community, you will want to check this out.
✨ Poetry
✨ Latinx history
✨ Stories from the unheard overlooked and ignored voices from US history
✨ Excellent for younger readers, as well as older
An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands
2.5 stars
This was a fairly entertaining read, but there were so many elements that didn't jive with what I was hoping to read. While the premise seemed to be up to my standards when it comes to historical romance, this was just too much fluff and not enough substance.
What You'll Find:
✨ Interesting family dynamics
✨ Lots of discussions about Annabel's breasts
✨ A border-line alpha-hole male lead
✨ Zero complexity
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins
4 stars
This was surprisingly wonderful! When Ballad was first announced, I was really excited to dive back into the world of the Hunger Games -- really I was just ecstatic to read more from Suzanne Collins. Her books and style are just so well done and lead to so much nostalgia for a simpler time. When I first read the Hunger Games series, I was in middle school and the class that I was in was so much fun. I've never had a classroom dynamic like that since. Additionally, Collins' Underland Chronicles are just freaking fantastic. I definitely want to do a reread soon because they are flawless. Read them.
Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was genuinely a good read. I'm not saying that because it was a nostalgic experience, I'm really impressed with how this book was written.
I'll have a full review on August 5!
Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian
3 stars
When I started the audiobook for Stay Sweet, I was really captivated by the entire premise and the initial execution. However, once the boy got involved, I started to become quite bored. While this book kept me entertained, I was really disappointed that the female friendship aspect didn't live up to my hype. I also just didn't like the main character all that much. She was really passive and didn't stand up for herself. Though that part of her was where she was supposed to grow by the end of the book, I just wish that her change progressed throughout rather than toward the end. It just felt abrupt.
The parts that really saved this book from a 2-star rating were the parts about Molly. I loved seeing how the ice cream shop came to be, how Molly's life influenced her image and reputation, and how her practices influence the present girls.
This was an alright read, but it was just too surface level at times and I didn't like the nonexistent female friendship that I was promised. I wanted more from it.
What You'll Find:
✨ Ice cream creation & innovation
✨ Flashbacks to WW2 through diary entries
✨ All-girl run ice cream shop
✨ YA characters that are on the brink of going to college
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
5 stars
This is a new all-time favorite romance novel, I adore it.
I have a full review {here}.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
4 stars
TW: Please be aware that there are very heavy discussions in this novel. Be gentle with yourself.
Wow. What a moving and intense read.
This book confronts the concept that bad people do not stop existing even if you refuse to acknowledge that they exist. It's an examination of morality and the ability to stand up for what you think and know is right.
This book was really mind-boggling because there are so many double meanings. My mind was going in so many different directions as I analyzed and took in the story that it took me so much longer to read that I actually anticipated.
Akwaeke Emezi is such a fantastic writer. I love their prose and their characters. This is such a powerful read and I'd love to discuss it with college readers or even middle grade-aged kids. This book is timeless and has such wonderful promise to educate and inspire conversation. I'm jazzed that this book is in the world.
What You'll Find:
✨ A+ representation
✨ An all-black cast of characters
✨ A Black trans-MC
✨ Gender-nonconforming characters
✨ A polyamorous relationship
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
3 stars
When I picked this book up, I was hopeful and really jazzed to finally read this book, but I was really let down. While the pirate-ness of this book was really entertaining, I really did not like Alosa. She was supposed to be a badass and the best of her profession, but we never got to experience that. This book was just full of so much telling instead of showing. I was just waiting for the story to pick up.
This was just a disappointment, but I did continue with the series.
Riden's Chapter (Pirate King #1.5) by Tricia Levenseller
2 stars
This was boring and I didn't need part of Daughter of the Pirate King from Riden's perspective. I just don't like him anymore.
Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
2.75
This was just disappointing. I really hoped that this addition and finale would add to the story and make me love the characters, but I really didn't enjoy it.
I'm not sure how, but this was so shallow and annoying. Riden is a doormat and I hated the romance between Alosa and Riden. It just was so forced and obnoxious.
I also really didn't like the siren aspect of the book. I love mermaids, but this was just blah. Alosa's half-siren identity was revealed really late into the first book and it just seemed so forced and badly developed in Siren Queen. I find it really unrealistic that Alosa had only just discovered how her powers worked so late into her life. It just felt too convenient.
Didn't enjoy it much at all.
(DNF) Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
DNF
This was such a massive disappointment. I honestly did not enjoy much of anything. I was really intrigued by the coming of age trial toward the beginning of the book, but it just went downhill once the book kicked into gear. Rasmira is incredibly whiny and lacked common sense. Her angst was just overbearing and annoying to me.
Once she was released into the wild, I just disliked her more. This was just not for me.
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
5 stars
Oh my gosh, this was everything. I love everything that has to do with witches, the witch hunts, and badass women. This graphic novel was everything I could have hoped for.
What I Loved:
✨ The main character is a half-witch named MOTH!
✨ Moth questions the integrity of her town that is built on the discrimination against witches.
✨ A talking cat with the soul of their older neighbor that had passed away.
✨ Ghosts!
✨ A world called Hectate, given by Hectate for the witches to live in peace
Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
5 stars
TW: the death of a parent, death of a sibling, panic attacks/anxiety
How perfect is it that I started the month with a reread of Chloe Brown and ended the month reading Dani Brown?
This was EVERYTHING. An instant 2020 favorite!
I loved everything about this book, but here is a list of my favorite elements:
✨ Dani is a practicing witch & she's bisexual
✨ Zaf is a Muslim ex-rugby player who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks
✨ Talia Hibbert's wit and humor throughout is spot on and makes me literally laugh out loud
✨ Talia didn't rely on the miscommunication trope. The conflict is genuinely talked about and there are no holes.
✨ Dani has major issues with commitment and having relationships, but in the end, she takes accountability for any hurt she's caused others because of her trauma.
✨ We see Chloe and Red! They're wholesome and lovely!
✨ Zaf is the best love interest. I love him so much.
Genre Break-down:
- Romance 4
- Fantasy 5
- Contemporary 1
- Science Fiction 1
- Poetry 1
Age Group Break Down
- YA 5
- Adult 4
- Middle Grade 3
Rating Break Down
- 5 ~~ 4
- 4 ~~ 2
- 3 ~~ 3
- 2 ~~ 3
- 1 ~~ 0
- No rating/DNF ~~ 1
Favorite: Boyfriend Material or Dani Brown
Least Favorite: The Daughter of the Pirate Queen
What did you read in July? What was your favorite?
Happy reading!
Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~
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