July 2021 Reading List

The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax

Note: I was given this book as an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Break-Up Book Club tells the story of five women all at major life changes, but all tied together by their book club.

Wax’s novel does an amazing job of weaving together different stories, each one just as compelling as the next. It’s rare that in a novel like this, I actually look forward to each of the characters stories, but this was the case with this novel. The Break Up Book Club also did an excellent job of reminding readers that you may think that someone has it all together, but you never actually know what someone is dealing with. Everyone has their own secrets and could use your help from time to time.

The Break- Up Book Club is out already! Pick it up wherever you shop for books.

The Maid by Nita Prose

Note: I was given this book as an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I decided to read this the other day when I wanted to take a break from romance novels, but I still wanted to read something absolutely charming. Well charming is the perfect word to describe this murder mystery by Nita Prose.

The Maid has the perfect parts of a murder mystery, but it takes away the terror, and instead gives you a cozy read with an absolutely delightful protagonist (or “deelightful” as our protagonist Molly would say).

Molly, the protagonist, struggles with social cues and intentions, but still excels in her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel due to her obsession with cleanliness. But her world gets turned around when she finds prominent business man Mr. Black dead in his bed at the hotel and she becomes more entangled in the murder investigation.

I couldn’t put The Maid down and I can’t wait to read more books by Nita Prose. Make sure to pre-order it so you can read it as soon as it comes out on January 4, 2022.

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall

Have you heard of the concept of Bridesmaid for Hire? Well, it’s actually a real job in the United States, (I’ve actually reviewed a book written about the experience by the original real Bridesmaid for hire here). But in this novel, we get to read about a fictional one over in England and what would happen if she got hired by an infamous duchess. This novel ticked all of my boxes and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell

If you’re looking for a fun romance novel, this is a decent pick. It’s not my favorite of regency romance novels, but it was an entertaining read.

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey

I’ve been having a hard time getting into YA books lately. I feel like I’ve either read a version of the plot already or the cringe feels too over the top for me. (There was one where the entire plot was about a girl trying to lose her virginity before college and I just couldn’t.)

But this book was just so adorable that I couldn’t stop reading it. I loved how they tied the bookstore into it and how the book dealt with some of the more mature issues. I know that this book will be a no-go for some people, but I completely enjoyed it.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was a re-read for me since my book club was reading it, but I loved it just as much the second time around. Check out my original review here!

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

This was the pick for my other book club and I was pretty happy that they picked it, because it wasn’t one that I would have picked up myself. Also, I’ve wanted to try out an Alyssa Cole novel for a while now, so this was a good way to jump in. Over all, I had mixed feelings about this book. It was well written and I liked the characters, but I still don’t think that civil war novels will ever be my genre.

Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

I think that Sarah Hogle falls into the genre of charming romance novels. You know, the ones that you picture yourself reading under a big blanket with a cup of tea. The ones where you either absolutely love her characters and novels or they aren’t for you at all. For me, I love this genre and I’m into any book that falls into this category. Twice Shy was hands down into this category, so obviously, I’m in.

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland

I have no idea, but I’m fascinated by the idea of these family summer camp hotels up in the Catskills. Partially because, let’s be honest, they’re the hotels of my people (Jewish, but my family didn’t live on the East Coast). Last Summer at the Golden Hotel plays with the idea of what’s happening to all of those hotels now? What’s happening to all of these hotels now that people don’t want to take family vacations and stay up there all summer? And what if two families owned one of these dying hotels and a big casino wanted to buy the land from them? (Don’t worry, lots of chaos ensues).

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

This book took me a while to read (well, listen to). First, because it’s long. Second, because I kept getting really into it and then feeling meh about it. It plays with the idea of modern day Arthur of Camelot and there being multiple variations of it throughout the world to help fight off modern day beasts. It’s a really interesting concept, but I think that I should have either read this book (since it was about 500 pages, so the audiobook was 18 hours) OR it could have been divided into two parts. It’s already a series, so this book could have easily been the first two books.