As an English major, I devote a lot of my time to reading, which means it’s a struggle to include some books that I enjoy on top of my already long and seemingly endless reading list. Thankfully, when I get to relax over the summer, I can shorten my TBR by knocking a few books off of my shelf (and, unfortunately for my wallet, buying many more in the process). In celebration of International Book Month, I’ve decided to share the ratings of the books I read over the summer.
8. What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons – 2/5 stars
This book is a bit challenging to review because, to be honest, all I remember about it was the dissatisfaction I felt when I finished. The book follows Thandi, a girl who has constantly been stuck between the racial barriers of black and white. Because of this, she tries to find someone or something to love. The novel takes us through her life as she loses her mother to cancer and discovers what it means to live after loss.
Although I don’t remember much, I thought the ending was quite sudden and unsettling. There was no real resolution to the plot, which made me more confused than I had been. At times the prose is beautiful, but in other sections it is just plain confusing. Clemmons attempted to tackle a lot of heavy issues in this novel, but I just didn’t see them come to fruition.
7. The Glorious Guiness Girls by Emily Hourican – 3/5 stars
I was first drawn to this book by its beautiful cover, but after reading the synopsis I was hoping this novel would be spectacular. Unfortunately, it somewhat fell short of this ideal. The Glorious Guinness Girls tells the story of the three Guinness sisters (yes, that Guinness family). The novel is written from the perspective of Felicity, nicknamed Fliss, a young girl who is brought into the world of the Guinness family to socialize them to the outside world. She is both an outsider and part of the family, and her unique perspective shows everything they’ve hidden from the rest of the world. The novel is based on historically true events and is centered on historic research into the Guinness family.
Although this book sounded quite interesting initially, it ended up dragging on. Many of the descriptions and scenes seemed unnecessary in content and length, especially towards the end. The novel follows a long period of time and introduces a wide variety of characters with many storylines. There are two different time periods portrayed in the novel, but it seemed as if the present-day period was written too often, sharing unnecessary information. Overall, the book has a good basis, but was not fulfilling in the way I had hoped.
6. The Memory Book by Lara Avery – 4/5 stars
The Memory Book was a very quick and beautiful read for me. It is written in a journal that the main character, Sammie, writes to herself. Sammie is a high school student who is prepared to soon graduate at the top of her class. She is goal-oriented and won’t let anything get in her way––not even a rare genetic disorder that is slowly stealing her memories. Rather than succumbing to her disorder, Sammie begins writing her journal to herself so she won’t forget. She records in perfect detail and vivid descriptions the events of her day-to-day life. Through it all, she describes her first date with her long-time crush, Stuart, and also her reconnection with her childhood best friend, Cooper.
The style of this book is relatable, engaging, and left me rapidly turning the pages. I read this in a day or two because I couldn’t stay away from the storyline or the characters. Avery’s novel is heartfelt, real, and raw––you will not regret picking up this amazing, heartbreaking story.
5. Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett – 4/5 stars
Chasing Lucky tells the story of Josie Saint-Martin, the daughter of a single mother and the heir of a generations-old love curse. Josie and her mom have spent her entire life moving from city to city and never staying anywhere for long. After high school, Josie plans to go to the east coast for a photography internship. But when Josie and her mom must return to their New England hometown to run the family bookstore, Josie begins to question the future she has planned for herself. When Josie reconnects with her childhood best friend, Lucky Karras, she begins to question the validity of her family’s love curse and begins to understand the importance of connection and taking chances.
This is a cute, typical romance novel. Although I originally expected this to be somewhat cliche, I was surprised to find that Bennett included many unexpected aspects. The impact of the love curse and the importance of family names in the New England small-town both play an important role in the plot and romance between Josie and Lucky. This romance was very cute––and the coastal bookstore setting is an added bonus.
4. Majesty by Katharine McGee – 4/5 stars
This is the sequel to McGee’s “American Royals” (included later in my summer reads). Because of this, I won’t be going into the plot details of it, to avoid any spoilers from the first book. The sequel contains many romantic relationships from the first book and we get to continue to see them progress, but it wasn’t quite as powerful or resonating as the first book. Nonetheless, it is still a great read and continuation of the American Royals series.
3. Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka – 5/5 stars
This novel takes place over the course of a winter break college tour throughout New England. Fitz and Juniper, the two main characters, have each planned their own tours of the many colleges they’re interested in attending, both for very different reasons. Fitz wants to go to the local college to stay close to his mother who is suffering from early-onset Alzheimers, but his mother forces him to go on the trip with his older brother. Juniper comes from a crowded household where everyone is dependent on her in some way or another; she’s counting down the days until she can leave for college. Both of the characters have very different intentions behind their tours, but they collide in real and authentic ways. When the two of them meet at the beginning of their tour circuits, they struggle to understand each other’s reasoning for going to college or resisting it. Nonetheless, they’re drawn to each other, and when their paths align throughout their tours, sparks begin to fly.
This novel is a cute combination of college exploration and young love. Their tours take Fitz and Juniper across New England, with vivid descriptions of many colleges and cities in the region. The dialogue and plot is authentic; both of the characters come from challenging situations with lots of baggage, which is resemblant of many other incoming college students. As a whole, the novel is relatable, enjoyable, and heartfelt.
2. American Royals by Katharine McGee – 5/5 stars
If you were on BookTok over the summer, you’ve probably heard of McGee’s debut novel, American Royals. This novel follows the House of Washington, the monarchy family reigning over America. The novel includes the storylines of Beatrice, the soon-to-be first reigning queen; Samantha, the spare; and Jefferson, the handsome prince. Each of the characters are divided by their duties to their country and their personal priorities, yet woven together by their sibling bonds. This tale of romance, heartbreak, and revenge is a beautiful look into an alternate reality of America’s fate.
I thought American Royals was such an interesting concept when I first read it––what if George Washington was asked to be a monarch rather than the president? The drama and romance that ensues in this novel is accurate and realistic. It occurs in modern-day day and I could imagine myself seeing the monarchy on TV rather than our current presidents. McGee has created an amazing alternate-reality and I loved diving into this world for each and every page.
1. Verity by Colleen Hoover – 5/5 stars
I read quite a few 5-star books over the summer, but this one has to take the cake. I’ve read a lot of other books by Colleen Hoover, but this one even surpasses all of her other amazing novels. This romantic thriller tells the story of Lowen, a struggling writer who is met with the opportunity of a lifetime. Verity Crawford, a best-selling author has been injured in an accident, and Lowen has been hired by Verity’s husband, Jeremy, to ghostwrite the rest of his wife’s series. Lowen begins their partnership by staying a few nights at the Crawford home to find and research Verity’s notes about the series. As she’s looking through Verity’s extensive files and manuscripts, Lowen finds a terrifying manuscript of Verity’s unfinished autobiography. Lowen keeps the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, but the unsettling story leaves Lowen more and more afraid each day. As she begins to fall for Jeremy, Lowen begins to see things around the house and grows more terrified of the person Verity might actually be.
This novel was amazing and fast-paced from start to finish. It is short, but it will leave you with the pages constantly turning––I couldn’t read fast enough when I was racing through this novel. Lowen and Jeremy’s kindling relationship is beautiful to watch, yet Verity’s presence is suspenseful and thrilling. The book ends on an amazing cliffhanger that will leave you wondering what’s right and wrong. Even after nearly three months, I’m still wondering about the ending. This is one you won’t want to miss!
Hopefully, these recommendations and reviews will give you something to add to your own TBR this fall. If you want to check out more of my favorite reads and see what I’m reading now, be sure to check out my Goodreads account (and let’s 100% be friends).