With the fall semester officially in full swing here at Michigan State University, I find myself with much less free time than what I had in the summer. With this shift, I unfortunately do not have as much time as I would like to indulge in my favorite pastime – reading. As I’m sure many readers understand, books allow for an escape from the real world and provide you with endless hours of entertainment. I hope to sway you towards your next best read and help you avoid some questionable stories as I filter through my summer 2023 reading list.
From June to August of 2023, I read a grand total of 11 books but will just be giving my thoughts on five of them, ranging from five star reads to books I could have gone without reading.
1. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Recommended by a friend, Six of Crows did not disappoint and is an incredible first installment of the duology. It is a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy that will have you at the edge of your seat through every page. Six of Crows jumps straight into the action and does not waste time getting into the story. The characters are super well developed and loveable, all in their own way. If you are looking for a book to get you out of a slump, then this is the book for you!
2. Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Love Theoretically is a romance with a strong focus on women in STEM. For me, this book was everything a romance should be about. It’s an emotional, tear-jerking read about two physicists who fall in love. The main character, Elsie Hannaway, embodies many traits that I relate to personally, and following her journey within herself was inspiring to read. The characters in this book are complex, relatable, and enjoyable to read about. It will leave you wanting to see what happens next after every chapter.
3. Twisted Love by Ana Huang
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 1/5 Stars
Unfortunately, my summer reading escapades were not all good reads, with Twisted Love being one of them. This book just was not for me. The characters seemed unlikeable, unrelatable, and unrealistic throughout the book. This book is marketed as enemies to lovers – which is a trope I enjoy – but I think it was poorly executed in this book. In my opinion, this book portrays an unhealthy outlook on what love between two people should be, and I personally did not like that. I know a lot of people who absolutely love this book and the other three in the series, but as for me, I will not be rereading it nor picking up the next books.
4. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Genre: High Fantasy
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Bandon Sanderson is a very well-established author within the fantasy genre. I picked up Tress of the Emerald Sea because I wanted to read one of his books that was not 1,000 pages long and that wasn’t part of a series that I would have to commit to. This book was incredibly written. From the fast-paced plot to the wholesome romance and the most intriguing characters, I absolutely loved this book. A bonus for this book is that all of the chapters are relatively short, which I highly enjoyed. If you are looking to get into the Brandon Sanderson universe, this is a great book to start with.
5. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Genre: High Fantasy/ Fantasy Romance
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
I couldn’t conclude my summer reading without picking up the book that enveloped the book community and was sold out multiple times: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I admit that I tried to keep my expectations low and expect to be disappointed, because sometimes the internet does not give the best book suggestions. I am happy to say that I was not let down by the book community on this one. Fourth Wing was not the best piece of literature that I have ever read, by far, but it was so addictive and entertaining that the writing itself didn’t seem to matter too much. If anyone is looking for something fast-paced, with a romance subplot, dragons, magic, and more, this book would be a great one to pick up!
Overall, I had a great time reading this summer and getting to explore so many different stories and characters, and I’m excited for what’s to come!