What I Read in July and August 2019

I apologize in advance for this long post. I didn’t realize I had read so much until I started putting this post together. I honestly have no clue how I read all this, but somehow I guess I found the time to do it. When I am stressed or things are bothering me, books are my go-to and it’s obvious these past few months that things have been bothering me and books were my out. Anyways…I hope you enjoy and I guess I’ll start working on my September/October book post and then I’ll be all caught up!

July 2019

The Last Romantics – Tara Conklin

I had seen this book popping up everywhere as a must-read, so when it became available through Overdrive I started it immediately. This book was beautifully written and followed a family saga of over 100 years. It is about siblings and their bonds with one another and how an incident they encountered when they were children shaped who they would become and what they would do. I admire authors who can write family sagas like this one and capture the range of emotions from all the different family members perspectives. It was very enjoyable and I see why it was on so many reading lists this past year! 4/5 stars

Kindle – Overdrive

The Library of Lost and Found – Phaedra Patrick

Phaedra Patrick is one of my new favorite authors I found this year. I have loved listening to her books on audio. Her previous books that I’ve listened to are The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper and Rise and Shine Benedict Stone. All of her books are stories about how the main characters discover themselves, how they learn how to live life and enjoy it. The author writes books that are relaxing/feel-good type books to listen to. This book is about a librarian whose life is changed when a mysterious book turns up on her doorstep. Finding this book leads her on a trail of finding out about buried family secrets and the process of looking for them changes her life. It includes complicated family dynamics, the main character discovering who she was, and her coming to an understanding that it is okay to put yourself first. I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to her next book set to come out in 2020!

5/5 stars

Audiobook – Hoopla

The Unhoneymooners – Christina Lauren

This was a great summer read! This was my first book by this author (which side note are actually two women who write together and their pen name is Christina Lauren). When a food poisoning fiasco occurs at a wedding reception, the bride’s sister (Ollie) and the groom’s brother (Ethan) are pushed into taking the honeymoon trip. They of course don’t like each other and both are dreading having to spend time with the other. Yes, you can guess what happens, they fall in love…but complications threaten to push them a part. While this book did focus on their romance, it also followed the story of Ollie and her learning how to stop focusing on the negative of life and to just embrace life. The transformation she goes through was enjoyable and gave a little more depth to this otherwise cute, funny beach read. I have already reserved another book by this author at the library and can’t wait to read! 4/5 stars

Kindle – Overdrive

All the Flowers in Paris – Sarah Jio

I really enjoyed this book! Historical fiction (especially set in WWII times) is one of my favorite genres. I also really enjoy dual timelines with one timeline set in present day and one set in the past. Add in that the two timeline stories intersect in someway and I am sold! This book included all the elements and I am so glad I read it. It did start off a little slow for me, but picked up the more I read and I got so engrossed in both of the women’s stories that I stayed up way too late reading it in order to find out how it all played out. The author did such a good job of weaving both timeline stories together and including the messages of thankfulness, forgiveness, and love in it that it is a book that will stick with me for awhile. I am looking forward to reading more from this author! 4/5 stars

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summer of ’69 – Elin Hildebrand

This was my first Elin Hildebrand book, but it won’t be my last. I have always enjoyed novels that family drama-like and this did not disappoint. I enjoyed the setting of Nantucket and that it was set in ’69 around the time of so many changes in the world – political, technological, etc. I think she did a good job in telling all the differing family member stories and interweaving them together. I felt like the end of the book was hurriedly wrapped up and tied with a pretty bow and I didn’t enjoy the ending that much because of that, but the rest of the book made up for it. I enjoyed this and look forward to reading more from her! 4/5 stars

Hardback – Library

Nine Women, One Dress – Jane L. Rosen

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I went into it thinking it would be a little bit like “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and it was not. There were nine different storylines throughout the book and I thought it too be somewhat confusing in following all of them. The only storyline that really drew me in was about a secretary and I wanted to see what happened to her and honestly that was the main reason I kept reading and finished the book. I do see where it is a good chick-lit kind of book and it did make a good summer fluff kind of read, but I wish there could have been a little more substance to the storyline. 2/5 stars

Hardback – Library

The Lost Girls of Paris – Pam Jenoff

I have been a fan of Pam Jenoff’s for a few years now and I was excited that she had a new book coming out this year! While I enjoyed the main storyline of this and learning about this network of women operatives, the writing didn’t seem to flow well for me. I felt like it jumped around a lot and I didn’t fully grasp what was going on in the different lives and I felt like things were left hanging and not wrapped up throughout the book. Maybe it was meant to be like that? Maybe it had something to do with me reading it late at night and falling asleep while reading it? I don’t know…while I did enjoy it, it was not one of my favorites from her, but I am intrigued and if I had extra time I would like to go research some more about this network of female operatives and learn more about their lives. 3/5 stars

Kindle – Overdrive

The Basic Steps of Bible Study – Kay Arthur

Kay Arthur is a well-renowned and international Bible teacher and has written many books/studies on how to study the Bible. This book seems to be a shorter, more concise version of her well-known book How to Study Your Bible. This short book on inductive Bible study includes basic step-by-step instructions on how to look at the context of a passage you are reading, observe what the Bible says about it, interpret what it meant to the original audience, and then helping you apply it to life today. It is a well-written tool for anyone who is getting started in Bible study and is overwhelmed with where and how to start. I am looking forward to incorporating some of the tools/tips she mentioned into my daily Bible study.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Behind Closed Doors – B. A. Paris

Oh my goodness!!! This book was a little much for me at times. I had to put it down for a bit and then come back to it because it was just getting a little too intense for me, but with that being said I read it in less than a weekend. There was a lot about it that seemed unbelievable at times, but then there were parts of it that I could see a crazy controlling-type person doing in real-life. This was a thriller-type book that I couldn’t put down and wanted to know how it all played out in the end. I finished it and then immediately put in a library request for another book by this author because I enjoyed it so much! 4/5 stars

Hardback – Library

Slightly South of Simple – Kristy Woodson Harvey

I heard about this book from Mix and Match Mama and one of her book review blog posts. It sounded like a good, easy, summer read and that is exactly what it was. It is about 3 sisters that are all dealing with their own problems and end up coming back to where they grew up and stay with their mom. This book is a story about loss, forgiveness, hope, and love. It had a sweet and endearing tone to it that I am looking forward to reading the other two books in this series. 3/5 stars

Paperback – Library

August 2019

The Breakdown – B. A. Paris

After reading Behind Closed Doors (see above), I could not wait to read another book from this author. I have to say I did not enjoy this one as much, I think because it seemed to have a lot of mundane, repetitive moments throughout and didn’t have the shock value that Behind Closed Doors had. However, with that being said…when I got to about three-quarters of the way of being done, I did not want to put it down because I wanted to know how it all played out and what was happening to the main character…was she really going crazy or was someone really out to get her? The author does such a good job in both this book and the other one in keeping you guessing and how she brings all the little tidbits throughout the book together and ties it all together at the end. I am looking forward to reading more by this author for sure!

3/5 stars

Hardback – Library

The Victory Garden – Rhys Bowen

I had seen this book floating around on Instagram and I looked up the description on Goodreads and it seemed like it checked all my boxes (see above…historical fiction, dual timelines, etc.) and it did not disappoint! The author did a great job in setting the scene, developing the plot, and building the characters. This was a very sweet and poignant read and one that transported you to a different time and place. I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading In Fairleigh Field by the same author (that I downloaded awhile ago on my Kindle and just haven’t gotten to it yet)!

4/5 stars

Hardback – Library

My Oxford Year – Julia Whelan

So I had high hopes for this one, but I didn’t end up liking it as much as I thought I would. I know that is part of the unpopular opinion because I had heard so many good reviews on it. It took me awhile to get through it and I really didn’t start liking it until about three-fourths of the way through. Honestly the last quarter of the book is why I gave it 3 stars instead of two. This book reminded me a lot of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (which, side note, I liked a whole lot better). I am glad I stuck it out to the end and didn’t just quit half-way through, but it did underwhelm me based upon all the hype I had heard about it.

3/5 stars

Kindle – Overdrive

If you are still reading this long post, I hope you enjoyed and found some new books to add to your TBR list.

Have a good weekend!

Until next time….keep it simple!

Lindsey