If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I am constantly sharing my reviews on the books that I finish. I thought it would be fun to start a monthly blog of the books that I read each month! I'll share the books that I read and my thoughts on each one in the order that I read them, starting with July. Don't worry, there are no spoilers!
People We Meet on Vacation, by Emily Henry ★★★★★
My first book of the month and I finished it in about 2 or 3 days. This story was so captivating! The constant jump from the past to the present really provided a lot of backstory as to why things were the way that they were. Poppy and Alex were such well written characters and I am so happy with how the book ended! There were some tears shed for sure, happy and sad, but it is definitely worth the read!
Want to read the summary? Head to this Goodreads link! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54985743-people-we-meet-on-vacation
2. The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner ★★★★★
Second read of the month was another 5 star read. I actually started this one back at the end of June, but took a pause to read People We Meet on Vacation. I There were tons of mixed reviews but this book was such an interesting read. There were three different stories going on at once which kept me on the edge of my seat, especially because most of the chapters ended in a cliff hanger. I wanted to get back to that character so I kept on reading. The beginning was a little bit slow while introducing us to Nella, Eliza, and Caroline but the connection to the past and the present made this book captivating.
Want to read the summary? Head to this Goodreads link!
3. Love & Gelato, by Jenna Evans Welch ★★★★★
I promise I don't give every single book I read a five star review, but this was definitely another one! This book became an instant favorite of mine because of the journey Lina had to go through. With her mother's passing, she went to Italy to stay with a man named Howard who she only knew to be a very good friend to her mother. The whole trip was truly a self journey for Lina and of course there is a little bit of love and a little bit of gelato in there. This book is certainly a comfort read for me!
Want to read the summary? Head to this Goodreads link!
4. Girls with Bright Futures, by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman ★★★★☆
My first four star read of the month but still worth the read for sure. The whole book focuses on the parents point of view of their kids trying to get into college. We have Alicia, Kelly, and Maren and all of their girls want to get into Stanford but the Stanford is only taking one more student from Elliott Bay Academy. This book felt a lot like Dance Moms but about college admissions. There was so much drama but the twists and turns kept me super interested in the second half.
Want to read the summary? Head to this Goodreads link!
5. Love & Luck, by Jenna Evans Welch ★★★★★
Clearly I loved the first book so much that I had to pick up the second. This book was not better than the first but I did finish it in a day. It was a quick read and I was a little bored at first. As soon as I realized this book was actually following Addie, Lina's best friend, I started to become more interested. If you loved the first book, then you will love the connections with Lina and Ren. This book lacked the traditional lack of chapters so it was a little bit hard for me to read but as I continued, it got easier.
Want to read the summary? Head to this Goodreads link!
6. Love & Olives, by Jenna Evans Welch ★★★★★
Theres a trend this month! This was by far my FAVORITE book of this series which really threw me off guard since I thought nothing could top the first one. The hunt for Atlantis was really a wild ride and I went through so many emotions. Liv got a postcard from her father that he needed help in Greece, where he was living, and her mother made her go. She isn't happy about it but eventually as time goes on, she learns that her trip was about a lot more than just Atlantis. I loved that Olive wasn't a big part of the first two books because she was briefly mentioned in Love & Luck. I thinkI think that added to the mystery because we didn't know too much about her. I don't want to give too much away, just know that this was such a good book!
Want to read the summary? Head to this Goodreads link!
7. All Your Twisted Secrets, by Diana Urban ★★★★☆
Since I am such a huge fan of One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus, I had really high hopes of liking this one, however, it was highly predictable. I am not a fan of books that tell you the lesson you were supposed to learn from reading it and that is exactly what this book did. The before chapters I honestly was not a fan of and I really just wanted more from the present day chapters. The characters kind of lacked personality and at about halfway, I caught on to the "who dunnit" part. I love thrillers like this, so I liked it overall, however I was really disappointed with the reveal. If you're looking to get out of a slump then I recommend it!
Want to read the summary? Head to this Goodreads link!
Now for the moment we have all been waiting for...
My favorite book of this month has to be: People We Meet on Vacation! I am a sucker for contemporary romances like this book so it has rightfully earned the number one spot for the month.
And there we have it: my first book blog! I'm really excited to share my thoughts on these books more in depth as opposed to a quick rating on my Instagram stories. If you want to see my TBR and what I'm reading, check out my Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/127513184-gabby . (I am not sponsored by Goodreads, it is simply just the app/website I use to track my reading!)
Love it friend! Keep up the awesome work! Thankful to be able to share good books with you! 💕
Oh my gosh I love this so much! This was so fun to read!