August Reading Wrap Up
Back on the reading train after a quiet couple months and it feels so good! In August, I finished 4 books — 2 physical books and 2 audiobooks. Let’s recap!
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
Book thoughts — In summary, a book of rich, unlikable characters and lots of drama. The book’s prologue opens with the discovery of a corpse, then time shifts back to the start of summer in Chapter 1. I loved the prologue, it hooked me right away. However, I was bummed I had to read 200+ pages of Desperate Housewives script to get back to the initial mystery. There were so many characters and POVs, and not a single person in the book had any redeeming qualities (hence the book’s appropriate title). In the end, the story was just okay for me. I loved the summer island vibes, but wanted just a little bit more plot-wise.
My rating — 3 stars. A good beach read if you’re looking for something saucy and scandalous. Do note — Bad Summer People is not a thriller, it’s more like domestic fiction with touch of mystery.
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Book thoughts — Long and boring, boring and long. That’s the review. Considering the many raving reviews I read, I expected to have a blast reading this one. But instead, I was met with one of the most disappointing books I’ve read all year. Age of Vice clocks in over 500 pages and let me tell you — it felt like 500 pages and then some. It took me a month and a half to read/listen on audio. I only finished reading because I made myself finish reading. I nearly quit so many times. It’s like I was waiting for something to happen, and spoiler, nothing ever happened. The book’s split into three sections, the first I actually enjoyed (Ajay’s POV), but the other two (Neda’s and Sunny’s POVs), just no. Confusing, overlapping, and redundant storylines, messy plot, and a cliffhanger ending that made me feel… nothing.
My rating — 2 stars. 2 generous stars, only because of Ajay and his story. I’m not interested in reading another book in this series if a trilogy is actually in the works.
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
Book thoughts — After reading and loving Linda Holmes’s debut Evvie Drake Starts Over (4 stars), I was super excited to read her sophomore novel. I didn’t read the synopsis, probably should have, but it’s basically the story of a woman looking for answers behind a wooden duck decoy she finds while cleaning out her beloved great aunt’s house after she passed away. What the book was trying to be, I’m not exactly sure. A romance? A mystery? A redeeming story of a woman who lives her life exactly the way she wants to? It wasn’t bad, it was fine. Nothing memorable, a plot I’ll forget, and middle road characters. A few cute moments, some life lessons thrown about, but overall, not holding a candle to the wind compared to Evvie Drake.
My rating — 3 stars. Special thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine for sending me a free copy of Flying Solo in exchange for an honest review.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Book thoughts — “At seventeen Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope / Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother’s happy life / “It wasn’t me,” Lenora said / But she’s the only one not dead.” Could a young Lenora really have killed her entire family as a teenager? Though she was never charged or convicted of any crime (police reported insufficient evidence), the rest of the surrounding townspeople suspect just that. The book takes place in the 80s, decades after the 1929 murders, with a now 70-something Lenora still living in the same house her family was murdered in. In the present day, Lenora’s wheelchair bound, unable to speak or move the right side of her body thanks to a series of strokes. Her new caregiver, Kit, a 30-something with a past of her own, is terrified to be working for Lenora in the Hope’s End murder house. She begged her boss for any other assignment, but her request was denied. She’s stuck in a creaky, remote, cliffside mansion with an accused murderer who wants to set her story straight. So thrilling, twisty, and dark — I was sucked right into this fictional world. I enjoyed the eerie setting and shady characters. Riley Sager wrote a good one here. It’s not left my mind for weeks.
My rating — 4 stars. The ending was a bit too twisty and unrealistic, but the overall reading experience was amazing. If you liked Verity (5 stars), you’re more than likely going to like this one too. I’ve got a longer book thoughts blog post coming for this one soon, it’ll be published on the blog in the next couple weeks for sure.
That’s a wrap on what I read in August. My favorite book was The Only One Left, my least favorite was Age of Vice. As always, much respect to the authors of each book. Whether I loved, liked, or disliked a book, it’s important to acknowledge that writing and publishing a book is an incredible feat in and of itself.
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P.S. — More book thoughts — March Reading Wrap Up and April Reading Wrap Up
Enjoy!
JB