Hi Bookstackers!

Welcome back to another week full of book updates!!!! Excited to share lots of new stuff with you all! You can see my last roundup here.

P.S. Little discount code below :) only works using the link in this post!

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Book Giveaway!

Lovers XXX is book club with lauren’s August pick! Ahead of the discussion, I’m giving away 5 copies of the book with extra book club related goodies! Enter the note here.

See more info on the book including an interview with author Allie Rowbottom and my review!

Paid Subscribers

Thank you to subscribers who have upgraded their membership! If you’re new here, I publish a paid post for subscribers at least once a week. Some of the prior paid posts are below :) I know not everyone is able to upgrade, so no worries because I still publish plenty of free content!

What I’ve Read

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

Genre: Literary fiction

Premise: Travis may look like a normal human - wears a t-shirt, has holes in his socks, and rents an apartment - but he is actually Death.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brief Review: I am in shambles after reading this. Loved every page. You can read my longer review of the book here.

Flashlight by Susan Choi

Genre: Literary fiction (shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Women’s Prize for Fiction)

Premise: A historical fiction novel about a girl named Louisa and mom and dad - Anne and Serk. Louisa and Serk go for a walk on the beach one day and Serk disappears. (This isn’t really doing it justice my bad).

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brief Review: I am so bummed but this didn’t work for me. I learned a lot about North Korea/Japanese history and there were chapters that I felt were very engaging and informative, but I struggled with the book as a whole. We read this for June book club.

Country People by Daniel Mason

Genre: Literary fiction

Premise: A family moves from California to Vermont for a job change and embrace the Vermont country lifestyle.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Brief Review: I am conflicted on this book, because there are aspects I absolutely adored and then portions of the book that I found drab. I absolutely loved Daniel Mason's writing. He has a knack for witty, humorous banter and dialogue. From what I know about Vermont (the politics, people, culture, etc.) he aptly captured the quirky, endearing, hippie antics of Vermont people. I thought the radio element was so much fun and added such a unique dimension to the story. What didn't work for me was the overall structure. Although I don't necessarily mind a rambling, stream of consciousness text, at times I felt that the story was directionless, confusing, and a little bleak. I think this will find it niche audience, I just don’t know if I was it.

Helpless by Jessica Knoll

Genre: Thriller/mystery

Premise: A woman returns to her college for a funeral and encounters her college ex-boyfriend.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Brief Review: Honestly, what was this. I felt like I was reading 4 different books; there was no cohesion and it felt very disconnected.

Wasp’s Nest by Kat Stoddard ()

Genre: Fiction

Premise: A modern retelling of The Philadelphia Story.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brief Review: I am not at all familiar with The Philadelphia Story but I thought this book was a blast! A perfect spicy (without spice scene tg) filled family drama perfect for the summer. Definitely worth a read! The audio version was great too.

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead

Genre: Thriller/mystery

Premise: A group of famous women may be linked to the murders of notorious Hollywood men.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brief Review: This was really fun! This was a multilayered thriller that went a little deeper than the norm! Multiple character POVs and several timelines as well, but without being confusing. there was some good character development and elements of feminism, political corruption, Hollywood drama, and sprinkles of romance. I've gotten to know this author a bit better and I find some of her writing a little cheesy (not in a bad way!!!) so I wouldn't call this a serious book despite some of the serious elements I listed. It's pure fun and the twists were pretty good.

Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw

Genre: Romance/magical realism

Premise: Ellie disappeared for a week as a kid; she was on an island that seemingly disappears into the sea. Decades later she returns to the island.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Brief Review: Not to be harsh, but this was written for Booktok romance lovers. The romance was just bad. Like Ellie ends up on the island and falls in love with Clay? But there’s no build up or explanation? And no POV from him? I just didn’t like a second of this book. This is probably for some, but definitely not for me.

Fights! by Scott McClanahan

Genre: Literary non fiction (I think?)

Premise: A book about the great two loves of Scott’s life - his wife Juliet and his best friend Gian.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brief Review: I love books like this. This was kind of a rambling ode to a wild best friend. It was a completely unconventional and unlike anything I’ve read in terms of the formatting and dialogue. But I was WEEPING at the end. If you’re willing to take a chance, you should read this. Easy 5 stars.

Current Reads

What’s Next!

Join book club with lauren , a virtual book club! See deets here

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