July, in Books

I always think that summer is going to be a great time for me to read and in truth, I read far less during the summer than normal. Between trying to squeeze in work, being a chauffeur to my kids, and trying to get them to the pool to have fun with their buds, my book often only gets read at the end of the day before I go to bed. I don’t love it, but I’m trying to accept it for the time being.

Books Read: 10

★★★★★ - LOVED it!
★★★★½ - Nearly perfect!
★★★★ - Really liked it!
★★★½ - It was pretty good.
★★★ - It was okay.

Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie | ★★★★½
This was such a fun, verrrrry slow-burn romance. After a rough breakup, Abby moves to London and starts working as a social media manager for a football (soccer) team. The butterflies in this book, I give a 5/5. The banter, 5/5. Some of the situations? Ridiculous. But I still really loved this one. I loved Abby’s relationship with the team and as I’ve seen many reviews say — if you love Ted Lasso, you’ll love this book.

Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick | ★★★★½
I fully expected this to be a fluffy, easy read, bordering on cheesy — it’s about a woman desperately trying to lose her virginity. But instead what I got was a smart take on a woman who is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. There were twists I fully didn’t see coming, and a quick pace that made me never want to stop reading. Phoebe was such a great character and I highly recommend this book to those of you who also love romances stories that have a bit more depth.

Main Characters by Bobby Palmer | ★★★★½
When I saw this was for fans of David Nicholls and Sally Rooney, I instantly thought ANGSTY — something I am not a fan of. But I decided to give it a chance anyway and I was immediately sucked in. Set over two decades, we meet Clara and Seb as they come together, grow apart, and everything in between. The formatting was interesting as well, only hearing from the people outside of the couple — everyone from people on the streets, to their closest friends. I thought this was a great, sweeping love story that never felt like it was over 400 pages.

Receipts From the Bookshop by Katie Clapham | ★★★★½
I have always enjoyed Katie’s Substack and her musings about the day to day happenings of her small bookshop. Rather than the glorified look at what we believe being a bookstore owner looks like, she gives us the real version — but filled with humor and heart. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this book. A look at a year of running her store, broken down into days, filled with hilarious characters, unique takes, and eye rolling musings from the passerbys. I really enjoyed this book and felt as if I was sitting next to her while she wondered if her takings for the day might just allow them to stay in business for another month.

Girl’s Girl by Sonia Feldman | ★★★★
Told over the course of a summer, this book examines a trio of girls and the aftermath of an unexpected kiss. This book made me so glad I’m not a teenage girl anymore. But also, what an incredible insight into our younger selves, even if my experiences were not at all the same. Girls are complicated, especially around age 15, and the author captured it so perfectly.

Let’s Kiss and Tell by Joss Richard | ★★★★
I am never a huge fan of fake dating tropes, but when I needed something I knew would suck me in, I gave this one a try anyway. Lucy is a sex columnist who isn’t a fan of relationships, Marshall’s ex is about to get married so he needs a plus one that won’t turn into a big deal. Naturally, we know where this goes. But what I did truly enjoy here was the banter between the two, and the way they respected one another in their careers. While this book may not stick with me long, it did exactly what I needed it to do — it entertained me, it had a few swoon worthy moments, and it allowed me a bit of an escape.

Famesick by Lena Dunham | ★★★★
I had neutral feelings about Lena Dunham going into this book and I have neutral feelings about her on the other side. To be sure, she has been through a lot of pain, and I appreciated her vulnerability throughout the book. But in the end I felt this was too long and I was often half listening. Also, if you don’t like explicit sexual writing, I’d stay away from this book.

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle | ★★★★
Lauren has the gift the women in her family have always had — the ability to change one moment in life. But that can also be a curse, not knowing which moment is right. I love that theme being explored here, knowing that there is only one do-over in her life. Do you use it for something that feels a bit more selfish? To save someone? Do you never use it so that you don’t change the outcomes of life? I thought the idea behind the premise was great, while the outcome was good, but not perfect.

June Baby by Shannon Garvey | ★★★½
Ruth has been coming to Block Island since her mother died when she was 17 and her father couldn’t handle it. And now she’s back, having suffered another tragedy, and she’s trying to figure out what comes next. The thing I liked most about this book was the imagery of Block Island. I could picture myself there, walking the shore. The writing here is gorgeous. But I also found Ruth very frustrating, her decisions and inertia making me want to scream. I needed to see at least a bit of growth and never really felt it.

The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan | ★★★½
I have no idea how to feel about this book detailing the end of a marriage. I hated it, I hated the writing, and I hated our narrator, Scott McClanahan. Yes, he is also the author. Yes, I think this was a narrativized version of his story. No, I don’t understand what’s true and what isn’t. But also, I loved it, and I loved the writing. It was honest (to a fault) and felt so true to what is real in a relationship. So, I have no idea if I recommend this one. I suppose if you like weird books, give this one a shot and see where you net out. After all, it’s only 150 pages, you can do it.

I’ll be honest, I was going to just throw a book into this section so that I didn’t mess up the flow of the post. But… none of the books I read this month particularly stand out for me. I’m not still thinking of any of them. They were good (mostly), they held my attention (mostly), and I think sometimes that just is how it is. So I’ll let this section go for this month and hope that in August I’ll have a book that has me completely in its clutches — whether in a good, or a bad way.

I feel like I’m going to get some hate mail for this but I DNF’d Elizabeth Strout’s The Things We Never Say. I have tried this author multiple times now and have only successfully completed one of her books. So I think it’s time for me to admit that her writing style is just not for me and to let her go the way I have with Frederick Backman.

Tell me about a book that you want to shout from the rooftops these days. I need a book that will hook me instantly and not let me go. Stack my TBR in the comments — please and thank you.

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