Mini reading wrap up: July 2024

July was a reading slump month for me. Only towards the end of the month did I get much reading done.

My favourite reads were Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. It’s the third instalment in the series and possibly my favourite of them all. It is the perfect summer book that will rip your heart out and mend it right back together. It follows Justin and Emma, who both discover everyone they date finds the love of their life after they break up. They decide to date each other to break the cycle.

There’s a lot more to these books than a love story. Justin is dealing with becoming a guardian of his siblings after a shock revelation in the family. And Emma is dealing with family trauma of her own.

I got two books in my Rare Birds subscription and I enjoyed both but one stood out more than the other. Penance by Eliza Clark was fantastic. It explores the media and how we consume true crime for our own enjoyment. There’s a lot going on in this book, focussing a great amount of detail on every character. My only critique is the plot is written on the blurb, so avoid reading that before delving in.

The other book in the subscription I received was My Husband by Maud Ventura. This was a psychological tale of a wife completely obsessed with her husband. She does some crazy things to try and keep him loving her. The ending made it more interesting for me and tied it all together. If you like unhinged, unreliable narrators then this is the one for you. It’s a quick read too so shouldn’t take long to read.

The final book is Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston. I was sent the audiobook version by the publisher and while I can see how some may find the writing witty at times, it just didn’t work for me. It follows Kerry and her best friend Annie as they try to solve a murder that takes place in their school. There’s a lot of focus on periods – including the murder itself. I did like the feminism and body positivity. The audiobook narrator was great too. All the characters felt fully formed and I wasn’t guessing who was speaking at any given time.

The books I read and my ratings:

Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Penance by Eliza Clark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Husband by Maud Ventura ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston ⭐️⭐️.5

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Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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