August 2019 Wrap Up

Holy cats, book nerds!

No, you didn’t read that headline wrong! This is, in fact, a wrap up for a month that wrapped up almost 4 weeks ago…but I figured late was better than never, right? Right? Guys? 😂

I’ve actually been trying to minimize blogging time this week in efforts to truly focus on both Contemporary-A-Thon and my Goodreads reading challenge goal, which needs some serious resuscitation. And although the week hasn’t been as successful as I’d like it to be (I’ve only read 2.5 books so far), the readathon is definitely helping me tackle some anticipated backlisted titles.

But to help me dive back into day 4 of the readathon, let’s move on and breakdown the month of August together, shall we?

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*Listed in order of completion date*

AUGUST READS (RsTC):1) Dragonfly by Leila Meacham – 4.5 Stars

I’m so thankful to the Lone Star Book Blog Tours team for introducing me to Ms. Meacham and her beautiful novel. This WW2-based thriller is definitely outside of my typical reading genre, but easily became one of my favorite reads of the year. At almost 600 pages, it’s a hefty read, but one that enraptured me completely and left me dwelling on the characters for days. Check out my full review here!

2) Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett – 3 Stars

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I stan Jenn Bennett. Her contemporaries usually have everything I’m looking for and leave me swooning for days on end. So you can imagine how excited I was to finally get my hands on her next YA romance. And I don’t know if it was the hyped expectations or what, but this one left much to be desired. The chemistry between the leads didn’t woo me like Bennett’s previous couples and the pacing of the mystery aspect felt off/lacking. Overall it’s worth your time, but it wouldn’t be the first Bennett novel I’d pick from the shelves.

3) Kulti by Mariana Zapata – 3 Stars 

When July served me up some less-than-stellar contemporaries, I turned to favorite authors to try and remedy those low ratings. And while this strategy sounds solid, it didn’t work out quite like I’d hoped. You see, I dived into Kulti because: 1) I loved Zapata’s The Wall of Winnipeg and Me and 2) It has KILLER reviews (higher rated than WoW in fact)! But, similar to Serious Moonlight, this novel lacked what I loved about Zapata’s previous work. This soccer-themed romance had tons of potential but needed serious editing. It was insanely repetitive (the first third especially) and didn’t start showing promise until the 67% mark! There were moments I loved and quotes I adored, but again, it wouldn’t be my go-to rec for this author.

4) Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire – Reread – No Rating

I’m just going to preface this blurb with an I know. I know this book is hella problematic. I know this book depicts an extremely toxic relationship that shouldn’t be used as a model for real relationships. And I know that the amount of unrealistic (and sometimes gross) drama that occurs in this one novel is mind boggling. However, something about it speaks to me. Escapism, maybe? I don’t know the reason, but after two novels that missed the mark I felt like returning to something I knew would be a quick and enjoyable read for me. As a reread I didn’t include a rating because my opinions have altered every time I read this novel.

 5) ARC: Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker – 3.25 Stars

Following suit of “next installment contemporaries from beloved authors that just missed the mark,” I bring you Tucker’s newest second-chance romance. Are you sensing a theme yet? Maybe I was just in a bad mental state in August and was being too hard on these books, but like the two others featured in this wrap up, this novel just didn’t reach the heights of its’ predecessor. Tucker’s The Simple Wild was one of my favorite reads last year, so trust me no one is more upset that this one didn’t measure up. Don’t get me wrong I loved the back-and-forth/dual timelines, the summer camp setting, and the steam between these two leads, but a lot of the drama and tension fell short. I did enjoy this one slightly more than the others though, so if you’re picking between the 3 this one would get my vote.

6) Roar by Cora Carmack – 4 Stars

As many of you know, Roar was one of the titles I didn’t get to back during The Reading Rush readathon, and it’s been haunting me ever since. So I’m thrilled to report not only did I finally get it crossed off my TBR list, but I also really enjoyed it. From the storm magic and budding romance to the “mystery” villain and entertaining cast of side characters, this book was a breath of fresh air after a string of stale reads.

7) Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – 3.5 Stars

Wrapping up the month, I ditched the contemporary genre completely and instead reached for a highly-anticipated thriller. Y’all know I have a hesitant relationship with Mr. Sager due to the fact that I was so let down by his debut novel, but then pleasantly surprised by his twisty sophomore efforts. Deciding that he was on an upward trajectory, I couldn’t wait to read his third attempt, Lock Every Door. And while the big twist/ending was uninspired (in my opinion), I did find this story highly consumable. It created tension and chills while reading, and is now my second favorite of his books. 😂

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At A Glance…

📖Books Read: 7

4.5-Star Reads: 📚

4-Star Reads: 📚

3.5-Star Reads: 📚

3.25-Star Reads:📚

3-Star Reads: 📚📚

No Rating ReReads:📚

🌟Average Rating: 3.54 Stars

🙌An increase (in Star ratings) from last month!🙌

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Beyond Books…

2 ARC Reviews: Announcing Trouble & Dragonfly

2 Blog Tours: Announcing Trouble & Dragonfly

3 Top Ten Tuesday posts: Backlisted ARCs, Red Reads, & Orange Reads

1 First Lines Friday posts: – FLF #13 – Can’t disclose titles obviously 😉

1 Reading Rush Readathon Posts: Wrap Up

and

1 Wrap Up: July 2019 Wrap Up

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Overall, not as successful of a reading month as July in terms of quantity (or posts), but what can you do? The musical consumed my life, y’all! 😂 But I trust that y’all forgive me for my slacking and my lateness in this post! What did you think of my August in a nutshell? Did you like these posts? These books? These ratings? Have you read any of these titles? Let me know below! 

And, as always, Happy Reading!!

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