While I was waiting on Riley to be born I got SO much reading done, when I wasn’t nesting hardcore, because I was so huge and miserable and it was so hot outside and it made me not want to move unless it was directly into a swimming pool. A little belated but let’s talk about what I read this summer:
Warcross by Marie Lu
I received this book from the publisher for review consideration. This in no way swayed my opinion. Pinky swear!
About In A Sentence or Two: Emika, a teenage hacker, struggles to keep a roof over her head and spends her days as a bounty hunter. She decides to try to make some money by hacking into the popular game Warcross’s opening games and she finds herself IN the games thanks to a glitch of some type. She’s ready to make a run for it to escape the trouble she’ll be in when instead she gets a call from the creator of Warcross who wants her to go undercover for him as a player in the Warcross games to help with a security issue.
Quick Thoughts: If you are looking for a fast-paced futuristic novel related to virtual reality type video games, this is it! I could not put this down and then my nephew got a hold of my copy (big Marie Lu fan!) and he devoured it also. The high tech world that Marie Lu created was totally captivating and I loved learning about the game of Warcross. Emika was a cool character — bounty hunter and a hacker turned undercover spy posing as a Warcross player to find out who has been messing with the game. The side characters who were other players of the game were super fascinating too! Definitely a book that had me reeling and clamoring for the next book. If you’ve read this site for long you know I don’t read a ton of sci-fi type stuff but I am obsessed with this book!!
Rating:
I received this book from the publisher for review consideration. This in no way swayed my opinion. Pinky swear!
About In A Sentence Or Two: When a culinary star who has it all gets hacked and all her secrets are revealed she must try to rebuild her life after losing it all — her husband, her show, her fans — and move back to her childhood home and face her estranged sister.
Thoughts: I have such conflicting thoughts on this one and it’s mostly due to the ending. I couldn’t put the book down but felt kind of let down by the ending (I guessed it) but I thought the person’s reasoning for exposing her was kind of weak. BUT I really enjoyed the exploration of how we curate our online personas…especially someone like Sunshine who is in the limelight and is expected to be a certain person. I also really enjoyed the characters and the setting — Sunshine’s redemption is a good one. It was the perfect beach read and I thought the best thing about it really was how relevant it is as someone who spends a good deal on social media. It’s a quick, addictive read and while it wasn’t anything earth-shattering…I enjoyed it and thought a lot about online personas and how we curate our lives after I finished.
Rating
Final Girls by Riley Sager
I received this book from the publisher for review consideration. This in no way swayed my opinion. Pinky swear!
About In A Sentence Or Two: Three girls, who have never met, are bonded together by being what the press refers to as the “Final Girls” as they are all the only survivors of brutal massacres and attacks. Ten years later, one of them is found dead and the other shows up on Quincy’s, the last Final Girl, doorstep making her relive the past that she’s put behind her and question why Sam has come to find her.
Thoughts: I was in such a mood for a thriller and this one definitely was a good one for me! I feel like I don’t want to say much because I love leaving my thoughts for thrillers/mysteries pretty sparse as to not spoil it for others! SO ADDICTIVE — even if you do guess who-dunit (which I didn’t until later on!!). I found myself super into the flashbacks but I also did like the present day as well. I really felt Quincy — can’t imagine how you would rebuild your life after something like that. If you are in the mood for a thriller you will absolutely blow through…pick this one up!
Rating
Who’s That Girl by Blair Thornburgh
I received this book for review consideration. This in no way swayed my opinion. Pinky swear!
About in a sentence or two: When Natalie’s crush, whose band has started to become popular, debuts a song called “Natalie” she starts questioning everything about their awkward encounter at a summertime party. Maybe it did mean something?? She’s left to figure out if it was something or nothing at all — which makes her life way more complicated especially when she realizes she might have feelings for her bff Zach.
Thoughts: This book was really cute and was one of the last books I read as I waited for my overdue baby to come out and join us! It was perfect in that way because it was light and fun and predictable (not in a bad way). I looooved Nattie’s family most of all and her group of friends seemed like people I would want to hang out with — those friends for life — though sometimes I did wish we got more of some of them to really KNOW them. I totally felt like I related to Nattie when I think about who I was in high school. I HAVE to say that I was a little disappointed in an incident that we had to wait to be revealed…it wasn’t nearly what I thought it would be after SO MUCH BUILDUP. But overall a really fun read — not a standout for me in the genre since I read it a lot but there was a lot to like because it was just so delightful overall!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
About in a sentence or two: An unknown reporter, Monique, gets contacted for the job of a lifetime — an Old Hollywood legend wants her, and ONLY her, to write her biography and share all the secrets and scandals of her life as she made her way up the ranks in Hollywood.
Thoughts: TJR is one of my all time favorite authors (you must read her books!!) and this one was a bit of a departure from her other books. I have to say it was my least favorite of her books but I couldn’t put it down at the same time. I wanted to know all the secrets and stuff and I really wanted to figure out why Evelyn picked Monique to do the story. I’ve been known to love scandalous stories about famous people so this was fun in that way — so much drama and scandal and I couldn’t stop compulsively turning the pages. But it just lacked something that I find in this author’s other books. It was definitely a bit more light on substance (which is totally okay, I love that kind of book!) but I’m used to her books BREAKING ME and making me think a whole lot and becoming ALL TIME FAVORITES. I don’t know if it’s fair for me to judge this book based on her others but alas. It’s not that it wasn’t GOOD…it just wasn’t the amazingness for me that I’ve experienced with her other books.
Midnight At The Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson
I received this book from the publisher for review consideration. This in no way swayed my opinion. Pinky swear!
About in a sentence or two: Follows the stories of 3 girls from different generations whose fates are intertwined. One girl who lives in the future (2065) and life on Earth is NOT going so well and people are being picked to colonize Mars, the other is facing the Dust Bowl in rural Oklahoma in 1934 and the other lives in England in 1919 and is grieving her brother who died in the war and longs to sail to see her childhood best friend in America.
Thoughts: This is one of those books I’m sad more people aren’t reading because it SO SO GOOD and different. I love when I’m reading a book with multiple POVs and I can’t choose which one I am more invested in! How the stories come together was one of those moments where I’m like DAMN I LOVE STORYTELLING SO MUCH!! I felt so many emotions by the end! It’s a slow moving story, for sure, but this storytelling and these characters are why I loved Jodi’s Tiger Lily so much (though that is still by far my fave!!). I honestly could have read full books about each of these characters — especially Adri in the future even though she is definitely a character who you take a long time to warm up to!! I kind of wish there was more of that futuristic storyline but alas this is a shorter book and it wasn’t all about that timeframe.
Once and For All by Sarah Dessen
I received this book from the publisher for review consideration. This in no way swayed my opinion. Pinky swear!
About in a sentence or two: Louna works for her mom and her mom’s best friend at their wedding planning business — all of whom are super cynical about happily-ever-afters (though for Louna it’s because her first love ended tragically). She meets Ambrose, a flirty serial dater who isn’t into commitment at all and who starts working for her mother, and the two end up making a bet wherein she has to go on dates with multiple guys and he has to stick with one girl.
Thoughts: Sarah Dessen is a beach bag staple as far as I’m concerned and her latest lives up to that! Cute romance and fun romp through wedding season as the main character works for her mom’s wedding planning business. It was really fun! Not my favorite Sarah Dessen but not my least favorite either! I really, really loved Louna and her bff. I liked that it went back and forth from past to present as we started to learn what happened to her first love to make her as guarded as she was. Classic Sarah Dessen here!
Have you read any of these? What did you think?! Any of these going on your TBR? Tell me what you’ve been reading!
[Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info.]
kimberlybuggie says
Awesome list. I’ll have to check some of these out. I started Hello Sunshine, and didn’t finish it yet. I love the author, so I’ll have to pick it back up. Hope you’re doing well!
Jamie says
Thank you! I haven’t read any other of her books besides Hello Sunshine…which ones do you recommend??
I am doing well! Thank you <3 Hope you are as well!!
kimberlybuggie says
i Love Love LOVE her book The First Husband. It is still my favorite of her books. I’ve also read The Divorce Party. it was good but also left me a little sad.
I’m also a new mom, my girl is 18 months! so I totally understand everything you’re going through. I find myself less and less patient with books nowadays. if it doesn’t grab me in the first couple of chapters I put it down. I don’t have enough leisure time to waste it on something I’m not fully enjoying!
I also have Taylor Jenkins Reid on my To Read list. Which one should I start with? 🙂
Stephanie says
I haven’t read any of these, but they all look great. I can’t wait to read Warcross but have a pile of other things I have to get through first.
Jamie says
I hope you love Warcross as much as I did!! What other books are on the top of your stack??
Stephanie says
I have Night Study by Maria Snyder and The Crowns of Croswald by DE Night – its going to be a fantasy heavy beginning of the month, then the HoHoHo Readathon has me reading a but of Holiday books – very excited about that 🙂
Annemieke says
Glad to hear Warcross was great. I am still doubting on picking it up as I had a bit of a hit or miss thing with Marie Lu past series. Keeping my eye on it though.
Jamie says
Ah that’s so hard when you are hit or miss with an author! The Young Elites was my favorite of her series thus far but I did really enjoy the Legend series back when I read it!
Sarah J. says
I’m really interested in Warcross, Final Girls, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Midnight at the Electric, and Once and for all. I’m particularly excited about Final Girls because it sounds like a fun psychological thriller. Great reviews! Hoping that I enjoy these as well. 🙂 I just finished The Body (adapted into Stand by Me) in the Different Seasons anthology by Stephen King and I liked it, but so far my favorite out the stories has been Apt Pupil, which was dark, violent, disturbing, and unsettling. I’m also currently reading Donners of the Dead by Karina Halle and I’m enjoying it immensely because cannibal settlers in history who are now zombies is my kind of party. I also just finished Revolutionary Road for my Lit class and absolutely adored it. One of the best classics I’ve ever read. It was amazing! The movie was fantastic, too!
Jamie says
UM YOU JUST SOLD ME ON DONNERS OF THE DEAD…never had heard of it and now I MUST HAVE IT. Thank you for sharing!!!
I remember watching Revolutionary Road forever ago but still have yet to read the book! Now I think I must read it!!
Sarah J. says
Yay! I hope you enjoy Donners of the Dead. It’s really intense and is definitely fall or winter appropriate. Yes, you have read Rev. Road! So amazing!:)
Danielle @ Bookish in Texas says
Everything you said about EVELYN HUGO was on point. I LOVE TJR’s books and this one was definitely a departure from her usual style but I still really liked it. I totally agree that it was just a bit of a let down because it didn’t have quite that life-shattering, deep thought invoking, TJR-ness that her other books had, but I still was super interested in the story.
Jamie says
Okay I’m so glad it just wasn’t me!!! Like I really liked it but it just wasn’t in the way I LOOOOVED her other books.
Sam@WLABB says
I loved Warcross so much! Lu did an incredible job world building in that one. I loved every second inside and outside the game, and now, we must wait. That ending left me with a little heart ache, so I really need the sequel quick.
Jamie says
Didn’t she??? THAT ENDING OMG. I let my nephew borrow it after and he made my sister text me like WHATTTTTTT about the ending.
Linda says
I was really curious about your thoughts on Evelyn Hugo. I know you’re a huge fan of TJR – you’re how I heard of her in the first place. I thought Evelyn Hugo was great and did have lots of substance, but it feels like something a ton of other authors would have written, whereas TJR’s style in her other books is SO unique. So, had it been another author I would have more excited by it, but as a TJR book I was a little disappointed. Now I’m wondering what her next book will be like.
Jamie says
You put it 100000% perfect! You are so right!!!! Just spot on. Maybe that’s why I felt like it didn’t have as much substance because I was comparing it? Because if another author wrote it I might have rated it higher?? So interesting to think about!