I read seven books this month, and none dipped below three stars! Let’s go through them.
1. Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once-inseparable siblings.
But when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s finally able to escape her anxious mind—and Ian’s criticism.
And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.
That is, if they don’t get completely lost along the way.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Unlike Love & Gelato, Love & Luck focused less on romance and more on the sibling relationship between Addie and Ian. I wasn’t mad at it. Confused at first, but it made sense for the story. (Rowan’s the best love interest, anyway. I love him so much.)
Suspense can be hard to pull off in fluffy contemporaries, but this book managed it! I couldn’t wait to figure out what Addie had done, and the answer was satisfying.
The characters, per usual, were my favorite part. Since it takes place on a road trip, there was plenty of time for banter. The characters’ personalities got to shine in all of their nerdy glory.
2. Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis. So when teenage Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father, who explains that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and asks if she will fly out to Greece and help—Liv is less than thrilled.
When she arrives in gorgeous Santorini, things are just as awkward as she’d imagined. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. Liv doesn’t want to get sucked back into her father’s world. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo, her father’s charismatic so-called protégé, to witness her struggle.
Even so, she can’t help but be charmed by everything Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the sun-drenched villages, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Love & Olives is one of those books I enjoyed reading, but have some not-so-positive things to discuss. The length, for one. It was a whopping five hundred pages, which were unnecessary. The author could’ve cut some of the excess Atlantic information. Olive’s boyfriend, Dax, also could’ve been cut. He did nothing for the plot besides standing in the way of Liv and Theo’s blossoming romance, and even then, he didn’t do much.
Onto the positives!
I’m a sucker for family dynamics, so I found Olive’s relationship with her estranged father interesting. She held a lot of resentment and was totally justified. It’s rough, it’s rocky, but they start to work through their difficulties.
Olive’s romance with Theo (pronounced “tay-oh”) was cute, too. Golden retriever love interests are my jam!
Also, this book almost made me cry, so there’s that.
3. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Like all of Stephen Graham Jones’s books, The Only Good Indians was weird, creepy, and made you think. The characters felt real, and I was honestly sad about what happened to them. (It made narrative sense, but still!)
If you’re interested in 1) believable, likable characters, 2) vengeful elk, or 3) the modern-day American Indian experience, you should pick this up.
4. Duet Me Not by Lilian Li
ASHVIN didn’t mean to join the Penang State Synchronized Swimming team. He didn’t mean to go viral when he jumped into that pool and danced with that girl. It all started as a dare to ask his crush to prom, but all it takes is one dare, one wrong choice, to turn his world upside down.
JUNE will do anything to get to the Malaysian national team, even if it means performing a duet with the most annoying boy she’s ever met. With less than three months to win over the council and save her stadium from closing, she needs his help. In exchange, she teaches him how to ask out the girl of his dreams from her own (zero) love experience. After all, like synchronized swimming, practice makes perfect. Even in love. Right?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I flew through this book! It gave me Better Than the Movies vibes for some reason? Not sure why, but I was here for it.
I loved seeing Ashvin and June’s budding romance and inner conflict. June’s struggle with “Am I missing out on normal stuff by working so hard towards my dream?” was relatable.
And the Gila Geng Gang! Their friendship is my everything. We love to see a supportive group of guys who genuinely love each other! (Plus, their promposals were amazing.)
5. Roll with It by Jamie Sumner
Ellie’s a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker. If she’s not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she’s practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother.
But when Ellie and her mom move so they can help take care of her ailing grandpa, Ellie has to start all over again in a new town at a new school. Except she’s not just the new kid—she’s the new kid in the wheelchair who lives in the trailer park on the wrong side of town. It all feels like one challenge too many, until Ellie starts to make her first-ever friends. Now she just has to convince her mom that this town might just be the best thing that ever happened to them!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Ellie’s friends, Coralee and Bert, were my favorite characters. Coralee was super supportive of Ellie, and Bert was adorably awkward. (Ellie suspects Bert of being autistic, which means I immediately love him.)
With the book being so short, some emotional beats felt rushed, especially in Act 3. There also wasn’t that big of an overarching plot. There are a few things, like Ellie’s cooking dreams and her grandpa’s Alzheimer’s, but sometimes it felt like stuff was just happening.
That being said, it was still a cute and important read that taught me about cerebral palsy. I still want to read the sequel, Time to Roll.
6. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.
Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
It’s probably weird to say I loved a book about cannibalism, but it’s true! It was disgusting and weird and so, so fascinating. I understand the hype.
Tender is the Flesh delves into the psyche of a man grappling with the horrors taking place around him, from legalized cannibalism to his dad’s worsening dementia. It showcases the worst of humanity and makes you think about our modern-day horrors.
It might also turn you vegetarian/vegan. Just saying.
Now I’m even more excited to read Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird!
7. It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds
Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores… especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he’ll only have to do the laundry once during his school break.
On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie’s monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. And Eddie’s day has just taken a turn for the worst. Now he’s stuck at home by himself, missing the bash, and doing his whole pile of laundry. But mid-cycle, the power goes out!
With his first load of laundry wet and the rest of his stuff still filthy, he sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in his glow-in-the-dark swim trunks, flip-flops, and a beach towel. He soon meets up with other neighborhood kids: newcomer Xavier (who was mid-haircut and has half his head shaved), Eddie’s former friend Sonia (who has spent her entire break trying to beat a video game and was mid-battle with the final boss), and siblings Trey and Sage (who are dealing with major sibling drama).
As they group up to cover more ground and find out what happened, they realize that their families aren’t coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the crew realizes that they aren’t just the only people left in the neighborhood, they might be the only people left… anywhere.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
I loved Justin A. Reynolds’s YA books, so I wanted to give his middle-grade book a shot!
The main character, Eddie, had tons of personality, which I always enjoy. (Loved the ADHD rep, too!) He and the others were the kids I would’ve wanted to be friends with at that age.
As fun as it was, the plot didn’t hit until the middle of the book. Some of the beginning could’ve been cut to quicken the discovery of what’s happening.
Still, it was a great time, and I’m glad there’s a sequel coming out soon!
What was your favorite read of July?
Laken Berry 