august reading wrap up
a review of all the books i read this month
In August, I read 6 books. This is what I thought about them…
1. Play Along, Liz Tomforde
I was sceptical about starting the book because I wasn’t a fan of the previous book, Caught Up, which I rated 3 stars. But my bookish friend, Henrietta (@henriettareads), convinced me with her Goodreads review, and I decided to start it.
While Caught Up was about a baseball player Kai Rhodes, Play Along followed his brother Isaiah’s story and his 3-year-long crush Kennedy. I fell in love with them and their dynamic with this book, which was amazing. The book made me giggle and blush like a schoolgirl, and I adored Isaiah, even when he was a shameless flirt. There were a lot of domestic moments that I loved too, and I’m a sucker for the way he calls her “wifey”.
If you read the previous books, you’ll definitely appreciate the mini cameos of the main couples (Stevie and Zanders, Ryan and Indy, and Kai and Miller) as much as I did. Seeing my little Windy City family again filled me with a lot of joy and I’m glad they got their happy endings.
Verdict: 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Check & Mate, Ali Hazelwood
After becoming obsessed with Not in Love last month, I decided to pick up Ali’s other book, Check & Mate.
This book blew me away when I read it. This is probably the first romance book that revolves around chess, but I completely underestimated how intense the sport would be. I only knew chess from watching The Queen’s Gambit (2020) but I loved reading about it in this book. It was intriguing and complicated, but I was mostly fixated on the protagonists Mallory and Nolan which brings me to the next point of my review.
He leans toward me over the table, dark eyes earnest, stars traveling on his skin. “Do you know how incredible you are?”
I cannot breathe. Temporarily. So I force myself to laugh. “Really? You’re wasting your question on this?”
“I am serious. Do you realize how exceptional you are, Mallory?”
“What are you— ”
“I have never seen anything like what you do with chess. Never.”
“I— You are ten times better than me. I beat you once, while playing White, and you were probably expecting an easy game.”
“You haven’t answered my question.” He leans in even farther. He smells like soap and beer and something good and dark. “Do you know how fucking good you are?”
Mallory and Nolan were insane. Their chemistry was incredible, and the aspect of them being chess rivals was the ultimate cherry on top. They were both so brilliant, and I couldn’t put the book down for a second. I loved how they bantered and played together, and most importantly, I loved how Nolan admired her.
This book was exhilarating, and I think you need to read it too.
Verdict: 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. Just For The Summer, Abby Jimenez
Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez was one of those books that were so fast-paced that you could probably finish it in a day if you wanted to. I couldn’t put it down when I was reading it, and before I knew it, I was done with the book during my 2-hour flight last week.
Do you know those AITA posts from Reddit? Well, that’s how the book starts. Justin (the writer of the post) first mentions that he’s been best friends with this guy called Chad (that’s not his real name btw) for 10 years, and then talks about how he has a bit of an unlucky-lucky streak in his dating life: That whenever he dates someone a few times and break up after that, they’ll unfailingly find “The One” a.k.a. their soulmate.
It’s happened 5 times for him until he meets Emma who has the same kind of “curse”. She reaches out to him about it and the rest is history.
(If you still don’t get it, just watch Tritney's TikTok video)
Anyway, back to my review: Besides the fast pacing, I liked how simple the writing was. Reading the book felt like an easy breeze, and it was so fun getting into the story too! Just like Play Along, this book, too, made me giggle and blush. Emma and Justin’s relationship was pure, and they were adorable. I thought Justin was the greenest flag out of all the book boyfriends I came across. He was so handsome, shy, considerate, and patient. He was essentially perfect.
I would’ve given this book 5 stars, but towards the end, I was getting annoyed at Emma. I didn’t like some of the choices she made, or the stuff she did/said.
Verdict: 4.25/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Out On A Limb, Hannah Bonam-Young
Speaking of green-flag characters, let me introduce you to another book that has them:
Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young was my fourth read of the month, and it follows Win and Bo’s story. After a one-night stand with Bo, Win gets pregnant and the plot is about how she navigates her pregnancy, as well as her life and her feelings/relationship with Bo.
It’s the first book that I read that had the pregnancy trope, and honestly, I thought the trope wasn’t that bad, especially in this book. Out on a Limb was light-hearted and funny at times, but it also had its more emotional points in the story. Win and Bo were so good together and it warmed my heart to see them find themselves and fall even more in love with one another.
Verdict: 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P.S. I also finished this book on the plane ;)
5. The Seven Year Slip, Ashley Poston
The Seven Year Slip is about a girl and her late aunt’s “magical” apartment. It was an interesting read that had time travel, magic, romance, and a swoony main lead with a sexy accent. The catch is that he’s stuck seven years in the past while she’s stuck seven years later in the present. If you’re still confused, just watch this TikTok.
This book reminded me of A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams because of the magical realism aspect. I came into this book blind after seeing people read it, but unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as others did. I liked Iwan and how he cooked/baked for Clementine (or Lemon, as he liked to call her). They were two people that confirmed the red string theory.
Despite that, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as the others did. I thought the book was a bit confusing and wished that they talked more about how the apartment came to be in terms of time travel.
Verdict: 3.75/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner
After finishing the previous book, I didn’t know what to read. I’d picked up A Tempest of Tea (Hafsah Faizal) but I wasn’t in the mood to read fantasy at the moment. That’s how I ended up scrolling through the downloaded books on my Kindle and choosing Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. It’s a memoir that talks about the author’s relationship with her mother, and her life growing up as Korean-American.
“When you were a child, you always used to cling to me. Everywhere we went,” my mother whispered, struggling to get the words out. “And now that you’re older, here you are—still clinging to me.”
I found Crying in H Mart poignant and beautifully written. The way Michelle talks about her grief was raw and I could see how her mother’s death impacted her life. I also loved the vivid recounts of her memories and her family in South Korea, and reading about her journey in becoming an artist.
“Every dish I cooked exhumed a memory. Every scent and taste brought me back for a moment to an unravaged home. Knife-cut noodles in chicken broth took me back to lunch at Myeongdong Gyoja after an afternoon of shopping, the line so long it filled a flight of stairs, extended out the door, and wrapped around the building. The kalguksu so dense from the rich beef stock and starchy noodles it was nearly gelatinous. My mother ordering more and more refills of their famously garlic-heavy kimchi. My aunt scolding her for blowing her nose in public.
Crispy Korean fried chicken conjured bachelor nights with Eunmi. Licking oil from our fingers as we chewed on the crispy skin, cleansing our palates with draft beer and white radish cubes as she helped me with my Korean homework. Black-bean noodles summoned Halmoni slurping jjajangmyeon takeout, huddled around a low table in the living room with the rest of my Korean family”
Besides the writing, the book made me understand how food played a huge role in one’s life— as a person who grew up abroad, it reminded me that food was a way to stay connected to my roots. It also taught me how food was a form of a love language that brought people together, nurtured them, and even healed them when they needed it to.
… And that’s why you need to read this book.
Verdict: 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
— Social preview image credit: pinterest
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