july 2024 reading wrap up
i read 8 books in july... here are my thoughts for each of them!
1. Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton
Whenever I think about this book, I think of Steph Bohrer because it’s the only book that she recommended that I added to my TBR. After a huge fantasy mood that lasted for months this year, I thought of picking up non-fiction. That’s why I decided to pick up Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton.
Like You With A View (Jessica Joyce), this book came at the right time for me. It’s a memoir about the author navigating her life in her 20s, and I think if you’re in your 20s like me, you should read it. It discusses growing pains as an adult, friendships, dating and relationships, finding yourself, life, and most importantly, love. It taught me a few things about myself too, and I just want to share a quote from the book that resonated with me:
“Nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learnt in my long-term friendships with women. Particularly the ones I have lived with at one point or another. I know what it is to know every tiny detail about a person and revel in that knowledge as if it were an academic subject.”
Verdict: 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Powerful, Lauren Roberts
I wanted to read Reckless (the sequel to Powerless), but I found out that I needed to read the novella, Powerful, first. It follows Adena’s story leading up to the final event in Powerless (told by Paedyn and Kai), and we get introduced to Mako, a new character.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy Powerful probably because I wasn’t as invested in Adena’s character as I was with Paedyn’s. I constantly thought about DNF-ing (aka Do Not Finish reading for the non-readers) but the ending of the novella was heartbreaking. It ties in with the events in Powerless and rereading it was painful; especially because we had to relive the same scene from two different perspectives so it doubled the impact.
Verdict: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. Reckless, Lauren Roberts
After Powerful, I finally started Reckless which picks up where Powerless left off. I thought that it was rushed and that the story wasn’t properly developed enough. I felt that both Paedyn and Kai were going in circles for the second and towards the start of the third part of the book as they tried to escape the city they were in.
Another thing I wanted to note is that for some parts in Powerful and Reckless, the writing was repetitive. There were a few quotes that reminded me a lot of some of the quotes in Powerless just with different words.
Verdict: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Not in Love, Ali Hazelwood
This was my favourite read of the month. I loved this book so much, and I still can’t believe it knocked Love, Theoretically (also by Ali Hazelwood) off my top-tier position. Not in Love was steamy and addictive, and I couldn’t put the book down. Rue and Eli’s (the main characters) chemistry was off the charts and I loved how taken he was by her. What I also liked was how Rue’s POV was written in the first person, while Eli’s POV was written in the third person. I found the for⭐️mat of the book unique and overall, I enjoyed my fourth read.
Verdict: 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P.S. I’m planning to read Check & Mate next, so stay tuned for my review ;)
5. Love, Unwritten, Lauren Asher
Love, Unwritten by Lauren Asher was another book in my July wrap-up that I didn’t enjoy as much. While I enjoyed the first book Love Redesigned, my main issue with the sequel was the length. As a romance book, it was too long for my liking (close to 600 pages), and I thought this book was more of a slow burn with heart-wrenching moments. I also didn’t resonate with Rafa or Ellie’s characters and their dynamic as a couple.
Regardless, I’m excited for the third book, Love Arranged that’s gonna be coming next year!
Verdict: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. If I Loved You Less, Aamna Qureshi
The Lady or the Lion (The Marghazar Trials) by Aamna Qureshi is one of my favourite books to date, and since then, I’ve been following the author on Instagram and Twitter. When she announced that she was writing an Emma. (Jane Austen) retelling, I was sold because I’d watched the movie (the 2020 film with Anya Taylor Joy). Fast forward to 2024 and I finally read the book. It was light-hearted, fast-paced, and an enjoyable read. I loved the tension between Humaira and Fawad, and I also loved how Aamna recreated the scenes of Mr. Knightley lying on the floor and his confession to Emma in the book.
The only thing that I didn’t like was the formatting of the book (unless it was intended that way) - all of the characters spoke as if they were in 18th-century England even though the book was set in modern-day NYC. and I mentally read the whole book with an English accent and didn’t realize they were not in the UK halfway through.
But if you loved the book or the movie, you should read this book ;)
Verdict: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
7. Business Casual, B.K. Borison
Ah, the fourth and final book for the Lovelight series by B.K. Borison. This small-town romance series stole my heart back in 2022 when I read the first three books. Business Casual was finally released, and I dove straight into Charlie and Nova’s story towards the end of July.
When I read it, I was so happy seeing all the main characters from the past 3 books but finishing it made me sad. It was a bittersweet conclusion to such a comforting series, and I’m glad everyone got their happy ending. I also loved Charlie and Nova’s story, and their little dynamic in the book.
Verdict: 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8. This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Before July ended, I squeezed in a reread of another book in my list of all-time faves. I first read This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone in 2022, and it turned out to be one of my top 10 reads that year.
It’s honestly a book I’d recommend if you love sci-fi/fantasy and if you need a quick read. The writing is brilliant, and it’s also enemies-to-lovers that communicate in the form of letters. When I was rereading it, I started to get reminded of one of my poems (Excerpts From an Unsent Love Letter) that was in my poetry book (Bedtime Stories for Adults in Love); it made me question if my work was inspired by this book but I don’t remember when I wrote that poem.
Anyway, if you do pick up this book anytime soon, just make sure you have tissues beside you when you reach that part of the book.
Verdict: 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
— social preview image credit: pinterest
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