I’ve been having such amazing luck when it comes to books the past few months, but August kinda took a turn for the worse. I did read some really good books this past month, but overall I had more 3 stars and even the books I rated 4 and 5 won’t go down as my very favs. Still, I have a couple I really enjoyed! And here’s hoping September is filled with all 5 star reads!
Here are the 7 books I read in August:
How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder
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Let’s start off with my favorite. How to Fake it in Hollywood had been on my summer tbr since I first learned about it back in the winter. But then I started hearing some not so great reviews for it, and I became a little apprehensive about picking it up. I decided to take a chance, and I’m so glad I did! I LOVED this one! Celebrity + fake dating is almost always a win in my book, and this one was a fav. Yes, it deals with some heavier topics like addiction and sexism but it was also filled with swoony moments. I loved it!
Rating: 5 stars!
Thanks for my copy, Random House!
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead
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I finished The Last Housewife this past month, and it’s easily my favorite thriller that I’ve read so far this year. Ashley Winstead wrote In My Dreams I Hold A Knife last year, which ended up being my top book of the year. Then she switched gears and wrote one of my favorite rom coms this year, Fool Me Once. It’s safe to say I’ll read anything and everything she writes.
This book is dark. Very dark. It wasn’t scary in the sense that you won’t be able to sleep without the lights on or be afraid to stay by yourself, but it was extremely terrifying. Terrifying to think that there are some people (men) out there doing this kind of thing (check trigger warnings) and with this kind of mentality.
It also contained SO MANY insightful lines. I highlighted numerous pieces of dialogue and inner thoughts from our main character. If you love The Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll really enjoy this book even though the plot isn’t the same. Do you remember that one episode of the The Handmaid’s Tale where Fred and the other men are discussing their plans for how to make the wives agree to the raping of handmaid’s in the new world they were trying to build as Nick drove the limo and listened? This book reminded me of that.
I highly recommend this book, but be warned. It’s dark. It’s insanely good and you will gasp at the end, but it’s not for the faint of heart! Soooo good though!
Rating: 5 stars
Scandalized by Ivy Owens
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Scandalized was one of my most anticipated books for late summer. I have become full on obsessed with the celebrity trope in romances. And that gorgeous cover?? 😍😍 This had the makings to be one of my favorite romance reads of the year.
Was it?
Nope.
I sadly did not enjoy this one as much as I had hoped. There were parts that were soooo swoony, but for the most part I didn’t love it. It felt very insta love to me, which is one of my least favorite things in romances. The characters supposedly knew each other when they were kids/teens but that was hardly ever mentioned so it felt like two strangers meeting and falling instantly in love.
There was also a mystery subplot that was happening that I really wasn’t a fan of. I thought that part took away from the romance.
It could just be a timing thing with me because I’ve been busy this week and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it when I didn’t have a lot of work stuff going on. Sadly it wasn’t my fav. 😩😩 I do hope y’all have better luck with it though!
Rating: 3 stars
Thanks for my early copy, Gallery Books!
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
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Thank You for Listening was our book club selection for the month, and I am so disappointed that I didn’t love it. I think I am the only one who didn’t. This book has gotten so much praise, but I just didn’t love it. I couldn’t connect with the main character, and I didn’t buy into the romance. I was so mad that I couldn’t make myself fall in love with this book LOL
Rating: 3 stars
Thanks for my copy, Avon!
Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter
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I’m still on a young adult kick, so this month I picked up Lynn Painter’s newest, Better Than the Movies. She wrote Mr. Wrong Number (her first adult rom com), and I loved that one. I was really excited for this one and I loved it! If you like classic rom coms like When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail, you’ll really like this one!
Rating: 4 stars
Would You Rather by Allison Ashley
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Would You Rather is a book I have been dying to read. When they changed the cover, I was slightly less interested in it. Does the cover really matter? No, of course not. But I loved the original cover. I’m getting a little tired of alllll the cartoon covers. Sometimes it doesn’t fit with the vibe of the book (I think this was why a lot of people didn’t love How to Fake it in Hollywood)
I really enjoyed Would You Rather! It’s about childhood best friends who grow up and enter a fake marriage. I love both of those tropes, so this was a no brainer!
Rating: 4 stars
The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
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I was so excited to receive an early copy of The American Roommate Experiment. This is the second book in The Spanish Love Deception series. Both can be read as stand alones. This book features Lina’s best friend and cousin. If you’ve read TSLD, you know it’s a slow burn. This book makes the first one look like a speed demon LOL When they say slow burn, they mean slowwww burn. Basically no romance takes place for the first 275 pages. BUT it is good when it actually does begin to have swoony moments.
Rating: 4 stars
Thanks for my early copy, Atria!
Check out my past month’s book reviews here:
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