Summer Readin’, Happened So Fast

How is it already mid-June? I’ve been on the struggle bus with reading lately… but here’s what I *have* read in the last few weeks…

Swiped by L.M. Chilton was a fairly light-hearted suspense novel where the men that Gwen keeps matching with on the dating apps, going on a date with, then… turn up dead. This was fast-paced and fun, but not one that will be seared into my memory.

You Are Here by David Nicholls was just… charming. 🙂 Michael is looking forward to a cross-England trek in solitary company, but when a group join him, including the indomitable Marnie, his attitudes slowly shift as he and Marnie confide in each other, walk together, and develop all the feelings. This was just warm and witty and made me want to go for a tromp across the English countryside with them. 🙂

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center literally made me laugh out loud, cry with actual tears, and be so sad when it was over. Center is the queen of swoony romances with great setups (this time, a famous actor and a wannabe scriptwriter with talent), great locations (LA!), great chemistry, great zingers, great everything. One of my favorite reads of the year so far, hands down!

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell is exactly what you expect from the title: a directionless and lonely woman starts writing an an accused serial killer while he’s in prison awaiting trial, and then once he is acquitted, they begin a relationship… but can she fully trust him not to, you know, kill her? Interesting premise, not the strongest compelling writing, but still.

The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline is a standalone legal-ish thriller featuring the attorney family the Devlins, and when the eldest son gets mixed up in a potential murder, his younger brother jumps in to help, despite his lack of credibility with his family. This was an audiobook listen, and the story kept it perking along throughout, and the main character of TJ was well-rounded and flawed, making him a great protagonist.

The Favor by Adele Griffin was a speedy audiobook read, and from the blurbs I thought it was going to be a feel-good friendship book, but that felt much more… sinister… in a way because of the power imbalance between rich and privileged Evelyn and Nora, the shop girl desperate for a baby with her husband despite their crushing debt. The power imbalance is woven throughout, and made me feel like there was a big *ick* coming at certain points of the book.

A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush is a poetry collection for women (like me!) who don’t like poetry. 🙂 Obviously this collection skews to a female audience with poems about being a woman, all the feelings, wit and humility and celebration of all the big and little things. Charming.

The Game She Plays by Siena Sterling was an audiobook listen and it was… fine. I remember virtually nothing about it other than an English country manor, stuck up people, jealousy and some truly atrocious accent work.

Middletide by Sarah Crouch was getting a lot of pre-pub buzz, so I was eager to pick it up, but man it took me FOREVER to read it (and it’s not that long!) to the point where I was avoiding reading. We have the Pacific Northwest, a prodigal son, a suicide (maybe?), a long lost romance, death of mentors… there is a LOT going on here, even though very little seems to actually… *happen* throughout the book. I give this a solid eh.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman, on the other hand, was a favorite read of the year thus far, and made me feel seen and my soul to sing, even though my life is very different from the lead character of Rocky. Rocky’s family is vacationing on Cape Cod (as they do every year) with their recently grown children, Rocky’s aging parents, her husband, and her emotions, menopause and drama from all being together for a few weeks in a cottage on the Cape. This was a delight to read, and made me want to fist pump some of the wildly accurate observations on being a woman sandwiched in the middle – of her family, of her lifespan, of everything. I devoured this.

One Last Summer by Kate Spencer comes from Spencer, who until recently co-hosted the podcast Forever35. Her sophomore effort takes place at a summer camp for “one last summer” for the former boarders before it is sold. This had very Indian Summer (remember that movie?) vibes with a mix of burnout, romance, remembering who we were as kids and lifelong friendships. I hate to say it, but I wanted to like this more, but it was a bit flat for me. 😦

The Moon Represents by Heart by Pim Wangtechawat is, well, just weird. I wonder if this would have been a better read in print (I listened to it on audio) because we are jumping back and forth in time with a wide cast of characters, and at times, I felt hella lost. Soon to be a Netflix series, I hear?

Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter has been getting a lotta pre-pub buzz as it takes on the influencer culture with a dose of suspense, family drama, unbelievable plot twists and a sisterly bond. Evie has been online (courtesy of her mom) since she was practically a toddler and has grown up in the spotlight, so when she suddenly disappears, her sister Hazel wants answers and ends up unraveling a lot of family dynamics that aren’t great. Interesting enough, though the leadup to the ending was meh for me, and the twist at the end… maybe I’d given up by then? Not a favorite, dang it.