books I've read

 

Happy Monday! I thought I'd share more of the books I read in July. It was a stellar month of reading for me and I read eleven books! The last book post I wrote also included some books I'd read that month. If you'd like to see them, you can click here. Also, I agree wholeheartedly with this meme. It's hard to step back into reality sometimes.

First up on the list is The Secret to Southern Charm by Kristy Woodson Harvey.

I loved this book! It was second installment in the Peachtree Bluff series and this time it was told from the point of view of the middle sister Sloane and their mom, Ansley. The chapters alternate back and forth between them, but this one takes you into the story of Sloane's marriage to her husband Adam. You get to know their family and you get a peak into her military husband who is missing in action. There is a lot that takes place in the book, but you see Sloane begin to emerge as someone who will be okay, even if her husband isn't ever found. She learns how to be less dependent and she starts to be a financial contributor to their family once again. I would for sure give this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. 

The next book is The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren. 

It's about a girl who meets a guy who has designed a scientific dating company based on matching DNA that is supposed to be fool proof, and though the characters are endearing, I didn't love this story. It was a little too predictable in my opinion, which I don't usually mind...but I for some reason in this book, it bothered me. I think it felt exasperating. I rated this as ⭐⭐⭐ on GoodReads, because it did somewhat hold my attention enough to make me finish the book.

Next up was Under a Summer Sky by Melody Carlson.

I loved this book! The whole series was good, honestly. This one was about an art teacher who moved to Georgia for the summer to run the art gallery of her parent's best friends. She rekindles friendships with their grown sons and takes an interest in one of them as more than just a friend. She encounters an unexpected guest in the house she stays in and becomes the role model for a young friend and also for a disgruntled employee at the gallery. I finished this one in a day because I couldn't put it down. I would give this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. (Melody Carlson is a Christian fiction writer.)

I read Regretting You by Colleen Hoover after this one and it was pretty good. 

I for sure could not stop reading this book because of the way it starts out. It began sixteen years prior to the present day it was written in, when a girl got pregnant as a teenager with a daughter...and now this daughter is that same age and the mom is determined that her life will be different than hers. A terrible tragedy happens at the get go of this book and along with it a huge shock that sends the mom reeling for answers. She turns to her old friend to seek solace in his friendship and the daughter deals with the tragic events in her own way. I loved how it all ended and I loved that all the questions I had were answered. I rated this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐ on GoodReads.

I finished the Peachtree Bluff series in The Southern Side of Paradise.

This book is told from the point of view of the youngest sister and her mom, once again. Relationships change, new ones are found, some old ones are forgotten and all the loose ends were tied up with a pretty bow. Once again, I couldn't stop reading this book, once I started and when I finished it, I preordered her next book that comes out in October. This one gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and goes down as my favorite series from the summer.

My next book was Standoff, by Patricia Bradley.

This is the author that is local to me, so I loved reading about places I recognized in this book. This one grabbed my attention from the first page and reminded me of a modern day Agatha Christie or Nancy Drew book. It's the first in a series, but it opens with the main character's dad being killed. The rest of the book is devoted to finding out who killed him, but the main character rekindles a friendship with the boy she dated in high school. He is an undercover agent and seeking answers of his own that are connected to the death of her father. I kept thinking I had it all figured out, but by the end of the book, I was shocked. I'll be reading the other books in this series! I rated this ⭐⭐⭐⭐. (This would be considered Christian fiction.)

Next up was Before Summer Ends by Susan Mallery.

 I'm kind of embarrassed that I even read this book, because of how cheesy and predictable it was. It was like a bad Hallmark movie, honestly, though there were endearing parts of the story. The main male character was very likeable and generous, which I liked...but it's all about old family friends who reunite and become involved. There are other stories going on within their story, and though parts of it were good, I was hurrying through most of it. I would only rate this with ⭐⭐⭐ and that is only because I finished the book. (I don't finish books I don't like.)

I read The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver next.

I had such high hopes for this book, because I loved her book One Day in December so much. I wanted to love this one and while I did finish it, it was disappointing to me and it went on and on. The book begins with Lydia and her fiancé Freddie arguing over him being late to her birthday dinner...all because he went to pick up his best friend. He leaves with the promise to not be late, and that's the last time she sees him alive, because he gets killed in a car wreck. (This is all in the first few pages.) The rest of the book is back and forth between Lydia being awake and Lydia being asleep. When she sleeps, she sees Freddie and we get to see how their story would have played out, had he been alive. It was a good book and the story was interesting enough that I read it quickly, but I was ready to be done with the book by the time I actually finished it. I would give this ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

The last book I read was The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary.

I've never read anything by this author, but I loved this book. It's about what it sounds like...two people needing an answer to money problems by sharing a flat in London, though at totally separate times. They only know each other by the notes they write to one another, but their friendship quickly grows to more than just friends. The story includes his brother who was framed for a robbery he didn't commit and her ex-boyfriend who emotionally abused her. I could not put this book down. I gave this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on GoodReads.

Unless I indicate that they are, know that these other authors are secular. Also, I never read this many books in one month! I took my Kindle everywhere with me, though and I read way more than I watched anything on TV. Todd didn't work a lot either, which helped me read more and I kept picking up my Kindle while I waited anywhere or while dinner cooked. I have already finished my first book of August, but I'll save that one for my next bookish post. Thanks for reading! Hopefully this inspires you to pick out some books of your own. What are you reading? I'd love to hear from you! 

Love to all.