Title: The Missing Half
Author: Ashley Flowers
Rating: 3/5
Comments: Didn’t love. Didn’t catch me like Flowers’ first novel did. Couldn’t even really tell you what it’s about aside from two sisters searching for their missing sisters.
Title: Part of Your World (Part of Your World, #1)*
Author: Abby Jimenez
Rating: 4.5/5
Comments: I really enjoyed this. The only reason I picked it up is because when I started Just for the Summer and went to put it in my Goodreads, I saw it was the third in a series. So I immediately stopped and started this and I am so glad I did. Alexis, recently single and a doctor herself, comes from a family of doctors and feels pressure to take an executive position in the hospital where the whole family has practiced for decades. Then Alexis meets Daniel, a younger man who sweeps her off her feet. She is torn between the path she thought she was destined for and giving this younger, handsome man a chance. We are introduced to her best friend Brianna who fully supports Alexis moving on and is the only person unconvinced her ex is her person. We see Alexis be torn over and over again about following her head or her heart. Loved the beginning, loved the middle, loved the end. Highly recommend!
Title: The Paradise Problem
Author: Christina Lauren
Rating: 4/5
Comments: I think I waited a year to get this on Libby. Was it worth the wait? Eh. Is it cute? Sure! Anna annoyed the shit out of me. She takes nothing seriously, she’s unmotivated, and the woman narrating has a horrible voice so that did not help. It’s about ex-roommates Anna and West, who married years ago for better housing in college. Their relationship was platonic and they never made an effort to get to know each other. But now, with West’s sister’s wedding coming up, West asks Anna to be his fake wife in front of his very wealthy family. I’m sure you can predict what happens. It’s cute, well-written, and perfect for summer.
Title: Hidden Pictures
Author: Jason Rekulak
Rating: 1/5
Comments: Nope. So dumb. Waste of time. The first chapter is the most interesting and I wish we learned more about experiments on the human gaze. I REALLY need to start reading book descriptions and not going off TikTok’s recommendations. If I knew there was supernatural/ghost element to this, I would never have picked it up. The story would be so much better without that aspect. The best part of this book is the South Jersey setting so it was fun to hear Q102, Wawa, the Shore, Ben Franklin Bridge, and other Jersey/Philly connections. Other than that? It’s a big fat NO for me.
Title: That’s Not My Name
Author: Megan Lally
Rating: 3/5
Comments: Eh. Didn’t love. It’s about a teenage girl who disappears and her boyfriend, Drew, is the main suspect. Despite the town and sheriff believing Drew is guilty, Drew does whatever it takes to prove his innocence. At the same time, we are getting a story from Mary, a woman who cannot remember anything and this man, who claims to be her father, is helping her piece her memory together. I think it could have been great but I don’t think it deserves the four stars it has on Goodreads.
Title: Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2)*
Author: Abby Jimenez
Rating: 4.7/5
Comments: Another story about a fake relationship! Maybe I should find myself one of those and maybe it could turn into something real. But I LOVED this. Briana is one of my favorite characters of the whole series. Ugh I cannot even get my thoughts out I loved this so much. Bri, the best friend of Alexis who we met in book 1, is recently divorced, her brother is sick, and her best friend moved away. She is hoping to get promoted at the hospital but this new guy, Jacob, shows up. Jacob, who is not going for the promotion despite what Bri believes, is preparing for his brother’s marriage to Jacob’s ex-girlfriend. Suffice to say both characters are going through it. Jacob asks Bri to be his fake girlfriend to take to the wedding and… JUST READ IT. I promise you this trilogy is so good.
Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Rating: 3.9/5
Comments: I started this as soon as everyone was talking about the show. Of course, I had to read the book first. For those who don’t know about this hit of the summer, it’s about Cadence Sinclair, eldest granddaughter in a very wealthy family, who spends every summer with The Liars (Cadence, her two cousins Mirren and Johnny, and Gat, a family friend) on a island off of Martha’s Vineyard. When she is 15, she is in a very terrible accident that summer that leaves her with post-traumatic amnesia. I, just like the rest of the world, was shocked at the ending. I really enjoyed it but I don’t think I’ll be finishing the show. I watched episode one and the poor acting is torturous.
Title: Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3)*
Author: Abby Jimenez
Rating: 5/5
Comments: LOVED. My fav of the trilogy. Wow. We meet Reddit-poster and Minnesota native Justin who shared a thread about how every person he dates finds “the one” right after him. Emma, a traveling nurse, sees this thread and can relate to his curse. She messages him and after a few exchanges, she convinces her friend and travel buddy Maddie to head to Minnesota for their next gig. Despite it being Maddie’s turn to pick a destination, she supports Emma solely for the bit. They take jobs at Royaume Northwestern Hospital, where Bri works and where Alexis used to work. Emma and Justin agree to a summer dating timeline with the ultimate goal of breaking up so they can find their soulmates afterwards. Throw in some crazy family secrets, fear of commitment, an apartment only accessible by boat, and self sabotage… this book is a WINNER. Loved loved loved. Definitely read this series in order for the ultimate experience.
Title: Heart Bones
Author: Colleen Hoover
Rating: 4/5
Comments: Read in a day in my aunt and uncle’s pool. It’s your typical Hoover mixed with a bit of Emily Henry playfulness. It’s about Beyah and the summer before college. She has been dealt a very unlucky deck in life and after a horrible tragedy she moves in with her dad, stepmom, and stepsister across the country. It’s the first time in her life she has ever lived in a traditional household with a traditional family structure. She grows closer with her stepsister, her boyfriend, and their friend Samson who is one mysterious boy. They spend the summer together before Beyah heads off to college and when even more tragedy strikes, Beyah is challenged. I really enjoy her strength, honesty, and eventual willingness to let people in. This is a cutie one and I highly recommend.
Title: A Flicker in the Dark
Author: Stacy Willingham
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: Way too long for no reason. Chloe’s father is in prison for being a serial killer. When a copycat killer begins killing 20 years later, Chloe is scared, confused, and more connected to the killings than she thought. She’s engaged to a man she barely knows and her older brother who she is close with but doesn’t live near, makes a return. It’s hard for me to really get into a book when I barely like the main character. Chloe is not very likable and I am not sure I like Willingham’s writing style. Sometimes knowing the deep thoughts of the main character is too much- I enjoy connecting my own dots and I don’t need the author doing that for me.
Title: Listen for the Lie
Author: Amy Tintera
Rating: 4/5
Comments: Completely forgot I read this until I just peeped my Goodreads. I actually really enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for a thriller x podcast collab and this is just that. 15 years ago, Lucy’s best friend Savvy was murdered. Lucy was found the night of Savvy’s death covered in blood so everyone, even her own family, suspected she was the murderer. When her grandma begs her to return to her hometown to celebrate her 80th birthday, she gets tricked into meeting with podcast host, Ben, who is covering Savvy’s murder for his second season. Their unlikely friendship reveals more than one secret. The ending is not at all what I expected and made me enjoy it even more.
Title: Daisy Jones & the Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5/5
Comments: A quick lil re-listen to one of my favs. It still hit the same way it did the first time I read it. TJR is just too good. This is how I felt about it in the fall of 2021 and if anything, I love it even more now. Whatever you do, listen to this as an audiobook- it elevates the experience x487348912.
Title: Three Days in June
Author: Anne Tyler
Rating: 3.6/5
Comments: I think this is my first short story that is not part of a series. It’s about Gail, who is reunited with her ex-husband for their daughter’s wedding. Gail is very quirky and never quite seems to know how to act or what to say. However, it does seem that in the end she finds her words and I am happy for her. Do you need to read? No. But if you want something quick to get you through a short road trip, it’s worth it.
Title: Atmosphere*
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5/5
Comments: Just finished and I am still wiping my tears. Holy hell. What an incredible book. Wow. TJR does it again and dare I say it’s just as good as Seven Husbands… Wow. The cover says “Atmosphere” and then “A Love Story” under it. And really it should say “Love Stories” because the number of beautiful, heartbreaking, inconceivable love stories we are gifted with in this novel is something we do not deserve. The main character, Joan, has wanted to be an astronaut for as long as she can remember and we have the privilege of going on the journey to her dreams with her. Along the way, we are introduced to the many loves of her life. There is her love for her niece Frances, her love for her team, her love for stars and space, her love for doing the right thing, and then there’s her true love. From page 324 to 332, the last page, I could barely read through my tears. I am so grateful to TJR for this story. For bringing us into Joan’s world. I sure am happy I got to be there.
*READ RIGHT NOW
Sarcastically Callie 