In all seriousness, I am currently the busiest I have been in a long time and blogging has had to take a serious back seat. I am trying to post wrap ups when I can, but I doubt I'll have anything more than that for at least the next month or so. I've hardly even had time to read recently, which makes me quite sad, but I did manage 3 books in May, 3 in June and 3 in July.
Strictly Between Us by Jane Fallon -
This was a complete cover buy, but sadly not one that paid off this time. This follows a woman who uses her assistant as bait for her best friend's husband, who she is convinced is cheating, and things get very messy. It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I disliked most of the characters and didn't really see any kind of character development, they stayed selfish and unbearable for the whole book. I also wasn't a fan of the cheating storyline. I'm not someone who always dislikes cheating in books, I think a cheating plot can be done well, but I didn't like this one. Especially as I felt many characters did not receive any consequences for their actions and blame seemed to be placed predominantly on one party when many were involved. It did have some redeeming qualities; it has some funny moments, there was one characters I liked, and it was a pretty quick read for being over 400 pages. However, it was still a disappointment.
Rating: 2.5/5
Lucky In Love by Kasie West -
Speaking of disappointing reads, I am so sad to say this is possibly my least favourite book from one of my favourite authors. I adore Kasie West but this story just fell flat for me. This is about a girl who wins the lottery and has to deal with all the changes it brings, including how differently people are suddenly treating her. I'm generally not a fan of lottery win storylines and this was no exception. I didn't dislike the book, I just found the plot to be predictable and filled with unnecessary drama. The characters were fine but forgettable and didn't live up to what I have come to expect from Kasie West's books. I guess I can't love everything she writes.
Rating: 3/5
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins -
This is the second book in the Royals series, a series following a Scottish royal family and American teens who find themselves involved in royal drama. The second book is set in a Scottish boarding school and find American Millie sharing a room with the princess of Scotland. I have such mixed feelings about these books as a Scottish person myself. After reading Royals, I claimed that it would have been a 5 star read had it not been set in Scotland as I found many of the inaccuracies too difficult to ignore. However, I went into this book with the mindset of the Scotland in this book being entirely fictional, which made it a lot easier for me to simply laugh at the inaccuracies and focus on enjoying the story. I think these books are so much fun! I love all the characters and particularly loved the boarding school setting in this second book. I also really enjoyed the romance and found myself really rooting for them from the outset. As long as you don't believe this is what Scotland is actually like, I would definitely recommend giving these books a try.
Rating: 4/5
The Second Summer Of The Sisterhood by Ann Brashares -
After reading the first book in the series two years ago, I decided it was definitely time to continue with the second book. The second book takes place the summer after the first, as the girls once again go their separate ways for the summer with the travelling pants to keep them connected. This was a different reading experience for me as, unlike with the first book that I read after watching the movie so many times, I did not know this story at all. I didn't enjoy this as much as the first, particularly as I didn't enjoy Carmen's storyline, but I still had a lot of fun being with these characters again. I loved Bridget's story in this book and really enjoyed seeing her character grow and develop so much. I can't wait to carry on with the rest of the series.
Rating: 3/5
Did I Mention It's 10 Years Later? by Estelle Maskame -
This short novella/bonus chapter was released to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Did I Mention I Love You? It takes place 10 years after the end of the DIMILY trilogy and was a lovely insight into how all of the characters are doing in the future. This was so lovely to read as I often finish books or series and wonder how the story would continue - if couples would stay together, new friendships would last, family issues would be resolved - so I enjoyed getting some of those answers. The DIMILY trilogy is a favourite of mine, so of course I loved this.
Rating: 5/5
Girl In The Mirror by Cecelia Ahern -
Let me just say that I adore Cecelia Ahern, she is one of my favourite authors. However, this wasn't for me at all. Girl In The Mirror features two short stories, one of the same name and The Memory Maker. One I thought was just fine, the other I didn't understand at all, but I couldn't tell you which one was which. In fact, I don't really remember a much about either. I think that tells you my general feelings. Disappointing from a favourite author.
Rating: 2.5
Listen To Your Heart by Kasie West -
Kasie West is another of my favourite authors, as I already mentioned, and as far a I can remember I enjoyed this book. It follows a girl who ends up as the host of her school's podcast, which is completely outside of her comfort zone, and has to give advice to callers; including a guy asking for advice about his crush, who she believes to be her best friend. It was pretty typical Kasie West, fun and cute with a sweet romance and some nice friendships. It wasn't my favourite of hers but it did give a great Summer vibe, with the lake being a big part of the story, which was exactly what I was looking for.
Rating: 4/5
Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame -
This was a reread for me. After reading Did I Mention It's 10 Years Later, I was desperate to go back and read this first book in the series again. I have a full review of this book, and the series as a whole, and I stand by pretty much everything I said in both. I did enjoy this more upon reread, I think as I had more of a connection to the characters and the story, but did still have the same issues as I had the first time around. This is my least favourite in the series, but I do still love this book, and the series as a whole.
Rating: 3.5/5 (maybe 4 this time)
Becoming by Michelle Obama -
If you don't know about this book, where have you been? This is Michelle Obama's memoir, following her life and journey to becoming one of the most influential women in the world. I have huge respect for her, I think she is an incredible woman, and this absolutely grew and grew while reading this book. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Obama herself, which added another level to the reading experience. I felt as though she was sitting in the car with me, telling me all about her life. I found it so interesting to hear all about her upbringing, her career, and particularly to find out more about her as a person, rather than Barack Obama's wife. As with most memoirs, I did get a little bored at some parts, but overall, it was a really interesting and enjoyable book.
Rating: 4/5
This short novella/bonus chapter was released to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Did I Mention I Love You? It takes place 10 years after the end of the DIMILY trilogy and was a lovely insight into how all of the characters are doing in the future. This was so lovely to read as I often finish books or series and wonder how the story would continue - if couples would stay together, new friendships would last, family issues would be resolved - so I enjoyed getting some of those answers. The DIMILY trilogy is a favourite of mine, so of course I loved this.
Rating: 5/5
Girl In The Mirror by Cecelia Ahern -
Let me just say that I adore Cecelia Ahern, she is one of my favourite authors. However, this wasn't for me at all. Girl In The Mirror features two short stories, one of the same name and The Memory Maker. One I thought was just fine, the other I didn't understand at all, but I couldn't tell you which one was which. In fact, I don't really remember a much about either. I think that tells you my general feelings. Disappointing from a favourite author.
Rating: 2.5
Listen To Your Heart by Kasie West -
Kasie West is another of my favourite authors, as I already mentioned, and as far a I can remember I enjoyed this book. It follows a girl who ends up as the host of her school's podcast, which is completely outside of her comfort zone, and has to give advice to callers; including a guy asking for advice about his crush, who she believes to be her best friend. It was pretty typical Kasie West, fun and cute with a sweet romance and some nice friendships. It wasn't my favourite of hers but it did give a great Summer vibe, with the lake being a big part of the story, which was exactly what I was looking for.
Rating: 4/5
Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame -
This was a reread for me. After reading Did I Mention It's 10 Years Later, I was desperate to go back and read this first book in the series again. I have a full review of this book, and the series as a whole, and I stand by pretty much everything I said in both. I did enjoy this more upon reread, I think as I had more of a connection to the characters and the story, but did still have the same issues as I had the first time around. This is my least favourite in the series, but I do still love this book, and the series as a whole.
Rating: 3.5/5 (maybe 4 this time)
Becoming by Michelle Obama -
If you don't know about this book, where have you been? This is Michelle Obama's memoir, following her life and journey to becoming one of the most influential women in the world. I have huge respect for her, I think she is an incredible woman, and this absolutely grew and grew while reading this book. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Obama herself, which added another level to the reading experience. I felt as though she was sitting in the car with me, telling me all about her life. I found it so interesting to hear all about her upbringing, her career, and particularly to find out more about her as a person, rather than Barack Obama's wife. As with most memoirs, I did get a little bored at some parts, but overall, it was a really interesting and enjoyable book.
Rating: 4/5
And that is it. I didn't read a single book in August or September, which is so disappointing as that is the longest I have gone without reading a book in years! However, life is just so crazy at the moment. I am happy to report that I have read a couple in October so far, which I will hopefully be able to share with you at the end of the month, if I can get myself back on track. For now though, those were all the books I read in May, June and July.
What is the longest you've gone without finishing a single book this year? Any tips for finding time to read when life is too crazy?
Sophie :)
