Tuesday, July 12, 2016

June Books

So I'm super late with this post because I completely forgot it was the second Tuesday of the month already- July is flying by!! Thank goodness, because I'm ready for fall! Temps in the high 80s are just not my jam, ya know? Anyways, I'm not going to do my regular book post format of posting the author/publisher's summary then my thoughts; I'm just going to streamline it into a few sentences per book- I do have 13 to review this month after all! Alright, let's get to it..


The Castaways- 4 stars: Two friends are killed on a boat, and the rest of their friends, nicknamed "The Castaways," struggle in the aftermath. Secrets are revealed and friendships are tested. As always, Elin Hilderbrand writes Nantucket so well, and I really enjoyed this quick summer read, even though I thought some of the characters were annoying in their relationships.

Tempting Fate- 3 stars:  A 43 year old happily married mother of two randomly meets a younger millionaire at a bar and starts an emotional affair that rips everything in her life to shreds. This book felt super unrealistic to me, there was no reason for her to have an affair and it felt like the author pushed it on her. The characters didn't seem to make believable decisions.

Silver Girl- 5 stars: The main character's husband basically pulled a Bernie Madoff and she had no idea, but she is being investigated and everyone hates her, so an estranged friend takes her into her Nantucket house for the summer. I really thought this book had interesting subject matter- how could she not have known what her husband was doing, right? Well it explores all of that but not in a super deep or confusing way. The only thing I didn't like was the dead seal #RIP

Summer Secrets- 3 stars: This book jumps all over describing this woman's life as an alcoholic and all the people she hurt and tries to make amends to over the years. I thought this book was just alright, mainly because I didn't find most of the characters to be believable, a common problem I have with light reads.

The Rumor- 3.5 stars: Two best friends on Nantucket have issues one year- Madeline is having trouble writing her book and Grace starts up an affair with her gardener. Rumors run rampant on the island, and it's interesting to see how rumors can twist the truth. Not one of my favorite Elin Hilderbrand's, but not my least favorite either. It kept my interest well enough.

The Lake House: This premise of this book sounded interesting, a baby disappears during a party on an idyllic lakeside estate in England in the 1930s, but a few chapters in I just couldn't finish- it was too slow and life is too short for boring books.


The Crown- 4.5 stars: The next (and I think final) book in the Selection series. I really love this series, it's like a mix between the Bachelor and The Hunger Games, with royalty thrown in. Highly recommend the whole series.

The Guest Cottage- 3 stars: A mother on the brink of divorce from a super crappy husband rents a house from a friend on Nantucket and when she shows up with her 15 year old and 10 year old, is surprised to find that a widower with his troubled 4 year old have also rented the house for the summer. They decide to stay there together, as weird as it may seem. This book kept me turning the pages but the characters were so underdeveloped and cliche, which is pretty typical for Nancy Thayer books, that it definitely took away from the overall story.

Fool Me Once- 4 stars: A page-turner about a woman with PTSD whose sister, and husband most recently, have been murdered, but then she sees her husband playing with her daughter in her nanny-cam weeks after his death and she starts questioning and investigating everything. It's one of those books with crazy twists and though I liked the book a lot, the ending is why I took off a star.

Just One Day, Just One Year, Just One Night- 4 stars: The premise of Just One Day is that Allyson is sent on a trip to Europe with a bunch of other teens after graduating high school, and she meets this guy and they go off to Paris together for just one day, then it follows her life after they become separated and she returns to college in the US. Just One Year is from the guy, Willem's, perspective for that day and the whole next year, and Just One Night is a very short story of the aftermath. It was a cute story and I read all three in just 2 days.

You- 2 stars: Meh, this book is written in the second person, from a stalker to the girl he's stalking. It is creepy and it made me feel uneasy, plus reading in the second person is super tedious and gets old after awhile. I'd say skip it.

Life According to Steph

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23 comments:

  1. You was one of my favorites. I love creeps though.

    I'm reading The Lake House now. It was super slow to start, I'm glad it's picked up a little. I'll probably finish.

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  2. Just added Silver Girl to my TBR list!

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  3. We have similar reading tastes! Most of these books I've read or they were already on my to read list! I liked You and Fool Me Once. I just read The Heir this past month and still have to read the Crown. I'm curious as to how the series ends, but the Heir was just eh for me. Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer are such great summer book authors....have to try and get a couple more in before summer ends.

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  4. I only have on unread Hilderbrand book and I'm saving it on my to read pile for an especially blue time when I feel like I need a beachy pick me up.

    I liked You but I like sick twisted characters, I think they are fascinating.

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  5. Just added Fool Me Once and Silver Girl to my TBR list!

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  6. I am totally adding Silver Girl to me TBR! I have had Lake House on there for awhile and have read mixed reviews. If I can get a free copy from the library I will try it....otherwise meh.

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  7. So I think that I need to read a few Elin Hilderbrand books! They sound so interesting and perfect for the summer! I'm sad that you didn't like You! It's one of my favorites, but I really like creeps. And why do Harlan Coben books always seem to have weak endings? That was my problem with the last book that I read by him too!

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  8. I've added some Elin Hilderbrand's books to my TBR from your recommendations but haven't had a chance to pick-up one yet. They sound like great summer reads and I need to grab one from the library the next time I'm there (which is weekly!).

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  9. I tried to read You but returned it fast; I just couldn't get into it :/

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  10. I loved Just One Day. I really need to read the other two. I also added Fool Me Once to my list.

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  11. I really need to read some Elin Hildebrand! Such a bummer you didn't like The Lake House. I haven't read it yet, but I love Kate Morton! I loved the Just One Day series too-so cute!

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  12. Maybe that's what I disliked about You, the way the narration was written. I couldn't quite figure out what made it not click for me.
    The Lake House was one I listened to last year. It wasn't awful, and it does pick up a bit, but it became very predictable toward the end.
    So glad to see another person is ready for fall! I thought I was the only one!

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  13. I've read one of Kate Morton's books and liked it, but it definitely had a slower pace. I haven't tried more yet, although I think they would be similar. I thought You was just okay. The writing was good, but it didn't suck me in and I was hoping more would happen towards the end than what I predicted.

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  14. I like creepy books, but I hate Joe in You.
    You have several authors here that I keep meaning to read but haven't: Kate Morton, Harlan Coben, Elin Hildebrand. I think sometimes when an author is new to me, I get caught up with feeling like I need to choose the "right" book for my introduction and so I skip it entirely. I need to change this bad habit of mine.

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  15. I have to disagree with you about YOU. One of my favorites of last year. Loved it, loved Joe. Loved the whole thing.

    I feel like Fool Me Once is on my TBR.

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