July had some good reads! I started a series that I’d been meaning to get to for some time and a thriller that had a twist I didn’t see coming. I’ve been on a bit of a thriller kick as of late and I’ve really enjoyed it. The fast-paced storylines have become addicting to me. I guess you could consider this my “Summerween”!
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune 3 / 5 stars
This coming-of-age novel has been on my list for quite some time and it felt so great to get around to reading it this summer. When Persephone’s parents decide to purchase a lake house, she didn’t know about the boy who lived next door. Sam Florek lives at the lake full time with his mother and brother Charlie. Every summer and holiday season Persephone’s family would venture back to the lake to celebrate with Sam’s family. Over six summers Sam and Percy become inseparable, spending their days working together at Sam’s mom’s restaurant and nights watching Percy’s favorite horror movies. Six summers of bliss until one mistake ruins everything. Fast forward twelve years to the present day, Percy ventures back to the lake to attend Sam’s mom’s funeral where she has to face what happened all those summers ago. I enjoyed this second chance romance, the chemistry between our two main characters was undeniable. Young love is so ever present in these pages. I will say that the plot twist was a bit much for me to get past and I felt like it was almost looked over in present day. However, the setting, the characters, and the dual point of views made this a sweet read for me.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Van Pelt Shelby 2.5 / 5 stars
After her husband passes away, Tova begins working the nightshift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium where she befriends a giant Pacific Octopus named Marcellus. Marcellus is more knowledgeable than anyone could ever imagine, he may even know what happened to Tova’s son who mysteriously disappeared all those years ago. A heartwarming story about an unlikely friendship and found family. Gosh, I wanted so badly to love this one! I listened to this book on audio and while I enjoyed the narrators I found myself losing interest in the story most of the time. This is very much a “slow burn” kind of book with not too much to the plot. I wasn’t overly invested in the characters and it moved far too slow for me. The story parallels between Tova and Marcellus were a bit reaching at times, I see what the author was trying to do, it just wasn’t for me.
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 3.5 / 5 stars
This is my second book from Sally Hepworth and I must say, her endings always get me when I don’t see them coming. Darling Girls follows three sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia who were all placed in the foster care system as children and raised together with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild was a very strict foster mother who grew jealous of the girls’ affections toward one another or towards anyone other than towards Miss Fairchild. The girls would grow up to protect each other from Miss Fairchild’s emotional abuse, never knowing when she would lash out. Years later, just when the girls think they have escaped the hold of Miss Fairchild, there is a body found under the foster house where they were raised causing them all to come back to come back to the place where they all met to act as key witnesses or even to be questioned as suspects. I really enjoyed this one! It was slower in the middle but towards the end I couldn’t put it down. I loved the multiple point of views from each of the girls as they all had their own problematic storylines. I never know how truly mad Hepworth’s characters are until the very last page. Her twists are unmatched!
