Well I was right about my reading suffering in July. I either had no time or was too tired to read on an evening, so I got absolutely nowhere. July was been my worst reading month yet and I really hope things only get better from here.
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
Read: 30/6/24 – 3/7/24
I had hoped for more from this book as I’d hyped it up for so long. At first I really liked the main characters but after a while I realised just how horrible and selfish they were–especially Morgan. The idea of this book is fun but there wasn’t really a plot.
Book Review: Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
Synopsis: Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school’s code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can’t deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan—out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start—doesn’t want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn’t ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?
The Sad Ghost Club Volume 1: Find Your Kindred Spirits by Lize Meddings
Read: 3/7/24
This was a super cute graphic novel that I love the art style of. The ghosts were adorable and I liked how mental health was approached. Not much happened in the first instalment, but that’s ok as it did set up the vibe of the series.
Graphic Novel Review: The Sad Ghost Club Volume 1 by Lize Meddings
Synopsis: Ever felt anxious or alone? Like you don’t belong anywhere? Like you’re almost… invisible? Find your kindred spirits at The Sad Ghost Club.
Synopsis: This is the story of one of those days – a day so bad you can barely get out of bed, when it’s a struggle to leave the house, and when you do, you wish you hadn’t. But even the worst of days can surprise you. When one sad ghost, lost and alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, they decide to leave together. What happens next changes everything. Because that night they start the The Sad Ghost Club – a secret society for the anxious and alone, a club for people who think they don’t belong.
Gossip Girl Cecily von Ziegesar
Read: 3/7/24 – 4/7/24
After the horror that was The Princess Diaries, I thought I would hate this book. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Yes, the characters were flawed but they weren’t entirely problematic.
This has made me want to watch the show again for the millionth time and I probably will do that soon.
Book Review: Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
Synopsis: Serena van der Woodsen is back from boarding school — but is she still the Upper East Side’s It Girl?
Welcome to New York City’s Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep — sometimes with each other.
S is back from boarding school, and if we aren’t careful, she’s going to win over our teachers, wear that dress we couldn’t fit into, steal our boyfriends’ hearts, and basically ruin our lives in a major way. I’ll be watching closely…
You know you love me.gossip girl
Tithe by Holly Black
Read: 5/7/24 – 9/7/24
We all know by now just how much I love Holly Black’s book and I thought the same could be said for this as I read it back in 2015 and I remember liking it. Well, that’s not the case anymore. If you’re thinking of checking this out because you love the The Folk of the Air series, don’t. They aren’t even remotely on the same level.
Re-Read Review: Tithe by Holly Black
Synopsis: Welcome to the realm of very scary faeries!
Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother’s rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms – a struggle that could very well mean her death.
Change Of Heart by Clare Lydon
Read: 10/7/24 – 17/7/24
I really enjoyed this book until the classic ‘third act break up’. It was completely ridiculous and the twist is actually crazy. It’s a unique idea so I will give it that, but actually mental.
Anyway, if you love a bit of fake dating (like me) and if you’re a huge fan of sapphic novels (like me), you will love this.
Book Review: Change Of Heart by Clare Lydon
Synopsis: When Erin Stewart hires a fake date for her parents’ anniversary party, she gets more than she bargained for. First, she gets Steph Mitchell, a professional actor with a side order of drop-dead gorgeous. Second, she walks slap-bang into a wall of family stress. Deep breaths, it’s only five days. Plus, with Steph’s help, she can totally get through this, right?
Only, Erin didn’t plan on falling for the charming Steph. She’s also powerless when the simmering tension erupts, with dizzying consequences for everyone. What happens when you fake it, make it, then break it? Erin and Steph are about to find out.
How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok
Read: 19/7/24 – 27/7/24
DNF
I can’t even be bothered to talk about what I hated about this book again. It’s boring, the characters are annoying and the plot isn’t interesting. That’s all you’re getting, check out my full review below if you’re intrigued.
Book Review: How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok
Synopsis: A year ago, beloved cheerleader Stella Blackthorn vanished without a trace. Devastated, her younger sister, Iris, launched her own investigation, but all she managed to do was scare off the police’s only lead and earn a stern warning: Once she turns eighteen, more meddling means prison-level consequences.
Then, a year later, the unthinkable happens. Iris’s ex-girlfriend, Heather, goes missing, too—just after dropping the polarizing last episode of her true crime podcast all about Iris’s sister. This time, nothing will stop Iris and her amateur sleuthing agency from solving these disappearances.
But with a suspicious detective watching her every move, an enemy-turned-friend-turned-maybe-more to contend with, and only thirty days until she turns eighteen, it’s a race against the clock for Iris to solve the most dangerous case of her life.
Eat Your Heart Out Vol. 1 by Terry Blas & Matty Newton
Read: 30/7/24
*I was given an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review*
This is such a lovely graphic novel. There is joy on (almost) every page and the colours and illustrations are absolutely stunning–the cover doesn’t do it justice.
Reviewing coming tomorrow!
Synopsis: Blanca is running away. Away from her mother—the overbearing and strict Riena—and her mother’s narrow idea of what shape Blanca’s life should take. While Riena finds Blanca’s dream of pursuing fashion design a wasteful flight of fancy, Blanca sees possibility . . . and she knows if she doesn’t leave now, she might never. Of course, following your passion isn’t easy, and when Blanca arrives in New York City without a job or a roof over her head, she’s rescued by a kindly baker named Emile, who takes her in. With Emile comes their eclectic group of six friends, all living in the same brownstone, who welcome Blanca into their weird, wonderful family. With them, Blanca learns that her fairy-tale journey can’t begin until she stops running away from her problems and starts running toward her dream.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Book Review: How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok