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I managed to read five books in July, which I was very happy with because I had an assignment due as well. The books I read in July were pretty much the ones that I have been most looking forward to! Quite a few of them have previously been mentioned in my Top Ten Tuesday posts. I haven’t written a book post in a while, and not one where I do a little overview since I stopped my Flourish With Rose blog. I’ve been super busy lately, but now it is time to buckle down and write my dissertation. I am trying to give enough time to read a little bit every day because it helps me unwind.
The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary
I love Beth O’Leary and have been looking forward to reading this book for months! It was my treat for finishing an assignment in March but I didn’t end up having time to start it until June.
StoryGraph synopsis:
Two sworn enemies. One failing hotel. Love is the last thing they need . . .
It’s the busiest time of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when sworn enemies Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift at the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside.
The hotel won’t stay afloat without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management this might fix everything. With four rings still sitting in lost property, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel – and their jobs.
As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there’s more at stake here than the hotel’s future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
What I thought:
I had high hopes for The Wake-up Call as Beth O’Leary is one of my favourite authors and she did not disappoint! I do tend to enjoy the enemies-lovers trope, as well as the added mission to save the hotel. One thing I particularly love about O’Leary’s writing is that she always writes the side characters so well. I feel like I really knew them, which makes the whole book come together much better.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella
I reserved The Burnout from the library months ago and then it became available during the busiest two weeks and I didn’t get a chance to read it. So I ended up buying it new which I rarely do. I haven’t read the Shopaholic book series that she wrote, though the first one is on my bookshelf. But I have quite a few others of hers that I have enjoyed.
StoryGraph synopsis:
Sasha has had it. She cannot bring herself to respond to another inane, “urgent” (but obviously not at all urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee joyfulness program. She hasn’t seen her friends in months. Sex? Seems like a lot of effort. Even cooking dinner takes far too much planning. Sasha has hit a wall.
Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga, and find peace, she heads to the seaside resort she loved as a child. But it’s the off-season, the hotel is in a dilapidated shambles, and she has to share the beach with the only other occupant: a grumpy guy named Finn, who seems as stressed as Sasha. How can she commune with nature when he’s sitting on her favourite rock, watching her? Nor can they agree on how best to alleviate their burnout (Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming; Finn: drinking whisky, getting pizza delivered to the beach).
When curious messages, seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn, begin to appear on the beach, the two are forced to talk—about everything. How did they get so burned out? Can either of them remember something they used to love? (Answer: surfing!) And the question they try and fail to ignore: what does the energy between them—flaring even in the face of their bone-deep exhaustion—signify?
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
What I thought:
This was my favourite book that I read in July. Ironically, I read it when I was very burned out from assignments one after another. I love that the storyline wasn’t solely romance, but also had a slight sense of mystery as well. I really enjoyed the quirky and unique characters, the small village where everyone knows everyone, and the history of Finn and Sasha.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Continue reading: Books I read in July 2024
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
The next book I read in July was The Good Part by Sophie Cousens. I have had this on my wishlist since before it was published, and really hoped it was going to live up to the hype I built!
StoryGraph synopsis:
At twenty-six, Lucy Young is tired. Tired of fetching coffees for senior TV producers, tired of going on disastrous dates, and definitely tired of living in a damp flat share with flatmates who never buy toilet paper. She could quit her job for a better living, but she’s not ready to give up on her dreams. Not just yet. After another diabolical date lands her in a sudden storm with no money for bus fare, Lucy finds herself seeking shelter in a tiny shop, where she stumbles upon a curious wishing machine. Pushing her last coin into the slot, Lucy closes her eyes and wishes with everything she’s got: Please, let me skip to the good part of my life.
When she wakes the next morning to a handsome man, a ring on her finger, a high-powered job, and a storybook-perfect little boy and baby girl, Lucy can’t believe this is real—especially when she looks in the mirror, and staring back is her own forty-something face. Has she really skipped ahead to the future she’s always wanted, or has she simply forgotten a huge chunk of her life? And as Lucy begins to embrace this new life and new relationships, she’ll have to ask herself: Can she go back, and if so, does she want to?
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
What I thought:
I really loved this book, because this scenario has often gone through my head. That probably sounds weird, but sometimes I wish I could just skip to the good part. Reading the book made me realise how great the good part is, but also that you need to go through the hard stuff and the journey of getting there. It is a fiction book, but it has inspired me to enjoy the present a bit more.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Storygraph synopsis:
The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.
And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls’ bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny.
But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone — or something — starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects . . . Harry Potter himself?
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
What I thought:
I love the Harry Potter series and often read them as a comfort book to help me fall asleep. My favourite is HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but as I have read it quite a few times I thought I should read HP and the Chamber of Secrets. This was a reread, and I never know whether to include them or not in a reading challenge. I did read the book, so feel like it should count!
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
I have had this list on my TBR for a couple of years, so decided to bring it with me on a train where I am guaranteed to read it. A couple of months ago I shared 10 unread books from my physical TBR list and this book was on it. I’m happy to have ticked at least one book off that list!
StoryGraph synopsis:
Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.
Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.
But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves–and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
What I thought:
It took me a while to get into the book, and if I hadn’t wanted to read it for a while, I’m sure I would have DNFed it. At the start, I felt that the character of Naomi was mean and quite rude. Her soon-to-be mother-in-law was pretty rude as well, but I just felt that Naomi was over the line! I didn’t like her so wasn’t particularly rooting for the couple, though Nicholas did seem like a good guy.
It was a nice ending, and by the last third or quarter of the book, I was looking forward to finding out what happened. Overall, it was a 3.5 as I felt the setting of the scene went on a bit.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐.5
Which books did you read in July?
Caroline ♡
Basic with life says
I was so happy to see The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary and The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella reviews in your blog post as I’ve been meaning to read both. after reading your reviews I am eager and motivated to actually read them both. Thank you so much for sharing.
Caroline says
They were so good, hope you enjoy!
Rosie Beech says
Wow you’ve read soo many good books. My summer resolution has been to read more in favour of picking up my phone. Since May I’ve read 10 books and my brain feels so much better for it. Have you read It Ends With Us?
Rosie
Molly Transatlantic Notes says
Such a lovely variety of books! I have been slowly making my way through one book, a particularly huge one (The Stand by Stephen King), and really enjoying it. I like some of the books you have mentioned here, and will try and add a few to my reading list for next month.