For the Love of Reading, July 2024

It’s a new month and Tuesdays are for books this summer and that means it’s the perfect time to look back at what I read in July.

Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is both gorgeous and difficult. Gorgeous because the writing is wonderful and the story brings so many different threads together. And difficult because the time period is violent and brutal and there is an underlying layer of sadness to the entire thing. There is beautiful attention to detail in the settings, from the cabin in the mountain where the main characters live to a description of the Battle of the Wilderness that is so lifelike it’s eerie, to the very real Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. I’ve heard people say it’s like Faulkner but I’d be more inclined to say it’s reminiscent of Cold Mountain.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A light and easy romance with plenty of tropes, including fake dating, miscommunication, and one available bed. What was unexpected was the anxiety angle and the old school Grey’s Anatomy feeling that came from the hospital setting. I liked the dual points of view but overall found it a predictable romance with nothing new to offer. Recommended for those who enjoy the genre.

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I adore Elizabeth Strout. Her characters are incredibly real, they are flawed and funny and so very human that I think of them as old friends. I am overjoyed that she finally brought Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton together in this book and I loved how their friendship developed over time. The stories they told each other illuminated how they each see the world and it was wonderful. The town of Crosby, Maine, feels realistic and very much like most coastal towns in Maine, full of all types of characters with their own dramas and dreams, just trying to get through life each day with as little pain as possible. I highly recommend this book for all fans of Elizabeth Strout and I predict that if her work is new to you, reading this book will make you an instant fan.
I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America’s Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A compelling story about 3 women who are duped into a relationship with someone on the internet who turns out to not exist. Initially, I couldn’t stop listening. And I couldn’t stop shaking my head because I could not see how it wasn’t obvious that Ethan was stringing Anna along. The convenient work overload. The unexpected hospital stay. The excuse after excuse made it pretty obvious that he was avoiding an in person meet up. When Anna finally comes to her senses and then realizes there are other women who have also been lead down this path of deception, things both heat up and fizzle out. The reveal, which should have been intense, was instead rather a let down. In the end, I think it was maybe too drawn out for a book of this length. Still, recommended for anyone trying to understand how this sort of thing happens.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a decent enough entry in the thriller genre although I think it would have been better with some editing to tighten the story. The setting is creepy and provides plenty of chills: the house with hidden entrances, the murky lake, the small town secrets, it all made for a good backdrop. And, while the main character is well drawn, the others just felt predictable and like stereotypes. There were some twists I didn’t see coming but overall I felt it was too long and the pacing was off.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I read this book quickly because I’m camping, not because I felt compelled by the story. As books go, it’s okay. The premise is intriguing and, while I have no trouble suspending my disbelief for the sake of a plot point, I still prefer to have an explanation or development or something as to why x-y-z has happened. So picture me, on the beach, racing to get to the end to understand the revolving attic of husbands and coming up empty handed. I was hoping for so much more from the main character in terms of development (it came too little and too late) and the secondary characters added very little to the story. This would have worked better as a rom com or meet cute but instead it just fell flat.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The last and my favorite of the Part of Your World trilogy, this book is an adorable romance but also much more. The main characters decide to date each other and then break up in order to end the curse they think they are under: that the people they break up with then immediately find their soul mate. Of course, they wind up falling for each other, and then they are met with the challenges of different life paths, different backgrounds, and different levels of emotional maturity. The pacing is great, the side characters are interesting and well developed, and Jimenez addresses some heavy topics with sensitivity and insight which made it very relatable for me. I loved the way it connected with the previous two books in the series, too.

Murder at the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The 6th book in the Cozy Capers Cozy Mystery Series is decent enough but it’s starting to feel repetitive. The Cape Cod setting is idyllic and well drawn, but yet another murder in this town is pretty far-fetched and the quirks and naivete of some of the characters are bordering on comedic at this point. I’m sure it’s hard to write a cozy mystery series that feels fresh time after time but I’m thinking this one may have jumped the shark.

It was a bit of a mixed bag this month but sometimes reading is like that.