What I Read in July 2024 (and the first part of Aug.)

I got a little behind on posting in July. I went back to work after maternity leave, and let me tell you, it has been kicking my booty. I have been reading, but doing a terrible job of posting. So today’s post, I am combining what I read in July with the first part of Aug. I’m still going to post the second half of my August reads because I’m on track to read a good bit in the second half, but I want to talk about July too.

You can read my January 2024 Reads, February 2024 Reads, March 2024 Reads, April 2024 Reads, May 2024 Reads and June 2024 Reads too.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman – ★★

This was my least favorite of the batch. Partially because I’m just not the intended audience for this book. It’s about being sandwiched between the ages of children and parents so there are topics of menopause and missing your children as babies. I just had a baby, so I’m in the stage of life where I love having littles. It just made me sad to read. I know this chapter is coming eventually, but it really bummed me out. Also, big TW for pregnancy loss. Overall the writing was lovely. The topics just weren’t for me.

Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand – ★★★★★

The last book by Elin Hilderbrand came out this summer and it was excellent. I LOVED this book. It’s the perfect Nantucket summer beach book you’ve come to expect from Hilderbrand, but I loved the characters in the book. The Richardsons are a hoot. There are also some returning characters in this book and it was just a lovely way to wrap up Hilderbrand’s career. Perfect summer read if you are still looking for one because it’s still in the 90s outside where I live.

The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther – ★★★★

I liked this book because I’m all about a love story, but I did not love that the main character was 18 years old. Her love interest was 19 years old. It all just seemed a little unrealistic. I know most book boyfriends are a bit unrealistic, but nobody believes a rising college sophomore is so in touch with his emotions. Overall, I really did like it though. Cute story and a very quick read.

Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand – ★★★★

This was not so much a book but a short story I got through Amazon Prime. It was only 54 pages and super cute. After finishing Swan Song, I needed a little more Hilderbrand and this was perfect. We aren’t in Nantucket for this one, but the Galapagos Islands. It was very cute, quick-moving, and wrapped up a great story in 54 pages.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren – ★★★★

Christina Lauren has similar vibes to Emily Henry’s books. Since I have read all the Emily Henry novels, I’m working my way through these. I read The True Love Experiment because it was quick to get on Libby. I don’t know why this one didn’t have a long hold like the rest of them because it was great. A romance writer goes on a dating show, but she makes the rules and decides all the men must fit a book boyfriend trope. It was very clever and I read it in a day.

The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren – ★★★★

Another Christina Lauren book that was also very cute! This one is about the personal assistants of a Chip and Joanna Gaines-type couple. They do home renovations and have tv shows and product lines and books, but the twist is they actually hate each other. The assistants have to keep the couple playing nice in the public eye while they promote their latest book with marriage advice. It’s a very cute and quick summer read.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover – ★★★★

Since the movie was coming out, I decided to finally read this one. I think I was the last woman in America to read it. I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. I love the last line and was happy with how it wrapped up, but I think I’m going to hate the movie based on what I’ve heard. We’ll see. There were some SUPER cringy parts, basically anything with Finding Nemo, haha.

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren – ★★★★★

Ok, my last Christina Lauren book this month. It was my favorite of the Christina Lauren batch. I love a second-chance romance and liked the flashbacks throughout the book. This book even had a twist I didn’t see coming! I pride myself on being able to predict the endings of books, but this one was a good twist. I recommend this one to start out if you want to start reading CL books.