August 2019 Reading List & Reviews

August is coming to and end, so it’s about that time for a book review post! Truthfully, this is one of my favorite posts to write every month. Reading is a passion of mine and it’s something that I 100% enjoy doing and enjoy sharing with others! It makes my day when I get messages from you all letting me know you selected a book based on my recommendation!

In the spirit of being honest, some months I enjoy reading more than others. This month wasn’t a great reading month for me. Life got a little chaotic and I didn’t have the time to read as often as I typically do. When I did have the time to read I found I wasn’t fully “there.” Leading to the fact that I didn’t have a great reading month. It was kinda “meh.” Now, that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy some of the books I read, but I’m just being honest in saying that not every month is full of great books! My favorite books this month including The Two Lila Bennetts & Things You Save in a Fire! Two totally different genres and styles of writing, but both were so compelling and I found myself reading them into the late hours of the night!

As always, you can see my latest reads on my bookstgram account @enw_reads (I share ALL things books there!) and on my Amazon Shop page! If you have any book recs, send them my way!

TELL ME EVERYTHING BY CAMBRIA BROCKMAN | In her first weeks at Hawthorne College, Malin is swept up into a tight-knit circle that will stick together through all four years. There’s Gemma, an insecure theater major from London; John, a tall, handsome, and wealthy New Englander; Max, John’s cousin and a shy pre-med major; Khaled, a wise-cracking prince from Abu Dhabi; and Ruby, a beautiful art history major. But Malin isn’t quite like the rest of her friends. She’s an expert at hiding her troubling past. She acts as if she is concerned with the preoccupations of those around her – boys, partying – all while using her insight to detect their deepest vulnerabilities and weaknesses. By Senior Day, on the cusp of graduation, Malin’s secrets – and those of her friends – are revealed.  As their fragile relationships hang in the balance and close alliances start shifting, Malin will test the limits of what she’s capable of to stop the truth from coming out. review: I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this book and was really excited to read it! The story opens up on Senior Day and while you’re aware there’s been a murder, you’re not sure who was murdered or how it happened just yet. Throughout the story you see the friends college years unfold while also discovering bits and pieces of Malin’s childhood  I really enjoyed that the story took place on an elite college campus – it had a Gossip Girl feel! I didn’t find this book to be fast-paced but I did enjoy it! I particularly enjoyed learning more about the protagonist’s childhood and seeing how it had impacted her life. The ending was really crazy and that made me enjoy the book overall! rating: 3 out of 5 ⭐️

THE TWO LILA BENNETTS BY LIZ FENTON & LISA STEINKE | Successful criminal defense attorney, Lila, has made some questionable decisions in both her personal and professional life. Some might call her ambitious, while others think she is ruthless. her decisions seem to be catching up to her and she feels she needs to make a decision that could alter her life. In one life, Lila is taken and held hostage, forced to face a list of people she hurt in the past. In the other, Lila is caught making some of these bad decisions and must decide how to address them in order to move forward. The question that begs to be answered is “how much can one choice impact a life?” review: I cannot put into words how much I loved this complex, enthralling book! I have read this author duo before and they knocked it out of the park with this one! This book was fast-paced and the execution of the two storylines was so engaging that I couldn’t stop turning the page – it was totally unputdownable for me! If you’re looking for a twisty, page turning psychological thriller be sure to grab this one! rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE BY KATHERINE CENTER | Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it’s an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated. review: After reading How to Walk Away last year (and loving it!) I couldn’t wait to read her newest book. The author does a fantastic job of character development and I quickly found myself rooting for Cassie. I really enjoyed the protagonist being such a strong female in a male-dominated career field. This was certainly a feel-good read and although it was predictable at times, it was a really touching read. I had the opportunity to meet the author last week and hearing her speak about the research, her link to the book & how she likes to write really made me appreciate her and the book even more. rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

LOVE AT FIRST LIKE BY HANNAH ORENSTEIN | Eliza Roth and her sister Sophie co-own a jewelry shop in Brooklyn. One night, after learning of an ex’s engagement, Eliza accidentally posts a photo of herself wearing a diamond ring on that finger to her Instagram account beloved by 100,000 followers. Sales skyrocket, press rolls in, and Eliza learns that her personal life is good for business. So she has a choice: continue the ruse or clear up the misunderstanding. With mounting financial pressure, Eliza sets off to find a fake fiancé. review: I had high hopes for this one, but ultimately it didn’t live up to it for me. This is definitely an easy read and the writing is good, but I just felt I couldn’t relate to the characters. The main character, Eliza, drove me crazy with her bad decision making, however, the other characters made her antics more bearable! To me, the plot itself was highly implausible and far-fetched, making the whole book a little hard to enjoy. Overall, if you’re looking for a light, easy end-of-summer read you may find that you enjoy this one. rating: 2 out of 5 ⭐️

TIME AFTER TIME BY LISA GRUNWALD | On a clear December morning in 1937, at the famous gold clock in Grand Central Terminal, Joe Reynolds, a hardworking railroad man from Queens, meets a vibrant young woman who seems mysteriously out of place. Nora Lansing is a Manhattan socialite whose flapper clothing, pearl earrings, and talk of the Roaring Twenties don’t seem to match the bleak mood of Depression-era New York. Captivated by Nora from her first electric touch, Joe despairs when he tries to walk her home and she disappears. Finding her again—and again—will become the focus of his love and his life. review: This was this month’s pick for a book club I’m in. I was excited to read it because the premise sounded really good and after reading The Dream Daughter I was looking forward to another book on time travel. It started off pretty good, but then it faded and lost it’s glimmer for me. I felt like I kept reading and nothing was actually happening (or, well, the same thing kept happening). It was easily 150 pages too long to me and wish it had a little bit more to it. rating: 2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

what did you all read this month?!

click the cover to shop my August books