It’s JULY which means we are officially halfway through 2020 (finally) and I am halfway through my 2020 reading challenge! If you are new here, at the beginning of 2020 I challenge myself to read 52 books this year, roughly a book a week. As someone that previously only read 1-2 books every month, it felt like a big challenge.
I’m happy to say I’m still right now track (YASSS!). Challenging myself to read more this year was honestly a great decision, it’s forced me to spend way less time on my phone aimlessly scrolling Instagram. Reading for pleasure during this crazy crazy time has always been the perfect escape from the pandemic reality.
June was a great reading month for me. Each of the 5 books I read I overall really enjoyed — which is pretty rare that none of them are duds. I’m so excited to share each of these books with you.
As always, please share any great books you’ve read lately in the comments! I’m always looking for book recommendations 🙂
What I Read This Month:
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
At first I was iffy about this book. The description made it sound like a revenge story. A series of viral tweets makes Samiah realize that the guy she’s been seeing is actually catfishing her — and seeing two other women behind her back. She ends up bonding with the other two women and they become quick BFFs.
Samiah and her new friends make a pact to focus on a project for themselves rather than dating. For Samiah that’s a new app she’s been thinking about developing for years, but it’s always been on the backburner.
The real meat of the story is actually about a budding work romance between Samiah and her new co-worker, Daniel. Even though Samiah has sworn off men to focus on her app, she can’t seem to stop herself from developing a crush on Daniel. Turns out he’s hiding some big secrets too, though.
I’m glad I stuck with this book, the cast of characters were really excellent and I loved the friendship between the three females. Apparently each character is going to get their own little “spin-off” too.
My Rating: 3.5/5
✨
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
Big Summer has everything that I LOVE in a book: It’s got influencers, a lavish wedding in Cape Cod, and a mysterious death.
I had high expectations for this book after loving Mrs. Everything, also by Jennifer Weiner, and it did not disappoint.
It’s been six years since Daphne Berg “broke up” with her toxic former best friend, Drue Cavanagh. Daphne is just starting to really thrive as a plus-sized influencer and passionate nanny for two kids on the upper east side. Just when she thinks she’s finally moving on from Drue, Drue shows up at Daphne’s job to ask her to be part of her lavish wedding in Cape Cod. After years of being Drue’s “sidekick,” Daphne wants nothing to do with her… but agrees to be a bridesmaid for the desperate bride.
Flash forward to the wedding. Things turn out to be less than picture-perfect. There is a whole lot of backstabbing and lies going on behind the scenes and the rehearsal dinner ends with a dead body in a hot tub.
The book is both a “Whodunit mystery” but is also an exploration of female friendships. I couldn’t get enough of it.
My Rating: 4/5
✨
All Adults Here by Emma Straub
Emma Straub is hands down one of my favorite authors. I’ve fallen in love with every book she’s written and was SUPER excited to read “All Adults Here” which has been described as a more “woke” Gilmore Girls.
Astrid Strick has just witnessed the death of one of her neighbors. Seeing the tragic accident happen right in front of her eyes causes Astrid to question her own life choices and how they’ve impacted her 3 children.
Astrid’s youngest son has always been a bit aloof. His daughter has run into trouble at school and will be staying with Astrid until further notice.
Her daughter is pregnant and preparing to raise the baby alone.
And her oldest son is trying to live up to a certain standard that he can’t seem to fulfill.
We get an intimate glimpse into the life of each character. As always, Emma Straub has this way of writing characters with so much depth that you get fully attached to them. I didn’t want to say goodbye to the Strick family when it was over.
My Rating: 4/5
✨
The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
I’m going to make a bold statement and say Jasmine Guillory is the QUEEN of writing the perfect modern-day romance book. This is the third book in her “Wedding Date” series. Each book centers around a different couple so you can easily read them out of order and it won’t be the end of the world. I’m speaking from experience, I accidentally started with the second book a few years ago.
The Wedding Party centers around Maddie and Theo. They are both best friends with Alexa, but they absolutely hate each other. The two of them are going to have to spend a whole lot of time together over the next few months, though, because Alexa is getting married and they are both in the wedding party.
After years of hating each other, Maddie and Theo end up sleeping together after one drunken night. One drunken night turns into a full-blown secret relationship that they don’t want Alexa to find out about.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a Jasmine Guillory book — I had actually started this one back in September when it first came out. But then my break-up happened and I was not in the right headspace for this book. I am SO glad I picked it back up, it might be my favorite book of hers that I’ve read so far. I found myself wanting to read it every chance I could, which to me is always the sign of a great book.
My Rating: 5/5
✨
The Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
One Jasmie Guillory book wasn’t enough for me this month. She has a new book that just came out – Party of Two – so I wanted to get all caught up before I read the new book.
The Royal Holiday centers around Maddie’s mom, Vivian. The two head to England for an exciting job opportunity for Maddie, she’s going to be styling the Duchess for all the holiday events.
Vivian tags along but never imagined meeting a charming suitor on this vacation. But of course her first day in England she meets Malcolm, who works for the Queen. The two begin a quick affair, but what’s going to happen when Vivian’s holiday is over?
This book has Jasmine Guillory’s signature charm, but it’s much shorter than her other books making it almost feel rushed. Overall I did love reading a tender rom-com about an older couple.
My Rating: 3.5/5
I also love Emma Straub’s books! Vacationers is one of my faves, excited to read We’re All Adults Here!
xx Chelsea Finn
http://www.organizedmessblog.com
LOVED Vacationers too, I think you’ll enjoy All Adults here for sure!
I’m on the waitlist at the library for All Adults Here and can’t wait to read it! I also loved Big Summer! Jasmine G. books are also on my to-read list soon! Thanks for sharing!
Yes you gotta read all of Jasmine Guillory’s books, they’re so good!