Happy June! I didn’t read a ton this month. But I’m excited to share with you the books I did read!
I’d also love to hear from you — what great books have you read lately? Any recommendation for light beach reads I need to check out this summer?
What I Read This Month:
Too Good To Be True by Carola Lovering
I can’t even tell you how EXCITED I was to read Carola’s newest book. I know her personally, we taught together at CorePower Yoga. Her first book, Tell Me Lies, was excellent but Too Good To Be True was next-level good.
I don’t want to give away too much because I think some of the fun is watching things unfold, but this suspenseful but not too scary thriller follows Skye Starling’s whirlwind relationship with Burke Michaels. Only thing is, Burke isn’t who he says he is, as we learn reading his journal entries.
There are so many good twists and turns that made my jaw drop. I was SO into this book.
Not only is it twisty and turn-y in the best way, but it also has one of the most honest depictions of mental illness that I’ve ever come across in a book. Skye has been navigating her crippling OCD for much of her life — ever since her mother passed away. This isn’t a spoiler as it’s all mentioned early on in the book.
I don’t have OCD, but I’ve spent most of my life navigating a pretty severe phobia. It’s not something I talk about a lot for various reasons, but it is a part of my life. I found the portrayal of Skye’s OCD and the fear of judgment from others that comes along with it to be one of the most accurate and honest depictions of mental illness I’ve read in a book. Of course, I’m just speaking from my own experience, but it articulated so many things I’ve grappled with in a way I had never heard or been able to voice before.
My Rating: 5/5
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The Guest List by Lucy Foley
I’m not usually one to read a ton of thrillers as they sometimes make me too anxious at night 🙈 but I did read this one for a book club I’m in. If you’re into the suspense of thrillers but don’t want something that will give you nightmares, this is a good pick for you.
The book takes place on a quiet island off the coast of Ireland for the wedding of Jules and Will. Jules has gained a following after creating a popular website. Will has also risen to fame as the star of a Survivor-esque reality show. The wedding is sure to garner a lot of buzz from the media.
While the couple seems picture-perfect, of course, everything is not what it seems. We bounce around to different perspectives throughout the wedding — the bride, the plus-one, the best man, the wedding planner, and the maid-of-honor. Everyone has something to hide. And someone won’t leave the wedding alive.
I overall really enjoyed this book — I definitely didn’t see some of the twists and turns coming and there are SO many reveals throughout. This made it such a fun book to discuss with a book club. It’s not my favorite thriller I’ve ever read, and it took me a bit to get used to the British-ness of the writing (and learn what the heck a foley is) but otherwise, it’s a fun and suspenseful read.
My Rating: 4/5
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A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin
I’ve been SO excited for this book to come out. I loved Laura Hankin’s previous novel, Happy and You Know It, and had heard so many good things about A Special Place for Women.
This book is about a top-secret club for women that is invite-only. Journalist Jillian Beckley becomes interested in the club after she has a hunch that they are the reason for the demise of the city’s first female mayor. She becomes determined to get invited into the exclusive club to write a juicy piece on the dirty secrets the club is holding.
I loved a lot about this book, how both ridiculous but also kind of plausible the top-secret club Nevertheless sounded. I also loved the fact that it’s a bit of a nod to the now-defunct women’s co-working space The Wing. I did feel like the book dragged a bit and I was ready to get on with things, but overall I enjoyed this book and some of the unexpected turns it took.
My Rating: 4/5
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