Recent Reads #21

Going to try a slightly different format with todays recent reads post! These posts usually take me a long time to put together because I read so much, so I'm going to attempt to do some quick recaps and one sentence style reviews. Let me know what you think, or if you prefer the more detailed format. (By the way guys! This is post 21! You've got so many book recommendations under this tag! And of course you can follow along on Goodreads.)

Shop These Books:

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Basically, it's the 90's and Carrie is a retired tennis player. She has to whether or not to come out of retirement to reclaim her title. This book is great. TJR is a writer like no other, and you will get swept up right into the story. There are so many F words in this book, I grew very weary of it. I do think some interest in tennis is a prerequisite for how much you may or may not like this. 

Rating: 5 Stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

Basically, Letty is on the run with her toddler niece after finding her sister murdered. They head to a mom and pop beach motel in Florida to hide out. This one was just okay for me. Extremely predictable, and unnecessarily drawn out. Also, maybe the WORST cringy love scene I've ever read. 

Rating: 3 completely average stars. ⭐⭐⭐

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Basically, Persephone spent her summers as a child at the lake. Now a decade later, she has to come 'home' for a funeral and face the past. Told in past and present alternating chapters. So, this is a  tough one to review. I enjoyed it. The writing is great, and I honestly felt transported to a summer lake house. I preferred the childhood chapters. But, this story was SOOO much like Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (which I LOVED) that I couldn't fully love it. 

Rating: Still a solid 4 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Josh and Hazel's Guide To Not Dating by Cristina Lauren

Basically, Hazel is really quirky and has a hard time dating. She and her friend Josh team up to try to set each other up on blind dates and of course they are disastrous. Christina Lauren is hit or miss for me. I either loveeee their books or just totally find them ridiculous. And this falls into the later category. It's just not that good. I'll put it this way, I'm even having a hard time remembering any stand out scenes. I do know it's pretty explicit and there is a plot point I personally dislike in books that I can't say without a major spoiler. 

Rating: 2 maybe 2.5 stars. ⭐⭐

Falling by TJ Newman

Basically, Bill is a pilot who is flying to JFK, and he just found out his family was kidnapped and to free them the kidnappers tells him he has to crash the plane. Was this the smartest book for me to read before going on a plane? Haha, probably not. Anyway, this book had a great premise. But, an almost boring execution. This felt like someone's first book (and it may well be) in that it was so straightforward and cliché it was unexciting. With a plot that should have been very exciting! 

Rating: 3 Stars. ⭐⭐⭐ Maybe it'd be a better movie?

The Inn on Harmony Island by Anne Marie Meyer

Basically, Shelby returns to her small hometown for the reading of her Grandmother's will and to face her past. BLECH. I totally got swayed to read this from TikTok! It sounded so good, but it was just plain bad. (Yet I finished it, so what does that say?) I cannot, I repeat CANNOT, get over the fact that they were former STEP SIBLINGS first of all. There is also a 3rd point of view that felt completely random and weird. There was a lot of set up in this book, and of course it makes sense now I didn't realize it's a series. 

Rating: Barely 2 stars. ⭐⭐

Cinder & Glass by Melissa de la Cruz

Basically, Cinderella meets The Selection (a series I liked a lot!). This was a fun YA retelling. Cute and straightforward! I don't have too much to say, but it's a great suggestion for your teen. 

Rating: 3.5/4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Basically, Jason is just enjoying his lovely life with his wife and son when he gets kidnapped and knocked out. He wakes up and it's like it was all a dream - his wife isn't his wife and he isn't a teacher anymore, he's actually an accomplished scientist. But, which life is real? I have been wanting to read this for long time, so I was so excited to finally get it at the library! What a story! It's complex and science-y but in an achievable way. Lots of twists and turns and I'd probably call this a science fiction thriller. I think it'd be a really great movie, and actually probably a lot easier to understand, ha! Warning for really bad language. I think that's what keeps this from being a 5 star read for me. I also felt that his relationship with his son should have been a little more forefront. 

Rating: 4.5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shop These Books:

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure