The one main thing I love about summer and commuting back and forth for 3-4 hours each day is the fact that I can read so. many. books.
I love reading! It makes my long commute so much better and helps me feel productive, even when I’m not. As I work through my Goodreads reading challenge, I find myself uncovering a lot of books I really enjoyed and some I absolutely hated.
I’m usually a tough critic, especially with young adult novels, so I was so pleasantly surprised to have found so many gems this month. Especially in intense yet comedic YA fiction! I might make this a monthly series because I read so many books and love reading other people’s book posts to find new recommendations. We’ll see how that goes. Anyway, here are my best and worst books of the month of July.
Please note that I am too lazy to give plot summaries and write really in-depth reviews. If you want a description and more details, you can click on the book’s title to be brought to its Goodreads page. I’m just giving you a quick down-low and my thoughts.
The best of the month
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zetner – YA novel
Oh. My. God. This book made me laugh, it made me cry and it had me absolutely hooked on each word. This is truly one of my new favorite books of all time. Though the premise of blaming the protagonist for a texting and driving crash is frustrating and a bit illogical (you’ll see what I mean), I was somehow so overwhelmed by the emotion and realness of the book that I totally let that slide. I seriously can’t remember the last time a book made me feel so much.
Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton – YA novel
A phenomenal, authentic portrayal of schizophrenia. This book had so many likable characters, which I find super rare in young adult books. I felt for everyone. I laughed and teared up. This is an absolute must ready and a raw, real portrayal of mental health.
Happy Birthday or Whatever by Annie Choi – Memoir
This book was hilarious and it was nice to learn a bit about Korean culture. Choi’s collection of essays were filled with culture and wonderful quips.
Sharp Objects – Gillian Flynn – Thriller
While I can’t necessarily vouch for the new series on HBO that’s based on this novel (I fell asleep during both episodes I watched), this book is absolutely worth picking up. It’s a suspenseful murder investigation sort of mystery that has a great number of twists and turns. It’s disturbing in the best way.
Bad Girls with Perfect Faces – Lynn Weingarten – YA Thriller
This book was filled with twists and turns and I couldn’t put it down. Romantic plot-line + Catfish scandal + murder? Yes!
Would You Rather?: A Memoir of Growing Up and Coming Out by Katie Heaney – Memoir
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and I’m so glad I did. I’ve read and loved the author’s previous book (which I still recommend!) and this one did not disappoint. One of her essays even mentioned One Direction which is very on-brand for me. It was funny and honest and it’s truly a must-read for anyone in their twenties.
The worst of the month
Meaty by Samantha Irby – Memoir
This book was more gross than funny. I loved Irby’s first book, but this one just fell short. It was hard to relate to or be enamored by. Here’s a brief peek at my review:
“And considering how much she speaks about her butthole, she should have made it funny instead of just kind of uncomfortable.”
Turtles All the Way Down – John Green – YA
This book was truly awful. As a fan of many of John Green’s previous books (except for “Looking For Alaska” because that book is the worst thing I’ve ever read!), I was incredibly disappointed. I wrote such a long, detailed, angry review about this one. Here is an excerpt of my full review on Goodreads:
“Frankly, it feels like John Green’s publisher told him: ‘John, write something that the teens will relate to oh and toss in some mental illness to make it edgy!’
But, it is not edgy and the teens feel too inauthentic to relate to. This book from nowhere all the way down to nowhere.”
You can read my full, scathing review here.
Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies – Laura Stampler – YA
A pretty cover! An editorial intern in NYC! A perfect formula!
This book was truly hard to get through. The protagonist was a privileged ass hole and the amount of unrealisticness parading as realisticness was disgusting. Here’s an excerpt of my review:
“Considering how insufferable Harper is, I don’t get why every attractive teen in a two-mile radius kisses her within ten seconds of meeting her. ”
Unsurprisingly, this novel is filled with most of the YA novel cliches I called out in a previous post. You can read my full, annoyed review here.
Any recommendations? What have you been reading lately?
If you haven’t read ‘The Hate U Give’ I highly recommend it! Also anything by Liane Moriarty, her books are pretty fun reads. Love following along with your goodreads and definitely agree about ‘Turtles All The Way Down’.
That’s on my list! It sounds so good and I’ll have to look into Moriarty, I’ve never read anything by her!
I read ‘Asian Fart Monsters from Kentucky’. This is the modern day millennial version of ‘Godzilla”. I highly recommend it. If Oprah was still on te air I am sure this would be on her reading list.
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