Hey hey! Happy SUMMER! After a lackluster April, May and June brought some highly anticipated books from my TBR! We’ve spent the last two months knee-deep in a kitchen remodel, so my attention to reading hasn’t been in full swing, but I’ve still managed to tackle quite a few books that I was looking forward to reading. My focus has been on summery, lighthearted, quick, and fun books.
Book Lovers: 5 Stars!
This book was absolutely perfect! It pulled me right out of my reading slump and had me smiling, laughing, and giddy for the majority of the book.
Nora Stephens is a ruthless literary agent living in NYC and is so committed to her clients that she puts her personal life in the backseat. Nora’s sister Libby is pregnant with her third child and convinces Nora to take a sister’s trip to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for a month. Libby has a whole list of small-town novel activities for her and her sister to do that are sure to find Nora the HEA she deserves. What she doesn’t expect, is to run into Charlie Lastra, a book editor from the city that she has worked with before.
Everything about this book was delightful – the small-town setting, the characters, the book-within-a-book theme. And it’s not just a romance, Nora and Libby’s relationship and past contribute to the depth of the story, elevating it from just a cute love story. This will be a great summer read if you’re looking for a book to lounge by the pool with.
Other books to escape for the summer:
Beach Read by Emily Henry – 4.5 Stars
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan – 5 Stars
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun – 5 Stars
The Paris Key: 4 Stars
Speaking of escaping, are you looking to escape to another country this summer? Well, The Paris Key did just that for me! Genevieve Martin spent her favorite summer in Paris as a teenager after her mother died. Many years later, her uncle passes away and she is given the opportunity to return to Paris and sort out his locksmith shop. Her marriage is coming to an end and she doesn’t love her job, so running away to Paris feels like the perfect opportunity.
When Genevieve arrives in Paris, she offers us a glimpse into Parisian culture, food, and the most romantic city in the world. While the pace was a little slower than I usually prefer, this was the perfect little gem to transport me to a place I long to visit, but without the price tag for now. The characters were lovely, the food was delightful and I hope someday I can experience Paris the slow way.
Books that will transport you to another country:
The Dry – Australia
Wildflower Hill – Australia
Love & Gelato – Italy
More from my TBR:
Little Paris Bookshop
Next Year in Havana
One Italian Summer
Part of Your World: 4 Stars
Alexis is driving through a small town when she swerves to miss an animal in the road and winds up in a ditch. Lucky for her, a younger, handsome Daniel stops to help her out, which leads to a one night stand that neither of them can forget. Alexis is a successful, wealthy, ER doctor working in the city who comes from a prominent medical family and Daniel is a small town jack of all trades. They come from two different worlds, but they can’t deny that their relationship is perfect in all the ways that count, but Alexis can’t picture him in her world and knows that she will lose everything if she tries to join his.
This book was darling! While not my favorite from Jimenez, it was certainly a delight! The town that she created was endearing and full of characters that you can’t help but adore. Daniel is perfect in every way, and Alexis just needed to get out of her own way. As always, Jimenez tackles big issues in such a heartfelt way – this book includes domestic abuse, both mental and physical. I highly recommend reading her other novels – The Friend Zone, The Happy Ever After Playlist, and Life’s Too Short.
Books with Older Heroines and Younger Heroes
Happiness For Beginners – 5 Stars
On the Island – 5 Stars
The Younger Man by Karina Halle – TBR
Malibu Rising: 4 Stars
I pre-ordered this book last year, because TJR is an autobuy author for me. However, I was reluctant to read it, because it seemed like it wasn’t living up to other reader’s expectations. Waiting a year, I started this book with zero expectations and I chose not to re-read the description, so it wouldn’t affect my experience.
I felt like the intro leads you to think that there will be a massive California wildfire that stems from this annual Riva party and maybe that’s why people felt a little deceived? Instead, it’s more a saga of the Riva siblings lives and that of their parents, complete with affairs and deception and secrets. I loved the summer, surfing, 1980’s California setting – perfect for a summer read! The father, Mick Riva reminded me a little of Elvis or Johnny Cash. We also learn of Carrie Soto, the star of TJR’s 2022 release – Carrie Soto Is Back. If you choose to read this one, I recommend going into it blind.
My favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid books:
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – 5 stars
One True Loves- 4.5 stars
Daisy Jones and the Six – 4.5 stars
Isn’t it Bromantic?: 3 Stars
This is the 4th book in the Bromance Book Club series, and while each is a stand alone novel, you really need to start with book 1 to understand all of the characters and their backstory as well as the significance of the Bromance Book Club.
This book focuses on Vlad – a highly emotional, professional hockey playing, gentle giant. He’s also known as The Cheese Man in the previous books because he loves to eat cheese and therefore has bad gas and spends a lot of his time stinking up the bathroom. Now, I have a personal problem with books that glamorize or humorize gas, poop, vomit or any other bodily fluids that aren’t sexy, so as sweet as Vlad is, he’s always been my least favorite character of the bromance book club. I was hesitant to read his story, but I’m glad I finally did. Within the first couple of chapters, we learn that Vlad has solved his cheese problem and we can move forward – yay! I also enjoyed getting to know Vlad’s wife Elena, as she has remained a complete mystery in the previous three books. No one has met her, she never attends any events, and no one knows the truth of her whereabouts.
Forgive the pun, but I felt like this book was pretty cheesy. The bromance book club was less involved and the book they were reading was one that Vlad was writing. Most of the steam was behind closed doors, and I had hoped for more. Overall, it was entertaining, but it was my least favorite in the series thus far.
Wish You Were Here: 4 Stars!
I had no idea that this book would cause tears, but it did, so consider yourself warned! I’ve read most of Carlino’s books and she writes romance with a heavy side of torture (for the reader that is). I fall in love, she rips my heart in two, and then sews it back together a little haphazardly, a reminder that life isn’t always peaches and cream.
In this one, Charlotte is a mid-twenty something, working a shit job, aimlessly wandering through life without goals and hopping from one bad relationship to the next. When she collides with Adam, a handsome and mysterious painter, she finds herself hoping that he could be the one she’s always wanted. After their enchanting one-night stand ends abruptly, Charlotte decides she’s done with men. Six months later, she meets Seth, a handsome baseball player, with whom a future feels possible. But if her and Seth are so perfect, why is she still thinking about Adam?
Oh, the chemistry and the flirtation had me turning pages long into the night! Not only did Charlotte have one hot dude, but TWO, and I struggled hard with wanting her to keep them both (selfish B, I know!). There’s so much about this book that can’t be said for fear of spoiling any part of the story. But if you enjoy your romance with a little soul crushing cry fest, then be sure to pick this one up!
If you enjoy these types of books, you should also read:
Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Where One Goes by B.N. Toler
Looking for more book recommendations? Check out all of my book posts here!
What fun, lighthearted books would you recommend that I add to my TBR for the summer?
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