What I've Read During Summer 2018

The summer is officially over for us teachers, cue the tiny violin lol.  It's crazy how fast it flies by each year. I was able to soak up a ton of reading time this summer so I wanted to share with you the books I read and a little snippet of what I thought about each. I'll try to keep it really brief so I don't give anything away. :)

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hildebrand

Elin Hilderbrand never disappoints! This book combined my love for Nantucket and a little bit of mystery. The story line was interesting and kept me wanting more. I highly recommend it for the last few weeks of official summer. 

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

Love this one! Mary Kay Andrews' books are what I normally consider "fluff" and I say that with kindness because I LOVE them. I just don't usually think they are very complex. This one on the other hand had a great story line. Loved it!

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

We read this in book club this summer and it was a favorite amongst everyone there. The author really worked to bring the characters to life and the writing was absolutely beautiful. I felt the storyline was a little lacking when it comes to action but you have to remember that I like thrillers or really sappy love stories. This wasn't either of those. I would still recommend it even though it wasn't my top fave of the summer. 

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

Now if you are looking for drama then this is the book for you. It's jam packed with back-stabbing, betrayal, and even murder. I really didn't like Jessica Knoll's previous book Luckiest Girl Alive but this one was much better! It was an easy read and kept you wanting more. Loved it! 

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

This book was not what I was expecting but in a good way! I couldn't put it down and I read it pretty quickly. Hepworth does an excellent job of pulling you into the lives of each character and the storyline dips and weaves entangling each one. If you like Liane Moriarty books then I think you will like this too. Their style of writing is very similar. 

The French Girl by Lexille Elliott

I really wanted to like this book because I heard so many great things. It just wasn't my favorite though.  The characters frustrated me and I didn't really understand their friendships or what made them tick. I kept reading because I just wanted to know how the girl died but it took forever to get to that point. The reviews are pretty high for this book so maybe it was just me lol.

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

The premise with this book was just so strange. I LOVE B.A. Paris but this one was just a miss. It seemed so far-fetched and unlikely to happen. If you want a great thriller than read B.A. Paris' book called Behind Closed Doors. It's suuuuper creepy but so good! 

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Now this is a very different category of book than what I normally read. It falls under the young adult and fantasy categories which is not normally my jam, but there is something about Caraval (the first book) that left me wanting more. I pre-ordered this one and I was sooo excited to get it. The book is set in a magical world that is filled with love, betrayal, and mystery, who doesn't love that right?? The characters are all players in a game and you're unsure of what is real or what is part of the fun. I loved the strong female characters and the love story was pretty adorable too. If you haven't read Caraval, read that first. 

The Wild Card by Hope and Wade King

This is for all my teacher friends out there. I have been following both Hope and Wade King on Instagram for awhile and I knew I wanted to read their book when I had some time this summer. Engagement is something that is constantly evolving in the classroom especially with each new group  of students that comes in. I love their ideas for letting passion really shine through what you do and they give practical ways to be more engaging. Now I want to get their monthly subscription to Set the Stage to Engage so I can see what else they have up their sleeves. Loved this book!  

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

I had such high hopes for this book but the plot was just really strange. I felt like I couldn't connect with the characters and I was confused by their motivations and the decisions they were making. Ruth Ware is an excellent writer but this was just a miss for me. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Reid Jenkins

I LOVED this book! We are actually reading it this month for book club but I finished it a couple months ago. The book follows Evelyn Hugo, an actress who has a very Marilyn Monroe vibe to her. She is a climber and will do what it takes to be successful which sometimes means hurting those around her. This book has an air of mystery to it that will keep you interested until the very end. It has a lot of surprising twists and turns and I can't recommend it enough!

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

One of my favorite books of the summer! I loved the story of how Margaret persevered in what seemed to be a very dismal circumstance. The characters were very relatable and made you instantly want to be their friends. Overall the book was heartbreaking but also contained so much joy and resilience. Loved it!

My Summer Reading List 2018

It's almost that time of year... the time of year where I actually have down time and can really dive into some books. I do try to consistently read all year long because it's just good for my sanity but there is something about summer that just makes me want to pull out all this beach reads and dive into something lighter. I have quite a few books on my reading list this summer but I will try and narrow them down to a better list for you all.

Currently Reading:

Get it here

I just started the 4th book in the Red Rising series, Iron Gold. I have been waiting for awhile to get this one from the library so I'm excited that it's finally in my hands. The first 50 pages or so have been hard to get into but I am hoping it gets better. Mark says that it starts to pick up :) If you haven't started the series yet, do it now! So good!

The High Tide Club

Get it here

I love Mary Kay Andrews books because they are usually really light, have lots of drama, and are based in the south. Great combo right?? If you are looking for complexity and depth, this isn't the read for you lol but if you want a light read, grab this one! I am excited to dive in.

The Husband Hour

Get it here

This has been on a ton of other must read lists for the summer so I had to add it to mine too. I usually don't read very many books about people who have been widowed by a husband in the military because it just hits too close to home. This sounds pretty light, despite the death, so I'll add it to my list.
Update: Downloaded this audiobook for my LOOOONG car ride this week and it's really good! Not a thriller but keeps you wondering what happened. Also, it's based more on the husband's hockey career than military. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Get it here

My friend Kayla recommended this and said she LOVED it. I am so excited about this one! I've liked pretty much everything I've read by Taylor Jenkins Reid so I hope this one is the same. Buzzfeed says "...it's one of the most captivating reads of 2017," so that has me sold. 

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Get it here

This book is more on the suspenseful side but I can't read light books all summer right?? I have really liked Ruth Ware's other books so I'm excited to see if this one lives up to the hype. The description on Amazon doesn't provide much info which is a good thing. I hate when they give too much away!

The Perfect Couple

Get it here

It wouldn't be a summer reading list without an Elin Hilderbrand book. As most of you know by now, I have a big obsession with Nantucket. It's on the top of my bucket list and I can't wait to visit one day. This book isn't out yet but I preordered a copy for the end of June. 

Legendary

Get it here

I read the first book in this series, Caraval, last year and LOVED it. The book is technically categorized as YA, which isn't normally my jam, but I was sucked into the storyline from the very beginning. It's also in the fantasy genre which isn't usually up my alley either but the writer does a great job of keeping you wanting more. Check out the first book if you haven't read it yet. 

I also have quite a few teacher reads on my list. Any teachers out there interested to hear what I am reading??

Summer Reading List

I have been compiling my summer reading list for a while now so I thought I would share some of my top picks with you. There are some lighter reads on here but it wouldn't be one of my lists without a few thrillers. I love a good scary book! Anyways, some of the books are not released yet but I've pre-purchased most on this list. Reading is my FAVE thing to do any time of year but especially during the summer.

Secrets in Summer by Nancy Thayer

I'm actually just started reading this book. I'm only a few pages in but so far so good. Nancy Thayer's books are always an easy read but light and refreshing. This is a read at the beach kind of book which is perfect for the summer months. I'll give you a final review when I'm done.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It’s also Darcy’s chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.

Darcy must also navigate the highs and lows of a new romantic relationship with local carpenter Nash Forester even as she becomes smitten with handsome vacationer Clive Rush, a musicologist in town to write a book and visit family. And she finds herself pulled into the concerns of Boyz, Autumn, a charming elderly neighbor, and an at-risk teen.

As the season nears its end, Darcy must decide her next move: retreating to the comforts of her steady and secure island life, or risking it all for a chance at true happiness.

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

I might be the most excited about this book. I read Behind Closed Doors a few months ago and holy moly it was sooooo good! This is the next book by the same author but it doesn't release until mid-July. I hate waiting :( Just a warning, Behind Closed Doors was super graphic!

Synopsis from Amazon:

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods. It was on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, and a woman was sitting inside―the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm, and she probably would have been hurt herself if she’d stopped. Not only that, her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing. Where she left the car; if she took her pills; even the alarm code.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

And the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

The Identicals by Elin Hildebrand

I have a major thing for Nantucket and I LOVE reading books about the island. I've read pretty much everything Elin Hildebrand has ever written and it's largely because of the setting haha. These are usually pretty quick reads but I never get tired of them. This releases mid-June and I pre-ordered it already!

Synopsis from Amazon:

Harper Frost is laid-back, easygoing. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She likes a beer and a shot and wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything fashionable. She's inherited her father's rundown house on Martha's Vineyard, but she can't hold down a job, and her latest romantic disaster has the entire island talking. 

Two beautiful islands only eleven miles apart.Tabitha Frost is dignified, refined. She prefers a fine wine and has inherited the impeccable taste of her mother, the iconic fashion designer Eleanor Roxie-Frost. She's also inherited her mother's questionable parenting skills--Tabitha's teenage daughter, Ainsley, is in full rebellion mode--and a flailing fashion boutique on Nantucket in desperate need of a cash infusion. 

One unforgettable summer that will change their lives forever.
After more than a decade apart, Harper and Tabitha switch islands--and lives--to save what's left of their splintered family. But the twins quickly discover that the secrets, lies, and gossip they thought they'd outrun can travel between islands just as easily as they can. Will Harper and Tabitha be able to bury the hatchet and end their sibling rivalry once and for all? Before the last beach picnic of the season, there will be enough old resentments, new loves, and cases of mistaken identity to make this the most talked-about summer that Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket have experienced in ages.

Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica

This may be my 2nd most anticipated read of the summer. I loved Mary Kubica's books, The Good Girl, Pretty Baby, and Don't You Cry so I am so excited to see what kind of thriller she has come up with this time. Out of the first three, The Good Girl is my absolute favorite!

Synopsis from Amazon:

Clara Solberg's world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon. 

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick's death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit. 

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara's investigation and Nick's last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date—one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

The Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor

This book is currently pre-ordered (it releases June 6th) and I am super excited to dive in. The author is actually the daughter of Sue Monk Kidd who wrote Secret Life of Bees and Invention of Wings. They have a book that they co-wrote as well but I've never read it. There's a lot of buzz around this book so I'm thrilled to get my hands on it soon.

Synopsis from Amazon:

One summer day on the beach in Florida, two extraordinary things happen to Maeve Donnelly. First, she is kissed by Daniel, the boy of her dreams. Then, she is bitten by a blacktip shark.

Eighteen years later, Maeve has thrown herself into her work as a world-traveling marine biologist discovering more about the minds of misunderstood sharks. But when Maeve returns home to the legendarily charming and eccentric Hotel of the Muses where she was raised by her grandmother, she finds more than just the blood orange sunsets and key lime pies she’s missed waiting for her.

While Maeve has always been fearless in the water, on land she is indecisive. A chance meeting on the beach with a plucky, irresistible little girl who is just as fascinated by the ocean as Maeve was growing up leaves her at a crossroads: Should she re-kindle her romance with Daniel, the first love she left behind when she dove into her work? Or indulge in a new romance with her colleague, Nicholas, who turns up in her hometown to investigate an illegal shark-finning operation?   

Set against the intoxicating backdrop of palm trees, calypso bands, and perfect ocean views, The Shark Club is a story of the mysterious passions of one woman’s life: her first love and new love; the sea and sharks that inhabit it.

The Young Wives Club by Julie Pennell

When I was looking for some new books, I came across this one on Amazon. In the description it said that this is perfect for fans of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood and I LOVED that movie. I immediately put it in my cart and it's on it's way :)

Synopsis from Amazon:
In Toulouse, Louisiana finding your one true love happens sometime around high school. If you’re lucky, he might be the man you thought he was. But as four friends are about to find out, not every girl has luck on her side in this charming debut novel perfect for fans of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Desperate Housewives. 

**I didn't includes the rest of the synopsis because I felt like it gave so much of the story away. 

The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable 

Another book set in Nantucket, need I say more?? This seems like another perfect beach read.

Synopsis from Amazon:

The ocean, the wild roses on the dunes and the stunning Cliff House, perched atop a bluff in Sconset, Nantucket. Inside the faded pages of the Cliff House guest book live the spellbinding stories of its female inhabitants: from Ruby, a bright-eyed newlywed on the eve of World War II to her granddaughter Bess, who returns to the beautiful summer estate.

For the first time in four years, physician Bess Codman visits the compound her great-grandparents built almost a century before, but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the sea. Bess must now put aside her complicated memories in order to pack up the house and deal with her mother, a notorious town rabble-rouser, who refuses to leave. It’s not just memories of her family home Bess must face though, but also an old love that might hold new possibilities. 

In the midst of packing Bess rediscovers the forgotten family guest book. Bess’s grandmother and primary keeper of the book, Ruby, always said Cliff House was a house of women, and by the very last day of the very last summer at Cliff House, Bess will understand the truth of her grandmother’s words in ways she never imagined.