WHAT I READ: AUGUST 2022
August slipped away from me, but I devoured a few books along the way, including the new Taylor Jenkins Reid book!
My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
I love Tessa Bailey. I did not love this book. It just wasn't for me. It's a murder mystery set in a vacation town, with a fairly unlikable leading man, Myles, who had me rooting against the romance between him and our heroine, Taylor. There is a lot of emphasis on the age gap between the two of them and how rough around the edges he was compared to her elementary school teacher self. It all just gave me the ick. Their love story is layered over the two of them investigating the murder, him as a bounty hunter investigating on behalf of the dead guy's family, her as the nosey, true crime-loving innocent who accidentally came face to face with the body in her vacation rental house. It was all fine, but didn't pull me in the way that I expect with a Tessa book. It was very spicy though, so that's something!
The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson
I liked this book a lot! Photographer Cassie accidentally becomes a lingerie model (for reasons that seem reasonable in the story, I promise!) and has to work with her rival photographer to put together a national campaign promoting her best friend's lingerie line for a major brand. Enemies-to-lovers remains one of my favourite tropes, and these two gave me major butterflies. All the side characters in this story were also super well-rounded and interesting, you really get to know and love the whole team at Cassie's studio. It's a really body positive read, too, which is just so refreshing and delightful. Loved it!
40-Love by Olivia Dade
The first of two tennis books I read this month (which I think puts the total number of tennis books I read ever at two? Confusing that they both hit the top of my TBR so close to each other!) this one is the lighter of the two. Set on a resort, tennis pro Lucas rescues vacationing Tess from disaster when her bikini top is swept away by a rogue wave. Despite their age difference, they find love on the court when her travel buddy sees their beach chemistry and plays matchmaker by booking Tess in for private lessons. Another curvy main character here, and a fair amount of spice. It was a good, light-hearted read, but not my favourite tennis book of the month.
The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall
When Freya gets dumped in a broom closet the day before her wedding, her besties devise a plan to help her survive the other 7(!) weddings she has to attend that summer. With each task, she learns a little more about herself, repairs her relationships with her family and friends, and steps out of her comfort zone. Along the way, she finds Jaime and opens herself to love again. It's all very cute, but I found Freya a bit dull and whiney-- I would have been more interested in a book about her besties, Leo and Ruby, they were so much more entertaining and funny!
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
A five-star read! Elite bodyguard Hannah is going through it. Her mother passed away, her boyfriend (and colleague!) dumped her, and now he's sleeping with her best friend behind her back. She throws it all into her new assignment: protecting a movie star who happens to be her celebrity crush while he visits his family ranch. The only problem? He doesn't want his parents to worry about the stalker she's protecting him from, so she has to go undercover as his girlfriend. Fake dating is probably my second favourite romance trope, and this one doesn't disappoint (there's only one bed, of course!). There's a lot of emotional elements to this book that make it so much deeper than it seems as both Hannah and Jack deal with their pasts and learn to lean on each other. I loved it.
Plot Twist by Bethany Turner
Half way through this book I thought I hated it and in the end it was a four-star read for me, which was a big surprise! It's set on the same day, February 4th, across ten years, starting when wannabe screenwriter Olivia sits next to a wannabe actor in a coffee shop in 2003. They make a semi-joking promise as they leave to meet back in ten years and make a movie together, but fail to exchange names. This moment ends up impacting every part of the next decade of Olivia's life, and our once-a-year peek into her life is a window into how friendships, relationships, and dreams evolve. The characters grew on me as they evolved, and I was delighted by the ending I didn't see coming.
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
I loved The Love Hypothesis and was eagerly waiting for this release! It didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was still a pretty great read. I love how the author puts women in STEM front and centre in her reads, and I enjoyed the story, but whereas the miscommunications and misunderstandings in her previous book felt fun and fresh, they just feel a bit frustrating in this one. I wanted to love the Levi and Bee, but I found them unrelatable in a lot of ways. The emphasis on how little and quirky she is and how big and stoic he is was also grating, it felt like we were being beat over the head with how opposite they are. Still rated this one four stars, and enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers story (of course!), it's just hurt by the comparison with The Love Hypothesis.
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane
Wedding photographer Harriet is going through a sloppy breakup when she moves in with new roommate Cal, who also happens to be going through a recent messy breakup. The two are connected in ways they don't initially realize, and as they work through their respective breakups, they realize they are perfect for each other. I mostly loved this one, the manipulations of the exes, the handling of domestic violence, the way Harriet takes on her abuser... it had me crying in moments. It would've been a five-star read for me if we got to see a bit more of Cal and Harriet as a couple, I felt like their romance wasn't fully formed. Overall I still recommend though!
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is a must read for me. Even Malibu Rising, which I liked a little bit less than her other titles, was incredibly well crafted. I was counting down the days to this release, and then I read WAY past my bedtime to devour this in basically one sitting. I loved it. I could write pages and pages about how the shared universe of this, Malibu Rising, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Daisy Jones and the Six feeds my soul, but instead I'll just focus on this book. It's a redemption story, it's a sport story, it's a love story in the traditional sense and also a love letter to coaches and to sport, and it was a breath of fresh air. I cried twice, I felt Carrie, Bowe, and Javier's determination in my bones, and it made me wish I watched tennis. I have a book hangover after this read, I know nothing is going to live up to it for a while. I want more!
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