Welcome to my July 2023 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. There is still time left in the month so it is possible I will read more 5 star reads before the end – in that case they will be included in my next wrap up post! You can see the first half of my July reading here and I will share the rest next week. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
Title: Imogen, Obviously
Author: Becky Albertalli
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Balzar + Bray, 5/2/23
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: On my TBR
My Rating: 5 Stars
Becky Albertalli is definitely one of my favorite YA authors and Imogen, Obviously did not disappoint. It was apparent that this book was very relevant to the author’s own story and I loved how issues of biphobia and gatekeeping was explored via the characters.
“Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down. She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends. Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in. Even if that means bending the truth, just a little. Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa. Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .”
Imogen has always had queer friends, but saw herself as a totally straight ally and nothing more. When she visits her best friend Lili at college and finds herself attracted to Tessa, she begins to wonder if she’s all that straight after all. I loved Imogen’s journey of discovery and the way her main friend group supported her, even as a not so great friend told her it was too late for her to decide to be queer. Not everyone has the same story and this book supports that!
Title: Business or Pleasure
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 7/4/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I love Rachel Lynn Solomon’s books and was very excited for this one. Chandler is a ghost writer for celebrities and after one of the celebs she wrote for had no idea who she was, she has a one night stand which turns out to be awful. (Because not every person is automatically a perfect lover!!) When Chandler meets her newest client, it’s the same guy. She not only agrees to ghost write his memoir but also offers him sex lessons.
“Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in ‘ghostwriter’ until she attends a signing for a book she wrote—and the author doesn’t even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps. Chandler’s determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he’s distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they’re not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure—or if there’s a way for them to have both.”
This is a celebrity, workplace, forced proximity romance that is obviously steamy as Chandler teaches Finn what she likes. There is both Jewish and mental health representation and a quote I liked said “I think it’s less scary to be scared together, isn’t it?”
Title: Going Bicoastal
Author: Dahlia Adler
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Wednesday Books, 6/13/23
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: On my TBR
My Rating: 5 Stars
I preordered Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler and got a personalized autograph, and luckily I loved the book (I rarely preorder because I’m worried I won’t enjoy)! This book is about how there’s more than one way to find happiness. It’s about Natalya, who has to decide whether to stay in NYC with her dad or visit her mom in L.A. for the summer. What follows is two stories, depicting how each decision might play out for Natalya.
“Natalya Fox has twenty-four hours to make the biggest choice of her life: stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she’s been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mom in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?) How’s a girl supposed to choose? She can’t, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines – one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she’s always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.”
In the NYC timeline, she dates Elly, checks out the music scene, and does some babysitting. In L.A., she has an internship with her mom’s marketing company, meets Adam, and enjoys the food scene. Both timelines have great Jewish rep, and there is even an orthodox character in NYC. I loved the Shabbat dinner scene where Elly tries to pass around her phone! Plus, the characters from Cool For The Summer are part of Elly’s friend group! I did wonder if there was a mistake when something was mentioned in the NY timeline that actually occurred in L.A., but overall I loved this one.
Title: Love, Theoretically
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 6/13/23
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: On my TBR
My Rating: 5 Stars
Ali Hazelwood is a favorite writer of mine and Love, Theoretically was another great read for me. (I did not receive this from the publisher and I did buy it on my own). I really enjoyed the main character, Elsie. She has gotten through life by molding herself into what other people want or expect her to be and as a woman in STEM with an awful mentor, she is struggling as an adjunct professor at multiple universities. She has a side job where she pretends to date men and is currently fake dating Greg, who is on the aro/ace spectrum. Greg’s brother Jack ends up being a physicist at MIT, where Elsie has an interview. Jack is also the writer of an article that caused a huge rift in the physics community. So Elsie and Jack begin as workplace enemies.
“The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs. Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job. Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?”
Ali Hazelwood has a formula and it works. STEM, enemies to lovers, big man / small woman. And lots of chemistry! This one is steamy for sure. Elsie has diabetes, and sadly some reviewers have pointed out that this representation may not accurately represent life with diabetes. Also, the text seems to allude to Elsie being demisexual, but this isn’t thoroughly addressed. I would love to see more about demisexuality in future books. I loved the way that Jack was able to see the real Elsie, the side characters, the cameos from previous books, and the funny emails included in this book!
Title: Strange Sally Diamond
Author: Liz Nugent
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 7/18/23
Source: Publsiher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was a sad story about the legacies of abuse and neglect that effected various people in this book. It focuses on Sally, who enters the public eye after she tries to literally put her father out with the trash, as he had always joked she should do, when he passes away.
“Reclusive Sally Diamond causes outrage by trying to incinerate her dead father. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say. But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her?”
There is a lot of disturbing content in this one that would be spoilers to share, but readers should be wary of. I couldn’t put this book down! The ending of the book didn’t feel fully satisfying, but it shows that trauma isn’t always easily put into the past.
Title: The Wishing Game
Author: Meg Shaffer
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 5/30/23
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: Book of the Month for June
My Rating: 5 Stars
My Book of the Month pick for June was The Wishing Game, which is a whimsical story about a children’s book author who writes the Clock Island book series, and lives on a replica of the island he writes about. He holds a contest and one of the chosen contestants is Lucy, a teacher who grew up with neglectful parents and who wants to adopt a young boy named Christopher.
“Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability. Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy. For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack ‘the Mastermind’ Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.”
The contest involves solving riddles and puzzles and I knew the answer to the first riddle, which made me happy! As the game goes on, it turns out that Jack Masterson really just wants to make wishes come true, especially for children who might have difficult upbringings like Lucy.
Come back next week for the rest of my July reads – and possibly more favorites!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?