Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in July 2023. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. 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. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Charm City Rocks
Author: Matthew Norman
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Dell, 6/6/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I’m not sure how many rom coms I’ve read by male authors but I’ve definitely been into the celebrity / every day person romances recently! This one is about Billy, whose son Caleb manages to unite his dad with former rock star Margot and the two hit it off.
“Billy Perkins is happy. And why wouldn’t he be? He loves his job as an independent music teacher and his apartment in Baltimore above a record shop called Charm City Rocks. Most of all, he loves his brainy teenage son, Caleb. Margot Hammer, on the other hand, is far from happy. The former drummer of the once-famous band Burnt Flowers, she’s now a rock-and-roll recluse living alone in New York City. When a new music documentary puts Margot back in the spotlight, she realizes how much she misses her old band and the music that gave her life meaning. Billy has always had a crush on Margot. But she’s a legitimate rock star—or, at least, she was—so he never thought he’d meet her. Until Caleb, worried that his easygoing dad might actually be lonely, cooks up a scheme to get Margot to perform at Charm City Rocks. It’s the longest of long shots, but Margot’s label has made it clear that any publicity is an opportunity she can’t afford to miss. When their paths collide, Billy realizes that he maybe wasn’t as happy as he thought—and Margot learns that sometimes the sweetest music is a duet.”
There are exes involved on both sides and I enjoyed the side characters. This takes place in Baltimore, and the city is its own character! There were some funny parts too. I liked this quote: “For parents, the drawback to loving their children so much is the anxiety that comes with it – like love’s neurotic cousin.”
Title: The Honeymoon Crashers
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Rom Com Novella, Audio only
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 8/1/23
Source: Audio Publisher
Why I Read It: Sequel to the Unhoneymooners
My Rating: 4 Stars
This audio original is a sequel to The Unhoneymooners and it is about Ami, Olive’s twin sister. Olive is getting married in Hawaii and Ami arranges for her whole family to attend while she plans her sister’s wedding. In Maui, she meets Brody, who Olive and Ethan have enlisted to help her with the planning.
“Ami is determined to break the Torres family wedding curse. Her own disaster of a reception ended with all the guests getting food poisoning, and she left her cheating husband soon after. But even though she’s still processing her own divorce, Ami won’t let her twin sister Olive’s day be anything but perfect. Olive may think she wants a private ceremony in Maui, where she and her fiancé Ethan first fell in love, but Ami knows better and secretly flies the whole Torres family out to surprise the couple. Now she and her meticulously organized binder have less than two weeks to get everything together for the big day, thousands of miles from home. Enter Brody, Ethan’s best man, who happens to be living in Maui and insists on helping with the preparations. His playfully elaborate schemes and happy-go-lucky attitude are the last thing Ami needs. When sparks start to fly, could it derail all her carefully laid plans?”
This was an interesting listen because it’s a full cast audio production. Some of the parts are dual narrated, where the actors talk to each other, while others are done just by either the voice of Ami or that of Brody. There were funny parts and I enjoyed the sweet love story that evolved over a short amount of time.
Title: Meet Me At The Lake
Author: Carley Fortune
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 5/2/23
Source: Little Free Library
Why I Read It: Loved her previous book
My Rating: 4 Stars
Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune was a lucky Little Free Library find for me! It is about Fern, who never wanted to take over her family’s resort, but when her mom dies in an accident, she has to step up. She then finds out that Will, a man she spent one day with 10 years ago, is there to help her plan the future of the resort.
“Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in the city. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t. At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin. She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is. But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?”
I really like Carley Fortune’s writing style but I loved this one less than her first book, Every Summer After. Maybe due to Carley and Will’s one day of Insta love, or maybe because their present story relies on chemistry, I didn’t quite buy into the love story as much as I should have.
Title: The Air Raid Book Club
Author: Annie Lyons
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow, 7/11/23
Source: BiblioLifestyle
Why I Read It: Sent to me for review, Loved her previous book
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
I was excited that the author of The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett had a new book as I loved that one! What was similar in this book is that it also features an older woman whose life is effected by a young girl – this time a teen who needs refuge from Germany during WWII. Living in England and running a bookstore, Gertie is lonely after her husband died. When she takes in Hedy, she also begins to get to know her neighbors and bond with them over books.
“London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn’t feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham Books was a dream they shared together, and without Harry, Gertie wonders if it’s time to take her faithful old lab, Hemingway, and retire to the seaside. But fate has other plans for Gertie. In Germany, Hitler is on the rise, and Jewish families are making the heart-wrenching decision to send their children away from the growing turmoil. After a nudge from her dear friend Charles, Gertie decides to take in one of these refugees, a headstrong teenage girl named Hedy. Willful and fearless, Hedy reminds Gertie of herself at the same age, and shows her that she can’t give up just yet. With the terrible threat of war on the horizon, the world needs people like Gertie Bingham and her bookshop. When the Blitz begins and bombs whistle overhead, Gertie and Hedy come up with the idea to start an air raid book club. Together with neighbors and bookstore customers, they hold lively discussions of everything from Winnie the Pooh to Wuthering Heights. After all, a good book can do wonders to bolster people’s spirits, even in the most trying times. But even the best book can only provide a temporary escape, and as the tragic reality of the war hits home, the book club faces unimaginable losses. They will need all the strength of their stories and the bonds they’ve formed to see them through to brighter days.”
I didn’t love this book and found parts of it boring. I liked Gertie and Hedy but thought the story could have been told better. I especially would have liked more about the books the club was reading!
Title: The Summer of Songbirds
Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Gallery Books, 7/11/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
I saw so many rave reviews of this one, but it just didn’t work for me. This book is about Camp Holly Springs, the camp owner June, June’s niece Daphne, and Daphne’s two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart. (Origin of those two names? No idea).
“Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life. June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne is confronted with a relationship from her past—and a confidential issue at work becomes personal—she is faced with an impossible choice. Lanier, meanwhile, is struggling with tough decisions of her own. After a run-in with an old flame, she is torn between the commitment she made to her fiancé and the one she made to her first love. And when a big secret comes to light, she finds herself at odds with her best friend…and risks losing the person she loves most. But in spite of their personal problems, nothing is more important to these songbirds than Camp Holly Springs. When the women learn their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they band together to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.”
There are two love stories in this book – Daphne is in love with Lanier’s brother Huff, and Lanier is engaged, but still has feelings for Rich, the owner of the boys’ camp next to Camp Holly Springs. The other story in the book is that the camp needs saving, as there are money issues. I thought the book got a bit long and repetitive. On another note – this camp started with kids at age 6! That seems very young for sleep away camp.
Title: Someone Just Like You
Author: Meredith Schorr
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Forever, 7/25/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is a Jewish own voices book about childhood friends to enemies who are reunited to help plan their parents’ joint anniversary party and reignite their prank war from their past. They are quite immature but I didn’t hate their pranks even though pranks aren’t my favorite in general!
“New Yorker Molly Blum knows everything about her lifelong nemesis, Jude Stark. With their families so close, they should have been best friends. Instead, she thinks he’s a too-charming slacker, and he thinks she’s allergic to fun. After years of one-upping each other’s pranks (chocolate-dipped cat treats are not as delicious as they appear), one high school joke went too far, and they stopped speaking completely. But now that they’re supposed to help plan a massive party for their parents—together—there’s no better time to resume their war. And it is on. Only somewhere between all the sniping and harmless hijinks, a reluctant friendship develops, along with an unexpected spark of sexual tension. It might have to do with the fact that she’s been dating Jude-lookalikes and he’s been dating Molly doppelgangers. Or the fact that neither of them is nearly as horrible as they thought. All Molly and Jude know is that they’ve mastered the art of hating each other. Falling in love, on the other hand, is a whole new battlefield.”
The funniest part of this book for me was that Molly and Jude dated doppelgängers for each other and the author mentioned this was inspired by Rachel dating Russ in Friends. Hilarious. I also enjoyed the Beatles references! Side plots to the romance are Molly’s job struggles and family issues. Molly leaned that “you regret the things you don’t do” and I really like that idea!
Title: Unorthodox Love
Author: Heidi Shertok
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, 7/11/23
Source: libro.fm
Why I Read It: Jewish Own Voices Rom Com
My Rating: 4 Stars
It makes me so happy to have a rom com that stars a modern orthodox Jewish woman! Penina is in the dating world and struggling because of her infertility diagnosis. This causes the matchmakers to set her up with hard to match men. When she is offered the chance to marry a closeted gay man for money which she can use to help her sister, she feels it’s a good plan. But what about her developing feelings for her boss, Sam?
“Twenty-nine-year-old Penina longs for true love and marriage, but being infertile in the Orthodox Jewish community means she’s rarely matched with the cream of the crop—or even skim milk two weeks past its expiration date. Matchmakers either set her up with men twice her age or those with serious mommy issues. At this point, she might as well wear a sign around her neck that says ‘professional virgin.’ As if things weren’t bad enough, her sister Libby then shares a terrible secret: her husband’s failed businesses have already put strain on their marriage, and now they might also lose their family home. Penina is desperate to help, so when a secretly gay Orthodox Jew offers a payout in exchange for a fake marriage, it feels like kismet. Who needs true love anyway? Enter Sam Kleinfeld. Rude, secular, undeniably sexy, and also…Penina’s new boss. The last thing he wants is a relationship, especially not with a beautiful, smart-mouthed employee. But soon an attraction builds that they both can’t ignore. Will Penina follow her heart and find true love, or will she stick to the traditions she knows best?”
I thought this book had good orthodox representation and really liked the story overall. Unfortunately, the audio narrator was awful and there was apparently no oversight there as she pronounced every Hebrew and Yiddish word wrong, plus many English words as well. Her accents were even worse, with the Jewish people all sounding New York even when they are from Michigan, and the Israeli character sounding Indian. So, if you want to read this one, I suggest going for the print version!
Title: Wonder Drug
Author: Jennifer Vanderbes
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Random House, 6/27/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Wonder Drug by Jennifer Vanderbes is the story of the history and scandal behind the drug thalidomide. I feel like I grew up knowing about this medication and how it caused babies to be born with missing limbs. I don’t know if I knew about it because my father has a pharmacy background or due to Billy Joel mentioning it in We Didn’t Start The Fire or if I learned about it in school – I have a memory of maybe the March of Dimes teaching us about birth defects. Thalidomide was a drug that was distributed widely and without regulation, beginning in Germany and around the world. Here in the USA, the FDA was just getting a start on regulating drugs and thalidomide was blocked from approval due to its lack of testing. However, the drug company was after the money and it was given to distributors and “tested” by doctors who gave it to their patients, other doctors, and even their own wives. It was originally meant to be a sleeping pill but was also effective in stopping nausea, so it was used for morning sickness. While the US government only recognizes 17 victims whose mothers knew they took this medicine, there are so many more that were born without limbs or with other conditions that were also caused by thalidomide.
“In 1959, a Cincinnati pharmaceutical firm, the William S. Merrell Company, quietly began distributing samples of an exciting new wonder drug already popular around the world. Touted as a sedative without risks, thalidomide was handed out freely, under the guise of clinical trials, by doctors who believed approval by the Food and Drug Administration was imminent. But in 1960, when the application for thalidomide landed on the desk of FDA medical reviewer Frances Kelsey, she quickly grew suspicious. When she learned that the drug was causing severe birth abnormalities abroad, she and a team of dedicated doctors, parents, and journalists fought tirelessly to block its authorization in the United States and stop its sale around the world. Jennifer Vanderbes set out to write about this FDA success story only to discover a sinister truth that had been buried for decades: For more than five years, several American pharmaceutical firms had distributed unmarked thalidomide samples in shoddy clinical trials, reaching tens of thousands of unwitting patients, including hundreds of pregnant women. As Vanderbes examined government and corporate archives, probed court records, and interviewed hundreds of key players, she unearthed an even more stunning find: Scores of Americans had likely been harmed by the drug. Deceived by the pharmaceutical firms, betrayed by doctors, and ignored by the government, most of these Americans had spent their lives unaware that thalidomide had caused their birth defects.”
Some of the history of pharmacology was beyond my intelligence, but I was very interested in the personal stories and the way this scandal played out. It was interesting to think about how drugs are tested and controlled now as opposed to in 1960, when this occurred. However, we can definitely still see the effect of big pharma with the OxyContin issue more recently.
Title: The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships
Author: Ali Bryan
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co, 7/25/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is a book about the residents of Crow Valley, which is in Canada. It takes place over one evening in which the residents are competing in, judging, or watching a karaoke championship. Meanwhile, there is a prison break and an escapee is a major factor in that night’s events.
“A year after forest fires ravaged the town of Crow Valley and claimed the life of Dale Jepson―karaoke legend, local prison guard, and all-around good guy―the community hosts a high-stakes karaoke competition. But when a convicted murderer escapes from nearby Crow Valley Correctional, residents discover there’s more on the line than local, perhaps even national, karaoke fame. In this darkly comedic, fast-paced ride through an unforgettable small town, five residents with intimate connections to Dale and drastically different goals for the night will collide into, conspire with, and aid one another as they scramble to make it successfully through the evening under the scrutinizing watch of neighbors. To the soundtrack of classics belted out with abandon, voices will crack, cars will be stolen, marriages will falter, and kids will slip away in search of trouble. And maybe, just maybe, lives will be transformed for the better.”
There are multiple viewpoints shared in this book and many of them are coping with the loss of Dale, a firefighter and prison guard who died a year ago. Other than grief, other topics include postpartum depression, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, and family relationships. Overall, I liked the story and the characters.
Title: Not That I Could Tell
Author: Jessica Strawser
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 3/27/18
Source: Library Audio App – Plus have print copy
Why I Read It: Waiting on my shelf
My Rating: 4 Stars
Working on my goal of reading the books I purchased the longest ago, I listened to Not That I Could Tell in order to check it off the list. This was a neighborhood thriller told from the viewpoints of two women after another friend goes missing.
“When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal. By Monday morning, one of them is gone. Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce―and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her―and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions―especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own. As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors―and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.”
I thought the reason that Kristin left was pretty obvious from the start but I was surprised by the ending reveal. I liked the friendships between the neighborhood women and overall this book kept me entertained.
There you have it, the rest of my July reading! This post included 10 of the books I read in July. Of these books, 7 were print and 3 were audio books. Genres included rom com, historical fiction, contemporary, non fiction, and thriller. Only adult books this time!
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?