August 2022 Wrap Up

August was a strange reading month for me! There were some real highs and some serious disappointments, and I also made progress with my Summer of Sequels.

The Undead Truth of Us is for anyone who is looking for a story that reads like a John Green novel but with a touch of zombies. This YA contemporary novel looks at grief in a raw and honest way. Though the zombies are real, they read almost like a metaphor and I thought that was beautiful. Overall, this was an impressive debut and I look forward to seeing what Britney S. Lewis writes next!

I was so excited to read Love and Other Words, especially when I saw this adorable new cover, so it pains me to say that this is one of my most disappointing books of the year, if not my most disappointing. I loved the setup and I thought this romance had a lot of potential, but I had some serious issues with the ending that I cannot get into it without spoiling the entire crux of the story! This book has me questioning whether Christina Lauren is for me.

Better Than the Movies was a fun teen rom-com and I look forward to reading more from Lynn Painter. If you were a fan of teen movies from the early 2000s, like She’s All That or 10 Things I Hate About You, I think you will have fun with this book! It made for the perfect beach read!

Lakelore has solidified Anna-Marie McLemore as one of my favourite authors and every time I pick up one of their books I am reminded of just how much I enjoy magical realism. The representation in this book is fantastic and the characters were just so sweet. They had a great connection! Don’t go into this one expecting to have the magic explained to you because I think you will be disappointed. I think that it is probably typical of magical realism!

I am struggling to work out how I feel about Sundial. I wanted to pick up something darker after reading a lot of romance, and this certainly delivered on that front! I am new to horror and I am still working out the kind of horror that I love, but I am not sure that Sundial is it. I was not expecting animal testing and I don’t know that I bought into the science of it all. That said, I was fascinated by the exploration of mother/daughter relationships and there was amazing tension.

I was gifted a copy of Malice for my birthday and it is so outside of my comfort zone that I wasn’t sure I would ever pick it up! I was telling this to some bookish friends and we decided to buddy read. I am so glad that we did because I really ended up enjoying this book in the end and will be continuing with the series. It took me a minute to get a hang of the world and all of the characters, but I eventually became invested. I filmed my entire reading experience and will be posting that video soon!

Tiffany D. Jackson never misses! The Weight of Blood is a Carrie retelling and, even though I know that story, I was not at all prepared for how emotional this book made me. I should have known that Jackson would somehow make this story even more harrowing. The conversations about race and white saviours are powerful and something I am still thinking about. There is also a podcast element so I will probably listen to the audiobook at some point!

I have to admit that I didn’t fall in love with The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy until I was about halfway through the book! I can’t put my finger on why, but I just wasn’t connecting. That said, there was a moment when it all came together and I could not put this book down. I fell in love with these characters and there was a bit of a mystery that had me turning the pages.

Tread of Angels comes out in November and I recommend preordering it! This was my first book from Rebecca Roanhorse and I desperately want to read more from her. This book is only 208 pages, but so much happens and I thought that the world was extremely interesting. I am hoping that she writes more in this world because there is so much more that I want to know. I will say that I didn’t love the ending but the journey was worth it!

The Sequels

I read four sequels in August and am now caught up on all of these series! I won’t say too much more because I will be writing a wrap up on how my Summer of Sequels went with all of my thoughts on the books and what I have learned along the way. I will just say that A Prayer for the Crown-Shy was my favourite book of August!

What was the best book you read in August?

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