Welp, this ended up getting more delayed than I anticipated. These recaps take me longer than I anticipate sometimes between pulling links and coming up with the right words for each review. I do love having a place for all the books I’ve read throughout the years and love that a blog is searchable compared to Instagram.
SO, I’m switching it up this month with a slightly different format. My goal with these recaps has always been to help you find your next great read. I hope this new way does just that more concisely.
Let me know what you think!
And on that note, onto the books 🎉 I’ve been on a total YA (Young Adult) kick lately and keep joking that it’s my “Summer of Sixteen” in which I’ve only be reading about being sixteen. You’ve been warned…
The Beach Trap by Ali Brady
One sentence Plot: Sleep-away camp best friends stop talking when they find out they’re actually half-sisters until years later they inherit the family’s beach house when their father passes away.
One sentence Review: I thought this book was cute and I enjoyed the heartwarming story about complicated grief and friendship with a dash of romance and HGTV home renovations.
Read this book if: You love The Parent Trap remake, dream of renovating a rundown beach home or are looking for a quick beach read.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
It’s Not Summer Without You (Summer I Turned Pretty #2) and by Jenny Han
**SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY**
One sentence Plot: It’s the summer after the first book takes place and Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah are adjusting to their first summer away from Cousins Beach and without Susannah.
One sentence Review: This series gets better and better as the books go on IMO and I love that you also get Jeremiah’s perspective in this one!
Read this book if: You read the first Summer I Turned Pretty book or loved the series.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
We’ll Always Have Summer (Summer I Turned Pretty #3) by Jenny Han
**SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT’S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU**
One sentence Plot: After almost two years of being together Belly and Jeremiah decide to get married which makes Conrad realize it’s now or never to tell Belly how he feels.
One sentence Review: I didn’t agree with all of Belly’s rash decisions in this book but I loved getting to see her and the guys grow older and figure out who they are and what they want.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia
One sentence Plot: Aspiring blogger and writer Noora gets the opportunity of a lifetime at Vinyl magazine but soon realizes the job is a total nightmare.
One sentence Review: I’m honestly a bit torn on this one — I loved that it felt like a 2022 The Devil Wears Prada but I also don’t know if it 100% stuck the landing on what it was going for with racial microaggressions in the workplace.
Read this book if: You loved The Devil Wears Prada or have ever dreamed of working for a magazine.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker
One sentence Plot: A dual timeline romance about camp lovers who reconnect years later but have to face their complicated past.
One sentence Review: I’m a SUCKER for anything that has camp and dual timelines and while I enjoyed this one the burn felt a little too slow at times making the middle dragged for me.
Read this book if: You loved Every Summer After or have a soft spot in your heart for sleepaway camp.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
One sentence Plot: Lina’s mom passes away and she’s sent to Italy to live with her father who she’s never met and given an old journal of her mothers.
One sentence Review: I adored this book for so many reasons: Charming Italy descriptions, a heartbreaking but promising story about grief and finding a sense of family, and the cute romance feeling like a side plot but not the main plot was refreshing.
Read this book if: You loved The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or are dreaming of an Italian escape.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
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