Your Next Read | 10 Books I’ve Read Recently
I have been devouring books more quickly than I can write posts about them, so I’m going to do a roundup of some of the books I have read recently, along with a couple quick thoughts. Hopefully this helps you find your next read!
The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick
This was the good kind of drama. I liked this one a lot. When a house cleaner is asked by her boss (and favorite author) to ghost write her last novel in a series, she has no idea what she is getting into.
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can, apparently, buy a decent fake. When a woman can’t seem to find her place in her family, or in the professional world, she seems to fall easily into the trap of a counterfeit bag ring.
The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
Three Stories from the past intertwine to reveal a story of love, murder, and family lies. took a photo of this one when I went to Newport and thought I’d read it for fun. I really enjoyed it!
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
You know the conversation starter, “If you could have dinner with any 5 people, alive or dead, who would they be?” What if that dinner really happened? How would things go? This was an intriguing look at the possibility. I didn’t love this one, but I didn’t hate it, either.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
During the Dust Bowl, so many families were displaced and lost their livelihoods. The Four Winds is another Kristin Hannah epic story that follows one family and their quest to build the American Dream for themselves once more. Beautiful, heartbreaking, and an incredible perspective of poverty and government assistance. I adored this one, and cried through half of it.
Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton
Following the Perez sisters out of Cuba once more, this one follows Isabel and Beatriz Perez from Cuba to Barcelona, where they uncover bits of their past that their mother never told them. I truly enjoyed this one, and I always love reading about the Perez sisters.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
When Jess shows up to her brother’s empty apartment, she tries to solve the mystery of his disappearance. But everyone in his building is so tight-lipped, and the police don’t seem to want to help. I didn’t really enjoy this one past the first few chapters, but I finished it because I was invested.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
If you want steamy scenes, this is definitely steamy. Stella is smart, successful, and has Asperger’s. French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish, so she decides she needs lots of practice. She hires an escort and provides him with “lesson plans” for her learning. But will she figure out that love is missing variable?
Another Colleen Hoover cry-fest. When an affair starts with two rules, it seems easy enough. But almost immediately, Tate and Miles realize that they cannot seem to follow the rules they set forth. I really like Hoover’s writing – I think her storytelling is great and I have enjoyed all the books of hers I have read.
Run Rose Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton
Her voice is breathtaking, and she comes onto the Nashville music scene guns blazing. When country’s biggest star takes her under her wing, her success is even more imminent. But will her past catch up with her? I liked this one a lot, although I thought the build up was slow and the ending was too quick.
Happy reading, friends!
xoxo
