It’s book roundup time! I know there is something missing from this list and I just can’t remember what it is. This happens every time and it makes me crazy. There weren’t any terrible books in this bunch, but there were quite a few forgettable books, along with some I loved. Let’s get to it. (This post contains affiliate links.)
Cress – The third book in the Lunar Chronicles series was one of my favorites so far. When I started to describe this series to my husband as Cinderella, set in the future, except Cinder is a cyborg, I totally lost him. And yes, it sounds insane, but I really enjoyed the entire series.
Winter – That of course brings us to Winter, the final book in the series and maybe my favorite? It’s hard to say. As much as I loved the series, four books was pushing my limits and I needed some resolution to this story.
Everything We Keep – The thing is that I really wish this book had ended five pages before it did. Instead, there was an ending that leads to a sequel. Not everything needs to be a sequel or a series! I will probably read it because I’m really going to need to see how the author resolves this particular problem.
Shopaholic to the Rescue – Hold on guys, this is one of the best Shopaholic books in recent years. The last book was painful to read, but this one read like the kind of book that might make the perfect end to the entire series.
Beach Town – This was the first time I’ve read anything by MaryKay Andrews and I picked these partly for their covers, I’m not going to lie. This book was beachy, but not Elin Hilderbrand Nantucket beachy. For me, that’s pretty much the beach read gold standard, and I kept wishing for more chilled white wine descriptions.
The Weekenders – Another MaryKay Andrews book and this one is almost Hilderbrand-worthy as the setting is Nantucket-like. I think I liked this, but didn’t find the characters particularly believable. It was almost too beachy for the plot.
By The Numbers – I think this was my favorite Jen Lancaster novel (not my favorite overall of hers, because her earlier memoirs are laugh out loud funny.) This was good even though one of the children was so atrociously behaved so as to be completely unrealistic, I enjoyed this.
Who Do You Love? – I think Jennifer Weiner writes chick lit with a little heft to it and this was no exception for me. This book tracks one couple from their teen years through middle age and just kind of made me so sad for them. Life is rough.
Modern Lovers – So I had to look this book up on Goodreads and even after reading everyone else’s reviews and summaries, I still have nothing much to say.
While You Were Mine – This book starts on V-J Day and is described as being about the nurse who is in the famous picture of the soldier kissing the nurse in Times Square and sure – it is. But it’s a sweet story about family and friendship and love. There were a lot of duds in this round, but this one was enjoyable.
The Moon and More – Usually I like Sarah Dessen books. They’re comforting, I know what to expect, and there are familiar characters and places from her other books. This one didn’t really deliver for me.
The Last Boy and Girl in the World – So many of the characters in this book including the main character and her father were just basically terrible humans. I kind of misunderstood what was happening in the book after reading the blurb – I was reading it as more apocalyptic rather than “Oh crap, the damn won’t hold and it’s flooding.” So, I think I found this disappointing overall.
Currently reading/waiting for me: Eligible, First Comes Love, and Truly, Madly, Guilty.
Save me from more terrible books! I need your book recs, please!
Andrea says
Yeah, I didn’t reach for Modern Lovers bc I thought her previous book, The Vacationers was meh. Loved Lunar Chronicles!! Of your TBR pile, definitely read Eligible ?? First Comes Love gave me stabby feelings ? and I haven’t been hearing raves for Liane’s latest…
Also, funny story, I met Jen Lancaster when she was a temp in our office back in my Chicago days while she was cooking up Bitter is the New Black!