Tag: thriller

Anticipated Reads Coming Out in August 2020

Another new month, more new releases. Of course, there are plenty of new books being released this month that I’m super excited about. Here I’ll talk about some of the ones I’ve been anxiously awaiting. This list has in no way been influenced by anyone and is not sponsored by anyone. This list is also not exhaustive and I’m only mentioning a few of the new releases that I’ve been super anxious about.

First up we have More Than Just A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood. This will be published on August 4th. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this to review, so I’ve already gotten to read this gem for myself. I was and am still so excited about this one. You can read my review for this book here.

After that comes The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed. It will be published on August 4th. I have been anticipating this book so much, and I’m so anxious to read it. I’ve heard such good things about this book and I’m sure it’ll live up to the extreme hype that’s been built.

Another book I’m looking forward to reading is They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman. This is expected to be published on August 4th. I’ve been super excited to read it because I’m always up for a murder mystery. Unfortunately I’ve heard some mixed reviews on it. Guess I’ll just have to read it and see for myself how it is!

I’m so excited to read Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia which comes out August 4th. At this point, pretty much anything that Rick Riordan or his imprint puts out I’m like

Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim, which comes out August 4th, sounds like such a fun and magical read. I can’t wait to read it and go on adventures with Vanessa, and follow her matchmaking and fortune-telling. Definitely looking forward to this one.

A Place At The Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan is to be published on August 11th and is another book that I am excited to read. I read Saadia Faruqi’s upcoming middle grade book, A Thousand Questions, and loved it, so I’m sure this book will be just as enjoyable.

The history lover in me is especially anticipating Displacement by Kiki Hughes, which drops on August 18th. I am looking forward to this look at the Japanese internment camps and the tale of weaving together past and present through memory. Very anxious to read this!

Another book I’m looking forward to is Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon, which comes out August 18th. I haven’t heard much about this book but from what I’ve read, it sounds like it’ll be such a good read and so timely too. Can’t wait to get this book in my hands!

Next we have Darius The Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram. This is scheduled for publication August 25th. I loved Darius The Great Is Not Okay so when I heard there was going to be a second book, I was so excited and immediately added it to my never-ending TBR pile.

And finally, one of my very highly anticipated books is The Companion by Katie Alender. This book comes out on August 25th. I read an excerpt from this book and I’ve been dying to read the rest! It sounds so good, so I’m hoping it lives up to the hype I’ve built up for it.

So there you have it! These are my most anticipated releases of the month. I know many more are releasing this month…with a highly anticipated release being one from a pretty popular series that I never got into. 👀 I know, I know.

What books that are releasing this month can you not wait to dive into? Any that I haven’t mentioned? Are there any on my list that you’re excited for as well?

Happy Reading!

July Wrap-Up

So, another month has finished. This month wasn’t as good for me, reading-wise, as other months, but it wasn’t my worst. I was able to read 6 books this month. There were some highs, and definitely some lows. I didn’t really have any mediocre books, it was either a hit or a miss.

My books this month were: Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip Across America by James Ward, Christmas Candee by Judi Thompson and Charlene Tess, This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf, Letters From The Light by Shel Calopa, More Than A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood, and The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood.

My favorite books this month were definitely the two Syed M. Masood books I read: More Than a Pretty Face, and The Bad Muslim Discount. Both will be coming out soon (August and November, respectively), and they feature muslim protagonists. I really enjoyed Masood’s writing style and the characters that he developed were recognizable and stayed with me long after I finished the book(s). Both books received 5/5 stars.

My least favorite book was probably Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip Across America by James Ward. I was given the book for free in exchange for my honest review. There was nothing inherently bad about the book, I just didn’t enjoy it. There were so many things that happened in just the first few days of their road trip that I found it hard to believe. I originally didn’t rate this book but if I had, it’d have been a 1.5-2/5 star rating.

How was your reading month? Any favorites? Has anyone read any of these? Any recommendations for me?

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf

I won a free copy of This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf in a Goodreads giveaway. Special thanks to Bookclubbish for hosting the giveaway and the publisher Park Row. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this book we’re following Detective, Maggie Kennedy-O’Keefe, as she is the lead who is tasked with reinvestigating the 25-year cold case homicide of her best friend, Eve, when new evidence is found. As she digs deeper into the mystery of who killed her friend on that fateful night, she’s forced to remember the tragedy and confront some uncomfortable truths about herself and those closest to her.

I was excited to read this. The synopsis sounded so intriguing and I was ready for a suspenseful read that would keep me guessing. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite make it up to par. About halfway through the book it fell kind of flat for me and I had to force myself to finish it, which was disappointing since it started so strong. I ended up giving this book 2.75-3/5 stars.

There were several main characters that we are introduced to. The story is told in three different perspectives: Maggie, Nola, and Eve’s. Gudenkauf employed flashbacks as a tactic to help draw suspense and move the story along. The two main characters are Maggie and Nola. Nola is portrayed as a psychopath but I felt like it was over the top and a lot of parts didn’t add up or were just thrown in for the sake of trying to freak the reader out. Her character confused me. Maggie was Eve’s best friend and the lead detective on the case when it was re-opened. I didn’t find her character to be genuine and I wished Gudenkauf would have either committed to the unreliable narrator for her or made her more believable and made me want to care about her. There was a part in the story where someone says something to her and she attempts to protest and they argue and she just accepts what they’re saying. It felt extremely fake and I didn’t understand why she would roll-over and it made no sense and if the author wanted it to change the plot, I felt like her character needed to be different before that scene as it didn’t make sense just randomly being thrown in. 

Things about the crime were confusing. Without any spoilers, to say that the events and the ensuing case were shady is putting it mildly. The original case didn’t result in an arrest but whenever Maggie talked about her father, former head detective, working on the case, things seemed off. 

Overall, this book wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t the suspenseful novel that I was expecting. This was my first read by Gudenkauf so that was kind of a letdown, but I’m open to reading more from her in the future.