Reading Lately – Midyear Book Review

I haven’t shared a book review at all in 2024 and admittedly I haven’t been reading quite as much but I haven’t stopped completely. Today I’m sharing what I’ve been reading lately for a midyear book review. So far I’ve had a few decent reads but I’m still looking for that book that I can’t put down.

The Summer of Songbirds was my first read of 2024 and it would be a great one to pick up for summer if you haven’t already read. Remembering their summers at camp, the characters band together to help the camp survive. It is a sweet story of frienship and second chances.

In a New York Minute is a cute little Rom Com that is super easy to read. I love a good meet cute that turns into a love/hate relationship but ultimately circles back around. The main characters were both easy to love and I was rooting for them to find a way back to one another. The fact that it is set in NYC was an added plus as I always love a book set somewhere I have actually visited and since we had recently traveled to NYC it was all still fresh in my mind.

Little Monsters started out really strong and drew me in. I always love a good dysfunctional family story that unfolds with a few secrets intertwined. While I did enjoy the book overall, the ending fell a little flat for me as I felt like it left a few things unfinished and I wanted a little more closure.

While I am typically a HUGE Abby Jimenez fan, this book was not my favorite. Lifes’ Too Short is the typical plot line of two unlikely strangers hooking up and even though both try to keep it platonic, the fire continues to burn. It was an easy chic lit read and is currently free on both kindle and audible.

Hello Stranger sucked me right in and after Sadie, the main character, suffers an injury that results in face blindness (inability to recognize faces), it really gave pause to what this would be like. It would be one thing not to recognize others faces but not to be able to identify your own face in the mirror would be hard. I thought I was going to lose it when she was worried she wouldn’t be able to recognize her beloved dog but ,spoiler alert, she was! This is another sweet rom com that I enjoyed.

Do you see a pattern here? Easy rom com reads have been the only thing my brain could handle in 2024 so far! Eligible has some family drama and disfunction that will keep you interested and of course one character you want to root for because she’s the only one who seems to have herself together in the slightest.

Mayluna has a bit of a Daisy Jones & the Six feel and I really loved this story. It was a prime first read I grabbed free and it is still available on kindle unlimited for free. For free it is a 5 star! I was not prepared for the twist in the love story at the end at all.

Last Night was another free prime first read and is also still free on kindle unlimited. Finally a book that is less rom com and more murder mystery! This one kept me guessing as one sister worked to find her sisters murderer while searching for her niece who was missing.

Leave it to Us is a sweet story about sisters, family dysfunction and surprise reunions. Follow the sisters as they work to renovate their grandmothers home where they spent the summers growing up. It was the one place they came together and were happy but can they get along well enough to make decisions o the renovation even when more drama heads their way? Again, this was a free prime first read and it is still free for download on kindle unlimited.

If you love her other books, you will love the whimsy of Expiration Dates. This was a super short and easy read. While I really thought I had it all figured out and knew who she would ultimately end up with, the twist in the end really surprised me.

I have loved both of Carley Fortune’s first two books and while I did love This Summer Will Be Different, it wasn’t my favorite of the 3. A little family drama, some steamy love scenes and a secret relationship kept me interested. I was so happy with how this one ended!

Right now I have zero books in my library hold list and really need some gripping reads to help me reach my reading goal for 2024 as I am so behind! Tell me, what do I need to add to my list?