Reading Lately – 7/11/23

Happy Tuesday! I am linking up with Shooting Stars to show you the books I’ve been reading. It’s been a while since I’ve shared a reading update so get comfy!

The Rewind by Allison Scotch ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

I picked this book for my sister for Jolabokaflod and decided to read it also. I am so glad I did because I loved it. Ezra and Frankie are college sweethearts who break up right before graduation and are never going to see each other again. That is until their friends are getting married at their college and they both come back for the wedding. They have a crazy night and no one can figure out exactly how they ended up in a dorm room and possibly engaged. It was a fun walk back in time to the my college years and I found myself hoping everythign worked out for Ezra and Frankie.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

*Sunshine & Books 2023 Summer Beach Read*

I was so excited to read this book! We went to Radio City last year and I love the Rockettes. This was the perfect blend of actual history, Rockette excitement, and a great story. When my mom and I met Fiona Davis last month she shared that the main character Marion is loosely based on Vera Ellen and we LOVE Vera Ellen in White Christmas. This book was such a fun read! It isn’t set in the Christmas season, but it would be neat to read around the Christmas Spectacular. However, you don’t need to wait to read it if you are looking for a fantastic historical fiction book now.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal ☀️☀️☀️☀️

I didn’t love this book, but I liked it just fine. It is the story of a married couple that comes from two very different restaurant families. I enjoyed the interactions between brother and sister, mother and daughter, and I always love a grandparent/grandchild relationship. I appreciated the nostalgia of a supper club restaurant. I thought this was a good book to read when things were busy and it was an easy escape to another place.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.*

The Life Council by Laura Tremaine ☀️☀️☀️☀️

I usually listen to nonfiction, but I read this one. I thought the idea of 10 friends that we need in our lives was intriguing. I appreciated that the 10 friends can be throughout your life and the friend that fills each roll can change or be absent for a bit. I’m not sure that I’ll reread it, but I may start listening to Laura Tremaine’s podcast to hear a bit more about these dear friends to make up the life council.

Some Women by Emily Liebert ☀️☀️☀️☀️

I’ve had this book on my kindle for quite a while and I am so glad I read it. I enjoyed each of the three friends’ stories and loved how their lives were connected. I remember when the novel came out there was a nail polish or lip gloss set and each woman had a different color. I wish I could remember what color each character was to see if I agree. This is a story of friendship, what’s happening behind our closed doors, and supporting each other through the good and the tough stuff.

Happy Place by Emily Henry ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

*Sunshine & Books 2023 Summer Beach Read*

I kept coming back to Emily Henry’s books even though they weren’t my absolute favorite, and I am so glad I did. This is my favorite of her books! I loved the characters and the setting. I connected with the aspects of friendships changing and appreciated the ending for each character.

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

*Sunshine & Books 2023 Summer Beach Read*

I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint. The storyline went back and forth between ten years ago and current times. I loved the setting of a resort similar to Dirty Dancing. I loved the characters and how they worked through their struggles. Fern met Will 10 years ago and spent one day together exploring Toronto. They agreed not to contact each other for a year until they met up at her mother’s resort. Will didn’t show that day and now they’ve come back into each other’s lives. They have a lot to work through, and I enjoyed watching them work it out. I loved how Fern got to know her recently and tragically deceased mother by reading her journals. I loved how her mom’s best friend supported Fern through it all without being too intrusive or telling her what to do. I thought the older guests at the resort were so fun and wanted to meet them myself. This was a classic summer beach read!

My Magnolia Summer by Victoria Benton Frank ☀️☀️☀️

*Sunshine & Books 2023 Summer Beach Read*

I wanted to love this book. It had everything I love – a connection to Dorothea Benton Frank, a southern coastal setting, a good family story, warm summer weather – but it just wasn’t enough. I felt like Victoria was telling me every single thing. Then I read that the story was over 700 pages she originally wrote it and I thought how could there be more words in this story. It seems there will be a sequel but I will probably skip it.

The Wife App by Carolyn Mackler ☀️☀️☀️☀️

I loved the idea of this book. Three friends create an app that allows actual wives to hire out “wives” to take care of tasks that are constantly a part of the invisible mental load. The women all come to the app for different reasons – financial, independence, and a purpose in life – and they all have a lot to gain from it. I would love to have access to this app during our busiest times and I love that it shines a light on that invisible load. This is another story of three women friends that are working through some tough stuff. It reminded me a little of the friendship in Some Women, but the story is totally different.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

I am a Sophie Cousens fan and I have loved all of her books. This one was fun to read because it jumped around in time always giving the current time based on how far away from the “I Dos” it is. Audrey is getting married to Josh and they seem like a perfect match, but someone appears from Audrey’s past and makes her rethink everything she’s about to do. I loved it!

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

*Sunshine & Books 2023 Summer Beach Read*

This is the fourth book by Meg Mitchell Moore I have read and it was so fun to have some characters from her previous books reappear in Summer Stage. We are back on Block Island for the summer theater production with two famous actors and an ex-social media influencer. There are great family moments and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend this one. You don’t need to read The Islanders or Two Truths and a Lie before you read this one, but if you do you’ll recognize Joy, Alex, and a few others. It is fantastic!

Kids Novels

I thought these books were all great for middle grade readers. Odder is a novel in verse which was so fun to read!

Kids Graphic Novels

I am not a big graphic novel reader, but I loved the first three on the list. The others are good graphic novels, but not my preferred reading genre.

Currently Reading: Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson

Currently Reading: The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady

Currently Listening: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

You can always checkout what I’ve been reading on my Books 2023 page. If you scroll to the bottom of that Books 2023 page, I have all of my yearly reading pages linked.

Are you still here? Thanks for sticking it out through all those books. I am going to keep reading my Summer Beach Reads in July. I also have a few books that I am reading with Jack and Luke to share with you next month. What have you been reading? Have you read any of those books? I’d love to hear what you think. Have a great day full of sunshine and books!

**This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thank you for reading and supporting Sunshine & Books.**

8 thoughts on “Reading Lately – 7/11/23”

  6. Lisa says:
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    I need to add The Spectacular to my TBR shelf. I read Summer Stage and liked it okay but preferred her previous novels over this one. Just started The Senators Wife (too soon to know how I feel) and I’m looking forward to reading Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen next. I think if I had summers off, I wouldn’t get anything done but reading 🙂

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