July 2022 ~ The Color Of Your Energy

We're officially more than halfway through 2022, isn't that nuts!? One of my resolutions for this year was to take the time for myself and read more. So here I am checking in on my 52 books a year challenge. I just picked up book 36/52 so I'm in a good place to reach my goal, and then some!

Here are a few of the books I recently read:

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

From the back cover:

"Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.
In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it."

My thoughts:

805 PAGES! This book was a monster to carry around! I really did enjoy jumping back into the Crescent City universe but after 805 pages I can't believe THAT'S how it ended! I feel like there was definitely some unnecessary storylines in here that really could have been cut and saved some time. I also didn't love how this book continued to destroy Bryce's memory and what friendship she thought she had with Danika. Did I overall enjoy this book? Yes. Will I read the next book when it comes out? Also yes, though I'll likely still be salty about the ending of this book.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

From the back cover:

"France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name."

My thoughts:

I am familiar with this authors "A Darker Shade of Magic" series and was excited to pick up another one of her works. I LOVED this book and made short work of it. I really hope Schwab reconsiders and makes a sequel to this book!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

From the back cover:

"Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

My thoughts:

Meh. I picked this up after "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" hoping that V.E. Schwab would deliver again. The story is interesting enough but I just didn't enjoy in enough as her other work. It was an OK read and I was happy to see it through but I'm not grabbing the second book to see what happens next.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?"

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

From the back cover:

"Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways."

My thoughts:

This was a TikTok made me do it read and it lived up to the hype! If I'm being honest, with some of these BookTok books, I read them blindly. I don't read the back cover to get an idea of what to expect. So while there was a subtle hint that there would be a development between Monique's dad and Evelyn, I did not expect THAT. I later read "Malibu Rising" (further down on this post) and I loved all the Easter Eggs from this book.

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

From the back cover:

"Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

My thoughts:

Did I miss something? This was another TikTok made me do it read and it DID NOT live up to the hype. Like, I am genuinely confused as to why people are obsessed with this book. It was easy enough to read but I would say just an OK read. Maybe it's just me but 🤷 Also, definitely trigger warning for domestic abuse for this book.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

From the back cover:

"For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens."

My thoughts:

If your social media feed is anything like mine then you've been bombarded with Where the Crawdad Sings content because of the movie coming out. I am a "read the book before seeing the movie" girl so I made sure to pick this up. This book had me up past my bedtime so I could finish it because I HAD to know how it ended. I really enjoyed this story however there does seem to be some troubling things about Delia Owens herself so it's hard to throw in my full support.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

From the back cover:

"Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface."

My thoughts:

Another highly recommended Taylor Jenkins Reid read. I enjoyed it but not as much as her "Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo". As I mentioned, I really liked all the Easter eggs the two books shared with each other! This book felt like a snowball going down a hill, a lot of momentum to get to the end and see what happens. A surprise ending for me!

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

From the back cover:

"Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindgerten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.
He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.
They’ve got a secret.
When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.
What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done."

My thoughts:

Short, sweet and a fun read! I devoured this in a little over a day. It was a pretty obvious read- like no big plot twists but even so I did really like the characters and how it all played out. Would recommend!

Phew! I've had this post building in my drafts for some time just adding on books! There's a little bit of this challenge that makes me feel like I'm rushing to read the next book so it was nice to come back and revisit some of these!

Some of the books up next it my que, in no particular order: