July 2025 Reads
Hello from the black hole I have voluntarily plopped myself into. I haven’t disappeared. It’s just been an emotional month for the family and I’ve been spending all my time with them. And, y’know, two little kids that need their mom every 5.5 seconds has also been pulling me away from the computer.
We haven’t been doing MUCH.
There’s been a lot of sitting around.
But not the kind of sitting around where I’ve wanted to pull out my computer and write. I just needed to be with my people.
I also haven’t been reading much the last two weeks, but the new Lisa Jewell book was a good little escape for me.
Anyway, here are July reads copied and pasted from GoodReads.
3 out of 5 stars
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune:
After a decade apart, Percy returns to the lake where she spent six summers falling in love with Sam. Only to confront the mistake that tore them apart and see if they have a second chance.
I first read this back in 2022 when it came out and gave it 3 stars. I picked it up again to prep for One Golden Summer and, after the reread, it’s still a solid 3 stars for me.
I just don’t love the cheating trope. It tends to wipe away all the care I built up for the characters. And while the story aims for a “happily ever after,” the reality is that some actions are hard to forgive—and even harder to forget.
4 out of 5 stars
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune:
When photographer Alice returns to Barry’s Bay with her grandmother for the summer, she reconnects with Charlie Florek – the boy from a photo that once changed her life (and Sam’s brother from Every Summer After). As old memories resurface and new feelings grow, Alice has to decide if she’s ready to step out from behind the camera and let herself be truly seen.
This one landed better for me than Every Summer After. It acknowledges the fallout from the first book – especially how it affected Charlie – and explores the idea that we are more than our worst mistakes.
I also loved getting a glimpse of Percy and Sam’s relationship in the present day, and how the three of them (Percy, Sam, and Charlie) interact now.
As a self-identified people-pleaser, I really connected with Alice. Watching her shift toward choices that reflected her own heart felt deeply satisfying.
“Knowing one’s own mind is one of the secrets to a good life.”
Overall, a great summer read. And I’m glad I reread Every Summer After first!
4 out of 5 stars
The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave:
Coming in to write a review long after I finished the book so this may not seem as FRESH. I will say that the thing that I appreciated the most about the book was how much it resonated with me both as a mother and as a South Asian woman. And when the two intersect, phew. The unspoken expectations. The amount of pressure we put on ourselves. The number of people that are ready to jump down the throat of a vulnerable new mama to sell them something. All of it just had me turning pages screaming internally, “YUP. YUP, AND YUP.”
The thriller piece of it was just whatever to me. I mean, I love a thriller. But I think it’s the other stuff that I enjoyed so much more.
3 out of 5 stars
I can understand the appeal of this book. I’m just not the target audience maybe? Either that or I picked up this book right before I was hopping on a plane to say goodbye to my grandmother (who actually decided to gotcha us, but still, a very emotional time for the family).
Anyway, I found it hard to fall in love with the characters. Felt like there were a million events and the story kept dragging on. Maybe if I was into ice skating, I’d enjoy it more?
I don’t know. I do love that it’s a little messy and not like this perfect circle ending. I like the way the author really made us feel like we were watching a docuseries about the whole thing. But, overall, I just wasn’t that into it.
4 out of 5 stars
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell:
I really enjoyed this one! Lisa Jewell always has me at the edge of my seat, turning page after page to figure out the ending. I kinda picked up on the ending earlier on, but still wanted to see this book through to the very end. Fast paced and really fun to read. I think the ending was a little eh to me, but still, I needed a book like this to build my reading stamina again.
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And that’s it!
Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are you currently reading?
Hope you’re having a good weekend!
