I’m back with a mini review round up a little sooner than expected, but I wanted to try and stay up-to-date with my summer reading – even though I feel all over the place with reading right now between advance review copies for books coming out in the fall and some library books I have checked out. You know it’s bad when I’m balancing three books right now – I’m currently reading an ARC of Leora Krygier’s Do Not Disclose, Elin Hilderbrand’s Here’s to Us (I usually fly through her books but feeling meh about this one plot wise), and because I always need a contemporary romance, The Dating Plan by Sara Desai. 

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Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades has gotten so much hype across my bookstagram & after being selected as the Bad on Paper Podcast August book pick, I knew I needed to check this YA thriller out. The book follows two Black teenagers at a private boarding school, Devon and Chiamaka, as a Gossip Girl-like anonymous texter called Aces starts to send out secrets about Devon and Chiamaka that threaten to ruin any college prospects and their reputations. I highly recommend going into this one knowing little as possible, but the book tackles some current conversations about racism and discrimination and had queer representation. My Rating: 4/5 Stars 

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary – After loving Beth O’Leary’s The Switch earlier this year, I wanted to get my hands on her 2021 release, The Road Trip, following two exes who are forced to road trip to a friend’s wedding in Scotland with Addie’s sister, Dylan’s best friend, and a wedding guest who needed a ride. It took me about halfway through The Road Trip to really get into it,  and I definitely liked the “then” parts about Addie and Dylan’s life before their break up then the actual road trip (although Addie had the BEST taste in road trip music). Similar to The Flatshare, The Road Trip has heavier themes (trigger warning for rape and mental health) compared to the book’s ‘lighthearted’ road trip premise. I loved Addie’s relationship with her sister, and I loved the one liners from Deb and Addie’s family at the end of some chapters, but I could NOT STAND Marcus throughout – I know he was going through his own battles, but I could not stand his selfishness and sabotage. My Rating: 4/5 Stars 

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The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand – The Identicals was recommended as one of Elin Hilderbrand’s best books in The New York Times’ “Essential Elin Hilderbrand” article. The book has a slight Parent Trap premise, as now adult twins Tabitha and Harper switch places on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard respectively after losing their father and having mini life crises of their own. Tabitha returns to the Vineyard to renovate their late husband’s home, while Harper flees to Nantucket after having an affair with her father’s doctor and agrees to take care of Tabitha’s teenage daughter and run their mother’s boutique. As per usual, I loved the setting in this one & liked seeing Tabitha and Harper both mature in ways (even as adults) with stepping into each other’s lives. I do think the whole being designated to different islands and with one parent each was a little skeptical, but it worked in this one. My Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Hunting Wives by Mary Cobb – The Hunting Wives was a Book of the Month add-on this year. The book follows mother & wife Sophie, whose recently moved to Texas with her family and finds herself enthralled with the life of socialite, Margot, and her ‘hunting club,’ leading Sophie to soon be caught up in a murder investigation. The Hunting Wives is a super bingeable thriller if you’re looking to crave another mystery read on the beach this season. I kind’ve wish we got more about Sophie’s feelings for Margot and why she felt the need to be friends with Margot and co., but the book always left me guessing and I didn’t predict the ending. My Rating: 4/5 Stars

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of the books that I mentioned? Share in the comments!