End of Summer Recap Book Tag: 2021 Edition

It’s no secret that one of the many reasons that I love summer is that I accomplish most of my reading for the year between June, July, & August. That was again definitely the case when it came to come summer 2021, having read the most amount of books I’ve ever read in the summer, let alone 3 months, at 65 books. At this point in the month this summer, I’d be at about 14-15 books already read while I’m ‘only’ at six books so far for September since I’ve been back to teaching full-time. I did the End of Summer Recap Book Tag for the first time in 2020 & I enjoyed doing this tag so much that I decided to bring it back this year (and yes, more books mean more difficult choices about some of the books below!).

The End of Summer Recap Book Tag was created by Faith of You Are What You Read

What book can you not stop thinking about?

I absolutely loved one of my last reads of the summer, Suleika Jaouad’s memoir, Between Two Kingdoms. I totally believe that I read this memoir following Suleika’s cancer diagnosis & treatment beginning in her earlier twenties and the road trip she takes to meet the many people she met & who wrote to her while she was receiving treatment at just the right time. Her writing style was so impactful & addicting, and I want more & more people to keep picking the book up.

What genre did you read the most?

Contemporary, specifically with a fair mix of contemporary romances, beach/Elin Hilderbrand reads, and a few YA contemporaries.

I read 5 non-fiction books, meeting my reading goal of reading 1-2 nonfiction books a month, and a whooping 2 fantasy books with my rereads of Carry On & Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell.

Which book surprised you the most?

You know those books that you don’t realize how much you love until after you’re done reading it? I definitely had this feeling with Elle Cosimano’s comedy meets mystery, Finlay Donovan is Killing It. I am SO looking forward to the sequel in 2022!

What was your favorite cover?

I’m going for a tie with question, especially since these two actually have a somewhat similar cover – XOXO by Axie Oh & Indestructible Object by Mary McCoy.

Which book disappointed you the most?

I don’t think I had 1 book that truly DISAPPOINTED me the most, but I didn’t really understand the hype surrounding Lizzy Dent’s The Summer Job and Mhairi McFarlane’s If I Never Met You – this last one definitely kills the inner romance reader in me because I know so many people love her books, I might have to try another one out.

Which book would you rather not have read?

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder was on some adult fiction anticipated book lists of 2021, and its unique sounding premise/different premise from the books I normally pick up intrigued me. Milk Fed had really sharp dialogue and definitely takes on a dark and witty tone, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the story and main character.

What was your favorite summer release?

Jasmine Guillory’s latest book in The Wedding Date companion series, While We Were Dating, was such a treat! Her writing style has gotten so much better with each book & While We Were Dating with its fake dating & famous person romance is definitely a close second to my favorite Jasmine Guillory book, Party of Two. I also have much love for Lyssa Kay Adams’ Isn’t it Bromantic? & mega releases that have been getting mega love, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising & Elin Hilderbrand’s Golden Girl.

What book did you plan on reading, but never got around to?

I’m currently reading Beck Dorey-Stein’s Rock the Boat, which screams summer read since it takes place in a New Jersey beach town. The book begins right before Memorial Day Weekend, so I definitely recommend making this book one of your first beach reads of the season or be like me & make it one of your final few before summer officially ends next week.

And speaking of my Carry On reread, I still have to read the third Simon Snow book, Any Way the Wind Blows, which has been sitting on my nightstand since my preorder came in back in July. Definitely going to read it as an atmospheric fall fantasy read.

What books do you plan on reading this fall?

I currently have The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (I’ve heard so many hood things!) on hold from the library, I plan on diving in this weekend! I can’t wait to get my hands on copies of recent releases like Erin Hahn’s Never Saw You Coming and Alexa Martin’s Mom Jeans & Other Mistakes. I’ve also recently gotten really excited to pick up Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis & an atmospherically spooky read, The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling.

What were your favorite books you read this summer? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? What books do you think I should pick up this fall? Share in the comments!