July Wrap Up!

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be looking at what I read in July!July was a month of contemporary reads for me. No matter what, I was in the mood to read about romance, which is obvious in this wrap up.

Now, onto the 13 books I read this past month!

1) Ice Kissed by Amanda Hocking

Ice Kissed is the second book in Hocking's Kanin Chronicles, which is comprised of three books. I wrote a review on the first book here. I didn't write a review of Ice Kissed, because I started to read the third and final book, Crystal Kingdom, right away. I thought Ice Kissed was okay, but not much in terms of conflict was accomplished. In fact, the plot became more complex and added more characters. This would have been fine if the series was four or more books, but it left a lot to cover in just one book. 

2) Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry

Discussion

Whew, you guys, I'm sad to say: I did not like this one at all. The plot was okay, but the way Katie McGarry handled sexual assault was insulting and disturbing. McGarry regularly blames the main character, who experiences the assault. In this new age of paying attention and holding people accountable for sexual violence, I was shocked to see such blatant victim-blaming. Ugh.

3) Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

After reading Hating You / Dating You and Roomies by Lauren last month, I had to request their upcoming release on NetGalley. I am so glad I did, because Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is my favorite book of theirs that I have read, along with another book on this list. I also didn't read ahead and spoil myself! Finally!

4) Dare to Love by Carly Phillips

Mini Review

After finishing Josh and Hazel's Guide, I wanted to just go right in to another romance. Unfortunately, I didn't like Dare to Love that much. I was expecting something amazing, like all the Christina Lauren books I have read, but Dare to Love was basically just like every other romance I have read. Honestly, I don't remember much of the plot. It was a quick and fast-paced read, but it didn't impact me in any way.

5) Going Up by Tawna Fenske

When I requested Josh and Hazel's Guide, I also requested Going Up, which is a romance novella. Going Up was really cute, and one of the better novellas I have read. I usually don't enjoy novella's that much, but I thought the story of two characters getting stuck in an elevator together was perfect for a novella. Unfortunately, I thought the ending was cheesy and unnecessary. *sighs*

6) Everless by Sara Holland

Review

As I was reading all of these romance novels, I was listening to Everless! I thought Everless was okay, but I wasn't amazed by it like much of the book community seemingly was. You can check out my review of Everless here! Even though the book didn't wow me, the ending was strong enough that it convinced me to continue on with the series, which is only a duology! 

7) The Lucky Dress by Aimee Brown

The Lucky Dress was another book I requested on NetGalley. Surprise, surprise - it's a romance novel! As you can tell, I had a big romance kick this July. Now that the month is almost done though, I'm in the mood for some more fantasy books now. The Lucky Dress was cute, and I loved reading the two different timelines. Like Going Up though, I thought the ending was really cheesy. 

8) Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking

In the span of books one and seven of my wrap up, I was getting through Crystal Kingdom. I was in the mood for some romance, and Crystal Kingdom just wasn't working for me. There were so many plot lines to tie up and they all felt rushed. I'm glad I finished the trilogy, but I didn't feel any emotional impact whenever a character died or was hurt. Alas, this series just didn't do much for me. 

9) Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

Now back to my regular programming of romance novels! After the Christina Lauren books that I had the pleasure of reading this month, I would say Bad Romeo is my favorite romance of this wrap up. There was so much angst, and I just LOVED it. I knew that there was a sequel to the book, but I just thought it would be the first book told in a different POV. To my surprise, it wasn't! Bad Romeo left on quite the cliff hanger, and I'm eagerly anticipating the day I get to read the second book!

10) Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

After reading and loving The Hate U Give last month, I wanted another book that focused on the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. Though I enjoyed Tyler Johnson was Here, I think I should have waited in between this and THUG. I just kept comparing the two (agh!), and Tyler Johnson Was Here kept falling up short. I thought the romance was completely unnecessary, and would have preferred to see more of Marvin's friends and family instead. 

11) The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Hating Game is so well loved, but I honestly didn't understand all the hype. While the plot was fun, I just couldn't get on board with the romantic relationship. There was some jokes that never landed for me. I liked it, but it wasn't anything special for me.

12) Autoboyography by Christina Lauren 

Yes, I read two Christina Lauren books this month. I think I'm going to take a break after July, simply because my mood has now shifted to fantasy again! Autoboyography was my favorite book this month, along with Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. It seems like Christina Lauren can do no wrong! You can check out my review here, which was posted on Monday!

13) Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

Years ago, I loved the Shatter Me trilogy. I was very excited when I heard that the trilogy was going to be expanded. Though I didn't love Restore Me, it was entertaining and I appreciated the world building that was so absent from the original series. A full review will be up shortly!

Updates!

Goodreads Challenges! 

So last month I mentioned that I was thinking of lowering my goodreads goal to around 80 books. After this wonderful reading month, I don't think I am! As I'm writing this (July 28) I'm one book ahead of schedule, which is such a relief! This whole year I've been 5-7 books behind, and I've slowly been making some headway this summer. I don't expect to read that much in August because university starts again, but I'm not too worried! 

Currently Reading!

Right now, I'm in the middle of several books. I'm listening to the audiobook of Stars Above by Marissa Meyer, and I'm about 2/3 of the way through. I'm really liking the short story collection so far! I'm just a little bit over Mirage by Somaiya Daud. I was really getting into it, but needed to take a break when I realized I wasn't in the best mood for a science fiction novel. I'm also reading Come for Me, Darling by Alexis Anne, which isn't nearly as sexy as the title suggests, unfortunately. 

Life Update!

I celebrated my 19th birthday! I went to a farm with some of my friends and had a great time! There were a lot of baby goats, and they were adorable. I also cut off all my hair! I've had long hair for many years, and felt like I needed a change. Before, my hair almost reached the back of my upper thighs. Now, it's just past my shoulders! It's a huge change, but I absolutely love the style, and it's much easier to clean and maintain! I knew my hair was long, but it wasn't until I saw pictures with my hair all the way down that I realized just how long it had gotten. I actually wanted to get my hair cut for a year or so, but was scared I wouldn't like the style. I'm glad I decided to take the plunge! I also started to get into a schedule with my workouts, which felt amazing! Overall, I had a wonderful July!

As for what's coming up next month - not that much until mid-August! The next school year starts next month for me, and I still need to pack and figure everything out. I'm going into my second year of university, and it's much less daunting than the first year. I'm not nervous, I know what to pack, and I've made some friends that I am looking forward to seeing again. My main goal for this next semester is to be more open and social. I didn't make as many friends and I wanted to last year, and that just had a lot to do with me being in my head all the time and worrying about what people thought of me. Now that I'm familiar with campus, classes, etc, I think I'll be much more comfortable and social!  

So that's my July Wrap Up! Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Thank you so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!