What I Read in July (2025)

Books Read in July: 17
Books Read for the Year:  145/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Night Burns Bright, by Ross Barkan (audio): This was just kind of meh to me. It took me a long time to listen to it, because I wasn’t super into it.
Darkwater Lane, by Rachel Caine and Carrie Ryan (TBR): I really enjoyed this series! Sad that it’s over, and that Rachel Caine isn’t with us any longer—she was SO nice!—but I was glad this series got finished.
The Unquiet Bones, by Loreth Anne White (TBR): This did not turn out like I expected!
The Summer Guests, by Tess Gerritsen (TBR): I’m still enjoying these characters a lot.
The Vanished Days, by Susanna Kearsley (TBR): I’ve enjoyed all three Slains books.
Odds and Enemies, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): Still enjoying these.
The Whispering Room, by Dean Koontz (TBR): Another solid read.
Magic at the Gate, by Devon Monk (Re-read). Still loving this world and these characters!

For Review:

Woven From Clay, by Jenny Birch. I liked this read! I’ve never read anything where the protagonist was a golem—much less a modern YA read!

For the Record, by Emma Lord. This was such a cute read! I loved the second-chance, let’s-be-honest-this-time aspect of this, It was a lot of fun.

Friends to Lovers, by Sally Blakely. I love the friendships and the friend group in this! It was just such a fun read, and I love second-chance romances.

Through an Open Window, by Pamela Terry. So I guess I’m a huge Pamela Terry fan now. I realized I’d loved both of her other books, The Sweet Taste of Muscadines and When the Moon Turns Blue, and I loved this as well. She has an incredible voice, perfect for Southern fiction reads like this.

Wish You Were Her, by Elle McNicoll. I enjoyed this YA read.

Love is an Open Book, by Chandra Blumberg. This was a cute read from a solid author.

The Secret Book Society, by Madeline Martin. Oh, this was so good! I’m so horrified by how easy it was to have women institutionalized in the past.

Lauryn Harper Falls Apart, by Shauna Robinson. This was an okay read. I thought it was pretty depressing—and the town was really more than I can handle.

Just Because:

Wayward Souls, by Devon Monk. This was a quick, fun audiobook. I’m interested to read more.

Left Unfinished:

Rivals to Lovers, by Elise Wayland. Both the MC bored me.
Influenced, by Sarah Darer Littman and Cindy L. Otis. Both the MCs came across as self-absorbed and only vaguely acquainted with reality, so a no-go for me.

The Book of Heartbreak, by Ova Ceren. The beginning of this felt like it jumped around erratically and I just couldn’t make myself care about the MC.

Love Walked In, by Sarah Chamberlain. Look, I wasn’t sure I could stand the male MC for very long—or the female MC, for that matter—and this also had some content I wasn’t expecting.

A Guide to Falling off the Map, by Zanni L. Arnot. This felt too chaotic and jumbled. The random and unrelated headings that were a mix of lower and uppercase letters were hard to read.

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