Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And I'm back with a wrap up, to knock the month out with a bang!
I read all of my planned reads this month!
Whoopie!
Okay, that might not be a huge thing for people that consistantly do that, month in month out, but for a person that hasn't done that all year, it's a major breakthrough.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the books I finished this month!
1. A Perfect Ten, by Chris Higgins
An age old favourite that I picked up, so I would become motivated to read again.
A Perfect Ten is about Eva, who is desperate to be the best gymnast she can be, and score a perfect ten. She's had her ups and downs when she was growing up, but she's determined not to let that stop her from being the best. Then her past starts to be dragged into the present, and she finds herself struggling to deal with it all, especially when her mum isn't around much any more. A wonderful, coming-of-age story about coming to terms with your past and growing up at the same time. Trigger warnings: diet as an athlete, death, friendship, competitive sport, car accidents, missing parent.
What I love most about Chris Higgins' sory-telling is the light-hearted tone she has when writing about heavy subjects. A perfect stepping stone for pre-teens that want to read books with more serious issues in them.
2. The Olive Tree, by Lucinda Riley
I feel like at this point, whenever a Lucinda Riley book crops up, that I've read in a month, I should just put: I loved it. And leave it at that.
But this one felt different. I loved it, just like every other Lucinda Riley book I've read in the past year, but this one hit differently, because I've realised, now I've read The Love Letter, I only have two Lucinda Riley books left. And it's not like she'll be writing any more.
I very much enjoyed The Olive Tree. Set in angelic Cyprus, we follow Helen, whose holidaying in her family home with her son Alex, for the first time in over a decade. All of her family are due to join her, and it's not long until she stumbles across someone she hasn't seen since she left last time. And there are secrets between them...
The Olive Tree was mysterious, with more secrets flying round than mosquitos, not to mention a fair bit of romance. This was definitely more on the romantic historical fiction for Lucinda Riley, and a novel I enjoyed immensely.
3. Wildfire, by Hannah Grace
Okay. Wildfire is probably one of the funnest reads of the year for me. Set in a summer camp, with characters from Icebreaker but with a new couple as the focus, of course I was going to love it instantly. What I wasn't expecting was, that I actually enjoyed it more than Icebreaker. I always seem to do better with with 1) the first book in the series, especially if it has a strong start, and 2) Icebreaker has a clear premise, Anastacia wanted to become an olympic ice skater, and was determined to do it. But somehow Russ and Rory found their way into my heart and refuse to leave! Love both of these characters so much, I wish I could read about them forever. On to the third and final book I guess.
4. The Love Letter, by Lucinda Riley
Boy, was this different to the usual Lucinda Riley books I'm used to reading! An intense thriller that starts with a funeral, a mysterious elderly lady, and a letter!
I think this might be my favourite standalone book of the bunch! Despite it being a bit long for my taste, I want more of these uniquely dark, thought-provoking novels from the legendary Lucinda Riley!
If you've found yourself wanting something more fast-paced, but detailed, with amazingly well-written characters, then this is your book!
I only wish I didn't have just two more Lucinda Riley books to go...
5. Yellowface , by Rebecca F. Kuang
I have a full review linked into the title, so if you want more of my in-depth thoughts, you can check those out by clicking the title.
But in short, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Surprised because I didn't know how I'd gel with what this stolen book was about, once I knew (I went in more or less blind). Obviously I knew I'd enjoy Kuang's storytelling, because I always do. But I had a little trouble with getting into this, and then all of a sudden, it was all I could think about, and it was all I could do.
Let's just say, I was dead set against picking up Babel, but now I'm actually conisdering picking it up.
This seems to be a popular critique, but the protagonist wasn't my favourite. There never seemed to be any sort of character arc for her, and I wish the ending had gone in a different direction. Other than that, fantastic novel.
6. Theatrical, by Maggie Harcourt
I've been meaning to get to my re-read of this book for several months now, but with my rapidly growing reading motivation for this month, I definitely wanted to finish this before the month was out. Theatrical is probably one of my favourite YA Contemporaries, because there are so few books about theatre, much less about the tech crew, and all the going-ons behind the scenes. For me, it's a fun, breath-of-fresh-air book that can take all my stresses of the day away. There's a cutesie romance in the midst, and we follow stage manager intern Hope as she navigates her first proper job in a professional theatre, trying to prove she's good enough, and not just here because of her costume making mother.
It was a pleasure to be able to pick it up again and delve into Hope's story, and get lost in the magic that is theatre.
Okay! Those are all the books I read in the month of August! I hope September will be just as successful, and with my 24-hour-readathon taking place, I have no doubt it will be!
I'll be back in a couple of days or so with my September TBR (2024), so stay tuned for that.
I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon!
Byeeeee!
-Abi xxxxxx
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