What I Read in July!

I can’t believe July is almost over already! This month has completely flown by and I have done a lot this month, but not a lot of reading. I have been so busy this month, starting a new job, attending YALC and life has just been very bust this month. So, I haven’t read anywhere near as much as I did in June. Here is what I read in July!The Sharp Edge of a Snowflake by Sif Sigmarsdottir

“Hannah Eiríksdóttir has been banished from her home in London to a place of eternal punishment for the wicked. No, not Hell, but close: Iceland. There, she faces a new life working as a journalist for her father’s newspaper – a man she barely knows.

Imogen Collins has the perfect life as a social media influencer, showing off her glamorous London existence to adoring fans. But behind the filters lies a dark secret. She thought she’d buried it: But the Beast is back – a ghost from her past who’s threatening to ruin her future.

When a man is found murdered at the edge of the road in snowy Iceland the girls’ lives collide. Imogen had the motive. Can Hannah find out the truth, and discover the reality of the girl beneath the filters?”

I flew through this book right at the start of the month. It was the perfect mystery/thriller that I was desperate to read. I cannot wait to see Sif talk at YALC (which will have happened when this post is live). I am really looking forward to meeting her. I also took part in the blog tour for this wonderful book and had a lovely post from Sif herself where she talked about the two women she never met that inspired this book. You can find that post here.

★★★★

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Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes

“The Proof of the Outside follows the story of Ele, who is held captive in a small room by a man known as ‘Him’. Ele is determined to prove there is a world Outside. And when she finds a hole in the wall, the proof starts leaking in. In this dark and compelling debut novel, Ele’s strong and heartbreakingly optimistic voice shines through, revealing an important lesson about the power of stories to save lives. “

I flew through Ooutside in a matter of hours and couldn’t put the book down. I have been describing it as the YA version of Room but this is a very loose description as this book is extremely unique. I am extremely excited to see Sarah at YALC and talk about this book with her!

★★★★★

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Take A Chance On Me by Beth Garrod

“Meg had a disastrous first kiss she would rather forget, but this is the summer she puts it behind her. This is the summer she has a perfect, swoony, just-like-in-the-movies kiss with a hot boy – and what better setting than the sun-drenched Greek island she’s holidaying on? But with three very different boys vying for her attention, this mission to reset her first kiss may be more complicated than she bargained for…”

The new Beth Garrod novel is the perfect book to read this summer. It made me laugh when I needed to laugh the most and brought a big smile to my face. Sometimes books like this are all we want to read and I am so glad this was released when I needed it the most. Here is my full review of the book. You can also find Beth’s guest post from the Take A Chance On Me blog tour here.

★★★★

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Heartstream by Tom Pollock

“Cat is in love. Always the sensible one, she can’t believe that she’s actually dating, not to mention dating a star. But the fandom can’t know. They would eat her alive. And first at the buffet would definitely be her best friend, Evie.

Amy uses Heartstream, a social media app that allows others to feel your emotions. She broadcasted every moment of her mother’s degenerative illness, and her grief following her death. It’s the realest, rawest reality TV imaginable.

But on the day of Amy’s mother’s funeral, Amy finds a strange woman in her kitchen. She’s rigged herself and the house with explosives – and she’s been waiting to talk to Amy for a long time. Who is she? A crazed fan? What does she want?”

This is one of the last books I had on my YALC TBR and I am so glad I got round to reading it before YALC. This is such a fast-paced mind-boggling read that I couldn’t put down. If you are looking for something unique to read I cannot recommend this book enough!

★★★★

Those are all of the books I have read in July! I am hoping that August is going to be a better reading month for me! What have you read this month? What are you going to be reading next month? Let me know in the comments!