What I Read in August!

Hello all! How in the world is it nearly September? I am back with another what I read this month post! Throughout August, I read a grand total of 11 books. This has been an excellent reading month. I’ve read so many incredible books this month and so many have been 5 star reads. I have a lot of thoughts I want to share on the books that I read in August, so I’m going to do mini reviews for a couple, mention others and declare my love for a couple. Here is what I read in August!

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

“Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.”

This book broke my heart. It broke my heart and then put it back a little damaged. What a beautiful book this is. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally get round to reading this book. If you haven’t read this one yet I cannot recommend this enough but be prepared to cry!

★★★★★

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Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green

“Faking the best summer ever is a lot harder than it looks…
At the start of summer, Jack and Nate find themselves dumped as their respective exes, Dylan and Tariq, start up a new relationship together. Not only that, their exes start posting pics on social media, showing the whole world how fabulous their new life together is!

Jack and Nate are reeling. Not to be outdone, they decide to create their own ‘highlights reel’ and show their exes that they’re having an even better time.

But between the depressing motorway service station motels, damp campsites, and an ultimate showdown with the exes, something epic really is happening: Jack and Nate are learning to get over their heartache and open themselves up to new possibilities for love.”

Simon James Green has the ability to write absolutely hilarious, heart-warming and just all round beautiful books and this is no different. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it brought a huge smile to my face. This is the perfect book for the summer especially now that we all are limited on travelling. I cannot recommend this one enough and I will be writing a full review very soon!

★★★★★

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One Italian Summer by Keris Stainton

“It’s been a year since Milly, Elyse and Leonie’s dad died, and a year since their last trip to Rome. Summer’s here again, and once again they are heading with their mum to Italy – but what’s it going to be like going without Dad? Rome still holds its familiar charms – the sun is still as warm, the gelato as delicious, the people as welcoming. But nothing is quite as it once was …

With grief still raw for all of them, Milly is facing the additional awfulness of having to see Luke again – gorgeous, gorgeous Luke, who she had a fling with last year, and who she made a total fool of herself with – or so she thinks. What’s going to happen this time? What’s more, things between Milly, her sisters and their mum are rocky – Leonie is being tempestuous and unpredictable, Elyse is caught up with her new boyfriend, and Milly feels like she just doesn’t know how she fits in any more.”

I asked my lovely friend Sarah for a good book that would make me cry and she recommended this one. Boy, was she absolutely right. This book is extraordinary and it made me sob. Keris Stainton is such an incredible author who needs so much more credit than she is given. She writes beautiful stories, amazing characters and tackles so many hard-hitting topics. If you have yet to read a book by Keris Stainton, this is the book to read and immediately!

★★★★★

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Snapshot Books!

Here is a quick snapshot of 6 of the books that I read this month and the ratings I gave them! I enjoyed them all a lot and they are certainly books that I’ll be recommending a lot in the future!

• The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson – ★★★★
• Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour – ★★★★
• Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman – ★★★★★
• What We Don’t Talk About by Charlot Kristensen – ★★★★
• The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar – ★★★★
• Breathless by Jennifer Niven – ★★★★
• Unpregnant by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan – ★★★★

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Seed by Lisa Heathfield

“Fifteen-year-old Pearl has lived her whole life protected within the small community at Seed, where they worship Nature and idolise their leader, Papa S. When some outsiders arrive, everything changes. Pearl experiences feelings that she never knew existed and begins to realise that there is darkness at the heart of Seed. A darkness from which she must escape, before it’s too late.”

Oh my life this book is extraordinary! Why did it take me so long to read this? A YA book about a cult that I just could not put down. I was reading this on my dinner break at work and my colleague couldn’t stop laughing at how wide my eyes kept getting whilst reading this. Lisa Heathfield is a writer who I now want to read absolutely everything by. If you have an interest in cults and thrillers then I cannot recommend this book enough!

★★★★★

There you have it, everything I read in August! What have you read in August and what are you looking forward to reading in September? Let me know in the comments!