firewhiskeyreader

Y’all, I really have read some great books in the last three months that I’m excited to talk about in a little more detail. There’s a very good chance that you’ll see several of these books on my ultimate lists at the end of the year. I feel like my content lately is making it clear how much I like reflecting on my reading so I hope you’re on board for lots of reflection alongside me! And please share with me your favorites in the last few months. Also, I am not ranking these at all so the list is sort of just randomly assorted. My brain was not interested in thinking hard enough to rank books today!

A Deal with the Devil by Elizabeth O’Roark

I’ve talked about Elizabeth O’Roark and this book specifically in my Mid-Year Freak Out Tag and listed this one as my favorite book of the year and I stand by that. Tali and Hayes have this dynamic that I just really fell for. There’s something about a woman trying to figure out her life that will draw me in almost every time and then having this man come alongside her. And the thing is, I totally get the criticisms of this book. But genuinely, this book spoke to my soul and I loved it so much.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (ARC Review)

Honestly I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this book. I assumed I would like it fine, but what happened is that I fell hard for this book. It was absolutely incredible. I shoved it at my sister and one of my co-workers and there’s probably going to be many more people I try to convince to read it. This is one of those books with a romance where characters are from two different social classes and the way that it’s done felt new for me. I also loved the setting. So much.

Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews (ARC)

Honestly, I’m just absolutely obsessed with this series and this book gave me so many answers I wanted and let me spend more time with the Baylor family, which I am always going to be thrilled about. I can’t wait to re-read it once the audiobook comes out in August!

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
(ARC Review)

This BOOK. It is so good. The messiness is glorious and I loved it so, so much. And the way Emezi writes? It’s magical and transportive and the emotions are so present. This book deals a lot with grief, which generally speaking is a thing I love in books, but I know it’s a difficult topic for so many. It also deals with art and the way the art installation is described is incredible because I could actually picture it! I don’t usually picture things when I read about them, so the fact that I could was really neat for me. Anyway, I love this book and all of its messiness so much.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

I really enjoyed this sapphic contemporary for a lot of reasons, but to list a few: (1) these characters are messy and feel real, (2) the way Delilah’s photography is described, (3) the fullness of the other characters, (4) the complicated sister relationship, and (5) the romance itself was really enjoyable! I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

This book made me cry a couple different times because of the way Rogers writes about intense loneliness and that stage of life where you desperately want to have it all together, but you really just can’t seem to manage to get there. Our challenges are very different, mine and Grace’s, but I empathized so much with how she felt. Especially when she talked about burn out. Oh man. The writing in this book really was just lovely. I liked the romantic arc as well, but definitely don’t go into this book for that element.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (ARC Review)

I think it’s pretty clear at this point that Emily Henry is a writer that just really works for me. Her writing draws me in every time and I’m always along for the ride regardless of where we go. This time the romance is balanced with a very complicated, co-dependent sister relationship and I really appreciated both aspects. I love Charlie a lot. I did think this book leaned more toward Beach Read in style than to People We Meet on Vacation and, as I’ve just finished my re-read of Beach Read, I can say without hesitation that Beach Read is a favorite forever. So it’s no real surprise that I also really enjoyed Book Lovers. I will say though, I don’t think Book Lovers is going to stick with me in the same way.

Everything for You by Chloe Liese (ARC Review)

The grumpy/sunshine vibes in this book are exquisite, in large part due to how much I appreciate how this explores how Oliver uses his sunshine personality as a guard against the world. Chloe Liese is utterly brilliant at writing characters who are dealing with loneliness and anxiety.  And for me, this book lived up to its Ted Lasso inspiration and was the perfect read for my overly stressed out mind.

Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh (ARC Review)

Honestly, you really could just read the blog post I’ve linked here because I read Kiss Hard, Book Lovers, and Everything for You all in a row and made a special Highly Anticipated Reads review post. But, in case you missed that and don’t want to go back, Kiss Hard was another absolutely incredible installment in this contemporary series from Nalini Singh. I adored Danny and Catie so much. And the Bishop-Esera family is everything to me. I don’t honestly have the words to describe how much I loved this book and this series. So I’ll just leave it at encouraging you to give this series a try if you haven’t already!

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

I had to include this book because I think it’s the one that has caused me to have the most vocal reaction that I’ve read all year. I am not exaggerating at all when I say that I was screaming reading this book. It was a good and wild time. I am so anxious to know where we’re going from here. I am always along for the ride when it comes to SJM. She’s so good at creating worlds that I wind up so invested in.

Honorable Mentions

What have been some of your favorite books of the last four months? Please share!

xx