Welcome to my August 2022 reads. Below, I give you my thoughts on these novels and how I rate them.

Please be aware, there are spoilers so if you haven’t read them yet, you might want to skip!

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

I’ve heard a lot of positives and negatives about Colleen Hoover, most of which made it impossible to discern what kind of writer she was without first reading one of her novels myself.

This was her most recent publication and the first one I tackled since it was technically free on a Kindle Unlimited subscriptioon. I immediately fell in love with the writing style and character arc, it was great they didn’t try to let Kenna off the hook, rather painted her bad decisions in a different light.

Yes, she’d made some very bad decisions, but none of them were made out of malice, it helped to make her redeemable without seeming too unrealistic. I also liked how Kenna never hated Scott’s parents for their impression of her or how they were keeping her child away from her, she had

My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood

Honestly, I’m a big Margaret Atwood lover but this was just a really underwhelming short story. Perhaps she’s just better suited to writing novels, but even the strange and mysterious concept of this story couldn’t hold my attention. I didn’t find myself connecting with the daughter despite her mothers antics and even the the end felt unfulfilling to me.

All in all, I just didn’t care. It was a nice break to read a short story after delving deep into novels prior to this, but it is not one I would recommend. The only reason I’ve given this two stars is because I have definitely read worse things and couldn’t bring myself to put this on par with those.

Stick to The Handmaids Tail or Alias Grace if you want some brilliantly written Margaret Atwood novels.

A Day Like This by Kelley McNeil

I was transfixed with this novel from the very beginning. I didn’t know what to expect after reading the premise and I quite like how there wasn’t a definitive answer to all the strange happenings. However, I think most readers would end up believing in the multiple reality angle of this novel, as it just seems like the only “plausible” explanation after everything we’ve read.

I would definitely recommend giving this book a try as it was better than I expected it to be. A real hidden gem.

Six Days by Dani Atkins

In all honestly, this novel was a cheap buy of 99p on Amazon, which is what initially attracted me to it, alongside its premise.

I, like all the characters in the novel and many of you readers, was asking myself all the way through whether Gemma was right to trust Finn hadn’t left her at the alter on purpose and that something was very wrong.

The evidence against him was damning and very compelling. However, there was a part of me that thought she had to be tight since she believed in it so wholeheartedly. Even though it started to become quite obvious about half way through that there was something wrong, I still found this romance novel to be a great read.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Like most millenials, I was among the group who spent their childhood and early teens watching Nikelodeon and its most popular shows. Among that list was iCarly. My favourite character in the show was Sam Puckett played by Jennette McCurdy because of her sheer unapologetic nature, how strong willed she was and didn’t suffer fools.

Hearing about this autobiography before it was published was a shock, so naturally I was interested to hear in her own words what her life was like behind the cameras.

Reading this had me laughing at times and on the verge of tears at others. I would definitely recommend you pick up a copy of this as it is very compelling, funny and heartbreaking.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

After reading Colleen Hoover’s most recent publication, I decided to see what her most notable novel was like for comparison of her writing.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Whilst I know many readers out there were dissatisfied with the plot and outcome of this book, there were a lot more people who saw the novel as I did, a realistic portrayal of domestically violence.

Even having her mother and father’s relationship as an example, for much of the novel Lily couldn’t see how she was also a victim of domestic violence, which I think just perfectly captured how many woman in this type of situation are convinced to stay in these relationships.

Personally, I was very happy with the ending. Even from the very beginning I felt Lily had more of a connection to Atlas and she was completely right to remove herself from her relationship with Ryle to protect herself and her daughter.

I’m looking forward to the sequel, “It Starts With Us” due out on 18th October 2022.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Like many, I came across this novel in the #BookTok trend that’s been circling not just TikTok, but other social media platforms too.

Immediately, the concept of this novel intrigued me as it was an adult novel portraying a gay couple, one who is the Prince of England and another who is the First Son of the United States.

We need more gay stories out there, period. And not just coming of age novels, but adult novels portraying the reality of being openly gay. This novel was a great start to that.

Yes, for most of the novel the two protagonists are still in the closet, but what they get up to behind closed doors is by no means your typical young adult novel. That’s why I enjoyed this book so much, because it was finally a representation of gay romance that was completely unfiltered, written for an adult audience and I definitely think that is something we are lacking in fiction today.

I was also very happy to hear this novel will be a movie on Amazon Prime very soon. I can’t wait to see this novel brought to life.

evidence of the affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’d heard of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s most famous novel Daisy Jones and the Six (though having not read it yet) but didn’t make the author connection until after finishing this short story.

The story followed a woman and man who’s spouses were having an affair with each other. They connect through written letters to discuss the affair and whether or not they will confront their significant others. It was great

The twist at the end gripped me even further, it was a beautiful story and didn’t need to be any longer.

This was the perfect way to end the month of August before jumping back into another novel.