I Love Summer Reading!

Summer reading is so nice, much better than my typical winter, fall, and spring reading because there is more sunshine and warmth. Anyone who knows me, understands that I find time to read no matter the temperature. 

Here are a few fun novels that kept me company during the spare moments between carpooling, volunteer coaching, writing, eating, and sleeping. My daughters also gave their two cents for this book review. Read and enjoy!

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

This is a book that every person born in the 1970s or 1980s should devour. It is a great read for adults, as well as teenagers. The author writes a John Hughes-style story involving high school seniors Liz and Wes. They are next-door neighbors and sworn enemies. Hilarity ensues as they agree to a fake date so Liz can have her perfect prom and Wes can gain a permanent parking spot in front of their two houses.

What starts as an arrangement quickly becomes more. Real feelings overshadow the make-believe fantasies Liz hopes for in life. Those fantasies are due to an obsession with the film genre of romantic comedies. Liz’s fixation on love stories stems from memories of her late mother who was a screenwriter and enjoyed all things with a happily ever after ending. Music lovers will enjoy this read that maintains a soundtrack list throughout the pages. Also, fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han will want to speed read this novel. 

Better Than The Movies goes deeper than a girl-meets-boy story, as it touches on the subject of grief and how there is never an expiration date on missing someone. Lynn Painter’s sweet story showcases that real life can be complicated, but it can also be Better Than The Movies.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Usually in the summer, I want to read books that are light and funny. The Rose Code is serious, but fantastic. It would make my must-read list no matter the season.

It is a WWII story, but from a less explored angle. Ever heard of Bletchley Park? If yes, HOORAY and still read this book. If no, join my club and get engrossed in this historical fiction. Bletchley Park was a secret location for code breakers in Europe. Quinn’s plot focuses on three women who give up conventional life for the war cause. 

All of their happenings at work are top secret which draws Osla, Mab, and Beth into a tight friendship. The young ladies could not be more different, yet they form a bond shrouded in secrecy and unity. I loved the strong female characters and I was moved by how wartime shapes relationships, communities, and people. 

Quinn’s story is fictional, but the historical facts configured into the plot are exceptional. The storyline has suspense, love, a traitor, a mystery, and a pace that made the book very hard to put down. I loved The Alice Network by this author, but would rank The Rose Code even higher.

Recommended By My Daughters

My mini-me’s had to get in on the book review action. We are definitely a household of bookworms. 

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

My thirteen-year-old described the main character in this book as “a con artist’s daughter gone good.” That description alone had me intrigued. My oldest liked the story because it was a suspenseful mystery for young adults. The setting is a bank robbery with pages offering flashbacks to the past. My daughter said this book is “smart” and the side characters contribute to a great read.

I just started this one and also noticed it is set to be a Netflix series!

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

My soon-to-be eleven-year-old enjoyed this fractured fairy tale. The main character is one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters, but the story starts with a mysterious man named Chance, stealing a map of destiny. Then pivots to the main character slicing off a toe or two to fit into a glass slipper. From there the narrative is off and running, and I promise it’s not gruesome. My daughter thought this book was “a puzzle where all of the pieces fit together”. It is a great retelling of an old story from the side view of a different character. 

I read this book over the winter, as did my oldest. We both enjoyed it as much as my younger daughter. It features powerful females and the theme of overcoming stereotypes. It is a beautiful read. I am anxious to check out Poisoned by this author, as it is supposed to be a twist on Snow White.

Currently Reading

Right now I am reading How Lucky by Will Leitch and I cannot put it down. It is a funny thriller, which is an oxymoron of a story, but so incredibly good. The main character has a debilitating disease, but don’t feel sorry for him as he works to find a kidnapper and navigate daily life. If you like Fredrik Backman or the novel How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper, you will love How Lucky. 

My oldest is reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer right now. I encouraged her to try this stand-alone book by the author of the famous Twilight series. I read it over a decade ago while pregnant with her sister. It is about an alien race that takes over human bodies. But then delves into a plot-line of what happens when a host body and alien inceptor co-habitat in the same mind space. It is a science fiction story full of intrigue and laid out in a bulk of chapters.

My younger daughter is reading the twenty-sixth book in the Goddess Girls series, Persephone the Grateful right now. This summer she has really taken to these light and easy books by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams.

They are juvenile stories with Greek Gods as the main characters. It is a great way for her to get her mythology fix since she has already conquered Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books.

What did you read this summer?