Hi everyone! I can’t believe it’s already fall! I’m so excited for spooky season! Now that I’m back in the swing of writing here is my summer hopefuls wrap-up. My goal was to read 8 books and I really tried to prioritize these books, but I’m such a mood reader that I didn’t end up reading all of them. I read five of them, did not finish The Summer I Turned Pretty, and I am currently reading The Defining Decade. I hope you enjoy my summer hopefuls wrap-up!

Synopsis: “The wildly funny, occasionally heartbreaking internationally bestselling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride. When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all. In her memoir, she vividly recounts falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realizing that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Everything I Know About Love is about bad dates, good friends and—above all else— realizing that you are enough. Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it. Like Bridget Jones’ Diary but all true, Everything I Know About Love is about the struggles of early adulthood in all its terrifying and hopeful uncertainty.” (goodreads.com)

I added this to my summer tbr and when I posted my summer tbr on Instagram, many people said that they loved this book! It had been on my tbr for awhile, so I thought, why not pick it up now? I enjoyed it! There were a lot of quotes that resonated with me, but I think I’ll appreciate it more if I reread it when I’m a bit older. I don’t often write in my books, but I underlined quite a few things in this book. Two of my favorite quotes are “‘Be the person you wish you could be, not the person you feel you are doomed to be.’ -Florence” and “You are the sum total of everything that has happened to you…”. Overall, I thought this was a great memoir of friendships, girlhood, and finding your place in the world! Plus, there are lots of fun recipes throughout the book. Spoiler alert: I went into this book not realizing cancer would be a part of the story. Ever since having cancer, I’ve found it really difficult to read or watch anything relating to it, so if you also feel that way, just be prepared for that.

Playlist listened to on Spotify: reading everything i know about love

Synopsis: “Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?” (goodreads.com)

This is one of my most favorite books! It will be in my top reads of 2024!! This is the third book in the Part of Your World “series”, but they aren’t a continuation, so you could read them in any order. The series also includes Yours Truly. I absolutely adored this book! I think Justin is my favorite book-boyfriend! Overall, the story and characters took a hold of my heart and I will recommend this book to everyone!

Playlist listened to on Spotify: just for the summer – abby jimenez

Synopsis: “Theo Silva. Rowdy bull rider. Notorious ladies’ man. Winter Hamilton knows exactly what it means when he eyes her like that. But she’s almost free of her toxic marriage and has sworn off men entirely. So all she sees when she looks back at Theo is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak. The man is hard to trust—but, it turns out, even harder to resist. Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard Winter tries to freeze him out, he melts her icy exterior and pulls apart all her defenses. Over a drink in a small-town bar, she finds herself blurting out her deepest, darkest secrets. Then, she spends the singular hottest night of her life with the man she never thought she’d say yes to. He worships her body. He makes her blush. She comes alive beneath his hands. Then she tells him to forget it ever happened. She wants simple, and with him it all feels complicated. It was supposed to be a one-time thing. A secret. But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep.” (barnesandnoble.com)

OMG Theo!!!! Another favorite book boyfriend! This is my favorite book in the Chestnut Springs “series”! The romance, the storyline, the spice, just everything about this book I loved! I really enjoyed getting to know Winter more. Plus their dynamic and banter was *chef’s kiss*. If you don’t feel like reading the whole Chestnut Springs series, just read this one!

I didn’t end up listening to a playlist with this book.

Synopsis: “Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him. She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool. Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man. But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.” (goodreads.com)

This was a cute story! I feel like the beginning could have been shortened a bit, but overall a good read! I loved the enemies to lovers and fake dating troupes! Plus, the romance was fun!

Playlist listened to on Spotify: the spanish love deception (my version)

Synopsis: “When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil? Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.” (goodreads.com)

I am a huge fan of the musical, so I was excited to read the book! It took me a bit to get into the story, but then I wanted to know what would happen and how it differed from the musical. It is quite different, but overall I really enjoyed it! I love reading books based on stories or characters I already know (Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts, is one of my favorites!) and I loved watching the Wizard of Oz as a kid, so I loved reading more about Oz. If you’re a fan of Wicked or the Wizard of Oz, I recommend reading this book, but get through the beginning and I promise it will be better!

I didn’t end up listening to a playlist with this book.

What I’m Reading this Fall

As always, I picked eight books for my fall TBR. I decided to pick some fall spooky romances, thrillers, and fantasy books! I’m hoping I can read all of them this time! As I’ve said many times, I’m very much a mood reader, but here’s hoping! I feel like I picked a good mix of books this time that I’ve been looking forward to reading!

I hope you enjoyed my summer hopefuls wrap up! What was your favorite book you read this summer? Check out the Books category on my home page for more book reviews and recommendations. Please give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated about when I post! I’ve been making a lot of fun reels on Instagram, so check it out! As always, thank you for your continued support!

Take care and stay safe,

Renée