July’s reading recap features three recent releases and one book that had been on my list for over a year. As I try to mix up my reads, I gravitate more to newer releases and am excited to share my thoughts on them below:
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston – read my full review for this book here!
Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft – This was a fun read and a bit of a departure from my typical romance reads. I was captivated and entertained the entire time, even through the plot twists. Stone Cold Fox is the story of Bea, who after a lifetime of conning with her mother, she’s looking to hang up her con artist hat for good in exchange for some stability. To get it, she decides on one last con – the longest con for her – marrying into old money by way of Collin Case. Except it’s not as easy as she thinks as she has roadblocks in her way from Collin’s disapproving family, and worst of all, his childhood best friend Gale. As she and Gale spar for Bea’s place in their elite community, and for Collin’s attention, her whole plan is at stake as her deepest, darkest secrets threaten to come out. I ended up reading this all in one day, which could be a lot but I was entertained and really wanted to know what would happen to Bea. The characters are mostly all unlikable, especially Bea considering she’s super arrogant. The story is told from her POV, which with her arrogance on full display, reminded me a lot of Juniper from Yellowface; granted, Bea wasn’t as delusional as Juniper was. I will say, the ending did feel abrupt and like there definitely could have been more to the story.
The Problem with Dating by Brittainy C. Cherry – The Problem with Dating is a cute sort of enemies to friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating romance. It starts when Alex, the new restaurant owner who seemed perpetually angry, kept running into Yara, the kindest person in all of Honey Creek, Illinois. After several run ins that ended in shouting matches, they simmered down into what barely resembled into a friendship, where Yara proposes the idea of a fake relationship – they fake date to get her insistent ex-husband off her back. After the divorce, Yara’s ex-husband scared off any man who tried to date Yara, in an attempt to try to reconcile with her despite her adamantly wanting to keep that door securely shut. Though Alex was reluctant at first he agreed, which was a relief, because he wasn’t scared of her ex-husband. You can probably guess what happens after that and while it was predictable, it was still super sweet; the black cat who only smiles for his golden retriever of a girlfriend will always hit no matter what. At first, I found it so hard to root for Alex – the dude was a frickin jerk; especially to Yara. As the story progresses, the details of his life that hardened him are revealed and I eventually came around, as did Alex as he spent more time with Yara. I will say, I was very nervous that there’d be a third act breakup but fear not, as there isn’t one! Regardless, this is a sweet story that will probably have you kicking up your feet and giggling like I did. This was also a closed door romance, so if you’re not into reading spice, this is an excellent choice.
The Problem with Players by Brittainy C. Cherry – This is the second book in Cherry’s The Problem series, with The Problem with Dating being the first though both books can be read as a standalone. This story follows Avery Kingsley, Yara’s older sister. At the beginning of the book, Avery is engaged to Wesley, rocket scientist, and is doing the job she loves – coaching the local high school’s baseball team. Despite the fact that they hadn’t won any games or series in quite some time, she still loved her job and felt she was doing her best. Avery’s life began turning upside down once she heard her former MLB player high school ex-boyfriend was hired to also coach on her team, never mind that she hated his guts for breaking her heart all those years ago. On top of having to deal with her ex daily, her relationship’s foundation starts to crack right before her wedding. I resonated with this book so much, to the point where I cried at several points throughout. Avery is fiercely independent and is used to doing things on her own, in addition to putting others first before herself. The pressures of not feeling deserving of love and help from others sends her into depressive lows – my heart broke every time I read those scenes because at one point or another, I was in her shoes. Avery’s version of depression was depicted well – not everyone experiences depression the same way but I found this realistic. I also liked that there wasn’t a band-aid fix to her issues; she takes a realistic approach to seek help consistently over time and work on herself to ease her pain. The fact that I cried a few times was enough to give this five stars, but the very realistic depiction of independence, depression, and her relationships with her friends and family drove it home for me. Unlike the first book in the series, this one is open door – something to be mindful of!
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto – Not Another Love Song is Julie Soto’s latest release. This is the story of Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne, two musical prodigies that play in the fun orchestra called the Manhattan Pops that focuses on playing modern pop songs during their shows. Gwen, a sort of self taught violinist and fourth chair for the Pops was used to being in the background, though she aspired to one day having solos, she typically kept to herself and was grateful for her spot in the orchestra. Xander Thorne, however, was already a star with his rock band Thorne & Roses, he already had a name for himself and being on the Pops was not his top priority. Though they had been working together for a while, Gwen and Xander crossed paths at a wedding, where something about Gwen wasn’t able to escape Xander’s head. When Gwen is offered the opportunity of a lifetime with the Pops, tension between her and Xander mounts, which later turns into sizzling chemistry and Gwen has to ask herself if this is everything she’s always wanted. I tried my best to go into the story with an open mind, though proved difficult after going to the book signing and finding out that this was actually Reylo fan fiction – I have nothing against fan fiction but I was disappointed to hear what this was based off of. As a result of that knowledge, it kind of hung over my head as I read, where I didn’t feel like I was able to get to know the characters as well because they already existed. Gwen lacked a bit of a backbone, and Xander was kind of manipulative with Gwen. While the chemistry between them was there, I don’t feel like they knew each other all that well. I will say, the musical tension in this story was well written, and kept me hooked on wanting to continue reading. Overall, I did enjoy the story and was excited to keep reading despite it being slightly marred for me. If you read Soto’s other book, Forget Me Not, Ama and Elliot make an appearance in the story – check out my review for this book here!
