Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in July 2024. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I actually do have two more 5 star reads to share here as well! The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: The Confidence Games
Author: Tess Amy
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Berkley, 7/9/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This was a short read with a bright and attractive cover about Emma, who along with her friend Nellie, is a con artist who cons men who deserve it. When Nellie is taken, Emma has to pull off a high stakes con on her own in order to save her friend.
“Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have been inseparable their whole lives. Ever since they reinvented themselves, changing their names and wiping clean their digital footprints, they have made a game of following wherever the next adventure leads and challenging themselves to thefts, street cons, and mind games. Adhering to only two rules—they will only swindle men, and only ones who deserve it—Emma and Nellie are secure in their reputation as the most trustworthy swindlers on the European black market. Until suddenly, they must play to save their own lives. Blackmailed into stealing a priceless bracelet from a high-security exhibit, Emma will reexamine everything she believed to be true. This heist takes her far beyond her comfort zone…and she and Nellie will need allies among the glitzy bejeweled gathering in London in order to survive. Will they be able to do the right thing before it’s too late?”
I found this book to be highly unbelievable and I kept hoping more twists would happen. There was a good amount of action that helped the story move along and I did enjoy it overall.
Title: Lovers and Liars
Author: Amanda Eyre Ward
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine, 5/14/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Lovers and Liars is about Emma, Sylvie, and Cleo, who are sisters with secrets. They grew up with a difficult mom and all three reacted to that in different ways. Emma is married with two kids and has gotten caught in an MLM scheme. Cleo is dating one man but loves another. And Sylvie is getting married but can’t seem to get over her deceased husband. All of the sisters’ secrets come out over a wedding weekend in Northern England.
“Once upon a time, the Peacock sisters were little girls who combed each other’s tangled hair. But decades of secrets have led them to separate lives—and to telling lies, to themselves and to one another. Sylvie is getting married. Again. A librarian and widow who soothes her grief by escaping into books (and shelving them perfectly), Sylvie has caught the attention of an unlikely match: Simon Rampling, a mysterious, wealthy man from Northern England. Sylvie allows herself to imagine a life beside him—one filled with the written word, kindness, and companionship. She’s ready to love again . . . or is she? Cleo is the golden child. A successful criminal defense lawyer with the perfect boyfriend, she is immediately suspicious of Simon. Is he really who he says he is? Cleo heads to Mumberton Castle with a case of investigative files, telling herself she will expose Simon and save her sister from more heartbreak . . . but who is she really trying to save? Emma is living a lie. She can’t afford this fancy trip—and she definitely can’t tell her husband and sons why. She once dreamed of a line of her own perfumes. Fragrances allowed her to speak in silence. Now, that tendency for silence only worsens her situation. Will she emerge with her dignity and family intact? When their toxic mother shows up, the sisters assume the roles they fell into to survive their childhood . . . but they just might find the courage to make new choices.”
I thought this was a quick read that lacked some depth to make it a great one. It was a fine summer time read!
Title: Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet
Author: Molly Morris
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Wednesday Books, 6/4/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet is about Wilson (named for Wilson Phillips!) who wins the chance to bring someone back to life for 30 days. She chooses her former best friend Annie. When Wilson finds out there’s a chance for Annie to stay alive, she sets out to try to reunite Annie and their other best friend Ryan.
“Wilson Moss entered the town’s top-secret contest in the hopes of resurrecting her ex-best friend Annie LeBlanc, but that doesn’t mean she thought she’d actually win. Now Annie’s back and Wil’s ecstatic―does it even really matter that Annie ghosted her a year before she died…? But like any contest, there are rules, and the town’s resurrected dead can only return for thirty days. When Wil discovers a loophole that means Annie might be able to stay for good, she’s desperate to keep her alive. The potential key? Their third best friend, Ryan. Forget the fact that Ryan openly hates them both, or that she and Wilson have barely spoken since that awkward time they kissed. Wil can put it aside for one month; she just needs to stop thinking about it first. Because Wil has one summer to permanently put an end to her loneliness―it’s that, or lose her only friends…again. But along the way, she might have to face some difficult truths about Annie’s past and their friendship that, so far, she’s left buried.”
The three best friends used to be inseparable, so it was interesting to see what happened between them. There is a sweet love story and lots of fun 90s references too!
Title: Such Charming Liars
Author: Karen McManus
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Delacorte, 7/30/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is the second book about con artists that I read this month! This one is about Kat, whose mom Jamie was married to Liam’s dad Luke for a very short time. The two teen-parent pairs reunite at a billionaires birthday party where Jamie is meant to pull off one last heist.
“For all of Kat’s life, it’s just been her and her mother, Jamie—except for the forty-eight hours when Jamie was married and Kat had a stepbrother, Liam. That all ended in an epic divorce, and Kat and Liam haven’t spoken since. Now Jamie is a jewel thief trying to go straight, but she has one last job—at billionaire Ross Sutherland’s birthday party. And Kat has figured out a way to tag along. What Kat doesn’t know, though, is that there are two surprise guests at the dazzling Sutherland compound that weekend. The last two people she wants to run into. Liam and his father—a serial scammer who has his sights set on Ross Sutherland’s youngest daughter. Kat and Liam are on a collision course to disaster, and when a Sutherland dies, they realize they might actually be in the killer’s crosshairs themselves. Somehow Kat and Liam are the new targets, and they can’t trust anyone—except each other.”
This wasn’t my favorite book by McManus and I do still need to read a few others of hers that I have waiting on my shelf. I did enjoy watching Kat try to pull off Jamie’s job and figuring out who was actually behind the mishaps that she kept encountering.
Title: The Art of Catching Feelings
Author: Alicia Thompson
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 6/18/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this baseball player romance about Daphne, who heckles Chris while drunk and later sends him a message apologizing for upsetting him. She forgets to specify that she was the one who heckled him, and after they start messaging back and forth, they officially meet in person. She finds herself unable to tell him who she is, even as they like each other both in text and in person.
“Daphne Brink doesn’t follow baseball, but watching ‘America’s Snoozefest’ certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize . . . but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message. Chris doesn’t usually respond to random fans on social media, but he’s grieving and fragile after an emotionally turbulent few months. When a DM from ‘Duckie’ catches his eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does. Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she’s out?”
The deception shown by Daphne gave me anxiety as I kept waiting for the moment Chris would discover who she was, but I expect that was the sign of good writing. I thought the book overall was cute and spicy. It does contain grief, divorce, and emotional abuse that occurred prior to the start of the book.
Title: American Woman
Author: Katie Rogers
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Crown, 2/27/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
While this book takes a look at the First Ladies from the 1980s on, it is mainly a biography of Jill Biden, as the first First Lady to hold a job outside of the White House on top of her First Lady duties. It briefly covers Barbara Bush, Hilary Clinton, Nancy Bush, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump as well, sharing how each of these women made a difference in the role today.
“Since the Clinton era, shifts in media, politics, and pop culture have all redefined expectations of First Ladies, even as the boundaries set upon them have often remained anachronistic. With sharp insights and dozens of firsthand interviews with major players in the Biden, Obama, Trump, Bush, and Clinton orbits, including Jill Biden and Hillary Clinton, New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers traces the evolution of the role of the twenty-first-century First Lady from a ceremonial figurehead to a powerful political operator, which culminates in the tenure of First Lady Jill Biden. Dr. Jill Biden began her journey toward public life in 1975 as a twenty-three-year-old who caught the eye of a widowed Senator Joe Biden. Recovering from the heartbreak of her failed first marriage, she found a man who was still grieving. She knitted his life together after unspeakable tragedy and stood by his side through three presidential campaigns. In some ways, her legacy as First Lady was set before she ever entered the White House: She is the first presidential spouse in history to work in a paid role outside the White House, a decision that blazes the path for future first spouses. But as a prime guardian of one of the most insular operations in modern politics, she is also a central part of her husband’s presidential legacy.”
It was quite interesting to read about Jill and her relationship with Joe, especially in light of recent political decisions. The inside look at their relationship was intriguing as well. I do wonder what this author would say about the possibility of a First Gentleman – Doug Emhoff is mentioned in his role as Second Gentleman but he would certainly change the role even further. And if Melania Trump happens to make a return, the author thinks we wouldn’t see her very much, as her previous stint in the White House was mostly spent doing her own thing.
Title: Behind Every Good Man
Author: Sara Goodman Confino
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union, 8/6/24
Source: PR for Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I absolutely love Sara Goodman Confino’s writing and this lighthearted politically themed book was a perfect read for this soon to be election season. It is about Beverly, who discovers her husband cheating on her and takes a job with a competing senate campaign to the one her husband works for as a way to get revenge. She ends up finding her candidate well worth her support and she works hard to get him the votes he’ll need to be elected.
“It’s a doozy of a bad day for Beverly Diamond when she catches her husband, Larry, in a compromising position with his secretary. What’s a DC suburban wife to do with a soon-to-be ex, two young kids, and no degree or financial support in 1962? Beat the louse at his own game, that’s what. Larry runs the Maryland senatorial campaign for the incumbent candidate projected to win against his younger underdog opponent, Michael Landau. But Beverly has the pluck, political savvy, and sheer drive to push Landau’s campaign in a successful new direction, even if he already has a campaign manager who is less than pleased she has inserted herself into the race. Now it’s rival against rival. She and Michael do make a great team…maybe in more ways than one. But with the election heating up, she needs to focus on one thing at a time. If Bev can convince Michael to go modern, pay attention to women’s issues, and learn how to dress himself properly, maybe she can show Larry exactly how much he has underestimated her their entire marriage―and make her own dreams come true in the process.”
In the early 60s, women had the right to vote, but often did not. I loved this look at the difference that could be made by focusing on women’s votes, as well as that of people of color. I really enjoyed Bev’s kids, as well as her parents and their roles in the story. It was interesting that all of the main characters were Jewish, and while there is an instance of antisemitism at a country club, it doesn’t seem to effect the candidates in their political roles. If you want a feel good, funny read focusing around politics, this one is it!
Title: Murder In Old Bombay
Author: Nev March
Genre: Historical Mystery
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 11/10/20
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3 Stars
I had received this book from the publisher in 2020 and thought it sounded intriguing, but finally listened to the audio of it this month. It was long and somewhat slow, and it took me a while to get through. This is about Jim, who is hired by Adi to look into the deaths of his sister and wife who fell from a tower. Adi doesn’t believe they jumped, and he needs help finding out what actually happened.
“In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lies in Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild northern frontier, with little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes, and browse the daily papers. The case that catches Captain Jim’s attention is being called the crime of the century: Two women fell from the busy university’s clock tower in broad daylight. Moved by Adi, the widower of one of the victims ― his certainty that his wife and sister did not commit suicide ― Captain Jim approaches the Parsee family and is hired to investigate what happened that terrible afternoon. But in a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous. Captain Jim’s investigation disturbs the shadows that seem to follow the Framji family and triggers an ominous chain of events. And when lively Lady Diana Framji joins the hunt for her sisters’ attackers, Captain Jim’s heart isn’t safe, either.”
While this is the mystery of what happened to the two women, the more memorable sections for me focused on the issues of caste and Jim’s biracial background. When he falls for Adi’s sister Diana, these issues keep them apart. In another plot line, Jim rescues a young girl from child trafficking and she becomes like a younger sister to him. I was saddened by where this story line led. What many reviewers mentioned is that there was a lot going on in this book, and parts held my interest more than others. Vikas Adam did a great job narrating all of the various characters. I am happy that I was able to check this one off of my list!
There you have it, the rest of my July reading! This post included 8 of the books I read in July. 7 of these books were in print and 1 was audio. Genres included mystery, contemporary, thriller, rom com, non fiction, and historical fiction. 6 were adult reads and 2 were YA.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
