Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in July 2025. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I did have two additional 5 star reads this month, which you can find below! 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: Everyone Is Lying To You
Author: Jo Piazza
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Penguin Audio, 7/15/25
Source: Audio Publisher
Why I Read It: Sounded good
My Rating: 4 Stars
Everyone Is Lying To You by Jo Piazza is about old friends Bex and Lizzie who reunite when Bex asks Lizzie to come with her to a mom influencer con. They haven’t been in touch in many years and Lizzie doesn’t know why. Soon after arriving at the con, Bex’s husband is found dead and Bex goes missing. While the rest of the story is about finding out what happened, it is also about how things aren’t what they seem in the world of influencers.
“Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, leaving Lizzie confused and devastated. Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “traditional” Instagram influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her five children and handsome husband, Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention. One night out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition—an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, the high-profile influencing conference. At the conference, Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes jealousy, sordid affairs, swingers, and backstabbing. She must learn who her old friend has become and who she has double-crossed to try to find her, clear her name, and maybe even save her life.”
I enjoyed listening to this and the multi cast narration was done well. Bex is a trad wife influencer, and I thought the lists of all the types of mommy influencers was amusing. I tried my hand at that, but didn’t find a niche! Bookstagramming has been a lot more fun.
Title: Sisters of Fortune
Author: Esther Chehebar
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Random House, 7/22/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar is a debut that takes a look at the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn through the eyes of three sisters. Fortune, the middle sister, is planning her wedding, while Nina, the oldest, hasn’t found a match. Lucy, the youngest at 18, is dating a much older man.
“The Cohen sisters are at a crossroads. And not just because the obedient middle sister, Fortune, has secretly started to question her engagement and impending wedding, even as her family scrambles to prepare for the big day. Nina, the rebellious eldest sister, is single at twenty-six (and growing cobwebs by her community’s standards) when she runs into an old friend who offers her a chance to choose a different path. Meanwhile, Lucy, the youngest and a senior in high school, has started sneaking around with a charming older bachelor. As Fortune inches ever closer to the chuppah, the sisters find themselves in a tug-of-war between tradition and modernity, reckoning with what their tight-knit community wants for them—and what they want for themselves.”
The sisters’ connection to their culture was admirable and interesting, as while I knew most of the Jewish traditions in the book, I was unfamiliar with some of the Syrian ones. This was a good coming of age story for each of the sisters at their own life stage.
Title: We Must Not Think of Ourselves
Author: Lauren Grodstein
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin, 11/28/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
While this book is older, I received it recently, and wanted to read it before reading Lauren Grodstein’s newer book, which I also received recently. We Must Not Think of Ourselves takes place in the Warsaw Ghetto. Adam is asked to record histories of Polish Jews, as they may be the last to exist. He is a teacher and he records the stories of his students, as well as his apartment mates. He ends up falling in love with his married apartment mate, Sala.
“On a November day in 1940, teacher Adam Paskow becomes a prisoner in the Warsaw Ghetto, where the Jews of the city are cut off from their former lives and held captive by Nazi guards to await an uncertain fate. Weeks later, he is approached by a mysterious figure with a surprising request: Would he join a secret group of archivists working to preserve the truth of what is happening inside the ghetto’s walls? Adam agrees and begins taking testimonies from his students, friends, and neighbors. Their stories form a portrait of endurance in a world where no choices are good ones. One of the people Adam interviews is his flatmate Sala Wiskoff, who is stoic, determined, and funny—and married with two children. Over the months of their confinement, in the presence of her family, they fall in love. As they desperately carve out intimacy, their relationship feels both impossible and vital, their connection keeping them alive. But when Adam discovers a possible escape from the Ghetto, he is faced with an unbearable choice: whom can he save, and at what cost ?”
I thought this could have been a more moving book, but it read slowly and with some lack of emotion. It was more literary than I prefer. The story itself was interesting, and I was glad to have read it.
Title: The Ghostwriter
Author: Julie Clark
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, 6/3/25
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: June BOTM pick
My Rating: 4 Stars
My June BOTM pick was The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. I’ve enjoyed her previous books, which I also got via BOTM – love a matching set! This one is about Olivia, a ghostwriter, who is asked to ghostwrite her father’s memoir. As a teen, both of his siblings were killed, and he was suspected of killing them. Now her father wants to tell his story, but having dementia, sometimes Olivia can’t tell if what he says is true or not. So she sets out to uncover the truth herself.
“June, 1975. The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets. Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she’s offered a job to ghostwrite her father’s last book. What she doesn’t know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it’s not another horror novel he wants her to write. After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.”
This was definitely a book that kept me reading, although I was able to predict many of the reveals. The more thrillers you read, the more things have been done before. Of course, it was not all straightforward, and overall it was an enjoyable read.
Title: This Dog Will Change Your Life
Author: Elias Weiss Friedman
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 6/3/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I had never heard of The Dogist before this book, but now I am obsessed with his Instagram account. He approaches dog owners, mainly in NYC, although this week he has been in Maine, and asks them if he can photograph their dogs. He talks to them a bit and then shares the dogs’ stories. The account is adorable and getting paid to meet dogs? Dream job for sure. This book is about the ways in which a dog can make a difference for individuals and communities.
“Elias Weiss Friedman became known as The Dogist when he took thousands of photos of dogs and posted them online along with their unique dog stories. Even before he was The Dogist, though, he was a Dogist—a fervent dog lover, and an evangelist about the relationship between dogs and humans and the joy this bond brings us in the modern world. Over his decades of studying dogs and their people, Elias has arrived at a deceptively simple realization: Dogs make people’s lives better by making people better. Dogs improve us. They save us. They give our lives greater meaning and fulfillment. They teach us to become the best versions of ourselves. They help us understand our own identities, deepen our relationships, and remind us of patience, purpose, and commitment. We constantly seek those things in our human life, but so many of the answers are already right in front of us, in our dogs. This book weaves together stories of the many dogs Elias has been lucky enough to know, both in his personal life and while doing his Dogist work. Told in a light tone that does not shy away from more serious issues (Elias is not above the occasional sentimental moment or dog pun), this book charmingly explores the ways that dogs are not just our family and our friends but also irreplaceable beings capable of generating boundless love and restoring balance to our lives. In an increasingly alienating and divisive world, there is one clear remedy: the one with four legs that rolls over for belly rubs. Dogs can change our lives, and this book might just change yours.”
I really loved reading about the dogs that the author has met and I really want to get his photo books now! If you don’t already follow The Dogist on Instagram, I highly recommend you do so.
Title: Don’t Open Your Eyes
Author: Liv Constantine
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Bantam, 6/17/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
I don’t generally love books by Liv Constantine, but I couldn’t resist the offer of the PR box that came with this one. This domestic thriller was about Annabelle, who began having dreams that seemed to predict the future. Also given points of view were Annabelle’s daughter Scarlett, someone called “the wife,” and a flashback series called “Before.”
“Annabelle Reynolds has everything she’s ever wanted. A devoted husband, two wonderful daughters, and a career she loves. She couldn’t be happier. So why is she suddenly plagued by disturbing dreams of a future where she hates her husband and her daughters’ lives are at risk? At first, she chalks the dreams up to an overactive imagination. But when details from her dreams, details she couldn’t possibly have predicted, begin to materialize, she realizes these aren’t just dreams but rather premonitions of a terrifying future. They all point to a singular choice, an unknown moment that holds Annabelle’s life in the balance. Then Annabelle has a dream that her daughter Scarlett is in immediate danger. Someone wants Scarlett dead, and Annabelle has no idea who or why. Suddenly, every choice she makes is fraught with peril, with no inkling of which move could bring this terrifying vision to life. As Annabelle’s present life starts to collide with the future in her dreams, she wrestles with how much control she really has over her destiny and whether she can change what is meant to be.”
I found the predictive dreams to be a bit of a cheap plot device, as they made everything easier to figure out for the characters. The reasons things played out how they did were interesting and the book did keep me reading.
Title: The Show Girl
Author: Nicola Harrison
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 8/10/21
Source: PR Company – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 5 Stars
From my 25 in ’25 list, I listened to The Show Girl, narrated by Imani Jade Powers. While I actually was not a fan of City of Girls, which this book is compared to, it instead reminded me of The Spectacular, and I loved this book as I did that one. This one is about Olive, who joins the Ziegfeld Follies show in 1927, to the unhappiness of her family. She meets a rich businessman and falls in love, and she must decide whether to share the truth about her past with him.
“It’s 1927 when Olive McCormick moves from Minneapolis to New York City determined to become a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. Extremely talented as a singer and dancer, it takes every bit of perseverance to finally make it on stage. And once she does, all the glamour and excitement is everything she imagined and more―even worth all the sacrifices she has had to make along the way. Then she meets Archie Carmichael. Handsome, wealthy―the only man she’s ever met who seems to accept her modern ways―her independent nature and passion for success. But once she accepts his proposal of marriage he starts to change his tune, and Olive must decide if she is willing to reveal a devastating secret and sacrifice the life she loves for the man she loves.”
While the continued victim blaming in the story frustrated me, I’m sure it was the time period which led to this attitude. I enjoyed Olive’s story and I felt that the audio did a good job pulling me into this more character driven story.
There you have it, the rest of my July reading! This post included 7 of the books I read in July. Five of these books were in print and 2 were audio. Genres included contemporary, thriller, historical fiction, and non fiction. They were all adult reads.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
