What I read in August

I read a lot of thrillers this month! When I'm on PTO I like to read books I know I can read in a day, so thrillers and light fiction it is!

Blew me out of the water; loved! (5 stars)

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll: This was outstanding! I love the title and the inspiration of the book. It was so well done and unlike anything I've read in the genre (albeit it was a bit long). It's inspired by Ted Bundy's murder spree at a sorority house (but the book never mentions his name).

I liked it! (4 stars)

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell: A woman's daughter goes missing, and 10 years later meets a man with a daughter who seems very familiar. I guessed the ending for this one but it didn't take away from the reading experience. Believe people when they tell you how disturbing this book is... but also when readers say it's Jewell's best.

The Assistants by Camille Perri: This was a super quick, fun, summer read. It was a great concept (young assistants in a Succession-like empire funnel company money to pay off their student loans), but wish it was fleshed out more. It's not often I wish for 30-50 additional pages in a book!

It was good (3 stars)

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell: A woman becomes the subject of her own true crime podcast after befriending a woman with the same birthday as her. I read this at a time when thrillers were all I could handle lately, It was very readable and fast-paced.

The Last Word by Taylor Adams: This was fast-paced and I didn't want to stop listening. It was a bit outrageous (after posting a negative book review, a woman living in a remote location finds herself stalked...) but if you suspend disbelief it's a fun thriller.

The Boys Club by Erica Katz: This was an enjoyable workplace thriller! Alex accepts her dream offer at a law firm and quickly sees first hand how power-hungry corporate America is.

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley: I liked the concept of this one (and laughed a lot) - a group of friends host a living wake when one of them calls for it. I think it's hard when you have 5 main characters (with each chapter alternating a POV) to forge connections with them. That was the big thing missing for me.

The Daydreamers by Laura Hankin: I had high hopes for this modern day look at a fictional version of the MIckey Mouse Club (I loved Hankin's A Special Place for Women). It was entertaining, but 'just okay' with characters that fell flat for me.

Unimpressed (2 stars)

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez: I really wanted to love this one - but it was too long and it lost me. Love her short stories and I'll continue to read whatever Enriquez puts out!

The Only One Left by Riley Sager: A young live-in personal support worker cares for an elderly woman who decades ago, was accused of killing her family. This was very fast-paced and readable but also very similar to Verity.

Dogs of Summer by Andrea Abreu: With similar vibes to Elena Ferrante, this book is short vignette chapters of two girls growing up in Spain. Some chapters were more memorable than others.