A solid month of romance, thrillers, cozy reads, and surviving summer one book at a time

July was a solid month around here—both for reading and for surviving summer. I had a couple of meh reads, a handful of books that really stood out, and two that I already know are making their way onto my best of the year list. Reading leaned heavily toward romance this month, with plenty of cozies and thrillers rounding things out. Outside of books, July was busy in that “can we please just get back to a routine?” kind of way. We survived having the kids home all summer, and now that school is back, I am very happily looking forward to some structure again. I also somehow picked up a new hobby along the way: coloring. Apparently I needed another reason to buy pretty supplies and spend time avoiding my responsibilities. 😂

ICYMI: JULY HIGHLIGHTS

July Book Recs

My monthly book recommendations, featuring some of the books I think deserve a spot on your TBR.

→ Read the full list here

July Reading Wrap Up

A look at everything I read in July, from the standouts to the books that were… fine.

→ Read the full list here

Unhinged Women in Thrillers

July apparently called for women making questionable decisions, embracing their inner chaos, and generally making thriller plots much more interesting.

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Books to Read After Watching Love Island

Because sometimes watching beautiful people make questionable romantic decisions makes you want to immediately pick up a book featuring… beautiful people making questionable romantic decisions.

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JULY’S STANDOUT READS

July was a particularly good month for books that completely pulled me in, and these four were the biggest standouts.

Trying Not to Love You

This audiobook completely pulled me in. I started listening without any intention of finishing it in one day, and then suddenly… I had listened to the entire thing. 😂 The second chance romance brings all the angst, years of silence, unresolved feelings, and emotional baggage, but the narration really took it to another level. Savannah Peachwood and Connor Crais both brought so much depth to their characters, with Crais especially surprising me with how raw and vulnerable his performance felt. Add in small town family vibes, military separation, spice, and plenty of tenderness, and this was exactly the kind of immersive audiobook experience I love.

→ Read my full thoughts here

Ungodly Rich

Peak rich people behaving badly energy—and I mean that as the highest compliment. It took me a little while to get settled into the huge cast and all the double names, but once everything clicked, I was completely invested. The shifting power dynamics, secrets, betrayals, and constant games of leverage made this ridiculously entertaining. I also loved the modern mythology angle, especially because you absolutely do not need to remember your Greek mythology to enjoy it. This feels like the beginning of a much bigger universe, and I really hope we get more.

→ Read my full thoughts here

Lost and Found

Tarah DeWitt has such a gift for writing messy, imperfect people who feel incredibly real, and Lost and Found may be my favorite example yet. This is a story deeply rooted in grief, but it never loses sight of hope, joy, or the possibility of loving again. The slow burn friends to lovers romance absolutely wrecked me, and Silas completely stole my heart with his patience, kindness, and quiet devotion. The audiobook was also fantastic, with Samantha Brentmoor and Adam Gold bringing so much emotional depth to an already beautiful story. And that epilogue? RUDE. I rarely cry while reading, and this one got me.

→ Read my full thoughts here

The Secrets We Hide

Karin Slaughter remains one of those authors I trust completely, and The Secrets We Hide only made me more invested in the North Falls series. The mystery is layered, dark, and relentlessly suspenseful, but what really makes this series work for me is everything happening underneath the investigation—the complicated Clifton family relationships, grief, resentment, loyalty, and all the secrets buried beneath this town. It is gritty, violent, emotionally devastating, and packed with twists that genuinely kept surprising me. And that ending? Karin Slaughter got me AGAIN. Five stars.

→ Read my full thoughts here

CURRENTLY READING / LISTENING / WATCHING

Reading: Let’s Kiss and Tell by Joss Richards. I’m really enjoying it so far, and I have high hopes because her debut last year was one of my favorites.

Listening: I’m finishing up the final book in Bree Baker’s Seaside Cafe series and also listening to the first book in Britanee Nicole’s Hope Harbor series. Both have been fantastic, so apparently my audiobook queue is doing just fine.

Watching: I am finally catching up on all the television I fell behind on while the kids were home for the summer. Currently working my way through The Valley, Real Housewives of Orange County, Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. Because obviously I needed a completely reasonable amount of television to catch up on. 😂

WHAT’S NEXT: FALL, I’M READY

I am officially in my fall reading era. I’m in the early stages of planning my fall content now, including a few reading guides that will be coming in September. That also means I’ve already started putting a few fall appropriate books onto my August TBR so I can actually have books to talk about when those guides arrive.

My current cravings are leaning heavily toward dark thrillers and cozy mysteries, with a few romances sprinkled in because I am apparently incapable of committing to just one genre.

I’m also slowly working on something I’ve wanted to put together for a while: completed series reading guides. I’ll be sharing my Bree Baker guide as an end of summer project, so if you’ve been looking for a way to figure out where to start—or what order to read everything in—stay tuned.

Beyond that? I’m going on vibes. 😂

I’m ready for cooler weather, fall books, cozy reading, a little more routine, and hopefully fewer “what are we doing today?” moments. July was fun, but summer has officially been survived. Now give me the pumpkins, the blankets, and the TBR.

How was your month? Would love to know what you read and loved, watched and enjoyed or just how you’re feeling?