Hi, bookish friends!
It's been a minute.
Like...three months.
But you can't get rid of me that easily! And I'm back with a wrap-up post for all the books I read this summer. There'll be stats for the math-loving readers (I spent way too long making a fun genre pie chart), some new favorites, some warning you away from what's not worth your time, and a comprehensive list of all 31 titles.
Even though it still feels like summer, I'm so ready for the autumn season. School has already started and the pumpkin drinks have come out, so in my mind it's fall. Even though it's still upper 80s (F) during the day – although that's pretty much fall weather for my region anyway (just kidding. Sort of). I'm definitely a seasonal reader, and this time of year is for the cozy mysteries and the high fantasy (even though it's premature, I have to recommend An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. It's only 320 pages, and has the most beautiful autumnal nature descriptions and the sweetest romance).
But enough about fall – here are some statistics regarding all 31 books I read this summer.
HIGHLIGHTS
Two of my five-star ratings were re-reads: Better Than the Movies and Once Upon a Broken Heart, but I definitely found some new favorites! If I had to pick a top three, they'd be as follow:
Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson - This Phantom of the Opera high fantasy retelling is masterfully written and brimming with magic, romance, and heartbreak. It was impossible to put down, and the ending broke me into a million pieces.
Love From Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill - I read a lot of romcoms this summer, and this was easily my favorite. Full of mouthwatering food descriptions, hilarious (and adorable) nicknames, conversations about sexism in work settings, and the absolute best grand gesture, I can't recommend Love From Scratch more highly to lovers of YA romance novels. It had a very Emma Lord feel to it, with her characteristic love for desserts, abundant sarcasm, and general lovable chaos.
The Queens of New York by E. L. Shen - By an up and coming author in the youth literature world, Queens tackles important issues regarding Asian culture and coming of age, while crafting a heartwarming and realistic friendship between three girls going their separate ways for the summer. I felt so emotionally connected to each of the main characters, and the triple-POV narration style is flawlessly executed.
LOW POINTS
While I don't have any lower ratings than three stars (because if it's that bad, I'll usually just DNF it), there were some books that I just didn't enjoy as much. Here are three books I definitely do not recommend:
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo - I went into this expecting a really cool marine/nautical adventure with epic piracy, monarchical world-building, and well-developed romance. Maybe it was naive to expect a Little Mermaid retelling to not have insta-love, but I thought since it was YA high fantasy there might be a chance. Wrong. What I got instead were confusing and random info dumps, cringy banter and even cringier dialogue, and a stock "epic final battle." It was just so boring.
Hello (From Here) by Chandler Baker - Maybe it was just too soon for this after COVID. Honestly, this book wasn't bad. It just wasn't great. Nothing stuck out to me; the pacing was fine, the romance was average, the writing all right. Both the MCs were kind of whiny, and while I get that they had reason to be, it was annoying nonetheless. And the cheating trope was just not necessary. Olivia (MMC's older sister) was the best part of this book.
Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper - The sequel to Out of My Mind, I was hoping this book would be as amazing as its predecessor, and maybe that's why I didn't love it. Again; it wasn't a bad book, but...nothing really happens in it. Out of My Mind was a groundbreaking, middle grade, realistic fiction novel giving the general population a glimpse into the mind of a ten-year-old girl who can't walk or talk but is smarter than her whole class put together; it discussed important topics like ableism, family, and growing up (specifically being different than "normal" kids). Out of My Heart is a cute book about going to summer camp and having a great time. It just lacked the emotional depth readers loved about the first book.
ALL TITLES
**Disclaimer: some of these I rated with half stars or even quarter stars (i.e. 3.25★/3.5★/3.75★) but I rounded them up for this post.**
5 STARS ★★★★★
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Borrow My Heart by Kasie West
Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson
The Queens of New York by E. L. Shen
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill
Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan
4 STARS ★★★★
The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
Twin Crowns by Catherine Webber and Katherine Doyle
Cursed Crowns by Catherine Webber and Katherine Doyle
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
Ride With Me by Lucy Keating
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Daughter of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martina
Love & Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean
Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac
3 STARS ★★★
Made in Korea by Sarah Suk
Unsouled by Will Wight
Out of my Heart by Sharon M. Draper
Into the Glades by Laura Sebastian
Hello (from here) by Chandler Baker
You Bet Your Heart by Danielle Parker
The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman
The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach
Those Summer Nights by Laura Silverman
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
If you're still here, thanks for reading! All in all, I had a great reading summer, and I want to hear about yours in the comments: give me your top three books from summer 2023.