AUGUST BOOK REVIEW | 2019

Welcome back, friends!  Yay for Friday, yay for (almost) Fall and yay for Book Review Day!  Right?!

If you're shaking your head no right now on the book review thing because you just aren't a reader, it's ok.  Come back next week. :)  But for the record, I don't have time to be a "reader" much anymore either.  I'm an audiobook girl, which most of you know if you have been following along for the past few years, but for those of you who somehow found your way into my little part of the internet today, then I just wanted you to know that.  And that audiobooks are AMAZING.  Seriously, the best thing to happen to the busy mom who loves to immerse herself in fictional worlds and other peoples' stories (because #nosy) but has absolutely zero time to zone out with a book.  (Ok, I could make time at night BUT...Bravo isn't going to watch itself, people.)

I've been an Audible member forEVER.  A decade maybe?  I love it so much.  I just wanted to throw it out there that you can sign up for an Audible trial HERE and collect yourself two free books of your choice plus 2 Audible originals as well!  Not a bad deal!

And if you need more ideas on which two audiobooks to choose as your freebies, definitely head to my End of Summer review from last month and take a peek at the July books.  It was the best book month I've had in a long time!

But moving on.  This was me in August.  

School could not start soon enough and I was counting down the days until I could listen to my audiobooks in peace while I worked.  Does this make me sound like a horrible mom??  Or just an honest one?  🤷‍♀️😉

But I read some great books in August and being stopped in the middle of the good parts because of a loud crash followed by screaming (or complete silence...which is worse?) or being asked to locate someone's swim trunks/goggles/iPad/hamster...was frustrating.

Thankfully, school started and I was able to finish out the month with only minor interruptions.  Usually in the form of daily Amazon packages. 😂

Anyway...

Here's what I read in August.

THE FLATSHARE

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW

ROOMIES

BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM

THE LAST WIDOW

Let's start with:

THE FLATSHARE

Coming off of my July favorites, specifically The Unhoneymooners and The Friend Zone, I was in the mood for more sweet, fun, funny rom-coms.  So I chose The Flatshare and it was perfect for what I was looking for.

This book is about Tiffy and Leon.  They are strangers turned flatmates although they've never even met.  Tiffy uses the flat from evenings to morning and then Leon takes over from mornings to evenings.  They share a bedroom, a bed, a bathroom...all of it.  But only during their allotted hours.  They talk mainly through texts at first but eventually, it leads to funny little notes being left all over the apartment for the other to find which then turns to curiosity until FINALLY, they meet face-to-face. ❤ 

This book was sweet, funny, charming...all the good stuff that you want in a great chick-lit novel.  I found the whole premise of it very interesting too.  Can you imagine sharing an apartment with someone you've never even met before?!  Especially a guy?  You should add it your book list just to explore that whole thing.  4 stars on this one but definitely check out The Unhoneymooners and The Friend Zone first. They are still the BEST.

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW

So I finally got around to reading The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth!  I've heard so many people talk about it so I made sure to push it up my to-be-read (TBR) list.

This one is a twisted mystery/suspense type book and I loved it!  The book is about Diana who seems to be perfect to everyone around her.  The perfect mother, the perfect wife, a philanthropist.  But when Lucy meets her future mother-in-law she knows its all smoke and mirrors...at least when it comes to Lucy.  Diana is polite enough but Lucy knows she is not who Diana would have chosen for her son.  But it is what is and life goes on.  Until one day they find Diana dead in her home with a suicide note that says she ended her life because of the cancer wreaking havoc on her body.  Except there is no cancer.  And there is evidence of foul play.

But who did it?  Lucy has every reason to be a suspect.  But as secrets come out, several people close to Diana do.

I loved the suspense and the guessing of how the story would end and who really did it.  The characters are so well developed and the story-telling is spot on.  Make this a must-read!

ROOMIES

Sooo...after reading my first Christina Lauren book in July and loving it so much I'm calling it one of my favorites in 2019 (The Unhoneymooners...yes I'm mentioning it AGAIN), I decided to try out another one from this author.  And even though it wasn't QUITE as good as the first one, it was still so cute and so sweet!

The story is set in NYC where Holland is secretly in love with the guy who plays the guitar in the subway.  She goes far out of her way every day in order to see him and finally talks to him...only to then be attacked by a drunken man and pushed on to the tracks in the subway station.  Her crush apparently calls 911 and saves her but doesn't stick around long enough to even get a thank you.  Holland is so confused until she finds out the reason why.  

Calvin is a brilliant musician but in the US on an expired Visa.  In order to pay him back for saving her, she decides to introduce him to her uncle, a fabulous Broadway musical director, where Calvin ends up dazzling them all with his insane ability.  But there is only one catch.  In order for them to hire Calvin for the show, he needs to be in the US legally..and get it done fast!  The show is set to start soon so Holland volunteers as tribute.  ;)  Basically, she throws out the idea of getting married for a green card knowing that she is hopelessly in love with this man.  Surely, this won't end well.

So they get married and begin living out their one-year marriage plan, all the while getting to know each other, like each other...and well, ya know.  It's a rom-com.  Guess how it ends?  ;)

So far Christina Lauren is 2 for 2 and I can't wait to read another of her books!

BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM

Whoa.  This one was kind of sick and twisted, friends.  If that sounds right up your alley then you need to check it out!

Henrietta and her husband, Lloyd, have moved to a small suburb of Boston where Hen works in her art studio and has her bipolar disorder under control.  Then one day they are invited over to have dinner with the neighbors and during the house tour, Hen spots a sports trophy that looks just like the one that went missing from the home of a young man who was murdered several years before.  Hen has been obsessed with the case which is how she found this obscure fact that was only briefly mentioned.  Hen immediately begins to suspect her neighbor of his unsolved murder but also worries she is having another psychotic episode.  It wouldn't be her first.

I thought this book was so suspenseful and yes, you get one heck of a twist in the end!  You learn early on who the killer really is and hear from his twisted mind the whole way through.  You'd think that would leave off any twists, right?  NO!!  This was one that stuck with me, friends!  Read it!

THE LAST WIDOW

And finally, we come to The Last Widow.  So this one was actually book #9 in the Will Trent series but can be read as a stand-alone as well.  

This one felt so different from any other books I've read.  It's definitely not a rom-com but it's also not your typical creepy husband killer book either.

This book is about a creepy cult.  And that sucked me in right then.

Here's the official summary because I failed when I tried to sum it up myself. ;)

On a hot summer night, a scientist from the Centers for Disease Control is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. The authorities are desperate to save the doctor who’s been vanished into thin air.

One month later, the serenity of a sunny Sunday afternoon is shattered by the boom of a ground-shaking blast—followed by another seconds later. One of Atlanta’s busiest and most important neighborhoods has been bombed—the location of Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC.

Medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives. When the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves.

This book was just so different!  It felt like I was watching breaking news on TV.  There's action, cults, bombings, shootouts, unknown disease killing everyone...crazy town.  If you want to step outside of your normal thriller, check this one out!

And that's it for August, friends!  I'm already 2.5 books into September too and can't wait to share those as well!  You can also follow me on Goodreads if you want to keep up with what I'm reading.

And before I go I wanted to mention that today is the last day of the burlap sale over in my Etsy shop!

I've also got several fall garden flags available as well...

...and insulated coffee mugs (these are so good)...

...and one of my favorite fall signs!

All my burlap prints will be on sale for the rest of the day today (Friday) for 15% off!  Head on over if you'd like to take advantage and/or see all the other goodies I have in the shop!

And you can find my Etsy shop IG here: @thatinspiredchick

And my personal IG here: @amandanall

Happiest Friday, y'all!

Linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites!