The Books I Read In August 2023
- Alexa Burban
- Sep 16, 2023
- 3 min read
Sadly, I found myself in a bit of a reading slump in August but I hit my 2023 reading goal of 52 books! I have not officially increased my goal in case life just gets busy or I find myself in another reading slump but I'm hoping to hit 75.
⭐️.5 | 🌶️🌶️.5
Aahhhh I really didn’t like this BUT I did like Garrett so he gets my stars.
It was a heavier/darker/troubled-past romance, far too much for my liking. I wasn’t a fan of Jennie. I definitely felt her age while reading. I also cannot stand Carter. He’s an overbearing, older brother that needs to grow up. The golden retriever energy can sometimes feel juvenile to me and that’s what it was for Carter.
The “Disneyland” and “Lieutenant Johnson” killed me and I will say nothing more about that.😖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Oh I love, love, loved this so much! It was almost a love at first sight and Adam had me giggling (& swooning) the entire time.🥹
“She doesn’t knock the air from my lungs when she walks into a room; she breathes the life back into me.”
“Beautiful isn’t enough, Rosie. You’re fucking immaculate.”
“We’ll never be right for everyone, but we’ll be perfect for the right person. And when that person comes along, there is no choice. It just…is. We exist exactly the way we are, with exactly the right people, because there is no other way to be.”
“You’re not my first choice, Rosie. You’re the only goddamn option.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This was fun but I don’t get the hype? Rhys was alright but I think I’ve decided enemies to lovers is one of my least favourite tropes (unless it’s done really well).
“But first, I want to make one thing clear. From this point on, you’re mine. No other man touches you. If they do…” My fingers dug into her skin. “I know seventy-nine ways to kill a man, and I can make seventy of them look like an accident. Understand?”
Rhys was unhinged and I found myself genuinely laughing at his crazy.
⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️.5
This is all the proof I need that taste changes with age. I can’t believe I ever rated this 5 stars.
To be fair, this had the potential for a great read: forbidden love, English royalty based in London, great plot points with a fabulous twist but this fell very, very poorly.
I couldn’t stand Josh from the second we met him. He was too sure, too demanding and it didn’t pass the vibe. Adeline had the potential to be a great character, wanting to break the norm as a princess but she got all wrapped up in a very short and fast love affair and I found I was just skimming to dialogue.
I will say, the twist at the end was fantastic. I remember eating it up 5 years ago (first read) and I enjoyed it equally as much this time around. I’m not running to the second in the duology (likely won’t read it) but the end was fun.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Okay, the end really got me. I was absolutely beaming (on the train) by how adorable it was.
There were moments throughout that made me laugh out loud (Jake in particular) and other bits that got me right in the heart. I do think the book was too long and was dragging for a while but overall, I had fun!
“I can’t breathe when you look at me, and I die when you look away.” Goodbye 🥺
Fingers are crossed for a better reading month ahead!
Comments