What I read this month

What I read this month

1. Every Summer After

One of those feel good romantic beach reads that you need to read after a slew of terrifying thrillers. That is this book. LOL A palette cleanser of sorts. Persephone’s parents buy a lake house to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life in Toronto. She isn’t thrilled to spend her summers in this sleepy town but meets Sam on her first day there and they become fast friends. Sam is a local and works at his mom’s local restaurant and has dreams of becoming a cardiologist some day. Percy and Sam spend their summers playing, laughing and bonding and feelings begin to develop between the two. But something happens between the two of them that causes their relationship to fall apart. Nearly a decade later, Percy gets a call that Sam’s mother has passed and she comes back to attend the funeral. She wonders if she made the biggest mistake by leaving Sam and longs for the possibility of a reconciliation. Rating: 8.5

2. Just the Nicest Couple

A tad predictable but a good mystery to add to your list. Jake is a successful neurosurgeon who goes missing after a heated fight with his wife, Nina. Nina is distraught and confides in her coworker Lily that she has no idea where Jake could have gone and she is worried their unhappy marriage caused him to leave. But Lily is hiding her own secrets about Jake and has to play along so Nina doesn’t suspect anything. Lily was the last person to see Jake and fought with him in a local park. The police are trying to determine who is hiding information and whether there is more to this disappearance than a marital fight. Rating: 8.5

3. The Street

I had high hopes for this one because it sounded very interesting but it just kept falling flat for me. Anna and Peter have just moved to a quiet new neighborhood because they are in the witness protection program. They have had to start over and are trying to adjust to completely new identities. When their next door neighbors pop by to welcome them to the neighborhood, Anna and Peter hit it off with them and feel like this new life may not be so difficult after all. But the next morning, the neighbors have vanished and their home is completely empty. Anna asks other people that live nearby if they know what happened, but no one seems to know anything about this mystery couple. Rating: 7

4. Run on Red

I bought this book on a whim because it sounded like a good thriller but it was just ok. Not much development or depth in the story but suspenseful and I wanted to know if the two girls ended up escaping. Laura and Olivia are on their way to a bonfire late at night. They are being tailgated by the car behind them so they try to slow down to let the car pass. But the car doesn’t leave and continues to tail them for miles. Unsure if this is intentional or if the car happens to be going the same direction as they are, they continue driving hoping they will eventually lose the car. Unfortunately the car behind them continues to follow them and then tries running them off the road. The two girls are terrified and realize their old car can’t outrun the two men chasing them so they get out and try to run. What ensues is a fight for their life and a realization that they may actually know the two guys who are tormenting them. Rating: 7.5

5. The End of Her

Meh. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. It was just ok. Stephanie and Patrick are happily married and trying to adjust to life with two colicky twin girls. Sleepless nights are piling up and both of their nerves are fried from trying to get through each day. Patrick is a successful architect but even his work is beginning to suffer from the chaos at home. To add fuel to the fire, a woman from Patrick’s past shows back up in his life and threatens to reveal things about his past that could potentially ruin him. Stephanie doesn’t know if she should believe this woman or not. Is she telling the truth or should she trust her husband? Rating: 7.5

6. Too Late

This is not your typical Colleen Hoover novel and a real departure from her normal content. It kept my interest but wasn’t a favorite for me. Sloan is a college student trying to finish up her studies so she can secure a career that can set her up for the future and also allow her to provide for her disabled brother. The only problem is her drug kingpin boyfriend, Asa. Sloan lives with him and relies on him for everything right now while she goes to school. Sloan desperately wants to leave but doesn’t know how. When DEA Agent Carter enters her life as an undercover drug trafficker trying to take down Sloan’s boyfriend, she finally feels like she has a hope of escaping. There were a ton of twists and turns which kept it interesting but there are definitely better thrillers out there to read. Rating: 7.5

PS. Book I read in June.