I am aware this blog post is a little late - it is the END of July - but this month has been manic with work and life and I have not had a minute to sit down and pour out my thoughts on my recent reads. So, here we go.

1. The Most Fun We Ever Had - Claire Lombardo

This is one of those books that really makes you feel like you're IN the story and you know the characters, so naturally I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded be a bit of a few of Marian Keyes' novels in the dysfunctional family aspect, so if she's your jam then you'll love this.

This story follows the Sorensons - parents Marilyn and David are the picture perfect couple, still madly in love after 40 years together, while their 4 very different daughters are each in a different state of crisis. Wendy was widowed at a young age and self-soothes with alcohol and younger men; Violet used to be a litigator and is now a stay-at-home-mom battling anxiety when the darkest part of her life rears its ugly head; Liza is a professor, in a relationship with a man with serious clinical depression, when she finds herself pregnant and unsure she wants to be with him; while Grace - the youngest - is living a lie that nobody in her family knows about. The one thing the daughters have in common is the fear that they won't find a love like their parents'.

Loved this one - an easy read but with some unexpected twists and the relatability of chaotic family life.

2. My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshleigh

TW: Addiction

This one was a JOURNEY and a half let me tell you. I'm still not sure what I really think but equally I feel like everyone should read it if that makes sense? Maybe not.

In ways relatable, this story follows the journey of an unnamed young woman and her efforts to essentially tap out of life and the troubles of the/her world via an extended period of essentially "hibernation" - which I think a lot of us have probably felt like doing at one time or another. However, in her corner she has one of the worst psychiatrists known to man who just keeps prescribing her drug upon drug to assist with said hibernation, one after another, until the woman is addicted.

The unnamed woman "should" be happy and seemingly has it all, but this book shows you that despite appearances and how things may seen, people can be extremely unhappy and affected. She is deeply troubled and has an unhealthy, toxic relationship with her "best friend" as a result - at times you will seriously dislike the main character.

Again, I'm unsure how I felt about this book but I do feel it's one you should read and see what you feel. It really leaps from one extreme to the next - at some moments tender and compassionate, and at others dark and ruthless, and at the end you're left thinking that maybe the hibernation was necessary. If you've read this please let me know what you thought!

3. The Paper Palace - Miranda Cowley Heller

TW: Sexual assault

I saw that this book was shortlisted for the 2022 Women's Prize for Fiction, so I picked it up with high hopes - I have loved some of the previously shortlisted, longlisted and winning books of this prize so I figured I was in for a treat. Unfortunately, I found it a little lack-lustre - kind of a dragged out read.

The story introduces us to Elle - a seemingly happily married mother of 3, waking up at her family's holiday home ("The Paper Palace") where she has spent every summer of her life. Her oldest friend Jonas has also spent every summer around the corner with his family, when suddenly they find themselves tangled in a passionate affair one night, while their families are unknowingly feet away.

The story then takes us through the next 24 hours and simultaneously back to her childhood while Elle is torn between choosing her childhood love and her beloved husband, Peter, while we learn about the events that have led Elle to this day.

4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Now, nobody come for me, but the HYPE around this book was insane, and I was expecting to adore it as much as I adored Where the Crawdads Sing - another seriously hyped up book and quite rightly so.

Don't get me wrong, I did like the book, but I'm not sure if it's worth all this hype, or is there something I was missing? I found it quite repetitive until about half way through when we start to understand the secret life Evelyn Hugo was leading and the reason for the seven husbands - I did really enjoy that aspect of the story, and I loved the relationship between her and her best friend, Harry. 

The twist at the end involving the journalist writing the story, Monique, is definitely one I didn't see coming, so from that aspect that's always what you want in a twist! Another easy read - the perfect beach or holiday book, or one when you want a bit of escapism but not too much in the way of concentration.

5. Beautiful World Where Are You - Sally Rooney

I had high hopes for this one based on Normal People and Conversations with Friends, and while it didn't quite measure up to those books, it was an easy, enjoyable read - and very much along the same theme as her previous two. 

In the story we meet Alice, a writer, who meets Felix (online - it's very current). They meet and don't really hit it off at all... but within a matter of pages they are suddenly in Rome together. Alice's best friend Eileen, in Dublin, is recovering from a break up and finds herself going back to a former flame for comfort and maybe something else.

There are some lengthy letters over and back between Alice and Eileen in the book which are a bit tricky to get through at times (and to be honest, discussing the topic of religion in detail at points bored me to tears). Other than those chunky letters, overall an easy read, nothing ground-breaking, but I would say even more gazing-into-each-others-souls-and-analysing-the-state-of-the-world than Normal People. If you can imagine that.

If you have read any of these books I would love to know your thoughts! I am heading to Antibes, France for a week in a couple of days so hoping I will fly through my next stack of books and I promise I will be much more on time with my July/August books at the START of September.

If you want to purchase any of the books mentioned in this post, simple click on the title (affiliate links). Reel to go with this post over on my insta and TikTok!

Thank you for reading, 

S ✗