July Wrap-Up

It feels like forever since I've done a wrap-up (probably since my last wrap-up wasn't exactly significant), but at the same time, I can't believe another month has gone by! Only one more month of summer, and I'm definitely going to make it count reading-wise!

This month was a lot better than last month. I read a lot more, I felt like reading a lot more, and I read some really great books. A lot of this was helped by the fact that I participated in BookTubeAThon during the last week of the month. The challenges were really fun, and it helped motivate me to read more! Although there were definitely a couple days in there when I didn't read as much as I could...but that's okay! I'm really happy with how I did.

In other news, my laptop needs repairs. That means I don't have it right now, which means my computer access is going to be a bit more limited for a while. I should be able to get regular blog posts out (she says as she hasn't been doing that for months), but hopefully I'll have it back soon! I was putting off the repairs because I had an online job during June, but now that that's done, I really need it fixed before the school year starts.

THE BOOKS

SUMMER DAYS AND SUMMER NIGHTS ed. by Stephanie Perkins: I really enjoyed this anthology! I read the one that's kind of a companion to it, MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME, last December, and I thought that overall, this one was better. And it was a perfect read for when it was so hot outside! For my thoughts on the individual stories, click here. ★★★½

ONCE AND FOR ALL by Sarah Dessen: I've been really excited for this for so long - I love Sarah Dessen books! This one definitely didn't disappoint. It was a bit darker than I was expecting, but it all worked so wonderfully that I couldn't put it down. ★★★★

GABI, A GIRL IN PIECES by Isabel Quintero: This was a really difficult book for me to rate because I liked the story, but for most of the book, I didn't really like the writing style. I'm definitely glad I read it, but I think my expectations were a little too high. ★★★

WE ARE THE ANTS by Shaun David Hutchinson: The best word I can think of to describe this book is strange. And I can't really talk about any of my opinions without major spoilers. I started out a bit unsure, but I really liked this more as I kept going. ★★★★

ALWAYS AND FOREVER, LARA JEAN by Jenny Han (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #3): I'm so happy that I finally read this but so sad that the series is over! Although, to be fair, we all thought it was over with the second book, so I should be happy that we got this in the first place. This was a really satisfying end to the trilogy, and it reminded me of all the reasons I love Lara Jean and her whole world. ★★★★½

WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND by Robin Talley: I'm very conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it explores a lot of ideas that I think need to be explored in YA: you don't have to be sure of your gender. It's okay to change your mind about who you are or to try out different things. But on the other hand, there were so many parts in this book that I think could be hurtful and that made me cringe. ★★

THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE by Heidi Heilig (The Girl From Everywhere #1): I've had this book on my TBR forever and I'm so glad I finally read it! It's a perfect blend of historical fiction and fantasy, the worldbuilding is exquisite, and the character are each so unique. I can't wait to read more! This filled the Booktubeathon challenge for reading a book in a day. ★★★★

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR by Nicola Yoon: I was really surprised by this book, in a good way. I was pretty sure I'd like it, but I had no idea how much, or how attached I'd get to these characters that we know for such a short time. Of course it's not for everyone - the premise alone means it's pretty insta-love-y - but I'd definitely recommend reading it even if you're not too sure about it. This kind of filled the Booktubeathon challenge for reading a cover buy - I don't do cover buys, so I just picked a book with a nice cover. ★★★★½

 SAINTS AND MISFITS by S.K. Ali: This was a very interesting book because it had traits of a light, happy contemporary as well as traits of a very dark one. The whole book was balanced very nicely. My biggest complaint was that it was somewhat predictable, but that didn't really take away from my enjoyment in reading it. This filled the Booktubeathon challenge for reading a book about a character very different from yourself. ★★★½

MS. MARVEL, VOL. 5: SUPER FAMOUS by G. Willow Wilson: It's been way too long since I've read a Ms. Marvel comic! This was just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be. The reintroduction into the world was slightly rushed - might have been a little easier if I actually kept up with the rest of the Marvel universe - but overall I loved it. This filled the Booktubeathon challenge for reading a book entirely outside. ★★★★★★★

I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE by Maurene Goo: This was so, so good! I remember almost taking it off my TBR a while back and honestly, what was I thinking? It's wonderful, it's hilarious, it's relatable, it's guaranteed to put a smile on your face within the first chapter, and I just loved it so much. This filled the Booktubeathon challenge for reading a book with a person on the cover. ★★★★★

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic #1): I've finally read a V.E./Victoria Schwab book! And wow, what a way to start off! If the rest of her books are like this, she's going to become a new favorite very quickly. My favorite part of this book was definitely the worldbuilding, but the characters were pretty amazing too. I'm really excited to read the rest of the series! This filled the Booktubeathon challgne for reading a hyped book. ★★★★½


NORA & KETTLE by Lauren Nicolle Taylor (Paper Stars #1): This was a disappointment. My biggest problem was that the thing on the back of the book doesn't happen until page 219, which is just about two-thirds of the way into the book. That's way too long with me knowing what's going to happen. Things got a little better after that, but the last third felt very rushed because that's where the majority of the plot was. This rounded out the Booktubeathon challenge to read seven books. ★★

Reread this month:

• CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #3): Finally finishing my audiobook reread of this series! Technically I haven't finished this one yet, but I know I'm going to by the end of the month because it's due back at the library by then. I'm sure it's going to be wonderful.

READING STATS

• Total books: 13 new, 1 reread
• Longest book: not counting rereads, The Girl From Everywhere (464 pages); counting rereads, Clockwork Princess (570 pages)
• Shortest book: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 5: Super Famous (144 pages)
• Favorite book: I Believe in a Thing Called Love
• Least favorite book: Nora & Kettle

CHALLENGE PROGRESS

Backlist Reader Challenge: 3 this month, overall 20/60 (Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, What We Left Behind, A Darker Shade of Magic)

Read it Again, Sam Challenge: 1 this month, overall 18/16+ (Clockwork Princess)

2017 Debut Author Challenge: 1 this month, overall 8/12 (Saints and Misfits)

2017 Series Ender Challenge: 1 this month, overall 4/5-10 (Always and Forever, Lara Jean)

BLOG POSTS

• My Favorite Book Covers
• The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag
• How to Choose Your Next Book
• Last Minute BookTubeAThon TBR Suggestions

BLOGGING CHALLENGE PROGRESS

2017 Discussion Challenge: 0 this month, overall 4/11-20

How was this month for you? Did you participate in BookTubeAThon? How are your reading challenges going? Tell me in the comments!