September has been a crazy month! It was back to school and since it’s not exactly a normal year, it’s been a bit hectic all around. However, I still managed to read 15 books, which is not too shabby at all. Also I got all but one of the prompts completed for the September back to school edition of The Loyal Book-a-Thon. Let’s jump into all of the books that I read this month! You’ll find them below the cut.
1. The Merciless by Danielle Vega
Rating: 4 Stars
Prompts: Syllabus, Month 1 of Halloween, Spiral Notebook, School Lunches
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book was really interesting. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever read, and the pacing was a little bit strange, but I had a lot of fun with the story line of it. It kept me guessing about what was happening, and it felt like a really good start to the spooky season. It won’t be for everyone, but it worked for me. It was definitely a bit gory, but the author painted some really good visuals that made me cringe.
2. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Rating: 4 Stars
Prompts: “Borrow Paper”, Brown Bag Lunches
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book was an interesting follow up to The Handmaid’s Tale. It wasn’t nearly as hard hitting in some ways, but it was still really intriguing to learn about where the Republic of Gilead ended up following Offred’s tale. I definitely would say that I enjoyed the first book more than it’s follow up, but it’s still worth checking out if you’re at all interested in the Atwood’s writing style or the sequel. I especially enjoyed the audiobook because there was a different narrator for each point of view and that made the story really come alive.
3. Frankly in Love by David Yoon
Rating: 4 Stars
Prompts: Pop Quiz!, Fruit Snacks, Skipped Period, All Nighter, First Day of School
Format: Audiobook
Review: I saw a lot of reviews for this book saying that it wasn’t what people expected, and I’m not really sure how that was the case. It was advertised as a fake dating trope and that was definitely the case. It was also definitely a lot more than just the fake dating trope, but most books are more than one thing and that’s both expected and encouraged. Either way, I had a lot of fun with this story. It hit you in all the right feels and made me both happy and sad. It’s definitely worth checking out.
4. Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia
Rating: 4 Stars
Prompts: Teacher’s Pet, Crosswalk, Book Report
Format: eBook
Review: A full review of this will be up on the blog soon.
5. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: A full review of this will be up on the blog soon. Honestly though, it’s amazing and you should read it.
6. Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards
Rating: 3 Stars
Prompts: Bus Route
Format: eBook
Review: A full review of this will be up on the blog soon.
7. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book is supremely messed up but it’s also super fascinating. I found the basic premise really intriguing in a horrifying kind of way, and I really wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it even as I listened through it. It was definitely a messy story, but the dynamics of the characters and the way that she dealt with what happened to her was really interesting. This is definitely worth checking out, but it’s not for the faint of heart.
8. Footsteps in the Snow by Carol Matas
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book is pretty short and there’s not a lot of development. However, for what it is, it’s really interesting and would be a good read for someone who’s just getting into chapter books perhaps.
9. Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Rating: 5 Stars
Prompts: Pumpkin Spice, Homework, Locker Combo, Class Schedule, First Bell, Autumn, Taking Notes
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book was amazing!! It was so action packed that I had a really hard time putting it down between sections and definitely lapped Kari in our buddy read of it. The cliffhanger is totally the worst, and I absolutely need the next one now. This book is so, so good. You need to read this series!
10. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Rating: 2 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I don’t really understand what the big deal about this book is. It’s got a lot of hype around it, but it really wasn’t that well written and the content was super questionable. I don’t understand how it got like four sequels and I definitely won’t be continuing on with the series. It’s not really worth the time I put into it.
11. Orphan at my Door by Jean Little
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book is aimed at a younger audience, but it had a lot more development than the other book I read this month in this greater series. It was a quick enough read but you learn more about the characters and there’s more of a story in general to it. I had a lot of fun reading about it.
12. The Beckoners by Carrie Mac
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I read this book to see if I wanted to potentially do it as a novel study with one of my English classes, and in the end I decided against it. I had read it before when I was in school and honestly I just forgot how brutal it was. I just don’t feel like I could do it justice in teaching it. In reading it though, I had a good time. I felt for the characters, and I was pleased with the ending.
13. We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog soon.
14. The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I had a lot of fun reading this audiobook. Apollo is really growing on me as a character, and I liked the course that this story took. It had some really sad moments, but it just went to show that the stakes are pretty high in the story which is definitely what you want. You don’t want it to feel like no one can ever get hurt. Definitely worth checking out.
15. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a really cute romance. I needed something fun and fluffy and my reserve on this one came in at the perfect time. It was super cute, and hit you in all the right feels. I highly recommend checking this one out if rom-com style books are your thing!
So that’s everything I read in October. What did you read? Let me know in the comments down below.
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