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With August and September coming, so did back to school season. So, I’ve been too busy to read! Between these two months, I’ve only completed 3 books, and I definitely have some strong thoughts on them. My goal for 2025 was to read one book a month, and so far, I’ve more than DOUBLED that! I’ll be sharing a brief summary, my personal thoughts, and a rating for each book. Plus, I’ll highlight my top recommendation at the end!
Book list overview (with links to purchase)
- The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
- Mischief Nights are Murder by Libby Klein
- Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen
📖 The Wedding Party – Jasmine Guillory
- Genre: Romance
- Synopsis: Maddie and Theo have two things in common: 1. Their best friend, Alexa and 2. They HATE each other. But, an accidental hook up reveals that there may be a little bit more than hate between the two of them. With Alexa’s wedding coming up, they agree to keep their “meetings” a secret. A secret that’ll only last until the wedding and where no one catches feelings. What could possibly go wrong?
- My Thoughts: As much as I love a spicy, enemies-to-lovers read, this one was just okay to me. It took a while to get into the plot, but once it did, I found myself skipping some of the spicier scenes. It’s a fun, quick read with successful, relatable, Black characters, but if you want something deep with lots of drama, this read isn’t it. I did enjoy Jasmine Guillory’s writing style, and I do have another one of her novels on my TBR!
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? Maybe–if you want a quick, fun romance read, you’ll enjoy this one, but if you want more depth, opt out.
📖 Mischief Nights are Murder – Libby Klein
- Genre: Mystery
- Synopsis: Poppy is less than excited to find out that her bed and breakfast was chosen to participate in her town’s Haunted Dinner Tours, but her and Aunt Ginny decide to make the best of it. That’s before a giant group of quirky and eccentric guests arrive, and a murder happens right at the dinner table. With Poppy’s reputation at stake, she does whatever she can to stay out of the way while simultaneously solving the mystery of “whodunit”.
- My Thoughts: I’ve never read a mystery before, and based on the description of this book, I was expecting something funny and interesting, kind of like a Goosebumps book for adults. However, I was so disappointed! This story was not funny, it dragged at times, and the ending was less than surprising. There were also so many characters, it took so long for me to get used to the names and learn who everyone was. Honestly, my favorite part of this book was Poppy’s adorable, troublemaking cat!
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? No–there has to be a better cozy mystery out there! This one is extremely lackluster, and I would not recommend.
📖 Plus Size Player – Danielle Allen
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Synopsis: Nina has a different man for every type of date: The Funny One, The Smart One, The Romantic One, and The Fun One; and, she swears she won’t settle down until she finds Mr. Perfect, exactly like the love her parents have. That all changes when she starts to fall for one of the men in her roster, Russ, The Fun One. But, when this new passion conflicts with the biggest break of her career, Nina has to decide: is this love worth it?
- My Thoughts: I LOVED Curvy Girl Summer, so I was expecting the same from Plus Size Summer; however, this was not the case. This read was so boring, and it included too many details about Nina’s career that I honestly, did not care about at all. We didn’t really get to see the depth and progression of Nina and Russ’ relationship, but there were far too many spicy scenes and work scenes that did not progress the plot. I almost DNF’d at about Chapter 7, but I decided to push through anyway. I hate that I didn’t love this book because I loved the first one, and I really liked the characters! But, the plot was just not it for me.
- Favorite Quote: “Russell Long was the manifestation of the love I always knew existed but thought would be impossible to find.”
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? No–just stop after Curvy Girl Summer!
My Top Pick of the Month is…
For once, I had no five star reads, so I don’t have a Top Pick! As Autumn is really kicking in, I’m starting to read more seasonal books, so hopefully I get out of this slump and find some books I love!
What’s TBR for October?
- Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow by Victoria Walters
- Fall I Want by Lyra Parish
- Cinnamon Lane by Bennett Rhodes
That concludes my August/September reading wrap-up! I’m so excited that I’ve read 35 books so far this year, and I can’t wait to see what’s next! What did you read in August/September? Do you have any recommendations for me? Let’s chat in the comments!
