July 2022 Book Review

Gear up for another great list because today is my July Book Review! There’s nothing like back to back great books. Seriously, I could not put these down. I got so excited to pick them up and finished many of them in a day or two. I’m giddy just thinking about it! This month, I had a lot of reading time because we spent a lot of time in an airport or on a plane.

If you missed my June Book Review:

June 2022 Book Review

On June 30th, we celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and then on July 1st, we were heading to Europe. I can’t believe it has been three years already. Two of those years were during the COVID pandemic, so those feel like a blur. We took our honeymoon to Europe three years ago and went to Italy, Spain, and France. Three years later, we were finally back! We had the most wonderful time, and I can’t wait to return one day. 🙂

But first…

If you want to read about our time in Ireland, click HERE!

If you want to read about our time in England, click HERE!

If you want to read about our time in France, click HERE!

Let’s get into my book review!

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Overall: 5/5

Warning: Rated R

If you have yet to read It Happened One Summer, I reviewed that last month, and you have to start THERE for the first book in this series.

This month, I read the second book in the series, Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey. If you read my review for the first book, you know I loved It Happened One Summer! Spoiler alert – I loved this one even more! I was beyond excited to find out there was a spin off story for Hannah and Fox. This storyline occurs a few years after Piper and Hannah’s Brendan book ends. Hannah is back in town for work and has to crash in Fox’s spare bedroom. They have stayed friends all these years but never thought this relationship could be anything more since he is a notorious ladies’ man and she is hopelessly crushing on a coworker. Fox decides to be her ultimate wingman during her stay, and the real chemistry starts. Gosh, I was blushing because of all the cuteness. This story is light, fun, and exactly what I needed. 

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Overall: 5/5

Warning: Rated R

I’ve become hesitant about the popular #BookTok recommendations. They have been letting me down recently. Despite my better judgment, I decided to try this one. My expectation was low because the story seemed too cheesy. Maybe I don’t know myself or love cheesy stories, but I was HOOKED. Don’t get me wrong… I should have been cringing at how cheesy this story was, but I ate it up. Hannah is that smart nerdy girl who has a crush on the most popular football player in school. Garrett, the hockey team’s captain, is on the verge of failing one of the classes and becoming ineligible to play. The day his class finds out they all failed the exam, he notices one girl got an A, and he has to convince her to tutor him. The only problem is she has every excuse for why she can’t and doesn’t want to. Thus, they form a deal.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Overall: 3/5

Warning: Rated R

When Tate meets her brother’s best friend and airline pilot, Miles, they can’t stand each other, but they also can’t stop thinking about each other. He doesn’t want love. She doesn’t have time for love. They realize they have the perfect arrangement if Tate can stick to Miles’s rules.

Please don’t hate me… I did not like Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. Here’s my issue with the book as a whole. I liked Tate, but I was not a fan of Miles. I’m not sure about a character who hides all his feelings and history from someone he “loves.” That would be a major red flag for me. This essential piece to their story tainted it for me. I understand the book is titled ugly love, but this felt much more like toxic love.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Overall: 4/5

Y’all, this is one of those cheesy faking dating books. Sprinkle on all of the cheese. At this point, I fully accept that I am obsessed with rom-coms. I even started listening to this podcast that reviews old rom-com movies. Which reminds me, why aren’t their new rom-coms? I digress…
Olive Smith is a Ph.D. student, and Adam Carlsen is a young professor who is a notorious jerk. Olive’s best friend is secretly in love with Olive’s ex-boyfriend and worries that Olive would be hurt if they ever dated. Olive wants her best friend to be happy and claims she’s dating someone. In a panic, she kisses the first man she sees. Thus a fake boyfriend is formed. This story is cute, predictable, and exactly what I needed.

The Mistake (Off-Campus 2) by Elle Kennedy

Overall: 1/5

After reading The Deal, I wanted to read the entire Off-Campus series. My hopes were high after finding that the author made spin off stories for the other couples. Once I started the second book, my hope crashed and burned. Argh… I could not do it. In the nicest way possible, this book was just dumb. It felt nothing like The Deal, and I struggled to get through it. I started to skim the remaining chapters to finish as fast as possible. Perhaps, I tried reading this one too soon after finishing The Deal, and I might have liked it more if I had waited longer. 

Woo! This was a long book review. Overall they were some great reads!

For all my other book reviews, click HERE!