Since summer kicked off I’ve been in a pretty good reading groove, maybe you noticed by lack of posts on the blog ;). And I have to say I really liked all of these books and would recommend them all for different reasons/moods. It’s not often you can say that 🙂 As I am writing this I am actually trying to pick one to be a favorite from the last two months and I just can’t because I start to pick one and then get upset it isn’t another one. So without picking a favorite… here’s what I read in June and July! Would love to hear any of your favorite recent reads in the comments!
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev– Opal & Nev are a legendary 70’s rock duo, featuring Opal, a black woman and true creative spirit from Detroit and Neville Charles, a British singer and songwriter battling his own demons. While they are known for their music, a violent night at one of their concerts ends up being what they are known for even more. The book tells Opal & Nev’s story through the eyes of Sunny Shelton, a music journalist and magazine editor who is interviewing Opal before a potential reunion show of the duo. It is equal parts about Opal and Nev’s past as it is about their present and Sunny’s who is tied to them and the fateful night they are most known for. This book reminded me of both Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in different ways so if you liked either of those I would recommend!
Good Company– I loved Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s The Nest so I was very excited to read her latest when Good Company came out. Flora and Julian have been married for more than 20 years and have always been considered by their friends to have a great marriage. One day while looking for a picture for their daughter’s high school graduation party, Flora finds an envelope with her husband’s wedding ring in it- the wedding ring he claimed to have lost several summers ago when their daughter was only 5. The discovery rocks Flora and turns her world, marriage and her friendship with best friend Margot upside down.
The Four Winds– Kristin Hannah is definitely one of my favorite authors- I love everything she writes so I had high expectations for The Four Winds and it was fantastic! When I posted on Instagram that I was reading it, I got a bunch of messages about it being sad which is true- it takes place during The Great Depression so I think that kind of comes with the territory. I have loved historical fiction novels since I was a kid and especially loved that this book was about something I had not spent much time learning or previously reading about, living in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. The Four Winds is the story of Elsa and her family and their story of survival as their farm dries up during years of drought. Another Kristin Hannah classic if you are a fan 🙂
Malibu Rising– This is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest release that came out earlier this summer. If you are into #bookstagram, I’ve sure you’ve seen it around 🙂 Malibu Rising follows the Rivas family, four siblings living in Malibu as they get ready for their big annual party to celebrate the end of summer. The party is one that will change their lives and each sibling will learn things about themselves over the course of the night. The novel bounces between “present” time and their childhood past growing up as the children of famous musician Mickey Rivas who was absent from their lives. As a lover of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s prior novels, I was really looking forward to this one. I’ve seen a lot of people saying the book received too much hype. My opinion on it is I don’t like it as much as her prior books, but it is still well written, entertaining and I was intrigued and wanting to keep reading to find out what would with the Rivas siblings. I would recommend the book, but probably give advice to not try to compare it to her previous books 🙂
Summer of ’69– Okay somewhat embarrassing to admit as an avid reader, but this was actually my first time reading an Elin Hildebrand book! Spoiler alert: I LOVED it! Summer of ’69 is the story of the Levin family over the course of the summer of 1969, a tumultuous time in both their lives and U.S. history. The family typically spends each summer at their grandmother’s home in Nantucket, but this summer is different. The only son Tiger is called up to Vietnam just as summer is set to begin. Oldest sister Blair is pregnant and home in Boston with her husband who is working on the launch to the moon. Middle sister Kirby decides to rebel from her family in yet another way and goes to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer instead of Nantucket. And youngest sister Jessie is turning thirteen while experiencing her first Nantucket summer without her siblings. This is a great summer read with substance and also has a bit of historical fiction in with what is happening in the world during that summer.
What have you been reading this summer? Anything you’d recommend? Have you read any of these books as well?
xoxo, Jenna
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