The eight books I read in August

• The Wedding People - Alison Espach ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 🌶️🌶️

The Wedding People by Alison Espach is a must-read this summer! A summer wedding always creates a special atmosphere, and this is fully enhanced by Phoebe's presence and activity in the hotel. It's beautiful to see how she is welcomed into the festive bustle and how quickly she manages to create strong bonds with the guests.

Thanks to Atlas Contact and the Club van Echte Lezers for providing me with a physical copy in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.sofiesreadingworld.com/post/the-wedding-people-review

• The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger ⭐️/🌶️

  

  Not my cuppa 'to tell you the thruth’

  But still not bad/desinteresting enough for me to not pick it up and finish it. Don’t ask me what inspired me to continue, but I did anyway.

• In Your Head - Alicia Vane ⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️

  

  This novella was a necessary fresh break in my current reading. Sapphic and lighter romance never really come to the forefront for long, but I do need them from time to time to freshen up my palette 😛.

  I liked the writing style and the pushing and pulling between Ellen and Natalie, but personally expected a bit more spice. I found it a bit rushed and cut short at times.

  I thought the setting of the story is really interesting and I’m curious to see how Alicia plays out the originality in the coming up sequel where we'll get to know Ellen better.

  Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Victory Editing Publishing for providing me with a DRC of this book.

  https://www.sofiesreadingworld.com/post/in-your-head

• In The Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

  

  Insightful into an abusive lesbian relationship, how Carmen grew in and out of it, how each step is still seen as taboo and how she coped and copes with it. Beautifully executed.

• Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil - V.E. Schwab ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

  

  Victoria made my heart bloom and bleed for her women. Toxic vampire lesbians is an understatement. Limited plot, just lesbian vampire vibes trying to cope with life.

• Als Bittere Sinaasappels - Milena Palminteri ⭐️⭐️✨️/🌶️

  

  Despite their suffering, I am glad that I followed the lives of Carlotta, mother Nardina, and grandmother Bastiana. The plot and writing style give a very clear and realistic view of life during that time in beautiful Italy. Although the use of the classic writing style was not to my taste, which means I will most likely not read any other work by this author. All in all, I also found the plot slightly predictable, but was fortunately still surprised by the unexpected involvement of certain characters and small extras, which made me more curious towards the end to finish the book in one evening. I would therefore recommend Als bittere sinaasappels (no translation in English yet) to anyone who enjoys reading about a tangle of family history in an interbellum setting where the search for identity beckons in the shadow of Italian culture and who is not deterred by a more classic, less smooth writing style.

  Thanks to the publisher HarperCollins Holland for providing me with the e-book for writing the review.

  https://www.sofiesreadingworld.com/post/als-bittere-sinaasappels-review

• Strange Houses - Uketsu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  

  Not as intriguing as Strange Pictures, but a fun, quick mystery read nevertheless. I live for these booklets to lighten up my week! Couldn't not pick this up from the store.

• Gallant - V.E. Schwab ⭐️⭐️⭐️

  

  Read this as an audiobook and I think it’s narrated by the same narrator as A Darker Shade of Magic. So I had difficulties seeing this as a standalone, because it seems to fit in perfectly with the magic system and setting of multiple, mirroring Londons. This felt the same and not extremely original. I did however like the plot of a mute, orphan girl discovering her family and heritage, although this has a slightly darker feel than A Darker Shade of Magic.