RTW: Best July Read(s)!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at 12:00AM It's Road Trip Wednesday time - and today's topic:
WHAT WAS THE BEST BOOK YOU READ IN JULY?
I will admit, I read some pretty bad books in July. Eh-em, FIFTY SHADES OF GREY turned out to be fifty shades of days I will never get back in my life!
But...I also read two books, that were both pretty dang awesome. Two books I HIGHLY recommend you all pick up and read this summer:
1. ON THE ISLAND by Tracey Garvis-Graves
Goodreads Summary:
When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.
Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island.
Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.
My review:
Now I know what you're thinking when you read the above summary - but really, you MUST give this book a shot before assuming the worst. Because honestly, this was one of the best reads I've read in a LONG time - and I finished it in one day.
The characters were well written from start to finish. And by the time I turned the last page, I was a blubbering mess. That's something that doesn't happen often, I can assure you.
I still need to write my review on this one, so I won't say anything more other than you DEFINITELY MUST READ THIS BOOK!
2. THE VINCENT BOYS by Abbi Glines
Goodreads Summary:
Being the good girl isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ashton Gray has grown weary of playing the part to please her parents, and to be worthy of the town’s prince charming, Sawyer Vincent. Maybe That’s why she’s found herself spending time with Sawyer’s cousin, Beau, while he’s away for the summer camping with his family. Beau is nothing like her perfect boyfriend. He’s the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, dangerous in ways she’s only day dreamed about, and the one guy she should stay away from.
Beau never envied Sawyer his loving parents, his big nice home, or his position as quarterback. He loves him like a brother. Which is why he's tried everything in his power to keep his distance from Sawyer’s girlfriend. Even if he has loved her since the age of five, Ashton is Sawyer’s girl, so therefore she’s off limits. But when Sawyer leaves for the summer, Ashton, the one girl Beau would move Heaven and Earth for, decides she wants to get into trouble. Stabbing the one person who’s always accepted him and stood by him in the back, is the cost of finally holding Ashton Gray in his arms. Is she worth losing his cousin over?.... Hell Yeah.
My Review:
Let me tell you, Ms. Glines writes boy WELL. This one is a perfect summer read - light, fun, and easy. Again, I haven't written my review yet, so I won't go into detail...other than I really enjoyed it! My only disappointment is that the sequel - THE VINCENT BROTHERS - is only out on Kindle right now (boo!) - but Abbi reassures me (yes, I DM'd her on Twitter!) she's working on the paperback version, and fingers crossed, it should be out soon.
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Both of the above are great summer reads - and definitely a breath of fresh air from the FIFTY mess I got myself into earlier in the month.
I also stopped by Barnes & Noble last weekend and picked up 14 new books from my TBR list (ENDER'S GAME, WHAT I DIDN'T SAY, SUCH A RUSH, DON'T BREATHE A WORD, and MY LIFE NEXT DOOR to name a few!), so needless to say, August is going to be a busy month for reading...and I can't wait!
Reader Comments (11)
THE VINCENT BOYS sounds so up my alley. I'd never even heard of it before, but now I'm all in. Must. Read. Now.
Haha! Okay, I'm still laughing about the FIFTY mess comment. Too funny! I refuse to go down that road... :)
Both of these books you mention sound interesting. RTW is just awful for making my TBR list grow in leaps and bounds. I suppose that's not exactly a bad thing, right ? Thanks for mentioning these!
Both of those books sound very interesting! I have seen The Vincent Boys popping up in some places but the first one I´ve never heard of. Thanks for sharing, Erin!
I'll be sure to check these out. Also YOU BOUGHT 14 BOOKS FROM B&N IN ONE TRIP??? I wish I could do that.
I'm checking out that first one. FOR SURE. Thanks for the recommendations, Erin! Also, 14 books in one trip?! Can I come live with you for a while? :)
You read my mind about "On the Island." I read the description and went..."Uh..." But I'm adding to my TBR-list!
I was so sold on ON THE ISLAND until that last bit--yikes. But you make it sound so good I might give it a try anyway! I do love survival stories (my review of THE RAFT by S.A. Bodeen will be on the blog Sunday!) so I may not be able to resist this one.
I'm not sure I want to be reduced to a blubbering mess, but the premise of ON THE ISLAND sounds intriguing. And if it's as we'll-written as you say, it might be worth adding to the old TBR.
Hello! I found you through the comments section over at RTW. All the girls in my office who read have been buzzing about On the Island. Each one of them read it in a day and keep raving about it. I might have to check it out sometime!
Ooh - those sound so good! And I hadn't heard about them before - even better!
My favorite read in July was WARPED by Maurissa Guibord. From my review: Sarcastic teen meets young nobleman from the 16th century - do I really need to tell you why you should read this book?
It's really fun and provided some welcome distraction this month.
:)
Great reviews as usual, Erin! Since you've already read all about my July reads, I'll just tell you that I'm intrigued by both of your picks. Thanks for the recommendations!