Monday, July 29, 2024

Mini Book Reviews: July 2024

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder, The Summer Pact, Long Island Compromise, The Heart in Winter, Guilty Creatures, Catalina, and They Dream in Gold from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my reviews. This post contains affiliate links.

For the month of July I had 7 pre-releases on my NetGalley dashboard that were set for publication. I made up my mind to get them read by the end of the month. Fortunately, all of the books were worth reading! My favorite? I loved Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder. I also loved The Heart in Winter. There is definitely something for everyone on this list!


Lenny is a 37 year old teacher with a very routine and controlled life. She's considered odd by others. As the story unfolds, the reader learns about her terrible childhood and the disappearance of her mother and brother at the hands of her evil stepfather. After she receives a letter from the parole board about his imminent release, things start to unravel. This is when Lenny loosens up and opens her life to other people. Quirky characters are having a moment, aren't they? Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is a wonderful read about a damaged woman who finds her way. I absolutely loved this story. 




The always reliable Emily Giffin's latest novel follows the story of college besties who, after a tragic event, make a pact to be there for each other. Told in 3 POVs, it felt like a coming-of-age story as the characters navigate the perils of life. The narrative flows easily despite some weighty topics. Giffin never gets in too deep and I never felt completely invested in any of the characters. The romances at the end of the book felt like an afterthought. I would have liked more depth to the plot. For me,  The Summer Pact was just ok.





I started Long Island Compromise and then shelved it after I struggled to get into it. After reading the NYT glowing review on publication day, I decided to give it another go. I'm glad I did. This is an epic multigenerational tale of a Jewish-American family, living a very comfortable life on Long Island when their father is kidnapped and held for ransom. He never recovers from that incident and his 3 children bear the brunt. Their mother is angry and cold and their grandmother, the matriarch, wields influence over all of them. As adults, the children all struggle and their stories are the focus of this book. The author is a gifted storyteller and injects the story with snarky humor. It's also incredibly insightful. I kept thinking: who comes up with a plot like this? It's a long book, but I am glad I stuck with it. The ending is very satisfying. 

The Heart in Winter
 is the story of a young couple on the run, fleeing the woman's husband. The marriage was transactional. The attraction between the two lovers was sizzling. They travel across the west towards San Francisco on their stolen Palomino and take refuge in a cabin in the woods for the winter. Meanwhile, they are being pursued by a posse of men determined to capture the woman and bring her back. The plot is pretty standard fare, but what makes it special is the setting, 1891 Montana, and the delivery, which is told with an Irish flare. This was an amazing book, a complete surprise, and one of my favorite books this year so far!




I'm not a true crime fan, and while I admit that the cover drew me into this story, the story itself kept me reading. This is the story of 2 couples in north Florida, friends since high school, who do everything together. One of the couple's husbands disappears while duck hunting, thought to be eaten by alligators in the lake. When the widow marries the other husband, the focus shifts to them. They continue to live their lives as if nothing happened, including an effort never to discuss the events anywhere. You know how it's going to go, but it's the unfolding of the details that made this a compelling story. 




Catalina
is the story of a 'dreamer', a child of undocumented immigrants living in the US. Being raised by her grandparents (also undocumented), she attends Harvard but will be unable to gain employment upon graduation. She thinks about this all the time while struggling with typical coming-of-age issues and that is the focus of this book. For me, the story was rambling and unjointed--I had trouble following the narrative and had to reread sections just to reorient myself. The novel did give me lots to think about and I plan to pick up the author's first book, The Undocumented Americans, for perspective.




This beautifully written debut novel tells the story of Bonnie and Mansour, who meet in New York at his record label. He is recording a jazz album, she is the artist designing the album cover. They fall in love, she becomes pregnant, and he leaves her with his mother in Switzerland while he tours Europe. Mansour fails to return to Bonnie and a search ensues. The story meanders through time, giving the reader a sense of history. Multiple POVs serve to provide perspective as well as establish connections between the characters. I won't lie--while reading this novel, I had to reorient myself a few times to sort it out. They Dream in Gold is a love story, but it is so much more. A really worthwhile read.



What did you read this month? Have you read any of these books? What's your favorite genre?

I'm linking up with Jenn and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics. I'm also excited to join Farrah for My Month is Booked! 





17 comments :

  1. That is amazing - 7 books this month! I am adding them to my list of books to read. I read 4 books in July, the most I've read in a month. I have no idea how that happened. I am one book ahead of reaching my goal for this year.

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    1. It helped having some time off! Excited that you're sticking to your reading goal for the year.

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  2. It's funny how sometimes we need to be "pushed" into a book! A good review can sometimes make us reconsider and give a book a second try. The Long Island Compromise seemed to be worth it!

    I'm reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I think everyone has already read it - I'm sure you have, too!

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  3. I love your lists. I will always a few to my list.
    Enjoyed Expiration Dates by Serle

    Just read a Lisa Gardner and Freda McFadden.

    Lately I'm stuck on mysteries.

    Plan to read Ordinary Grace.

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  4. I’ve read so many books this month but these are all new to me. I e found mixed w Emily Griffin as well. I read the new Daniel Silva, the new Elin Hildebrand and Eruption by Michael Christin and someone else. Loved all 3. Also “Best lie wins” was a good twisty page turner

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  5. These sound good! I just finished The Whispers by Ashley Audrain- boy what a dark book. You definitely read some interesting books- I haven't heard of any of these. To answer your question, my favorite genre is mystery, but I try to force myself to branch out occasionally!

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  6. OOH! Guilty Creatures sounds RIGHT up my alley!

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  7. I'm always amazed by how many books you read! Lenny Marks sounds like one I need to read. Too bad that Summer Pact didn't play out well - the premise sounds like a good one. I've been reading memoirs lately (Laura Fleshman and Alex Toussaint) so I'm ready to pivot - thanks for the recommendations!

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    1. I just finished a really good memoir and have pivoted to thrillers! So many books, so little time...

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  8. Haven't read any of these. Might have to add The Heart in Winter to my list. It keeps growing and growing. Not enough time.

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    1. My list is so long! I'm tackling a few backlist thrillers as we speak.

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  9. Thanks for linking up! (I can’t seem to sign in but this is Farrah, haha.) Catalina was on my list but I may move it down a lil further based on your review.

    I’m adding Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder, Heart in Winter, and Guilty Creatures to my list though! They sound like intriguing reads!

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    1. Catalina was good story but it was a lot of 'train of thoughts' and that made some of the story hard to follow for me.

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