Mini Book Reviews: August 2025

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Greenwich, Beautiful Nights, In Berlin, L.A. Women, and Joy Moody is Out of Time in exchange for my honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links.

What a prolific month of reading! With our relentless heatwave that plagued us most of August, I spent most of my time off inside, in the air conditioning. Similar to winter, in a sense. With all that downtime, I hunkered down, finished all my NetGalley reads for July and August (yay!), and read some library holds. The two Oprah book club selections were completely by chance--the books sounded good and they were available, so I read them. 

I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite book for the month. They were all 5 and 4 star reads. I leaned heavily on literary fiction this month--I do love a good story. There's one memoir. I hope you find something that interests you!

In this coming of age novel, 17 year old Rachel is sent to Greenwich to spend the summer with her wealthy aunt and uncle while her sister recovers from cancer. The story starts slowly as Rachel spends her days lazily. Bored, she starts to hang out with the nanny, who is caring for the family's 2 year old. Rachel also spends time snooping around the house, finding her aunt's secret pill stash and her uncle's creepy computer history. Secrets abound in this book, including those that follow the terrible tragedy that is the climax of the story. As I read this, I couldn't imagine being so young and having all those secrets inside of me. Greenwich starts slowly, way too slowly, but stick with it for the juicy parts to come. 

Culpability is a family drama set during a family vacation in Chesapeake Bay. A car crash on the way to the oldest son's lacrosse tournament sets the tone for the story. Everyone in the family has a piece of responsibility for what happens, and the plot grows from this auspicious beginning.  Culpability asks the question: if AI fails, who is responsible? I was turning the pages to find out what happens next--and believe you me, a lot happens on this family's one week vacation. The book also left me with more questions than answers. I don't want to share too much because it's best to go in blind. Thrilling and thought-provoking- my favorite kind of book!

Beautiful Nights is the story of a 40-something successful woman who is struggling with getting older, feeling unattractive, and irrelevant. Her husband has affairs; she has one-night stands with anonymous men. They've grown apart and sleep in separate bedrooms. It isn't until she meets her grown son's 19 year old girlfriend that she realizes how unsatisfactory her life is. Translated impeccably from French, the gorgeous narrative is mostly introspective and moody. The setting at the sea in Brittany, the French countryside, and the descriptions of the food and drink--oh, do they drink!-- made me want to pack my bags and go. But it's Claire's journey, her need to be free to be herself, that will appeal to women of a certain age. I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but the author nails what it's like to be a woman in a man's world. 

What a beautiful story! Anna is a young software engineer living the life in Berlin, when she suffers a spinal stroke, a rare medical emergency that leaves her paralyzed. Recovery is slow, and all the medical professionals around her are pushing for her to go to a nursing home. During her hospital stay, Anna befriends a housekeeper, Batul, a refugee from Syria who dreams of going to medical school. As their unlikely friendship deepens, Batul shows Anna what she is capable of. I could not put In Berlin down. Beautifully written, the author captures the nuances of the relationship between the two women while also addressing issues faced by the disabled and immigrants. Although it is set in Berlin, the themes are universal. Highly recommended!

Gala and Lane, both writers living in LA, are about as different as two people can be. Gala is a free spirit with a devil-may-care attitude. She believes in living life to the fullest. Lane, who experienced a traumatic childhood, is cautious and controlled. L.A. Women follows the two women as up-and-comers in Hollywood, in all its gritty and glitzy glory. It takes place in the 60s and 70s, and alternates between the past and the present, giving perspective to the characters. When I first started the book, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish it, but about 1/3 of the way through, the story found its groove. I couldn't put it down. The women are the main characters in this one, with men in the 'supporting' roles, but if you've read any of Ella Berman's other books--I've read The Comeback--you know that women's lives in Hollywood are her specialty. 

Joy Moody is a mom to twin girls and the owner of a laundromat. The girls are homeschooled, completely isolated from the outside world--no electronics--and work with their mom. Their world is small, limited to their home and immediate neighbors. Joy tells the girls that in 2025, they will be teleported to the future. She manages to convince them not to leave the compound because 'The People" will take them away from her. Not too creepy! What could go wrong? Plenty! And that's when the book got interesting. Full of the kind of quirky characters I would expect after reading this author's first novel Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder, I'm so glad I stuck with Joy Moody is Out of Time.

A beautiful story told in sparse but beautiful prose about a forbidden relationship and the aftermath. Told in alternating timelines between the 1980s, during which Maggie is being raised by her father Heron after her mother is forced to leave, and the present, when Maggie is living next door to her father, raising her own family. Her father has told her nothing about her mother, simply that she left them, never to return. He learns that he has cancer, another secret he keeps from Maggie. When the time comes for Heron to share his secrets with Maggie, in keeping with his character, he provides the bare minimum of information. What follows will fill your heart and make you sad at the same time. A Family Matter was an absolutely wonderful read! For such a short book, it felt so complete. It amazes me how things have changed in the past 40+ years. Make sure you read the author's note at the end for perspective.

Bug Hollow is a heartwarming family drama that spans from the 1970s to the present. The Samuelsons live in a California home designed by their father, their cantankerous mother is a special education teacher, and the kids include a teenage son, Ellis, who is ready to leave for college, a cranky preteen sister, and an elementary school-aged sister. The family's world is turned upside down after Ellis suddenly leaves home to stay at Bug Hollow, a camp for young adults. The book follows the family through the fallout from Ellis's departure. It is an interesting journey for this family with lots of twists and surprises. Families are messy and complex! The story of the Samuelsons was such a good read! I couldn't put it down until the very end. I also enjoyed this author's previous novel, Search.

In her memoir, The Tell, Amy Griffin tells the story of her search to find the missing pieces of her childhood. Told in an emotionless tone, she recounts her mostly joyless childhood in Amarillo, Texas, as the 'perfect' girl. She grows up, marries a wonderful, understanding man, and becomes a mother to 4 children. Her husband convinces her to try memory therapy using a guided MDMA experience, and the missing pieces fall into place. While she attempts to confront her past, her efforts take her on a journey of understanding the pursuit of perfectionism in herself and women in general. The book starts very stilted, but I think that was intentional on the part of the author to demonstrate her mindset as a child and young woman. Don't let that stop you from finishing the book. The tone picks up as the book continues. This is a very important story, and I have the feeling that a lot of women will sadly be able to relate to the author's experience. 

Did you see anything here that you might want to pick up? What are you reading right now? I promised myself that after I finished my books for the month and before diving into September's books, I'd read The 36 Hour Day, a book about caring for a family member with dementia. We are dealing with this in my own family right now, and this book was highly recommended to me. I'll share my review next month.

I'm linking up with My First 5k and More, Running with Attitude, Run with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday!  I'm also excited to join Farrah for My Month is Booked! Check out the newest link-up: Share Your Shelf with Slices of Life, Memphis Bridges, Overflowing with Thankfulness, and The Other Side of the Road.