August 2020: Mini Reviews and Giveaways Too!

Posted August 11, 2020 by shooting in Book Review / 31 Comments

It’s time for Show Us Your Books with Jana and Steph! Come see what we’ve all been reading.

As usual, I’m going to share mini reviews of books I’ve read that I haven’t shared yet and link you to longer reviews that I’ve already posted on the blog since the last link-up! Let’s go! (all purchase links are affiliate links; I get a small percent of any purchase at no extra cost to you – plus, you’re supporting independent bookstores!)


Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner (copy for review; all opinions are my own)

I really enjoyed Six Angry Girls. I loved the diversity with all the girls on the Mock Trial Team. The actual book follows the perspectives of Raina and Millie, who create the all-girls Mock Trial Team together. Millie had already been on the team – the sole female – until they kicked her out. Now she’s taking it back. Raina is an actress who isn’t sure if that’s what she loves or not. Raina also finds a really cool knitting shop, full of women of all ages. I thought the politically-involved knitting club aspect of the book wasn’t as fully formed as it could be, but it’s a minor quibble. 4/5 stars!

Six Angry Girls comes out on August 18, so you can pre-order it now!

 

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All Eyes On Her by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn (copy for review; all opinions are my own)

“You heard the story on the news. A girl and a boy went into the woods. The girl carried a picnic basket. The boy wore bright yellow running shoes. The girl found her way out, but the boy never didโ€ฆ.”

This. Book. It’s so good, but it’s also a book that makes you mad in parts. I definitely want to discuss it with people, so I highly recommend giving it a read! I actually read and shared this in June, when I thought it was being released, but I guess it got pushed back to August.

Here’s some of what I wrote on Instagram: All Eyes On Her by L.E. Flynn is a YA mystery that I absolutely loved. I seriously devoured this book as quick as I could. Tabby is on trial before she’s ever arrested for the murder of her boyfriend, Mark. People think they know the whole story, so they paint her as a villain— or the victim. One thing I loved is that you don’t get Tabby’s point of view all that much. It really is about all eyes on HER. Instead, we hear from Mark’s best friend, Tabby’s sister and best friend, a classmate of Tabby’s, and more. Are we getting the whole story here though?!

I found this to be a really captivating and interesting mystery! I loved the different newspaper and blog articles throughout too, adding more of a realism to the story.

All Eyes On Her comes out on August 18, so you can pre-order it now!

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (won an ARC; all opinions are my own)

Basically, the book follows Lucien, son of two former rock stars, who needs a respectable boyfriend to keep his job. Enter Oliver. The two fake date to help each other out and of course— fall for each other!! It’s set in England, it’s full of fantastic secondary characters, it’s funny and sweet and heartwarming and it’s definitely a five star read for me!!

 

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The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I loved this mystery! You can read my full review here.

To get some of the ambiance of the book, press play on this video-

 

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With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Another really good read. I liked this one a bit more than The Poet X. I have her latest, Clap When You Land, to hopefully read soon. Check out my full review.

 

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Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Nevermoor is SUCH a good book! Itโ€™s been compared to Harry Potter and I can definitely see that but it also stands on its own. It might be marketed for middle grade, but I can see older readers loving this one too- like myself!! Itโ€™s full of imagination and mystery and I loved all the characters!

 

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The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig

Roehrig is one of my favorite authors, so it was fun to see him branch out and tackle something a bit different – this time, vampires are back! You can check out my full review here, but it’s definitely a book I enjoyed!


Better Than People by Roan Parrish

An author I love, but a book I didn’t love as much. It was still an enjoyable read overall though. Check out my full review here, and the book is released on August 25!


High Heat by Annabeth Albert

Second book in a new series (all books are companion novels). I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first, but it wasn’t my favorite book by Albert. Still worth checking out if you’re intrigued. You can read my full review here.


The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

I adore books about books, bookstore workers, librarians, writers, etc. It makes me very happy, and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill made me SO HAPPY!

Things I loved –ย 

  • Nina works in a bookstore
  • Nina loves trivia, and she even plays on a trivia team
  • Nina (obviously) loves books
  • Nina loves (and has) a cat
  • Nina is a planner and has a physical planner!

So yeah, so much Nina on that list. I really loved the secondary characters too though!

 

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Murder As a Fine Art by David Morrellย 

This is one of those books I’ve owned for years, and I’m so glad that I finally read it. It’s a historical fiction mystery and I LOVE that it features a real person from history who becomes caught up in a fictional murder mystery, where they are the suspect (aka Thomas De Quincey, who I hadn’t previously heard of). I know there are at least two more books in the series, and I definitely plan to read them!

 

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Before You Go—

1. Have you read any of these books, and if so, what did you think? Are there are any books you want to read from my list?

2. Don’t forget to enter my current giveaways – you can find links in the right hand sidebar. The Summer Reading Prize Packs give you points for reading books, so every single one of you should be entering (U.S. only though, I’m afraid). There’s a prize pack for Adults, Teens, and Kids, so family is welcome to join!!

3. If you missed my post from yesterday, come check out the Upcoming Books I Want to Read.

31 responses to “August 2020: Mini Reviews and Giveaways Too!

  1. I like how you included your Instagram pictures with the reviews. I was thinking of doing that too. I have All Eyes On Her coming up on my list of books to read and review!

  2. SMD

    This is a good example of why Instagram annoys me – I hate their algorithms. I never see your posts and I love these pics!

  3. Nina Hill is a favorite. It was just smiles from beginning to end for me. Boyfriend Material was close to getting those five stars, but the ending was weak for me, but I had a fantastic time reading it nonetheless.

  4. The Guest List, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and With the Fire on High are all on my to read list. I borrowed Nevermoor for my son to read, but he didn’t give it a try. May have to take it out again. It sounds like something he’d like.

  5. A book about a book lover with a physical paper planner? The Bookish Life of Nina Hill – you’re on the TBR! Also intrigued by Boyfriend Material. I enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue and that cover reminds me of it even though it looks nothing like the other cover.

  6. So many good ones here! I’ve heard good things about the Guest List and the Bookish Life. I also enjoyed With the Fire on High! I still need to read the Poet X though.

  7. I adored Fire on High but haven’t had a chance to read her other books yet. I need to do so. Nevermoor is really good too. I, of course, loved the humongous talking cat because I am an admitted crazy cat lady. ๐Ÿ™‚ Six Angry Girls and All Eys on Her sound really good – adding them to my TBR.

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