I read several books about romance and personal growth in July, featuring strong characters and relatable leads.
These included Abby Jimenez’s “Yours Truly,” B.K. Borison’s books on love and family, Kristin Hannah’s “The Great Alone,” E. Lockhart’s “We Were Liars,” and John Green’s “Everything is Tuberculosis.” All received praise for their stories and character development.
‘Yours Truly’ by Abby Jimenez
This book is about to become my entire personality, and I’m not sorry. I loved it from beginning to end. The connection, the pining, the letters!? I clearly need to read more books where letters are exchanged because I was obsessed with those.
I loved Briana from page 1. I loved her from Part of Your World. She’s such a strong female character with a huge heart and drive. And Jacob? Wow. I feel so seen by this book. The anxiety that Jacob goes through is my day in and day out. There’s a moment in the book where, without prompting, Briana texts Jacob a list of people he’ll be meeting, where they may go, and pictures of where to park. I cried because that’s all I could ever want from someone.
🐝words: Fake Dating, One Bed, Anxiety
I had some minor issues like the miscommunication (typical) and them bringing up their exes (of course), but nothing big enough to tarnish this rating. I love this book.
‘First-Time Caller’ by B.K. Borison
If you liked Sleepless in Seattle, you’ll love this. Radio show host Aiden is attempting to find Lucie’s love through his romance radio show hotline, but maybe feelings are brewing in the booth.
First off, the banter. From the beginning. Quippy, fun, and endearing. I love it, and I won’t be hearing any other opinions. And I’m always falling for the chivalrous “I’ll take care of you” man.
It was beautiful how Lucie opened up so fully about love. Of course, it went viral! There was yearning and a slow burn. I’m so used to our romantic leads revealing feelings by the halfway point, but I loved this!
I enjoyed both Aiden and Lucie as characters and felt they were their people. I also enjoyed the side characters: Lucie’s daughter Maya, her father and his husband, plus the folks from the station, Maggie and Jackson (I can’t wait for his story). I can’t forget the guys in the shop, either. Their love and care for Lucie were adorable.
This was the first B.K. Borison book that I physically read (the rest are audiobooks), but I cannot get enough of her storytelling. She has become an autobuy author.
‘Business Casual’ by B.K. Borison 
The final book is the Lovelight Farms and it may have been my favorite?
I was nervous about this one, because even though we met both Charlie and Nova in the previous books, I didn’t know if I had built enough of an emotional connection to them for a whole book. Turns out, I either did or I didn’t need to. I easily fell right into their love story and I enjoyed how it didn’t waste any time.
I really identified with Charlie throughout the story, not knowing where he wanted to be, yet feeling happiness in town, and unsure if he deserved to be there or fit in. It was nice that he so clearly did fit in though. I also very appreciated the emphasis on a different version of chosen family. The relationship between him and Stella (+Luca), and the relationships he nurtured with everyone in town was just so beautiful.
Nova’s growth was also great, but really, she just made me want to get serious about getting another tattoo. On the real though, her determination to move forward and create the life she wanted was admirable. I appreciate a strong, kick ass main female character.
Loved this book, and I will forever be longing for more.
🐝words: Small-Town, Tattoos, Spicy, Secret
‘The Great Alone’ by Kristin Hannah
Anytime I see someone finish a Kristin Hannah book, they talk about how amazing it was and how much it impacted them. I had to find out why. And now, I get it.
This book was intense from beginning to end, with little to no reprieve, but it was good. Each time I thought the last bomb had dropped, there was always more. It took longer to read it because I had to take breaks to give myself that reprieve. But even when I wasn’t listening, I was thinking about Lenny, her mom, and all the characters.
I will be checking out another life-changing Kristin Hannah story.
Trigger Warning: Domestic Abuse, Mental Abuse, Physical Abuse, War, Death
‘We Were Liars’ by E. Lockhart
I wanted to watch the new show, but since the book is so short, I decided to listen to the audiobook. And I loved it. I knew there was a plot twist, but I never guessed it. I used to love reading books like this, and I want to continue to dip my toes into this water. I’ve already got the next one on hold.
It was so interesting how the story was told, jumping back and forth while also interlacing different kinds of storytelling. The mystery kept me listening and kept me hooked.
‘Everything is Tuberculosis’ by John Green
Did I ever think I would listen to a book about Tuberculosis? No, I did not. But then John Green said he was releasing a book about Tuberculosis, and I read everything that man writes. So here we are.
It was informative, insightful, emotional, and about Tuberculosis. It was different from my normal reading, but I’m glad that I read it.
