Reading Wrap-Up: July 2025
This month, I only got through three books. Was hoping for five-ish but it’s okay, I’m not stressing. Reading is supposed to be fun after all! Here’s what I finished this month (for better or worse)…
July Reads
📙 My Murder by Katie Williams ★★★★ – A little all over the place, but I still really enjoyed it. The premise was wild—a woman cloned after her own murder, trying to piece together what really happened. And even when the plot wandered, I was invested. Smart, strange, and surprisingly emotional in places.
📕 Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea ★★★½ – I liked this one while I was reading it, but it clearly didn’t stick. I remember it starting strong, with a creepy setup and a main character who was refreshingly different. Rory, who lives with OCD and is maybe autistic? The mystery unraveled a little too predictably for me, but it was a solid, easy read.
📗 Saltwater Sunrises by Nikki Correll ★– I DNF’d this one and have zero plans to go back. The writing felt like middle grade, but it was supposedly aimed at empty nesters? The concept might’ve worked, but the prose and execution just wasn’t there for me.
Looking Ahead: August TBR
📘 A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – I started this one in July and... yeah, it’s going to take me a while. Beautiful, but emotionally dense. Planning to keep chipping away at it through August (and possibly September... we’ll see).
📗 The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young – This is my book club pick for The Novel Bloom in Savanna, IL! (Check this place out if you haven’t yet, it’s adorable!) Time travel, mystery, and a touch of magic… sounds like the perfect escape.
📕 Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez – I didn’t get to it in July, but it’s back on the list. I’m in the mood for something heartfelt, romantic, and charming!
📙 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman – I haven’t read this one since it first came out. Usually I’m not a re-reader but since writing my own character-driven story, I’ve been wanting to revisit it. Curious to see how it hits a second time around!
📘 All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker – I tried this one on Audible before and got totally lost. Going back to the print version to see if its layered, character-driven mystery makes more sense on the page. I’ve heard great things!
Let me know what you read this month or what’s on your August list. I’m always down for new recs!
“No two persons ever read the same book.”
