Hey! I had a slow reading month this past month—and when I say slow, I mean slow for me. I read about five books this month (as I’m writing this, I’m about to finish another book) and I’m pretty proud of the books I read this month. I listened to one audiobook, started a series that I’m excited to dive more into, and slowly built up my fall TBR.

Here we go!

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo

I followed Drew Afualo on TikTok for a while now, and find her content highly amusing and entertaining. She roasts men, mainly men who like to tear down women for their own enjoyment. I didn’t have any expectations when I started Drew’s book, but man—her book is so good. I loved her voice and her ability to be so vulnerable and open to inspire others. She is loud, bold, and confident, but she wasn’t afraid to share her mistakes and how those mistakes shaped who she is today. This book is for anyone who loves her content, strives to be more bold and confident in life, and stand up to the patriarchal society that we live in. Highly, highly recommend listening on audio! Of course, on top of her incredible ability to be vulnerable and honest, she’s also really funny.

Rating: 4/5

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

OH. Is all I said after finishing this book. Also, WHAT? This one got me and would be a five star read, if it wasn’t for the third POV that was so sudden. I was caught off guard. Even still, I really loved this one and all its POVs—the third POV really made for the story. The different POVs were from three generations. One was told on the brink of Y2K, one during the 1960s (or 50s? Idk), and one during “present day” (which was more 2021). I loved this difference in settings. The writer clearly wrote distinct settings and wanted to make us know the difference. I loved the family dynamics of this one. Overall, the story was written so beautifully! Highly, highly recommend.

Rating: 4.5/5

Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers, 1) by Chloe Liese

I liked this book alright. I almost marked it DNF by the end of the first half, because it just kept droning on and on. I got bored, tbh. But right at the halfway point, it got interesting! The romance started romancing (LOL) and the banter got more riveting. I loved Ryder and Willa—I think the whole “frenemies” thing wasn’t really interesting to me in the first half, but once they became friends rather than frenemies, I really liked them and became invested in their story. I also really liked Ryder’s family, the Bergmans! I caught on to the fact that this is an entire series devoted to the Bergman brothers and I’m excited to dive into the rest of the series. Overall, I’d recommend! I think it makes for a great romance book to read in the fall.

Rating: 3/5

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson

I liked this one alright. It was a tad boring in the middle. The FMC (I forgot her name, LOL) frustrated me. She was kind of annoying, tbh. There was a lot of miscommunication which doesn’t typically frustrate me, but I was annoyed by it. The book starts at his baseball game (he’s a pro baseball player) and she has floor seats. She starts heckling the players, even him! Her heckling him goes viral and embarrasses him. She reaches out to him to apologize via Instagram DM, and ends up talking to him and yeah, falling for him. But she totally forgot to introduce herself! (Her account is a bookstagram and doesn’t show her face.) She vows to stop talking to him. But when she gets a job with the team, she can’t avoid him. And then she catches feelings for him, and they begin a relationship. But he doesn’t know she’s the girl he was messaging for weeks. Again, so much miscommunication. It was fine for a baseball romance. Overall, I’d recommend.

Rating: 3/5

Between Friends and Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi

I really liked this one! This was definitely a book where I couldn’t predict the ending. Jo is a medical influencer, known as Dr. Jojo. But behind the camera, her story is more complicated. She’s hung up on her best friend, a famous actor, Ezra Adelman. They’ve been friends since college, and his mom even welcomed her into their family, since Jo emancipated herself from her mother when she was 16. But when Ezra shows up with Jo’s childhood bully on his arm at his moms’s birthday party, Jo swears him off, and vows to get over him. Enter: Malcolm Waters, a literary star (who writes romance novels!). They begin dating, but can Jo let her walls down? I liked this one—the story ebbed and flowed naturally and didn’t bore me. Malcolm went by Mal, and tbh, I kept thinking that was the FMC. Other than that slight confusion, I liked it.

Rating: 4/5

My September TBR:

• Daydream by Hannah Grace

• Marriage and Masti by Nisha Sharma

• Hera by Jennifer Saint

• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

• Mile High by Liz Tomforde

• Always Only You (Bergman Brothers, 2) by Chloe Liese