Last month I was deep into the ACOTAR series, so in September I was just bouncing around from book to book wherever my mood (and library holds) directed me. As always, my reading experience was a mixture of amazing and mediocre. I read eight books in September (6 physical, 2 audio). Life got busier this month so I didn’t have quite as much time to read as I did in the summer. Nevertheless, I read some really great books this month!
Here’s a look at what a read and my synopsis and rating for each book.
1. Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
The women of the Marte family all have special gifts. Flor can predict deaths, Pastora can read people’s truths, and Camila is gifted with herbs. When Flor decides she wants to have a living wake, the family is left wondering what she has foreseen. They must come to terms with some of the challenges in their lives and face hard truths together.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐
2. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
When her brother Forest volunteers to fight in the new war that has erupted between two gods, he promises Iris that he will write to her. Months pass, and Iris has yet to receive any word. She begins to write letters to Forest on her typewriter. She puts them under her wardrobe and the letters magically vanish. But it turns out that Forest is not the one receiving the letters, and Iris forms an unexpected connection with her new pen pal. When things take a turn for the worst at home, Iris decides to set out to find Forest. What she doesn’t expect is that her work-place rival Roman C. Kitt will also show up along the way, showing up for Iris time and time again.
Click here to see my full review.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
3. You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
Ari and Josh first meet when he is dating Ari’s roommate—who Ari is also hooking up with. It is definitely not love at first sight. The two clash, but soon their paths diverge. However, New York City keeps throwing them together again, and again; they meet each other every few years. The fourth time they meet, they become friends, bonding because both are recovering from breakups. As the two grow closer, it becomes clear that the relationship is becoming more than platonic, but can they both admit that it could be more than friendship?
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
4. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
Athena and June, both writers, have known each other since their college days at Yale. Athena’s career takes off right out of college, while June’s has been limping along since her one and only book was published. When Athena unexpectedly dies right in front of June, June takes Athena’s latests manuscript, a book about Chinese soldiers during WWI. June reads it and soon starts to work on it. She makes some changes, “polishes it up,” and soon she is publishing the book as her own work. While the book is wildly successful, June is left with lingering guilt, pushback from the Chinese community, and questions about the originality of the work.
Click here to see my full review.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
5. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Fizzy is thirty-something romance writer with a well-established career. However, she is facing writers block and a dry spell in her romantic life as well. So when she is asked to star on a new reality TV show aimed at finding true love, she agrees to do it — for research? for her libido? Perhaps a little of both. She works closely with the producer Connor and as the show gets underway, Fizzy realizes she would rather be spending time with Connor than any of the men she is supposed to be dating on her show.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
6. The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
Josh and Hallie meet the night of Josh’s sister’s wedding where Hallie is working as the bartender. The two proceed to hook up and spend the night together. After agreeing that it was a one-night thing, the two become wingmen to each other as they try to put themselves out there on a dating app. They even have a bet as to who will fall in love first. After each bad date, they find themselves hanging out, grabbing tacos to debrief about their nights. And they soon realize that maybe this is more than friendship, but neither one of them wants to be the one to mess up what they have going.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .5
7. The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki (audio)
Marjorie Merriweather Post, cereal heiress, was born shortly after the Civil War. After her father invents Grape Nuts cereal, she is suddenly thrust into the upper echelons of society. Spanning the course of six decades, you see Marjorie fall in love, start a family, and live through the tumultuous events of the 20th century.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
8. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (audio, reread)
Tiffy is determined to finally move out of her ex’s apartment. But, on a measly salary, all she can afford is a one bedroom flat share with a man she’s never met named Leon who works the night shift as a nurse. Cue a slew of cute note writing and two people who learn a lot about each other without having ever met. The two eventually meet face-to-face and start to spend more and more time together. While they are attracted to each other, both of them have baggage they must sort through. Tiffy is starting to realize that things in her past relationship may not have been healthy, and Leon has to face his past growing up with a single mom and figure out how to help his brother who is currently imprisoned.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
My favorite book this month was Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, and I loved relistening to The Flatshare — it is such a heartwarming story. You can snag a copy of Divine Rivals here or at your local bookstore. And hurry! because the sequel to Divine Rivals comes out in December.
What was your favorite read of September?