A Spontaneously Large Book Haul|July TBR

This week was one of the rare times that my lack of organizational skills and abundance of procrastination habits turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The other day, I found an Amazon gift card I had from THREE YEARS AGO just sitting inside a drawer, and since I have been slowly running out of ebooks from Libby and desperately craving the feeling of a real, physical book, I decided to spend my long-lost gift card on- you guessed it- books.

I originally intended to only spend the 25$ that was on the gift card, but as I sifted through my Goodreads TBR I got a little bit carried away and ended up using, uh, way too much of my actual saved money.

(But honestly it was so cathartic to just get all those books I couldn’t stand waiting 5 months on hold for. I couldn’t help myself. It’s a well-known habit of mine to spend literally all of my money on coffee and books. Whoops.)

Here’s a little haul:

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IT’S YA CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE SEASON GUYS!

I don’t usually read that much YA romance (well, actually I kind of do) but I couldn’t resist the pull of summer vibes and pretty covers. If you’re going to read this genre, the best time to do it is always summer.

I’ve probably said before on this blog that I don’t like romance in YA, but my problem with it is only if it’s there for no reason, makes me cringe, or just interrupts the plot. Also, I much prefer funny, cute romance over sappy, cringey, “I WOULD DIE FOR YOU” romance.

If I purposefully go into a book knowing it’s a rom-com, then yes I like romance. (Plus, I like living vicariously through books because I’m boring)

I also got a bunch of mysteries because I’m still OBSESSED with them and I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon.

So here’s my July TBR:

1. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson: I just discovered Morgan Matson’s books this year (Shameful, I know). I chose this one because it had the highest rating. Also, the cover is gorgeous. It’s about a girl spending one last summer at her family’s lake house because her father has cancer. Sounds like a book that will make me cry… I’ve already read Save the Date and The Unexpected Everything– for which you can read my spoiler-free review here.
2. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett: I’ve seen this one recommended a lot, and the synopsis sounds soo cute. It’s about a girl named Bailey who moves across the country to live with her dad. Coincidentally, her dad lives in the same town as her internet friend, whom she only knows as Alex. She never tells Alex that she’s moving to his hometown, and as she adjusts to her new life she starts to have feelings for a guy she meets named Porter. But unbeknowngst to Bailey, Porter and Alex are actually the same person.
3. Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3) by Jenny Han: The conclusion to a series that totally surprised me by how good it was! I can’t explain the synopsis of this without spoiling previous books, but the entire series is really fun. I was not expecting to like it, but it’s actually extremely cute and legitimately hilarious. Like most fluffy YA contemporaries, these books are great to read at the beach, too. You can read my spoiler-free review of the first book here.
4. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord: I sincerely apologize for the unprecedented number of times I use the word “cute” in this post. It’s unavoidable when discussing this genre. Anyway, the most succinct thing I can say about the premise of this book is that it’s, well, cute. This is a rom-com about two teens who unknowingly fall in love while engaging in a widely publicized Twitter battle.
5. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: We’ve made it down to the mysteries. The Naturals is about a ragtag group of gifted teens recruited by the FBI to solve notorious cold cases. I’m getting VERY strong The Mysterious Benedict Society vibes from this, and that was one of my favorite middle-grade series a few years ago, so I’m excited to read this book.
6. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro: This is a retelling of A Study in Scarlet (which I have read), starring Sherlock Holme’s great-great-great-granddaughter Charlotte and a boy named Jamie, aka Watson, and taking place at a Connecticut prep school. This vividly reminds me of Truly Devious so hopefully it’s just as good, but I’m crossing my fingers that it solves the mystery in less than three books this time. Don’t leave me hanging!
7. Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2) by Holly Jackson: Alas, the book I am the most excited to read isn’t delivering until the middle of July (*cries*). I LOVED A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (find out why in my spoiler-free review here) and I am so excited to read the sequel, especially because it features another mystery with the same characters. Yes! I love Pippa. I was initially skeptical that this book could possibly be as good as the first one, but I checked Goodreads and all the reviews I’ve seen are 5 stars. It has a 4.56 average rating! (If you’re not familiar with Goodreads, that’s extremely high) I seriously hope it’s actually that good because if it really is better than the first book, I will be so amazed. Please don’t disappoint me, Holly Jackson, because I cannot wait to read this!

That’s it for today. I’ll be reviewing these books in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!