August 2020 Wrap Up

meltotheanyAside

WrapUp8

Hey friends! How was your August? I hope it was good and safe and filled with health and love. August was for sure the best month I’ve had in 2020 and I’m feeling very thankful and very happy! But… I’m going to be cautious and not jinx anything, haha! But I promise, a birthday book haul soon! August was also a very good reading month for me and I was able to read a few five star stories, too! And I feel like one of these will for sure make my top five books of 2020! Can you guess what it is? It rhymes with: yearning odd.

➽ Well Played (Well Met #2) by Jen DeLuca ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publication: September 22nd 2020 by Berkley
Listen, I am truly just such a sucker for a renaissance faire setting and romance! I dint love this one as much as Well Met, but I enjoyed it immensely while wanting book three desperately!

➽ Fire (Graceling Realm #2) by Kristin Cashore ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buddy read with Lea! ❤
This was such a treat to read with Lea, because it is one of her favorite series of all time. But I really loved this one and how different (and powerful) the story felt. Cashore was really ahead of the game with the themes in their books, and it really helps make them hold up extremely well!

➽ The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) by R.F. Kuang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The way I think that this might be my favorite in the series, which I feel like is a little bit of an unpopular opinion! But this was a masterpiece of a middle book and I can’t stop thinking about it.

➽ Loveless by Alice Oseman ⭐⭐
I’m going to implement self-care right now and just never talk about this book again, but I suggest you check out Maëlys & Lea’s reviews! 😊

➽ HYYH The Notes 1 (The Most Beautiful Moment in Life #1) by Big Hit ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buddy read with Maëlys, Lea, & Amy! ❤
Have you all listened to Dynamite yet? Whew. Listen, I kinda just couldn’t get enough of BTS content this month, and it helped make August so very special. Also, #1 Billboard Hot 100 for the first time? We truly love to see it. And…. we love to read about their alternate universe where the members are all dealing with different types of abandonment, while trying to grow and heal with each other and their love and their love for different arts.

➽ Vampires Never Get Old edited by Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C. Parker ⭐⭐
Publication: September 22nd 2020 by Imprint
Buddy read with Destiny, Maëlys, & Lea! ❤
Listen, I wanted to love this so badly because of the author list alone. Yet, sadly, this just fell so short for me. I was so disappointed with the vast majority of these stories.

➽ One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns #2) by Kendare Blake ⭐⭐
I feel like I just waited way too long to continue on with this series, because this book felt so pointless. Also, all the high-risk situations? They never felt high-risk. I just want to block this out of my mind, and I do not think I will continue on with this series.

➽ The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was our August 2020 pick for the Dragons and Tea Book Club! 🐉☕
The way this was perfection. From cultural appropriation, to “the model minority”, to all the different kinds of racism, to being queer in a less accepting culture, this book had everything and it was a completely joy to read. I loved this. I promise a full review before the end of the year.

➽ The Burning God (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publication: November 17th 2020 by Harper Voyager
Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤
Am I still crying? I think? Help. Okay okay, seriously though, this ending was perfect, and I absolutely cannot wait to see how everyone reacts when this book comes out. There was one thing that bothered about this concluding novel, but the rest was perfection. The themes of colorism and the themes of colonization are the best I’ve ever read in my life. This series means so much to me, and I hope it wins everything because it’s a masterpiece.

➽ Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch (Eva Evergreen #1) by Julie Abe ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤
This was the sweetest and most heartwarming read I’ve read all year. Eva and her friends and their unconditional love and support were just everything. They truly created a magic all on their own, and I can’t wait to see what Eva does next. Also, the settings and imagery in this book was a tier above. Other witch and wizard books are quaking, I promise.

➽ When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤
This book had it all, from gentrification and the many systems that are stealing land, and buildings, and lives still in 2020, to police brutality, to a vast array of different microaggressions, this book is going to make a lot of white and non BIPOCs uncomfortable, and I hope they sit in that uncomfortably (especially Americans). I didn’t love the end of this one, but I adored the first 80% so very much!

➽ Horrid by Katrina Leno ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publication: September 15th 2020 by Little, Brown
Buddy read with Maëlys & Lea! ❤
I am in the middle of writing my review for this one right now, and it is going to be a hard one to talk about without giving anything away. But this book was so eerie and atmospheric and I never wanted to put it down. Sadly, I just didn’t love the end of it. But I really adored the build up and Leno’s writing will always very much be my exact cup of perfectly brewed tea.


Whew! Quite the month, aye? Blessings all around, truly. Tell me what was your favorite read of August! And I hope September is treating you kindly and you are having lots of amazing reads so far (and for always)! Happy reading, friends! 💗

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25 thoughts on “August 2020 Wrap Up”

  2. oh, you’ve read so many wonderful books this month! i haven’t read any of these 😭 but there’s so many that i hope to read soon, like the poppy war series, horrid, and eva evergreen! hope you have a lovely september! 💗

    (also, hi! you probably don’t know me, since i’m a silent reader sometimes, sorry! but i’ve been following you for a while and found you through goodreads, and i’m completely in awe of how sweet you are, and how *wonderful* your reviews are. sending you lots of love, mel! 💗)

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    1. oh i hope you love all of these! and i hope you’re having the best september! and… you make me smile so big! i love your reviews so much! I just linked you in my star daughter one, actually! hehehe! thank you for these kind words and i’m sending YOU so much love! 💗💗

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  3. I also just read horrid and agree with you about the ending. It’s definitely a typical horror type ending but I’m still not sure how I felt about it. I’m definitely interested in reading her other books though since I enjoyed horrid and summer of salt.

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    1. Ohhhhh you should read you must not miss! it is my 2nd fave of hers! And yeah… it is for sure a book that a lot of people are going to… feel differently and think differently about! i can’t wait to see more people review it! 💗💗

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  5. I am so excited to see you gave Horrid 4 stars. I am sad to see you didn’t enjoy the ending. I am hoping to possibly pick it up when I finish the books on my September TBR. If I can’t squeeze it in this month definitely will pick it up in October.

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      1. I just realized Horrid comes out tomorrow. I don’t think I’ll get to it by the end of the month but aiming for October. Oh happy to hear it’s one of those books that makes you think. Excited for it! Thank you love!! Happy reading to you too!! ❤

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  6. You got a lot of great reads in! 😃
    I have One Dark Throne on my shelf and I’m going to be picking it up next. I’m sad to hear you didn’t like it. I read the first book 2016 and now I’m jumping into book 2. After reading you waited a long time, I’m worried, I hope I still like it! 😬

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  7. That’s a great list. I keep seeing the Poppy War come up at the moment and I really want to read it. I think I’ve finally got over a reading slump but so far behind where I wanted to be but fingers crossed for a good September.

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