
Hello, friends! How are you? I hope you are doing well! July was a really successful reading month for me! Again, I truly believe I refound my love for books and reading this summer, and I am praying with everything that it is here to stay for good! The last week of the month, I did participate in a readathon, and that for sure helped boost my books read number, too! But I had a really good reading month, and read three new favorite books of all time, while also reading an accumulation of fourteen books!

➽ The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤
I truly loved Station Eleven when I read it many, many moons ago. And this was just nothing like that, which is completely fine, but my expectations were just way too high. If you are looking for a legal case with many strings that do beautifully get tied together, then I would maybe give this one a try.
➽ Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys & Isabella 💕
I feel like at this point, I just have loved everything I’ve read by Jenn Bennett! If you are looking for a cozy small town feel, with small glimpses of a book store, and large glimpses of two kids finding themselves and finding how they could work together with their pasts and futures, then I recommend this!
➽ The Library of the Unwritten (Hell’s Library #1) by A.J. Hackwith
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤ | 🌈
Be still, my heart. Most impressive debut ever? Maybe. The writing, the concept, the unique ideas left and right, I am blown away by this story, these librarians, and this so very beautiful writing. Also, we love a pan main character in this house.
➽ Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤ | 🌈
Yikes, I know, please, just look away. All of my friends love this one, so please take this rating with a grain of salt. I loved the f/f romance (especially the love interest) and I loved the premise (it is ownvoices for the Persian mythos) and the directions this tale took. Sadly, it was just so convenient, and nothing ever truly felt at stake, because everyone was so in love with the main character. I don’t know, this just really didn’t work for me, but again, I am for sure in the minority with my feelings!
➽ Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Reread | Buddy read with Lea! ❤
The way this whole series is going to hold up in 2020? Okay, we love to see it. Truly still blown away, and I cannot wait for me and Lea to finish this trilogy off soon!
➽ You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Dragons & Tea Book Club 🐉☕ | 🌈
This book was everything. Without question it will make my best books of 2020, list. And the diversity? My heart. Our main character is Black, queer, living with high anxiety, living with her grandparents because her mother passed away, and is helping take care of her brother with sickle cell. This book heavily talks about microaggressions, being marginalized, having to make yourself smaller, and how on top of all of this it is extra unfair to try to go to college. But this is such a hopeful story, such a beautiful story, such an important story because it is unapologetically happy. And the f/f romance in this is truly out of this world. I loved this book with my whole heart.
➽ Night Shine by Tessa Gratton
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤ | 🌈
Ready for me to gush about about f/f story? Here we are. Night Shine is my favorite book of 2020 so far, full stop. This story is truly so romantic, so beautiful, and so fantastical. Many people have said this is a “dark, queer Howl’s Moving Castle” and that is 100% accurate. I was yearning, screaming, falling in love, right beside our main character. But this is also a book about discovering yourself, and surrounding yourself with people who choose you, who pick you, and who love you every single time.
➽ Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians #1) by Ruby Dixon
⭐⭐
Listen, I don’t know why I did this. Actually, I do. I was finishing off my Audible Escape membership and I was like “this will be a quick read” and hit play. I wish I wouldn’t have. I feel like so many people also love this? But like… I knew from the very triggering content at the start that it was going to be a very rocky road space ship journey for me. And I think I’m just maybe too gay to enjoy reading about women having sex with blue alien space men, tbh. All respect to the blue alien though, because he was the best character and he could have done better, imo.
➽ Fence, Vol. 3 by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Reread | 🌈
I just really wanted to read Vol. 4 because it had just came out here in the US at the end of June! So I quickly reread Vol. 3 just for to refresh my memory!
➽ Fence, Vol. 4 by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 🌈
I love the sports gays always, but I really love these sports gays. The slowest of all slow burns, but so many ships are starting to at least dock in the harbor, even if they are not sailing any time soon. Also, love me a good teamwork storyline.
➽ Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards #1) by Janella Angeles
⭐⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys & May! 💕 | 🇵🇭
My heart at this one. I really wanted to love it, truly. But just… nothing happened. The settings were cool, and the premises and questions being asked were cool too! But, it really ends with us figuring out nothing except for the mystery I didn’t care about. The romance and swooning did have me invested though! But I’m not sure if I’m invested enough to read book two, we will see.
➽ The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits #1) by Olivia Waite
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤ | 🌈
I really loved this a lot! I especially loved all the different kinds of reclaiming in this story! Maybe all it took for me to fall in love with a historical romance was sapphics in STEM (and art)! Who would have guessed? :]
➽ Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6) by Seanan McGuire
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Buddy read with Maëlys, & Destiny! 💕| 🌈
My favorite Wayward Children world? I think so! And I’m not even a horse girl, horse girls are gonna love this even more! But this is truly a story about becoming the person you want to be, in a world that makes us feel like we constantly have to conform, especially at young ages! Also, this story stars an intersex main character and it made me realize how much I am slacking with reading that representation. But full review for this to come soon, and it is the highest of four star ratings!
➽ Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 🇮🇩🌈
But I really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to see what comes next! I truly always love a good magical story about people choosing their own destiny, even if the path to figuring that out can be a little difficult at times! And starring Asian witches, created by an ownvoices creator? Be still, my Filipino heart. Give me all the queer, witches of color stories, please oh please!

Okay, loves! That’s everything! I’m feeling very grateful this summer! July was the month that I started this blog back up, and it truly has been such a safe haven for me. I’m very thankful for my friends, who never make me feel alone, and who always are buddy reading with me. And I’m forever honored by everyone who takes the time to read my words. I hope you’ve been treating yourself kind this August, already. And I hope I keep treating myself that way, too! Happy reading! 💗
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