All of you already know this but I am a big bookworm and co-host a book-lovers podcast called Pen & Page Gals. I do a lot of in-depth book reviews over on that platform and my co-host & I also have a monthly book club that I’d love for you to join if you’re a reader like me.

That said, there are a TON of books that I read throughout my months that don’t get talked about over on PPG because PPG is not solely just about me and what I like to read. I thought it would be fun to do a monthly book recap where I list the books I read that month (WITH NO SPOILERS) so that if you’re looking for book inspo, you might be able to find a title or two that interests you. Sounds fun, right? Let’s go!

This month, I read a total of 6 books … does that sound like a lot? I actually kind of felt like my reading was slower than normal this month because I had less down-time than I normally would have so I was surprised to see that I still managed to read 6 books total.

while we were dating

The first book I read was While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory. This book is the … fifth? fourth? sixth? in a series by Jasmine Guillory – I’ve honestly lost count at this point because after book 3, the series sort of fell flat for me. In any case, I still wanted to read this newest title she came out with and I’m sorry to say that I was disappointed by it. To start, this one was way more X-Rated than I feel her other books have been and for some reason, the characters felt a little flat to me too. It’s your typical chick-lit romcom style girl meets boy book (which is fine, I totally don’t mind formulaic storylines) with the girl being a famous actor named Anna who is hired to work on an advertising campaign run by the main boy, Ben. They decide to pretend to date to gain some positive PR and you can guess the shenanigans and feelings that end up becoming involved. I give it ⭐️⭐️.

malibu rising

Next up, I finally got my hands back on Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. YAAAAS! I’d started reading this book earlier in the summer (I think actually in Hawaii?) on my Kindle as an ebook loan but I waited too long to read because I couldn’t finish it in time and it automatically got returned to the library when I was still just a few chapters in. I finally got off the queue again and was able to re-borrow it to finish this month. I discussed this book a little on this month’s PPG podcast episode but I really loved reading it simply because Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master storyteller. The plot of the book itself is more observational than compelling in its own right but Jenkins Reid has a beautiful way of weaving the reader into the characters’ lives that you can’t help but keep reading. I can see why she’s got the track record of bestsellers that she has; The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is still my favorite of hers that I’ve read so far but this one is not a bad read at all. Malibu Rising follows the back story and coming of age of Mick Riva and his children; Mick Reva is an Elvis Presley-esque famous singer turned actor. That’s really all I can say about this book without giving too much away but I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

the newcomer

The third book I read this month was The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews. I’d never read anything by this author before but another blogger that I follow said that she’d recently read this book and really loved it so I thought I’d give her a try. Her book cover is so cute and gives off a beachy chick lit vibe but the books themselves are a lot darker than your typical chick lit! This one involves a murder mystery with a beachy twist – it follows the main character Letty as she is escaping authorities who are investigating the death of her sister. She comes to a sleepy beach motel in Florida along with her 4-year old niece and befriends the hotel residents all while trying to untangle the mystery of her sister’s death and how/why she is implicated. It was a fun read and great story but a bit long for me … I felt like I was reading it FOREVER and I’m not exactly a slow reader. I remember reading and reading for several nights in a row and seeing that my progress bar said only 30% completed LOL. I’ll give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.

unravel the dusk

The fourth book I read this month is Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim and this was our PPG Book Club pick for the month of September. If you want to hear my thoughts, you’re going to have to listen to this month’s podcast episode 😉

one of us is lying

I thought One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus would be my last read this month because I started it kind of close to the end of the month but GIIIIIRRRRL!! I FLEW through this book so quickly, it was SO FUN! Think: The Breakfast Club meets 13 Reasons Why meets murder mystery. It was SO fun and moved so quickly, plus it was a unique ending & plot twist that I haven’t seen before. Five unlikely kids somehow end up together in the same detention. Only four of them survive the afternoon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.

Yoga Pant Nation

The very last book I read this month was Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman. It’s technically the third of a series but let me tell you… I literally remember nothing from the first two books. She writes/publishes these books spaced SO far apart that I genuinely do not remember characters or plot lines … the good news is, you don’t really need to know/remember in order to enjoy the book. If you like snarky school mom humor fiction, this book will be your style. Jen Dixon is class mom for the last year ever for her son’s 5th grade class and she finds herself juggling so many different balls – she’s a first time grandma (her two older daughters are in their 30s), running the school’s largest PTA fundraiser, and navigating a bullying issue for her son. She’s a totally fictional character but her snark and level of irreverence is one that I totally relate to. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.