Quick Lit: June 2017
This is going to be a shorter Quick Lit post because I've only got one book to review... though I did write more about it than normal! June was one of the best reading months EVER, and I discovered so many new favorites. However, I ended up writing full reviews for almost all of them... and have something special planned for the others. Check out Quick Lit at Modern Mrs. Darcy to see what other bloggers have been reading lately.
In case you missed it, in June I reviewed The Mothers by Brit Bennett, The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn, the Haven Point series by RaeAnne Thayne, The Memory Book by Lara Avery, The Penderwicks and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall, and Wolf by Wolf and Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin.
I'll be talking about two other June favorites in a Picky Pledge post later this year, and I also binge read all of Beatriz Williams' novels and have a fun event coming up to celebrate this new favorite author!
ON SECOND THOUGHT BY KRISTAN HIGGINS | I hadn't read anything by Kristan Higgins before, but Estelle specifically recommended this book to me after she finished it earlier this year. I think she suggested it because she knows that I'm drawn to books about sisters, and she was definitely spot on with this recommendation! On Second Thought is about two sisters and the losses that bring them together. Ainsley O'Leary is expecting her boyfriend to propose - not to break up with her and write about it in a blog post that goes viral! She turns to her older half sister, Kate, who is facing the unimaginable: she became a newlywed - and then a widow - in the space of four months. Complicated family dynamics have always kept the sisters distant, but their shared heartache begins to bring them together.
Y'all, I absolutely loved this book! Higgins writes with such warmth and humor, even when aspects of the story are heavy. I was worried that the book would be too sad, but it really wasn't. The complex family situation was so interesting, and the emerging romantic relationships were swoony in all the right ways. I loved that the book alternated between Kate and Ainsley's point of view because it helped me get to know them on a deeper level. Higgins blends just the right amount of action and introspection! I recently read a similar(ish) book about sisters, First Comes Love by Emily Giffin, and it was enjoyable but without enough spark to make it a favorite. On Second Thought delivered everything that I was looking for - characters I was rooting for, excellent pacing, an emotional premise and writing that brought it all to life. I So Loved It and hope you'll check it out if you're a fan of contemporary romance or women's fiction. It's the perfect blend of the two genres!
What have you been reading lately?
I saw you talking about this on instagram and immediately added it to my tbr! I haven't read anything by Higgins either and because you said it's still swoony and funny despite the sadness I'm willing to give it a chance! Glad you enjoyed it so much :) I started Illuminae this weekend and I'm intrigued so far- it's very different.
ReplyDeleteI already said this in your PP post for her, but I haven't read anything by Higgins too! I still have this one in mind, because you know that I also love stories about sisters. I hope I get to check it out eventually!
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