Have you ever experienced good weather and decided to take a trip to the lake and read a book? That’s what I did this summer. I read up to 30 books, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Many people may not like to read because they can never find a book that draws them in, but I hope to help change that.
“This Ends With Us and It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover’s series starts with “This Ends With Us.” It begins with Lily Bloom sitting on a rooftop thinking about death. She just came from her father’s funeral and she was upset. She stood up and was kicking and screaming when she noticed a guy standing on the other side. The guy is none other than Ryle Kincaid, an upcoming neurosurgeon. They have chemistry, but it becomes clear both of them have different views on relationships. Ryle sees one night stands or casual flings, while Lily is looking for a relationship. They part ways but meet six months later when Lily opens her dream flower shop and hires Allyssa, Ryle’s sister. Ryle and Lily’s attraction only increases, until Ryle decides to explore a relationship with Lily. Throughout the relationship, Lily relives her past and reads journals she wrote when she was with her best friend, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless 18-year-old. Ryle lashes out at Lily due to his past, and when they get married, his outbursts get out of hand. “It Starts With Us” talks about how Ryle and Lily are divorced. Lily runs into Atlas on the street where they have a conversation and end up moving in together. Soon, the two are getting married when Atlas mentions how he is grateful to have won Lily’s heart and even to have her break his heart.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” Series By Jenny Han
This series is one I was so drawn in to. The first book is “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” the second book is “It’s Not Summer Without You,” and the final book is “We’ll Always Have Summer.” The series is about Isabel Susannah Conklin who her family calls her “Belly.” Belly and her family go every summer to the beach house in Cousins Beach with her mom, Laurel’s best friend and her two sons, Conrad Beck Fisher and Jeremiah Fisher. Steven Conklin, Belly’s brother, notices his sister constantly looking at Conrad and how everything they would do Belly would want to join. A love stirs between Belly and the brothers. Belly deals with her first love and her first heartbreak during the “perfect summer.” Belly and Conrad build their friendship to how it was when they were younger.
“Love and Other Words” By Christina Lauren
The book starts with 10-year-old Macy Sorenson losing her mom from cancer. Macy and her dad live in Berkeley, California, but her father buys a weekend house in Healdsburg. At the house, Macy noticed Elliot, a boy from next door in a little space in Macy’s room. Her father turned that space into a library for Macy because she loves to read and so does Elliot. Elliot and Macy hang out more, which at first Macy’s father didn’t like.
The book goes into “then” and “now” chapters; it goes into the past from when Macy and Elliot were younger to now as they are adults. Elliot and Macy fall in love but they have struggles like every couple. Elliot and Macy bond over a mutual love of reading and telling one another their favorite new words. Macy holds back some of her feelings, especially about the death of her mother, but Elliot helps her open up by giving her a copy of “Bridge to Terabithia.” In 11 years they meet again and Macy is engaged and Elliot has a girlfriend. When they meet Macy is at a café with her best friend, Sabrina. Elliot breaks up with his girlfriend the day he meets Macy. Macy ends up not getting married and goes back to Elliot and they end up together again.
“Verity” by Colleen Hoover
Writer Lowen Ashleigh sees a man die on the way to her publisher meeting. Jeremy Crawford, a handsome man, helps Lowen. They immediately have a connection and share their grief. Jeremy mentions how he lost his twin daughters six months apart. Verity has lost her mother to cancer. They separate and head to a meeting that low and behold they are both heading into at Pantem Press. Jeremy is the husband of the author Verity Crawford, who was unable to finish the remaining books in her series, “The Noble Virtues.” They gave Lowen a deal asking her to complete the books. Since Lowen was facing eviction, she takes the deal and travels to Vermont to gather Verity’s notes. Before leaving her former agent/ lover, Corey, he reveals the suspicious nature of Verity’s car accident that left her immobilized. Jeremy convinces Lowen to move into their home. Lowen and Jeremy start getting to know each other and end up together behind Verity’s back. However, Jeremy didn’t know Lowen found Verity’s autobiography and found out how his twin daughters had died. She later made Jeremy read it, which put him in a rage where he ended up choking Verity like she tried to do on one of her daughters. Before this, Lowen noticed Verity being able to move despite reports of her being immobile. The story ends with Jeremy and Lowen being pregnant with their daughter, and Jeremy’s son moving away. Before they started leaving, Lowen found a letter from Verity.
“And that’s what love at first sight is. It isn’t really love at first sight until you’ve been with the person long enough for it to become love at first fight,” a quote from Verity page, 73.
“Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover
In this book, Elizabeth Tate Collins, 23, relocates from San Diego to San Francisco to pursue a master’s degree in nursing while working in the ER as a registered nurse. She plans to move in with her older brother, Corbin, in his luxury apartment. When she arrives, Corbin, a pilot, is at work. Tate meets Cap, the outgoing elevator attendant who becomes her best friend. When she heads to the apartment, she sees an intoxicated man at the door crying. Tate calls Corbin not knowing who this man is and how to get into the apartment. Corbin asks her to wait while he calls Miles when he realizes the drunk person is Miles. He tells Tate, and she lets Miles into the apartment. Miles and Tate have a rocky start but once they got to know each other it sort of changed. Tate and Miles develop a strong connection that brought flashbacks in Miles’ past that he wasn’t expecting. The end of the book takes place two years later, and Tate and Miles have a child named Sam.
“November 9” by Colleen Hoover
On the second anniversary of Fallon O’Neil’s accident, she decided to meet her father who she doesn’t have a good connection with anymore. Her father is the former actor Donovan O’Neil. She tells him she is planning on moving to New York that evening to pursue an acting career on Broadway. Unfortunately, Fallon’s father tells her she will never make it as an actor because of the ugly scars on her body. Backtrack to a year or two ago at the O’Neils residence when there was a house fire that burned half of Fallon’s body. What Fallon didn’t know was in the booth behind her father was a boy, Ben, listening to the conversation. Ben started acting like he was her boyfriend. At first Fallon was confused, but she played along. Ben defended Fallon. After a while, Fallon and Ben go back to her apartment. In her room, Ben notices boxes everywhere. He knew she wasn’t kidding when she said, “By tonight, I will be living in New York.” Ben tells Fallon how he is in college to become a writer and she mentions how he should write a story about their “fake relationship.” They make a deal that on Nov. 9 every year they will meet at the restaurant and continue where they left off. They also said how they can’t have each other’s phone number or add each other on social media, they would have to trust that they would show up that day every year.
Fast forward to them meeting for three years, Fallon reads Ben’s manuscript even when she said she wouldn’t. She notices he mentions the fire in it and topics she said out of trust. Fallon finds out the night of the fire Ben lost his mother to cancer and suicide. She didn’t want the guy she was in love with, which was Donoven O’Neil, Fallon’s father, to watch her fade away. Ben was 16 years old and he didn’t know how to take care of his rage, so he went to Donoven’s house. Ben used a gas can Donoven left out and dumped it on the car, lit a match then left. That’s how the house caught on fire, and how Fallon got her scars. Ben told himself he wouldn’t live a normal life anymore because of what he did to Fallon. In the book, he wrote from the point of view of his life before Fallon, then went on talking about everything Fallon has done to save Ben’s life. In this book, there are trigger warnings of fires and suicide.
“The American Roommate Experience: A Novel” by
Elena Armas
While staying at her friend’s apartment, Rosie thought there was a burglary. When she calls 911, the so-called burglar mentions how his cousin gave him a key and Rosie hung up. She opened the door to find Lina’s cousin, Lucas. Rosie has been crushing on and stalking Lucas’ Instagram for a couple months. Rosie’s ceiling collapsed which made her stay at her best friend’s loft not knowing Lucas would be staying there too.
Rosie said Lucas could have the loft while she went and found a hotel. Lucas said they can be “roommates.” Rosie is a writer, but she hasn’t been inspired to write anything lately due to her lying to her brother and father about what she is doing with her life. When she talks with Lina, they discuss how Rosie needs to venture out in the dating field again and that would help her start writing again. Rosie told Lina she didn’t need to do that because no guy would want to show her how a girl really needs to be treated. Rosie didn’t know Lucas was listening to that conversation and he had an idea. Lucas asked her about the past guys she has dated and she explained all the guys she dated wanted her for one thing. Rosie and Lucas start going on experiment dates. He finds Rosie wanting to meet him at Lina’s wedding when he wasn’t able to come so he talks to Lina’s husband about remaking that night so he and Rosie could have their first dance together. That night Rosie comes clean about liking Lucas. It started raining and Rosie got a call from her brother saying he was in trouble. Her brother slept on the couch, and her and Lucas slept in the bed together. Lucas and Rosie start dating then it comes time for him to go to Spain. When Lucas was in Spain, he hated every minute and wanted to be with Rosie. When Lina found out there was something serious between Rosie and Lucas, she made plans on New Year’s for Lucas to be in America and surprise Rosie. The book ends on Lucas and Rosie moving in together and them being happy and in love.
