Category: Reading Lists

It’s just my favorite time of year to read! I read so many great books this month. What did you read?!

My big summer reading list is here!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. You can sign up for one here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN JUNE 2023

Same Time Next Summer – 4.5 stars

Loved this one!! I loved the author’s first book last summer so much. This is a second chance romance (my absolute favorite trope!) and the story follows Sam, who goes to her family’s beach house and sees her first love. There were moments at the beginning where this was a little slow for me but I ultimately ended up loving it so much, and I especially loved the music and lyrics part of it. I thought that storyline was so cool.

The Five Star Weekend  – 5 stars

Of course!! I loved loved loved this one. I was excited to read this because at the phase I’m in – parenting young kids – I feel like I have friends in my life who understand where I am so I loved the concept of this book. The story follows a woman who invites her best friend from each stage of life on a trip to Nantucket. And there’s a whole food blogger storyline too! Super fun.

The Wishing Game – 4.5 stars

This was a book of the month find last month and I ended up loving it. Reminds me of Willy Wonka and the author acknowledges as much!! The story follows a reclusive old children’s author who comes out of hiding with a competition – the winner getting the only copy of the book. As a crazy book lover when I was a kid (seriously, I would get LOST in books), I absolutely loved this. It took me back and is just such a wonderful story!

The Sweetheart List – 4 stars

I really liked a book from this author last fall, so I couldn’t wait to read this one. And I enjoyed it a lot. Cute storyline – it follows a girl who uproots her life and moves to a place she loved as a child to open a bakery. Sounds very hallmark-ish right? It’s very cute and I like the themes in this book too. The Ivy storyline is really good.

Fool Me Once – 4.5 stars

I read this after finishing The Boyfriend Candidate last month! I couldn’t wait to read another one of her books. They are so well written and funny. Another second chance romance – the story follows Lee who doesn’t believe in love after a string of bad relationships and her father’s actions too. She ends up working alongside an old flame and the tension is great. I loved this one.

Unfortunately Yours – 3 stars

Ah. Okay so I didn’t learn my lesson after reading one of these books last year. I don’t know what possessed me to get another one on my kindle, but the reviews are SO good, tons of 5 stars and it kept being recommended to me. This story is an enemies to lovers trope and follows two winery owners who are at odds with each other but end up in a fake marriage. It’s a very quick, fast and light read but you have to be in the position to want to read very graphic and cringe love scenes.

(This is not sponsored but there are a few bookshop and/or affiliate links above! Thank you for reading!)

The post What I Read In June 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

I read so many wonderful books this month! Lots of my favorite authors have released their summer books and it makes me so happy. You can find my full summer reading list here.

What did you read in May?

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN MAY 2023

The True Love Experiment – 5 stars

Can’t even handle HOW MUCH I loved this one. I wasn’t expecting to! The story follows a romance author who ends up as the star on a reality TV show. She falls for the producer and the story plays out from there. I have zero interest in reading bachelor-like stories but this was so, so good! And it was a spinoff of The Soulmate Equation from last year. You don’t have to have read the first one though.

Meet Me At The Lake – 4.5 stars

Love this one too! I was excited to read this after loving Every Summer After last year. This story takes place at a dirty dancing type resort (fun!) on a lake and follows the story of a man and woman who spent just 24 hours together a decade ago. Then they come back in contact with each other and we deal with the fallout from that and where to go from there. It’s really good and I also liked these characters a lot.

Yours Truly – 4.5 stars

Another excellent one by Abby Jimenez!! One of my favorite authors. This story follows a woman who is having a life meltdown moment (divorce, sick family, job drama) and ends up getting verrrry close to her so-called “enemy.” A good enemy-to-lovers trope and it’s such a great read! The characters are amazing and I love how REAL these books are.

Practice Makes Perfect – 3.5 stars

This was a super cute read. It felt a little young at times (it may actually be YA?) but I still enjoyed the story. This is the follow up to another book, but it does stand alone and you don’t have to read the previous one (I didn’t!). In this we have a hot bodyguard who agrees to “teach” his client’s future SIL how to date. It was cute and pretty fast paced and charming – also makes me want to own a flower shop.

The Boyfriend Candidate – 4.5 stars

This was sooooo good. Oh my gosh, I loved the characters (all of them!) and the story was so fun to follow – it gave me a few West Wing vibes. This story is about a man running for governor – he is not the most polished – and his run in with a woman who is still struggling to get over her last relationship. We have the whole fake dating trope which I love and I thought the ending was great,

Tell Me Everything

This was SO GOOD. I love Minka Kelly from many shows/movies (FNL forever!) and listened to this on audible because she narrates it. I was stunned at the start of this story as I didn’t really know anything about her. It is so honest and heartbreaking at times – her upbringing was very challenging and the way she deals with it is incredible. Def recommend this one.

(This is not sponsored but there are a few bookshop and/or affiliate links above! Thank you for reading!)

The post What I Read In May 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

We have entered my favorite reading season of all!

This month I’ll share my summer reading list and based on the books I’ve been reading this year, it’s going to be a good one!

This was a pretty good month of reading and I can’t wait for what is to come the next few weeks.

What did you read in April?

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN APRIL 2023

Happy Place – 5 stars

AHHH I wait all year for a new Emily Henry book. Hers are the ones I often reread too. I LOVED THIS. It is now my favorite of hers (which happens every year). This story follows a group of friends and in this group, an engaged couple pretend to still be together even though they broke up months ago. Such good slow burn romance – it’s incredible. I loved every character in this book so much.

Never Forget You – 4.5 stars

Oh my gosh, this book. Okay, so I loved it, but a lot of it was hard for me to read and I almost second guessed continuing. But I loved how it ended up and am so glad I did. The story follows two people who meet in London and agree to come back and meet again the next year, but the girl never shows. We then flash forward and she does show up (at least we think it’s her) but she is very lost and unsure who she is. Definite trigger warning for this one but it’s wonderful.

Wedding of the Season – 4 stars

Oh I so enjoyed this one! If you like family drama, this is for you. The story follows a couple who is getting married – they come from two rich and fancy families who have been feuding forever. The characters in this are so great. I don’t know why but I kept picturing bridgerton, haha. Such a great read for the warmer months – really enjoyable but not all fluff.

Really Good, Actually – 2.75 stars

Parts of this book had me laughing out loud, but it was a little depressing too. The story follows a girl in her 20s who is recently divorced and, well, a lot of things that come along with that. In short, she is kind of a trainwreck at times but the book takes us through her trying to get out of that. I enjoyed the writing (so funny!) but it did take me a bit to get into it.

Lunar Love – 3.5 stars

This is a super cute and quick read. The story follows a girl who takes over her family’s matchmaking business. She ends up going head to head with the creator of a match making app and of course… sparks fly. This is a fun light read. Delightfully predictable!

Romantic Comedy – 4 stars

Got this in my book of the month last month and couldn’t wait! It was so good. If you’ve ever been a fan of SNL, this is very SNL-ish! It’s all I could picture. The story follows one of the comedy writers who falls for the celeb host. The only part I didn’t love was the pandemic aspect. I mean it was so well done, but I am not ready to read about it yet. Ha.

The post What I Read In April 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

I had another great reading month with SO many good books. I’ve already started on my summer reading list for you and I think many of these will make it. They are excellent!

What did you read in March!? Let me know below!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

All of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

WHAT I READ IN MARCH 2023

Pineapple Street – 4.5 stars

What a fun read! I loved this one. The story follows a wealthy family and their life in NYC. It’s a great way to escape and see the insides of the life of the super rich – it’s also funny and heartwarming and the characters are so well done. It was a fairly quick light read and one I needed just to get away for a minute – but also puts some things in perspective for the family. Really liked it!

Just My Type – 4 stars

Oh I loved this one. It includes my favorite trope, second chance love. The story follows Lana who has jumped from relationship to relationship and then ends up working with her first true love. Some of it was a little predictable but it was just my kind of story! So lovely and light and enjoyable.

Someone Else’s Shoes – 4.5 stars

This is a fun one! It was a book of the month pick and I love this author. The story follows two women who accidentally switch bags at the gym. One is super fancy and rich while the other is trying to make ends meet. I LOVE how this story came together and the character development. It was relatable and funny – the perfect read!

The Sweet Spot  – 4 stars

I loved this author’s previous book so I was super excited for this one and it did not disappoint. The story follows three women who come together after a baby is left at their doorstep. I LOVED THIS. It was such a heartwarming story and so well down. I loved how quirky and real the characters are.

Maame – 4 stars

Oh how I ended up loving this. I also got this in my book of the month box and was hesitant to read it because of the parkinson’s storyline. I am so glad I did though. The story follows a young girl who is a caretaker for her father – everything that comes along with that and also the intricacies of her parents culture. It’s so well written and while parts are very heartbreaking, I loved how this turned out. The family dynamics are wild.

Paris: The Memoir

I listed to this one as I’m a huge fan of memoirs that are read by the author. I will admit, it took me a bit of time to get in to. It seemed to jump all over the place and I had to get used to Paris’ voice. But I finished it and have to say WOW – so many people underestimate her and she has been through so much. Def worth a listen if you were coming of age in the early 2000s.

Daisy Jones and The Six

This was a re-read for me and I never count my rereads. Why? I don’t know! So this month I’m counting it. I read this when it first came out and loved it. As soon as I started the TV show, I reread it to remember. It was just as good if not better and I loved that I had a different picture in my head of the characters. This has always been a 5 star read for me.

The post What I Read In March 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

It was a great reading month! I’m still reading a lot more than I did last year – and am going to link to this podcast again that talks about reading more and finding the time.

What did you read in February!? Let me know below!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here.

WHAT I READ IN FEBRUARY 2023

Georgie All Along – 4.5 stars

Ooooh I liked this book so, so much. I loved the previous titles by this author and was super excited to get this in my book of the month box. The story follows a girl who goes back to her hometown after her job position ends. She feels “behind” in life and finds a journal that she wrote in school – basically fan fiction of the life she wished to lead. She decides to fulfill the fan fiction and do everything she said she would. I loved this story, the ending – everything.

The Chemistry of Love – 3.5 stars

I really liked Roommaid, so I was excited to get this book! It was cute. The story follows a cosmetic chemist who is in love with her boss (who is definitely an ass) – and ends up pretend dating his brother, who is the CEO, to try and make him jealous. This is super cute, a quick, fun read. The ending was adorable too. As a beauty product junkie, I loved all the scenes in the cosmetic lab too! Some scenes made me laugh out loud.

Carrie Soto Is Back – 5 stars

Gosh, I loved this book SO much. I put off reading this for awhile because I didn’t think I’d enjoy it. The story follows Carrie Soto who was an incredible tennis player in the 90s and her comeback to defend her world record. It was incredible – I was hooked. It made me want to take tennis lessons and also get the kids on the court for, you know, ten hours a day. The relationship between Carrie and her dad is everything.

Ugly Love – 4 stars

This was the only Colleen Hoover book that I hadn’t read yet! As predicted, I really enjoyed it. It was a quick and easy read – definitely felt a little more young adult than some of the others. If you read CoHo back in the day, you probably remember when it was all considered YA! This story follows a girl who moves in with her brother, meets his neighbor and has an instant attraction. They enter into a no-strings-attached relationship and as usual, there is heartbreak and more! It’s a great fast read.

Good For You – 4 stars

Loved this! Got this as an early kindle release and I was so excited. This story follows a magazine editor who gets put on leave from her job after an altercation with a few employees. We learn she suffers from some PTSD from early trauma and is also dealing with her brother’s death, moving into his house where unbeknownst to her, his best friend is also living. Lots of good tension in this story and it was such a great ending.

Things We Hide From The Light  – 2.5 stars

I wanted to love this one. Looking back, I guess I am not surprised. I didn’t love the previous book in this series (read last year), but I did kind of like the one I read last month set in northern Michigan. This story follows an investigator and cop who are dealing with the aftermath of the same crime and what it entails, plus them falling for each other. These books have amazing reviews so it’s probably just me. I don’t think moody, broody (almost mean?) cops are my character of choice and while I like tension, the crazy tension and fighting and screaming in this book just didn’t do it for me. I struggled to get through it. I found most of the characters so unlikeable.

Love Pamela

I listened to this on audible this month while recipe testing! I decided to listen to it after watching the documentary produced by her son. I ended up LOVING this. Man, the 90s and 2000s were brutal and so weird and learning about her upbringing, her career path, what happened after her tape with Tommy Lee was stolen and so on – it’s heartbreaking and just crazy to see behind the scenes. I have a much different opinion on her now and it’s wild to see how much the media could shape your beliefs of someone.

The post What I Read In February 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Hiiii it’s my favorite post of the month. It was a great reading month!

I had my biggest reading month in probably a year.

A few weeks ago I listened to the lazy genius podcast episode on how to read more books. I don’t really have a problem with finding time to read – I am always reading no matter what because it’s such a big part of my life. But some of her tips – like reading at certain times or choosing it over something else really stuck with me. I read SO much this month thanks to this. I read a ton in the car line at school, in the mornings, before bed, while waiting at kids’ activities, in the evenings when the kids and I take some downtime before dinner. And I should mention – reading is also a really big stress relief for me and helps with anxiety. I love getting lost in a story.

Hoping I can keep up this momentum for the rest of the year. Let me know what you read below.

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here.

And you can follow me on goodreads here!

What I Read In January 2023

Nora Goes Off Script – 5 stars

This was my favorite of the month! Oh it was so cute. Lacy had been telling me to read this for months. The story follows a writer who sells a movie and the movie comes to film at her house. The star of the film is super famous and also very tormented and they become close… it’s so good! So cute. Really very heartwarming and made me so happy. I loved all the characters and especially the kids in this.

The BackUp Plan – 3 stars

I read this over the last weekend when our family had a stomach bug – fun. It was a recommendation on my kindle and I really liked it, it was very cute. The story follows three estranged friends who are reunited when a (famous) woman they know and love leaves them her estate. They must figure out what to do, how to do it, how to get along, etc. It was light and easy and enjoyable.

The Dead Romantics – 4 stars

Okay, I was so skeptical about this one. I do not like stories with ghosts. Not because I’m scared, but because I want them to be more realistic. Anyway, a few of you recommended this and I ended up loving it. The story follows a ghostwriter who loses her father, and their family owns a funeral home. Her editor also ends up being a ghost that only she can see. I loved this story, the writing is wonderful, the characters are charming. The ending is perfect.

The Villa – 2.5 stars

Okay, so I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I didn’t love this one. Which killed me, because I loved everything else by Rachel Hawkins and had really been looking forward to this. It was SO difficult for me to get into this book. The story follows two friends who go on a vacation/writing trip to a villa in Italy which holds a lot of famous drama. The chapters alternate between past and present. I felt like the storylines were all over the place, they jumped back and forth so much and I was just incredibly uninterested in almost all of the characters. There also wasn’t that much suspense for me! It could have been because I read this after This Time Tomorrow (which I loved)??

In a Jam – 3.5 stars

This was cute!! It was another recommendation on my kindle. I loved it instantly – got hooked and through it was so fun. Then it turned very surprisingly steamy (this was my first book by this author) and I was like whoa. I liked the story though. This follows a girl who returns to her hometown (well, one of them) when her step grandmother dies and leaves her a farm. She can only keep the farm under certain circumstances. And her neighbor poses a lot of issues. I liked this and it was a fast read.

This Time Tomorrow – 4.75 stars

Oh this one was so, so good. I love Emma Straub so much! This story follows a girl who is transported back in time to relive her 16th birthday, and everything she feels about her father who is currently sick. It is so heartwarming and wonderful to read. It’s about small moments in life and things you maybe would change if you could. It’s delightful.

Forever Never – 4.25 stars

I just finished this one last night and ended up loving it so much. So, this was recommended to me on my kindle after reading one of Lucy Score’s books last year, but what really sold me was that it’s set on Mackinac Island! My dad’s family is from northern Michigan and we go every year, so I was obsessed. I’ve been to Mackinac many times. The story follows an artist who returns to the island under mysterious circumstances and the guy she left behind, who happens to be a cop. Tons of tension between them. This is steamy, and I could have done without the 50 shades/dominance stuff, but I really liked it. It’s also LONG! I was hooked instantly, wanting to know the backstory. It was really good.

Spare

I started listening to Price Harry’s book the day it came out – it took me through multiple full recipe testing days. I didn’t mind listening because his voice is soothing (I almost always listen when it’s a celeb memoir who narrates!). I found some of the his younger years interesting – I just wanted to know more about that. I really liked the podcast on the book from the celebrity memoir book club, which I think dissected it perfectly.

The post What I Read In January 2023. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.