i have been on a MAJOR reading kick lately (by lately i mean like the past year haha) but i’ve taken it up another notch now that it’s summer and we’re going to the pool and lake more often! i always LOVE chatting book recommendations with friends so today i wanted to round up the fiction books i’ve read and loved recently!
side note – i feel like you always have to take people’s book recommendations with a grain of salt haha. personally, i don’t love like science fiction or magical type of books (ie: harry potter or books like that. i know. don’t come at me lol just being honest). SO my book style might be totally different than yours. i tend to like realistic books, not too cheesy, not too dark. i like suspense, mystery etc. so, here ya go….my 2023 summer reading list!
recommended to me
firefly lane by kristin hannah
anytime i ask people for book recommendations on IG this is one of the top recommended books! i will say…it was LONG like it took me a while to get through it, and it wasn’t necessarily the most like suspenseful / gripping novel. BUT definitely worth reading and i really liked it! i liked the storyline and kristin hannah is a great author so it was really well written! i’d give this book a 3.5 out of 5!
the last thing he told me by laura dave
i’m including this in my summer reads list because it is a HIGHLY recommended book and they just made a show about it too. but i’m not gonna lie…i didn’t love it. including it for y’all though because i know a ton of people who did. i personally found this book to be really slow and anti-climactic in the end. the book is about a woman searching for truth about her husband’s disappearance. the plot was interesting but i felt like how the story was told was really slow. i’d give this book a 2.5 out of 5 (don’t @ me haha just sharing my opinion!)
best thriller/murder mystery
flicker in the dark by stacy willingham
okay this book was a little scary i’m not gonna lie haha. especially because i usually read at night before i fall asleep so this one gave me a little bit of anxiety lol BUT it was SO GOOD! very much a murder mystery thriller type of book that will leave you on the edge of your seat. i’d give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
best read so far
the good sister by sally hepworth
this book was recommended to me by friend lindy who also works on the LKS team and omg i LOVED It / read it SO fast! i am now obsessed with the author and already reading one of her other books because i loved the good sister so much. it was a mystery type of book with such an interesting storyline but not dark or scary at all. another one where i really didn’t see the ending coming and i love how it incorporated some romance + love without being too cheesy. i give this a 5/5!
since i loved the good sister so much, i started reading the mother-in-law by the same author when we were in mexico. i’m a little over half way through and love it already.
what are some fiction books you’ve read lately and loved?! i’m always looking to add to my summer reading list!
thanks for reading!
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xo Lauren
