Hello everyone! Sorry I missed last weeks upload, I thought I had a post scheduled and it turns out I didn’t and I was not keen on the idea of putting out a rushed post that I was not proud of, anyhoo, I am back with my September reading wrap up! I really enjoyed a lot of the books that I read this month and so I am super excited to talk about them with you all!
I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
RATING: ★★★★★
The first book I read this month was I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I actually ended up listening to the audiobook for this one because I was not patient enough for the release date in the UK and I would so recommend it! The book was narrated by Jennette and I think it just added so much to the experience, especially considering I grew up listening to her voice on iCarly, it was such a powerful way to hear her story told.
The book was incredibly heavy and went over many of the traumatic events in a lot of detail, and so I would definitely look into trigger warnings if that is something you think may impact you.
Though this is not necessarily a critique, moreso just something to note, the book is written in a way that isn’t particularly retrospective. Jennette did not comment on what she thinks now of the things that took place as they occurred, and very little of the book actually focused on where she is now. That is of course a part of her journey and I completely understand that the events in the book took up such a huge portion of Jennette’s life, but I think for anyone who maybe wanted to hear about the recovery process from the trauma that Jennette faced, this book may not be for you.
Personally though, I adored this book. It really drove home how we never know what people are going through and it also is confirming many of my suspicions about ‘The Creator’.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
RATING: ★★★★★
Then my anxiety was playing up, so I ran into the comforting arms of Harry Potter. We don’t need to discuss much here, but it was a great comforting read.
Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
RATING: ★★★★☆
Next up was the book I read on the four hour flight I was on. I picked this one up at the airport as it was the only Taylor Jenkins Reid book that I had not yet read and it was a solid 4 stars, the book follows our main character, switching between two versions of reality following a night out, one where she stays out, and one where she goes home. I just think that Ms Reid has this way of writing when I will literally care about whatever it is that she is saying and this book was no different. It gave me similar vibes to The Midnight Library and I always find a lot of comfort in the idea of alternate realities for some reason? I think it reminds me in my head not to worry so much because alternate universe me is vibing with her life and I can vibe with mine.
This was a really fun read and definitely one that you can fly through, would recommend if you love Taylor’s writing, but maybe not if you are looking for something like the celeb series she does (i.e. if you found her on TikTok)
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
RATING: ★★★★☆
This book was an impromptu read when I swapped books with a girl I met on holiday and it was nothing like what I expected it to be. Honestly I would try to explain this to you but I think I’d just ruin the whole reading experience, so I will just say if you like crazy thrillers and mysteries, definitely give this one a go.
Like Me by Hayley Phelan
RATING: ★★★★☆
Next up was Like Me by Hayley Phelan, this book is a psychological thriller following an aspiring model whose career takes off, we follow her journey while she deals with social media addiction and narcissism. This book was really great and I loved all of the themes that it explored and it was really striking to see just how toxic so many of the habits that we normalise in today’s society really are. My only critique of this book is that it did the thing that thrillers always do with me, and she fell a little bit flat with the ending just because so many things didn’t make sense, I guess that comes with having an unreliable narrator but I still just didn’t love the ending, but other than that, the book was still amazing and I would definitely recommend.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
RATING: ★★★★★
And then we got around to one of my most anticipated books of the whole year with Carrie Soto is Back. This book follows Carrie, a retired tennis player, return to defend her title. Let me tell you I ate this book up, the tennis vibe was perfect in making the post Wimbledon vibes last a teeny bit longer, and I LOVE how it spoke about women in sport and how they are treated. This book was amazing, Taylor Jenkins Reid did amazing, I am well and truly obsessed.
Reputation by Sarah Vaughan
RATING: ★★★★☆
Being away from the UK, I began to miss corrupt politics, and so I read a book about it instead. Reputation follows politician Emma, and the scandals that followed after a tabloid journalist was found dead in her house. Again, this book dealt with the way that women are treated in such an interesting way and it was so gripping. I don’t know if its because I am a law student but the book gave me big corporation city girl vibes and I loved it.
The Herd by Emily Edwards
RATING: ★★★★★
And then I read another five star book, so this month just overall did great in terms of the quality of books read. This book follows two besties, godmothers to each others daughters, and the fallout of their friendship over the issue of vaccinating their children. This book was literally incredible, I loved the way it was written, I loved that I had no clue where anything was going and it was truly truly incredible.
Between the pages 