July 2020 Book Recommendations: What to Read & What to Skip

Welcome to my regular round up of books for my July 2020 book recommendations! This month featured a wide variety of books, even including one murder mystery!!

It is RARE to find that genre here, so I am thrilled its actually a book that I highly recommend!!

This list of July 2020 book recommendations includes a few must-read hits and some middle of the road reads you can take or leave.  I like to share both my five star reads and any misses to help you get a better idea of what you should read or might want to skip.

As always, I love to hear if you agree or disagree with my ratings! Let me know in the comments what you thought of my July 2020 book recommendations.

I’m linking up with Jana Says /Life According to Steph and Modern Mrs Darcy as usual to share what we read this month!

*Disclosure – I earn a small commission for any items purchased through the links above at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my book blog!!

 

July 2020 Book Recommendations

Physical Books:

Happy And You Know It by Laura Hankin

A recent Book of the Month pick that I LOVED. Get lost in a rich mom group in NYC. When a young musician is hired to entertain the kids, she becomes embroiled in all the drama and secrets. Each woman is facing her own struggles and the constant need to be the best mom and wife makes them turn to shady products to cope.

I was the perfect audience since I have a kid around the same age as these women! However, I think all women will get caught up in this outrageous story! 5 Stars | Amazon

 

Where The Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

This book was included in my first Once Upon A Book Club box!! It’s a unique historical fiction novel about a group of families on the Oregon Trail. This is a fascinating time period that I don’t see represented often. The details about the hardships of being on the trail were intense and the book didn’t shy away from them. The love story felt a bit forced, but that’s my only complaint.

P.S. I adore this subscription box which directs you to open gifts as you read and you can get 10% off with my code NEVERENOUGHNOVELS10. 3.5 Stars | Amazon 

 

The Bookshop On The Shore by Jenny Colgan

Another hit from Jenny Colgan. Those of you familiar with her work might recognize a few of the side characters in this novel from The Bookshop on the Corner. This isn’t a sequel, but takes place in the same town. Zoe is a young mother who desperately takes a role as a nanny in an old manor home. The children are horrible and there are some unusual rumors circling about their father.

4 Stars | Amazon

 

The Book Of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

It’s been ages since I read a WWII historical fiction novel, but I’m glad I broke the drought with this one! The Book Of Lost Names tells the story of forgers in France who helped Jewish children and other Allies escape to safety. Eva unexpectedly discovers a talent as a forger after her father is taken during a roundup of Jews in Paris.

I always love stories that flip back and forth between the past and the present, slowly connecting the dots as you read. This novel focuses on a vital, but not often discussed, role of resistors. 4.5 Stars | Amazon (Release Date July 21, 2020)

 

 

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eBooks (reading from Netgalley / Library):

One To Watch by Kate Stayman London

Bea is a plus sized fashion blogger who is chosen to be the next Main Squeeze (aka Bachelorette). The show attempts to diversify for ratings and Bea plans to use the publicity for new opportunities in the fashion world. However, she starts to believe she might actually fall in love with one of the gorgeous men vying for her attention.

I loved this, but it probably helps that I also enjoy watching the show in real life. It’s as over the top as you’d expect, but Bea is a unique protagonist who you want to keep reading about. Overall a great read that was easily one of my favorites of year so far! 5 Stars | Amazon

 

American Royals / Majesty by Katharine McGee

Imagine America with a royal family! After the Revolutionary War, George Washington accepted a kingship instead of a presidency and his descendants are now ruling the country in present day. Beatrice, heir to the throne, Samantha and Jefferson, her twin siblings, deal with the glitz, drama, and responsibility of being in a royal family.

I ADORED American Royals and could not wait for the sequel. Thankfully, I enjoyed Majesty just as much! These are addicting reads that you will not want to put down! 5 Stars | Amazon

 

One By One by Ruth Ware

I RARELY read thrillers / murder mysteries, but this one set at a ski chalet just sounded too interesting to pass up. A tech company on a retreat gets stranded after an avalanche hits. One of the founders is presumed missing, but things get even worse when they start to suspect her death wasn’t an accident…and the murderer is still killing.

This was the perfect blend of intense, creepy, and well written. Every part of this story was interesting and I didn’t feel like I was slogging through to find out the reveal. I loved it! 5 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

Reading Tracker Analysis (Data: Jan – Present)

Since I created my Reading Tracker (available for $5 in my store), I thought it’d be fun to showcase a few of the graphs each month. I’m an accountant, so books + Excel is my dream combo 🙂

This month is a check in on my basic stats so far this year. With 49 books read, I’m at a total of 17,561 pages!!! It’s crazy to see that page count keep increasing. Also I love that my average rating is 4.1. Lots of amazing books in 2020.

 

 

 

If you’d like to analyze your reading or you’re tired of tracking books with Goodreads, check out my Reading Tracker!

 

What was the best book you read recently?

 

For more mini book reviews, check out What I Read in June 2020!