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

Welcome to my regular round up of mini book reviews for my August 2020 book recommendations! I have NINE book reviews for you this month, which blew my mind when I counted.

While only one hit the coveted five star status, there were a few 4 and 4.5 star reviews plus one thriller that all you thriller addicts will adore!

In my list of August 2020 book recommendations, I include everything I’ve read recently no matter what.  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 August 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!!

 

August 2020 Book Recommendations

Physical Books:

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

This right here is my five star read! The Switch is O’Leary’s second novel (and her first, The Flatshare, was one of my top books of 2019). Leena and her grandmother decide to switch lives after they both realize they need a break. Leena is taking a much needed hiatus from work after a personal tragedy, so she fills in for her grandmother’s small town duties. Meanwhile her grandmother sets off to London to start online dating, with Leena’s flatmates to guide her.

I can’t get enough of O’Leary’s humor and quirky characters. I wanted to curl up with this book forever and keep reading about their adventures. It’s got a little bit of love, a little bit of healing, and a whole lot of charm. 5 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

The Baker’s Secret by Stephen Kiernan

The Baker’s Secret has been sitting on my shelf for a while, but I was in the mood for WWII historical fiction so I finally picked it up. It follows a woman in Nazi-occupied France as she finds small ways to keep her townspeople alive. The story leads up to D-Day, but focuses on the struggles and heartbreak of daily life during this time period.

There isn’t heart-stopping action or shocking twists, but I think this novel is all the better for it. Instead, you’ll find a poignant peek into the atrocities of the war but also the courage of its survivors. 4.5 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan is one of my go-to authors, so I’m always thrilled when a new book comes out. 500 Miles From You is the third book in a loosely tied together series set in Kirrinfief, Scotland. Lissa, from London, and Cormack, from Scoland, are assigned to each other’s nursing routes for a few months. As they adjust to their surroundings and new patients, they start to rely on each other for support despite never meeting in person.

This is another hit from Jenny! 4 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

I finally snagged the sequel to A Curse So Dark and Lonely from my library! We pick up right where the first book left off, which is always my favorite way for sequels to start. Emberfell is being torn apart by rumors of a hidden true heir that presents a threat to Rhen’s throne. Grey can’t let anyone know the secret he’s hiding, so he turns to former enemies for aide.

I love that Grey takes center stage, since I think he’s the more interesting male lead. Plus, a few new characters round out the story to create an excellent sequel! 4 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

One of my coworkers recommended this thriller to me, even though she knows I don’t like them!! I grabbed it from my library to make her happy and surprisingly enjoyed it a fair amount!

When a woman unexpectedly murders her husband and then goes completely silent, she’s transferred to a mental health facility. A psychologist is convinced he can get her to speak and find out what really happened the night of the murder. The twist was entirely unexpected, but a bit far fetched for my taste. However, if you’re normally a thriller person I think you’ll adore this book! 3.5 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

The Heir Affair by Jessica Morgan and

The Royal We is an all time favorite royal read, so I had high hopes for the sequel. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

I still enjoy reading about these characters, but this book just felt like a bit of a drag. It took me ages to read because I kept picking up other things instead. Honestly I’d read The Royal We and call it a day! 3 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

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eBooks (reading from Netgalley / Library):

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

You guys know I am a HUGE Backman fan, so it pains me to write this review!! Anxious People focuses on a group of strangers who become hostages during an apartment viewing and the cops that are trying to save them. In typical Backman fashion, he delves into the thoughts, reactions, and connections between everyone.

Unfortunately, not a lot happens in the plot. It almost felt like he was trying too hard to blow us away with his writing style, and forgot about the actual events taking place. In the end, I flew through the last third of the book. But the fact that it took me that long to start enjoying makes this a middle-of-the-road read for me. 3.5 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

WOW! If you’re looking for steam, this romance has got you covered. After being dropped by yet another team, former MLB star Travis moves back to his hometown to wallow. The only person willing to force him back into real life is his best friends younger sister, Georgie. After a few enlightening encounters, they agree to a fake relationship so they’ll both be taken more seriously. At least it starts out fake…

There are no closed door scenes here! If you prefer your romance with less steam, you might want to skip this! Overall, I could have used a little more plot, but it was a fun ride! 3 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

 

Never Never by Colleen Hoover

I’m only just starting to dig in to Colleen Hoover’s backlist, but oof this was a major miss. Two teens are suddenly struck with memory loss and have no idea who they are or what happened to them. They come to realize they’re supposedly madly in love, but have had a recent falling out.

As they try to piece together what happened, they get to the root of whether they were meant to be or not. Honestly, this one was bad. 2 Stars | Amazon

 

 

 

 

Reading Tracker Analysis (Data: Jan – Present)

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

Let’s took a look at my reading spread by genre first! As expected, still a TON of romance/chick lit. That’s clearly the genre of 2020 – which isn’t surprising considering they bring me the most joy!

 

The largest graph you’ll find in my tracker shows the average star rating for each publisher! You can easily see I don’t stick with a few favorite publishers. My books come from a wide variety of places, but it’s helpful to keep an eye out for upcoming new releases from publishers with higher ratings!

 

 

 

 

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 July 2020!