Hello friends and happy Thursday! I have a book review for you today! I do have to admit this list is from May and June…I’ve been in a reading rut the past couple of weeks and need a kick in the pants to get out of it! I’m hoping I will get through more books next month! But here is a list and review of the books I read or listened to in May/June! I hope you enjoy and please comment to let me know what books I MUST put on my next list! I LOVE reader’s suggestions!

I started the month off strong with The Midwife of Auschwitz. I was actually in a little reading rut before I picked up this book and to be honest I picked up this book to read because I knew with the word Auschwitz in the title I wouldn’t be able to put it down and would need to get through it quickly.

This book was really good. I mean really good. I think I read it in 3 days. It is one of those that I still think of scenes from the book and feel as if the moments were real somehow. Like I watched a documentary on it or something. I really enjoy reading a book about WWII. I always walk away beyond thankful for the life I’m living and in awe of what a human can truly endure. If you like books like this, you need to give this one a try.

After that heavy read, I wanted something a little lighter…well, I chose It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover which in the beginning is a light, fun read. Then with a couple of quick turns, it became very heavy in my opinion. Colleen’s writing is very good and she keeps you engaged from the very beginning. I’m sure you know It Ends With Us is going to be a movie starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. And I just love both of them as actors in Gossip Girl and Jane the Virgin.

I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone who hasn’t read it so I will give a super quick overview. It Ends With Us is about a girl who finds a guy and they have a hot and heavy type relationship. This relationship takes some big twists and turns that you don’t expect all while an old friendship comes back into play. I will warn you if you have any past struggles with domestic violence, I would imagine this book could be difficult to read. I feel Colleen does a very good job of advocating for women in this exciting read. She makes you see things from a perspective that you probably have never thought of or felt before. I still think of this plot from time to time. I highly recommend reading this book!

So of course, after It Ends With Us I had to read It Starts With Us, the sequel. It Starts With Us was a great read, it definitely tied up any loose ends that Colleen left on the table in It Ends With Us. She did a great job showing how difficult relationships can be and how great some relationships can be if you find the right person. If you like It Ends With Us then you will want to read It Starts With Us.

Well after reading Colleen Hoover’s books I was ready for another fun and catching read so I picked up The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth and you guys this was soooo good!!! It was such a quick read. I found myself reading it everywhere, I couldn’t put it down. I even asked John if he could watch the girls one Sunday afternoon so I could curl up and finish it. So I did. This type of book would be perfect for a long plane flight or a long weekend spent by the pool if you have older kids. I found myself reading this book while the girls played and while Kate napped. The Soulmate is about a couple who lives by a large cliff in Australia with their two girls. This cliff is known for people to come and end their lives on it until this family moves in and the husband becomes a true lifesaver. As the story goes, there is one life he wasn’t able to save and it turns out he knows her. The mystery begins here with a “did he push her” and “why was she there to begin with?”. I really loved this book. I will say it had a funny “ghost” aspect to it but once you get used to a “ghost”/dead person narrating parts of the story it’s great!

While I was reading those books I decided to listen to some books on Audible. I do this while completing tasks like dishes, laundry, and driving. My first book was Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White. This was a fun book to listen to as I decluttered parts of our house. Dana did a great job of making her readers feel that it is totally doable to truly declutter your home. She gives great ideas on how to get started and how to continue the process. This was an easy listen and one that I will go back to again.

Don’t Overthink It was my next listen. I literally listened to this book because of its title. I wanted to stop overthinking so much and I think this book helped in many ways.

Next up were two books by Crystal Paine. These books were so good! The Time Saving Mom actually changed my everyday life. I even bought the hard copy. It’s soo good! And Love Centered Parenting was just so good in many ways. After listening, I took away a bigger picture idea of parenting and I loved that!

Alright friends, that about rounds it up for the books I read and finished in May and June! I’m hoping to get a couple of books read in July! With two kids and trying to blog again I need to be very strategic with my time to make this happen lol!

Happy reading! And please let me know what books I should read next!

xx,

Holley