Our August Favorites!

From beach reads to summerween, August is a great time for books! I (Maggie) had a lot of witty and funny reads this month. It was definitely a month of banter and laughing out loud in weird places while I listened to books. I also read the entire Summer I Turned Pretty series, which is not on this list and I definitely have feelings about. I (Allison) read a lot of serious books that were at times batty, at times depressing, but very good- I want to highlight the palate cleansers though, since I read many good ones in that category as well! Whether your August was more summer vibes or more fall vibes, we hope you had a great reading month too!

Zomromcon by Olivia Dade - Maggie

4 / 5 Stars

If you loved Twilight and miss having vampire stories that have a little bit horror and a lot of humor, this is definitely the book you should pick up next. Zomromcom follows Edie, a human who lives in the containment zone across the street from her frat boy neighbor. When she saves her neighbor from being eaten by a zombie, he brings her to his house, which is not what she expected at all. She also didn't expect him to be named Gaston, and actually be a vampire.

When they have to figure out a way to warn everyone else about the breach they decide to work together, which leaves them stuck together in a lot of precarious situations. One of my favorite parts about this book was Edie's insistence on making up songs about Gaston using the Beauty and the Beast song and the way he kept calling her 'human' like he was annoyed. Overall, this book has some tense moments, but is a great little paranormal rom-com that is quite reminiscent of the 2000s.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston - Allison

3.75/5 Stars

Magical Realism in all its glory! This was a fun little refreshing take on the idea of "diving" into a good book- literally! An academic finds herself suddenly transported into her favorite book series and struggles to connect with old reliable characters and an unexpected character not mentioned in the books. Who is this mysterious man, and can he help our MC, Eileen, find her way out?

I admit to reading this in audiobook form while doing about a million chores, so was I paying attention 100% of the time? No-But that was part of the charm of the twist for me. It took me a while to figure it out, but once I did, I was hooked! I loved all the side characters in this book, but sometimes Eileen's approach to problem solving was a bit annoying. The real strength of this palate-cleanser book for me was how sweet/adorable it was. I consider this to be an engaging PG-level little romance book. It is definitely worth giving Ashley Poston a read if you like the romance genre!

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - Maggie

5 / 5 Stars

Accomplice to the Villain serves are the third book in what might be one of my favorite fantasy series currently. This series overall has a fun mix of magic and mayhem while also being pretty light on the intense world building or really aggressive politics that some fantasy novels have.

The series follows Evie, who has acquired a job being the assistant then apprentice not accomplice to the Villain, or Tristan. Who is know for doing as he pleases and trying to fight the king of their land. Evie and Tristan are also determined to not act on their feelings for each...at least they think they are trying. By this book, we are deep into Evie and Tristan trying to save their friends, while avoiding being caught by the king who wishes to have Tristian's head on a stick. This book centers mostly around trying to save Kingsley, Tristan's best friend turned frog who is having a hard time remembering he is human. This series is a really great series if you don't want to dive into anything too heavy on fantasy while still having stakes in the story. There is also excellent banter between a lot of the characters and I like that it switches POVs.

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden - Allison

3.75/5 Stars

I came across this book at work and was surprised to find that this little innocuous novel was the subject of so much scandal back when it was published in 1982. This book is the 44th most banned book in the U.S. due to its positive portrayal of a lesbian relationship in a YA book- the first of its kind to ever do that. The reason why this book has a slightly lower rating that usual for me is that what was considered "happy" for a young lesbian couple in the 80s doesn't quite hold up as well in the modern day-and-age (thankfully!), but in terms of trailblazing, this is a very interesting foundational LGBTQIA+ text for me. I think what fascinates me most is that our main couple- Liza and Annie- have a very simple friends-to-lovers arc. This book is basic, sweet, and... ordinary? I mean this in that way that a coming-of-age, figuring out your sexuality book is fairly run of the mill with its recognizable beats. It goes through the motions of a high school story, with teacher mentors who also happen to be lesbians (my fave characters of the book honestly), but it was SUCH a controversial book in its day for all that it was... not much character- and plot-wise by today's standards. This book is a very cool look at where a lot of today's YA LGBTQIA+ literature began. Nancy Garden walked so that so many others could run, so I recommend fans of this genre definitely check this book out!

How were your August reads? Did any stand out to you? What should we read in September? Any recs from your fave authors now that we are approaching the holiday release season?

Let us know!