I ended September with 90 books read in 2020 - this is so unexpected. I read 102 books last year, and I was funemployed for like 6 months, so having 100 in sight so early in the year feels like a pleasant surprise and upside to a weird year.
I’m going back to Amazon links in the post this month, although you can find my entire list of books on Bookshop.org right here. Bookshop.org supports independent booksellers but tends to be a little more expensive than Amazon, so I’m giving you options!
Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis
16 year old Emmie Blue releases a balloon with a message into the sky and it’s found in coastal France by Lucas Moreau. A relationship develops between the two.
Now 14 years later, Lucas is getting married, and Emmie is coming to terms with being in love with her best friend.
Read this if you liked My Best Friend’s Wedding, When Harry Met Sally or any other book where friends become lovers.
Overall grade: A-
My Summer of Love & Misfortune by Lindsay Wong
Iris Wang is a high school senior in New Jersey and her life is a mess: she’s flunking out of school, her boyfriend just cheated on her with her best friend, and now her parents are shipping her off to Shanghai to reconnect with her Chinese roots and get to know her estranged family.
This is a typical teen finding the meaning of life with some really funny laugh out loud bits (Iris is really such a mess) - fun mix of Clueless x Crazy Rich Asians.
Overall grade: B+
The author is a woman of color.
Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth
This was billed as “an ode to female friendship in your 20s”, like an “early season of Sex and the City” - this is not that book.
I abandoned this at 125 pages - it was just nonstop self-destructive behavior, rinse and repeat. It got really boring after a while and I quit.
Overall grade: F
Pretty Things by Janelle Brown
Nina is a con artist who partners with her Irish boyfriend Lachlan to execute their crimes. She usually targets “Rich Kids of Instagram” as her victims. Now her mother has cancer, and Nina is putting everything on the line to get her mom the treatment she needs.
She targets heiress Vanessa, who has moved to her family estate alone in Lake Tahoe following the death of her dad, and a broken engagement.
Read this if you like twisty thrillers like YOU, Gone Girl, and other books in that genre.
Overall grade: solid A.
A Star is Bored by Byron Lane
This fictional book is written by Carrie Fisher’s ex assistant, but this is NOT a story about Carrie Fisher (RIP) even if there are some similarities: famous sci-fi icon, close relationship with her mother, addict.
Charlie Besson is in a dead-end job and takes a job as an assistant to his childhood hero, Kathi Kannon. Charlie gets the job and becomes Kathi’s right hand guy, but as their relationship grows, Charlie must choose whether to get wrapped into her world or go out and live his own.
Read this if you like celebrity biopics/memoirs.
Overall grade: B+
The Chiffon Trenches by Andre Leon Talley
When I was in high school in Mumbai, my library was one of the few places that carried both American Vogue and British Vogue! I knew exactly when they arrived and would drop everything to read them (I was supposed to be studying). I remember seeing Andre Leon Talley in those pages, and reading his memoir brought me right back to those memories of being a teenager and dreaming about a life filled with beautiful clothes!
If you loved fashion growing up, or love it now, read this book. At under 300 pages, it’s a slim memoir, filled with great stores about all the fashion names you’ve known, loved and dreamed about. A nice mix of gossip, history and fashion insider information!
Overall grade: B+
The author is a Black man.
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
This book is a new release this summer and has already been optioned for a TV/streaming series. It’s the story of Jill Newman, who is now in her senior year of high school. When she was a freshman, her best friend Shaila died during her initiation into The Players, a secret society that helps kids get into their dream colleges. Shaila’s then boyfriend, Graham, confessed to the crime, but is now proclaiming his innocence. So, how did Shaila die?
Read this if you like Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl and/or Cruel Intentions.
Overall grade: B- (I think I was expecting a lot more because of all the hype. It’s entertaining, but didn’t live up to my expectations)
No Offense by Meg Cabot
Librarian Molly Montgomery has recently moved to an island in the Florida Keys while she nurses a broken heart. One day she finds a newborn in the restroom and when Sheriff John Hartwell arrives to investigate, he finds himself distracted by Miss Molly.
This is a sweet romance, perfect for fans of the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies (even if this one isn’t about Christmas). If you like that big city woman moves to small town trope, this is for you.
Also there’s a Cleveland and Ohio State shoutout in the book.
Overall grade: B
More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn
Luke is the son of a punk-rocker, nursing a secret crush on Veda, a music blogger. Luke is a secret songwriter and sometimes musician, although he just wants to live a normal life. They start off as friends, but will they become more?
Read this if you LOVE music and enjoyed High Fidelity (both the series and the movie).
Overall grade: B-. Maybe I’m just not THAT into music but I didn’t love this.
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Alessandra lives in an un-named kingdom with a brand new king. He’s young, no one knows a lot about him, and it is against the law to touch him.
Alessandra has decided that she wants to kill the king himself, but as someone else makes attempts on his life, she finds herself protecting him.
This book is like The Bachelor x an assassin story, and unlike most books in this genre, it’s a stand-alone book.
Overall grade: B
The Sun is Also a Star: Nicola Yoon
I should tell you upfront that this book is 100% in my Top 10 books I’ve read this year, and since I’m starting book 94 as of this reading, that’s saying something.
This book so beautifully written. It’s the story of a poet and a scientist who happen to meet one day, and over the course of that day, they fall in love. And within that story is a story of immigration and opportunity and mental health and family expectations and so much more.
The writing is so lyrical, and watching our two young protagonists fall in love through their conversations is so lovely.
Read this book if you love Serendipity, or any books/movies about fate or destiny.
Overall grade: A++++++
Author is a Black woman
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
If you’re looking for a nice, feel-good romance, this is one you need to read.
Alexa and Drew meet when the elevator gets stuck while Drew is groomsman at a wedding and Alexa is visiting her sister. Drew spontaneously asks Alexa to pretend to be his girlfriend and date at the wedding, and well, you can guess what happens next.
If you like romances with strong female leads who don’t need rescuing, her books are for you. Read this if you enjoy 27 Dresses, Easy A, The Wedding Date, While You Were Sleeping, and basically any romcom.
Overall grade: A
Author is a Black woman
So that’s it for this month - a roundup of the 12 books I read in September. I finished September at 90 books, so it’s highly likely I will hit 100 in October!
Disclosure: I’m an Amazon affiliate so if you make a purchase using a link I’ve provided, I may make a small commission. This has no impact on the price you pay. You can find my entire Amazon shopping list here, which represents pieces I’ve bought and LOVE or ones I want to buy.