the one where I spend way too much on books: a giant summer book haul

welcome back to a literary latte!

It feels so nice to finally type out those words because i have really missed blogging. Life has just been so busy; from finally finishing sixth form and a-levels, to starting a new job as a summer temp, I just haven’t had the time to blog. But! My blogging and reading mojo has returned in full force recently and so I’m really excited to start posting on here more!! Can’t wait for you guys to read what I have planned!

To start off the summer of regular blog posts, today’s post is a fat list of all of the books I’ve bought recently which I’ve added to my immediate summer tbr!

01 made in korea by sarah suk

This book centres around two Korean American teens in their final year of high school, Valerie and Wes, who are running two rival K-beauty businesses, competing to outsell each other whilst also navigating potential ~feelings~ they may have towards each other. I actually finished reading this one yesterday (which was pretty much a one-sitting read) and I loved it – a 4.5 star read for me! Rivals to lovers is one of my fave tropes and I’m so glad that this didn’t disappoint – the characters were fleshed out, the romance believable, the tension was there and I loved seeing the backstory of mitigating their future plans as well as complicated family relationships. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a super quick and cute contemporary!

02 the seven husbands of evelyn hugo
by taylor jenkins reid

This is the last book of this haul that I’ve already read and IT WAS INCREDIBLE. My expectations were honestly so high because this book has been so hyped since its release, and I’m really glad to say that it exceeded them?? Still in a state of emotional shock to be honest because it was just such a rollercoaster!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is told from the perspective of Monique Grant, a journalist who is given the opportunity to interview Hugo – who is finally ready to do a tell-all on her scandalous and drama-filled life in Hollywood, including the details on her seven husbands and which of them was her true love.
I honestly didn’t really know how interesting I’d find this but I picked it up solely due to the rave reviews & I’m glad I did because I adored it. Evelyn Hugo is just an iconic character and I can definitely see myself rereading this in future. 10/10 recommend and 5 stars all around.

03 these violent delights by chloe gong

These Violent Delights is another one that I’ve seen numerous 4 and 5 star reviews for so I’m really excited to start this one next! It’s a Romeo & Juliet retelling (star-crossed lovers yes please, but am I ready for the pain?) featuring gangs and chaos in 1920s Shanghai. YES PLEASE. This honestly sounds incredible and the hardcover is also stunning, so if we’re judging books by their covers then I’m in for an amazing read & I can’t wait.

04 legendborn by tracy deonn

There’s a common theme with these books in that they’ve all been really hyped up and so this is another one that I’m so excited to get to – this time a YA fantasy that follows Bree as she attempts to discover the truth about her mother’s death. It also involves magical demons and a secret society that hunts said demons so SIGN ME UP, sounds incredible. Another 5 star prediction!

05 the infinity courts by akemi dawn bowman

To be quite honest with you this was purely a cover buy. I’ve seen this book mentioned by quite a few bloggers recently but I have no idea what it’s about? Bare with as I head to GoodReads but I picked this up only because the cover is absolutely beautiful!! Honestly publishers are absolutely smashing the covers for these 2021 releases.
I JUST READ THE SYNOPSIS AND IT SOUNDS AMAZING.
If the writing is good then this book will 100% meet the beauty of the cover because it sounds amazing?? A twisted virtual assistant who’s become the self-proclaimed queen of the afterlife and is about to destroy human existence? Impeccable.

06 off the record by camryn garrett

Another 2021 release with a really pretty cover! This one follows a teen journalist who gets the opportunity to write a celebrity profile for a magazine, but soon finds that things aren’t all that they seem with the charming young celeb she begins to fall for. Inspired by the #MeToo movement this sounds like a really important and emotional read, and I’m looking forward to starting this one.

07 date me bryson keller by kevin van whye

This fake dating book has been on my tbr for so long so I’m really excited to get to it this summer! I’ve heard so many good things about it and fake dating is another of my all-time fave tropes! The fact that it’s marketed as “What If It’s Us meets To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” also sounds promising because I loved both of those reads!

08 meet cute diary by emery lee

This one has been marketed as “Felix Ever After meets Becky Abertalli” which sounds right up my street. I just read Felix Ever After last week and absolutely adored it, and Becky Abertalli is an auto-buy author for me so this sounds so promising. The reviews have been kind of mixed though so I’m kind of nervous but hopefully it lives up to the cute 😉 cover!

09 permanent record by mary h k choi

I’ve heard so many good things about Mary H.K. Choi’s writing so I’m really excited to get to this one! And if I love it I’ll 100% be adding two of her other books Yolk and Emergency Contact to this summer tbr. Plus I love the normal person meets celebrity trope so I think I’ll love it!

10 the other side of perfect by mariko turk

I’ve seen so many positive reviews about this one so I’m excited to get to this. The novel follows Alina, a former ballet dancer forced to quit the industry after an injury. She then grapples with a lot of important issues like perfectionism, racism in the dance industry and the importance of standing up for things you believe in and raising your voice.

And that’s all of the books I bought in my haul! Can’t wait to get to these (and many more!) over the summer but I’d love to hear you thoughts first!

Have you read any of these? What did you think? What books are on your summer tbr and which should I add?

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