July Book List Review

I slowed down a little bit, reading wise, in July, but the four that I did read were ALL so good & despite the different genres I enjoyed and would recommend them all! Here’s what I read this month:

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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land is a historical fiction story of four orphans on their journey to escape from the Lincoln school-a school for Native Americans, most of which who were forcibly removed from their families. The four children travel through the midwest by canoe during the Great Depression, seeking a new place to call home. I LOVED this book! I loved following the children’s personal growth throughout the story; the character development was amazing and I defintley found myself rooting for the characters. Overall, it was a beautifully told and memorable read that I defintley recommend! 4.5/5 stars

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Verity was another amazing book- although a totally different genre than the first! This book is a mix between romance and thriller and I could NOT put it down. It is about Lowen, a “no name” author who takes the place of a famous author, Verity, who is unable to finish her well known series. Lowen ends up moving into Verity’s home to work on the book and discovers Verity’s chilling, unfinished autobiography, which makes Lowen see her in a completely different light. This book is full of twists- and the one at the end completely got me! I tend to read a ton of thrillers and most of them are not very memorable- but this is one that I defintley won’t forget. I highly recommend and if you do read it- please message me so we can discuss! 😉 5/5 stars

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

The Home for Unwanted Girls is another historical fiction book that I really enjoyed this month. It tells the story of Maggie, an unwed mother, and her daughter Elodie, who was sent to an orphanage after birth, a common practice for babies born out of wedlock during that time. In the 1950’s, the orphanages in the area were converted to psychiatric hospitals in order to receive more funding. This drastically changed the quality of care that these orphans endured for the worse as they were treated as though the were mentally ill. The book follows Elodie’s experience in the “hospital” as well as Maggie’s life growing up and searching for her daughter.

This was a gripping read. Learning about these “orphanages” was horrifying and as a mother, I can’t imagine knowing your child was in one and not being able to do anything to help. While heartbreaking at times, I overall really enjoyed this memorable read! 5/5 stars

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

American Dirt tells the story of a mother and son fleeing from Mexico and their terrifying journey as migrants to the United States. This book has a lot of controversy surrounding it-which I heard prior to reading the book and I think that did slightly affect my opinion on it. With that being said, I still really enjoyed it. Were some aspects exaggerated? I’m sure. But when I read a work of fiction, I’m not expecting it to be 100% accurate- I just want a memorable story that makes me want to keep turning the pages- and this book did exactly that! It made me want to learn more about immigrants experiences entering our country and I will defintley be seeking books from Own Voices authors in the future.

I am rating this book 4/5 stars because- it made me think and will have a lasting impact on me (in terms of me wanting to learn more). I took away a star because of the huge generalizations and stereotypes that it makes regarding life in Mexico, the United States as a “saving place”, etc.