My July reading wrap-up reminds me that summer is hurtling towards its end (at least for those that work in education). Though I only have a month left of reading, and I’ve barely touched the books I planned on reading for the summer, I am very happy with my choices for July’s reads.
After many contemporary romance binges—one book of which you’ll still find here—I happily turned towards a little more fantasy and thriller this month. I was more than excited to realize I found some new favorites, too.
7. With Friends Like These by V.S. Lawrence
Published April 15, 2025
Rating: 3 stars
Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Slasher, Demons, Young Adult
Summary: Kenzie, a home schooled seventeen-year old goes to her first summer camp, Camp Red Moon, looking to make friends and build her confidence. When the camp leader goes to town to fix downed phone lines, a harmless prank to summon a demon becomes too real. Girls start showing up dead, while Kenzie is isolated from the group with her new friend, Hannah. Terror is around every corner as the girls grasp at religious straws and the ending comes in a bloodbath.
Originally, and maybe still a little, I felt bad about rating this book so low. I don’t tend to rate books low ever. The writing was great and the characters were fun but the surprise premise was not for me. The religious angle creeped me out and the demon summoning was more literal than I expected. I think what bothered me the most was how religion was weirdly enforced while also fought back against. To me, it felt like Robin and all the girls were justified in fearing a demon was around, considering what happens. I wanted a camp slasher in all its general glory, with the typical actions. The ending was a bit awkward and a turn on the book’s mood. Some of the writing did have faults for me, like too convenient or unexplained. I applaud the author for doing a unique twist (but apparently, I like the classics). With a lot of stellar and good reads this year, With Friends Like These falls to the bottom of my list.
6. Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
Published September 19, 2023
Rating: 3.75 stars
Genres: Contemporary, Sports, Romance, LGBTQ+, Sapphic, Adult
Summary: After a decade of playing, Grace Henderson, soccer star, is benched due to injury. Meanwhile, rookie Phoebe Matthews has her big break playing soccer professionally, and Henderson being out means she’s in. Except, Phoebe has always idolized Grace and quickly befriends her. It isn’t long before an obvious attraction pushes them into friends-with-benefits. While they both try to figure out their place on the field, they’re always skirting the sidelines of their feelings for each other. When they finally team up, they might just be unstoppable.
After the intensity of Schwab’s most recent release, and the news that Cleat Cute is in production to be a TV show (though this was apparently news last year and made a resurgence), I decided to give it a shot. And, I didn’t love it. While I absolutely adored Wilsner’s other book, Mistakes Were Made, I wasn’t that into Cleat Cute. It was a lot of internal monologue that rocketed around the same points and not a lot of action on page. The miscommunication trope was strong in this, which I’ve always disliked. It’s also supposedly a rivals to lovers, but I didn’t see that angle much. It was based a lot more in Grace’s insecurity about her life than any actual rivalry. The ending was sweet, though, likely the only time I was seriously rooting for Phoebe and Grace. Honestly, the book’s saving grace was the intimacy scenes; Wilsner is definitely good at writing those. I don’t think I’ll be re-reading this book, though.
5. Blood and Muscle by Elle Alexanda
Published March 1, 2025
Rating: 4.25 stars
Genres: Romance, Crime, Thriller, Lesbian, LGBTQ+, Adult
Summary: Ava Bedford is a lonely waitress in a quiet town, until her whole life is thrown off from one night. She witnesses a murder involving a high profile political star, Congressman Richard Callahan, and is forced into witness protection. Landing in peaceful Cedar Falls, she’s protected by Sheriff Lou Harman and her deputy Anthony. Lou has always kept control and routine, but Ava stirs her heart. As the months creep by and shadows closer, Ava and Lou find comfort in each other’s arms. How much will they risk for this new love, and what happens if things catch up to Ava?
Originally, I went into this novel expecting a lot more mystery and thriller. The opening chapters had great intensity and laid out a possibly scary story with dashes of romance. It turned out to be the opposite: the romance was front and center, with the thrill on the side. Other than that surprise, the book was pleasantly good. The small town setting was quaint, the background characters intriguing, and Lou and Ava’s romance sweet and slow. Their intimacy chapters were perfect and I liked the finale (cheesy epilogue, but cute). The main reason this didn’t reach 4.5 stars for me is because of the POV switches during chapters. They’re a bit jumbled in; the reader is suddenly seeing or hearing things from Lou when it started with Ava, but then it quickly switches back to Ava. I also lost a little steam towards the middle-end, right before the big finale, because I was hoping for more excitement. Still, I was happy with it!
4. A Curse Bright and Breathing by Moira Darling
Publishing August 12, 2025
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Vampire, Romance, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Sapphic, Adult
Summary: A fateful meeting between Naera, a runaway holy sacrifice, and bounty hunter, Selis, set new love and fire in motion. Naera is a glowing vampire, born and raised in The Garden to be a sacrifice to bring back their God Selene. Except, when she starts receiving dreams from Selene, of a golden-haired woman and a chance at life, she runs. Selis doesn’t believe in gods and thrives on killing and gold. When she takes the contract for Naera, the two become chained together in inexplicable ways.
As my second eARC from Moira Darling, I knew exactly what kind of writing I was getting into. I was torn in the first half of the book, assuming my rating would land somewhere between 4 and 4.25 stars, but once things got kicking in the middle, I was trapped in the narrative. The plot is character driven and steady, with beautiful and charged moments between Naera and Selis. The tension and teasing between these two main women drove me to the edge of my seat, and the character consistency was pleasing. The premise of the vampiric lore was unique, too, which I always love to see. Most of my complaints centered around repetitive language and a lack of backstory. Backstory was included, but I wish Darling spent a chapter or two more on them separately before the main characters meet. It was still well worth the read, and I frankly liked it even more than Darling’s first novel, A Hunger Soft and Wild that I read in April.
3. Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha by Erin Hunter (creator), Dan Jolley (writer), Don Hudson (artist), Danielle Weires (colors)
Published July 8, 2025
Read July 3rd (not available to mark on Goodreads)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Fantasy, Cats, Graphic Novel, Children’s
Summary: When kittypet Sasha loses her beloved owner, she sets off into the forest to find a new life. It’s lonely until she meets Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, making her question whether she would feel better if she was a part of the forest cats. Yet, Tigerstar has secrets and a side of him he hasn’t shown Sasha. Would she be safe with him? Or will she continue to wander? Where does this wild cat really belong?
Technically, this was a re-read plus something new. The Tigerstar and Sasha graphic novel is merely a colorized version of the original three manga. Even given the cons to this version, I love the story so much and enjoyed being able to see it in color. A big reason this made four and a half stars instead of a plain four is because of Leopardstar’s design change. I did a more in depth review of the comparisons, changes, and general art as well.
2. Virelai’s Hoard by Vivien Nash
Publishing August 4, 2025
Rating: 5 stars
Genres: Fantasy, Pirates, Romance, Sapphic, LGBTQ+, Adult
Summary: Three lives become entangled on a pirate ship as they search for a treasure that should’ve stayed buried. Riley, a con artist who trusts no one, takes the chance for one last steal aboard the Moonshadow. The longer she stays and closer she gets to those aboard, the more she craves the stability they offer, but is it enough to overshadow her long life of mistrust? The secretive leader, Captain Calla Nymeris, is a mystery in of herself, pushing her crew to the ends of their trust for a dream that might save her from herself. Her first mate, Sable, is entangled as well, torn between trying to understand Calla and getting closer to Riley. As they tumble towards the treasure, their steps may falter.
I received an eARC for this upcoming book from Nash via BookFunnel, and wow, am I glad I did. The world building is mystical and simple in the best ways, while the three characters are all distinct with their arcs. This book easily reminded me why this type of fantasy is my favorite genre. Riley, Calla, and Sable are the perfect tangled mess with intimacy scenes (both physical and emotional, mind you) both stellar and charged. The plot was fantastic, fast-paced enough to keep me hooked and guessing. I felt the losses of important crew in my core, and I’m only more intrigued by the mystery of what happens next. My only complaint was the Stingers, which I won’t spoil, but they felt a little too conveniently placed with no explanation of their origin. I am dancing on my feet waiting for Book Two, considering this is only the start of a three-book series. This is definitely a book I will be physically buying!
1. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Published June 10, 2025
Rating: 5 stars
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Vampires, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Lesbian, Adult
Summary: A story at its core about characters, but also about love, death, life, and hunger. This vampiric horror follow three women through three timelines: María starting in 1527, Charlotte starting in 1827, and Alice starting in 2019. María is a wild and unruly girl who takes the hand of a kind stranger to save her from a life she never wanted, a husband and kids. Charlotte is emotional and expunged from her sheltered life in the countryside, until she catches the eye of freedom. Alice is starting life over an ocean away from home, hoping that college will be the start of New Alice. Yet, she didn’t expect it to come in the form of sharp teeth. All of them are connected by one: Sabine.
It was by chance that I picked up this book; sure, I knew about it and had it on my radar, but the actual encountering of the physical book (signed edition) was by chance. Damn, am I happy about that. Schwab’s newest standalone shot into my favorites with its depth and description. From the little twists to the character differences, I was in love with this book. It’s one of those I can barely put into words. The atmosphere (when will I stop thinking I don’t like historical fiction?), the descriptive writing, and the character study were all phenomenal. The pace was amazing—I didn’t even find the ending rushed like some people seem to—a slow but action-filled walk through decades and lives. The vampiric lore was perfect, with old rules dressed up new. For once, I didn’t want to be a vampire… probably the first piece of media to convince me of it (I still want it though, honestly). Plus, I love a book that has some women kissing women. I would happily re-read this again in the future.
Check out my other monthly wrap-ups: January, February, March, April, May, June
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