It wouldn’t be summer without a new Elin Hilderbrand to enjoy. And, I’ve been reading junk lately, so The Identicals worked in perfectly (amazingly, it’s on sale for only $4.99 today, a bargain for a new release). While it took me a while to read because I was enjoying other summer pursuits, this was a good one. Twin sisters, Tabitha and Harper each live with one of their divorced parents on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard respectively. When their father dies, it throws their lives into chaos. Slowly, each begins to understand how the other has been raised. Nothing deep here, but a perfect beach read to round out the summer.

Looking for an absorbing and quick, fluffy summer read? I Found You by Lisa Jewell is it. I read it in an evening (stayed up too late to do so) not only because it was a good story, but also because I couldn’t put it down. Alice finds a man sitting on the beach in front of her home who has no idea who he is. Somewhat unbelievably (though you are led to understand that Alice’s entire life has been constructed on bad decisions), she invites him to live in her renter’s quarters until he figures out who he is. Simultaneously, and told in about every other chapter, you learn the story of newlywed, Lily, whose husband has gone missing. Peppered between these two stories is a flashback to the early 90s when teenage siblings, Gray and Kirsty Ross, spent their summer vacation in a seaside town. So, mysteries abound in this one. And, I kept thinking the man, dubbed Frank, was one or the other of the main characters in the teenage story. It’s not too hard to figure this one out, but I didn’t until the end. And, I enjoyed every minute of it.

The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn centers on Lucy and Owen, who have moved into the suburbs and decide to embark on an open marriage. Of course, this becomes tricky. While this is more of a trashy beach read than I would like to admit I enjoy, it was hard to put down. And, for the summer, what could be better?!

Everything You Want Me to Be by Minda Mejia was billed as an “if you loved Gone Girl, you’ll be up at night reading this one” type. I did not find that to be entirely true. While this was somewhat suspenseful and a fast read, I didn’t find it particularly believable and I’m a bit tired of the teacher-affair-with-student angle. Nevertheless, this wasn’t a bad summer pick and a decent not-too-deep-or-taxing psychological thriller. Hattie has spent her whole life acting a part. She is found stabbed to death at the beginning of the book and the rest of the story jumps from her point of view, the investigator’s, and the teacher with whom she has an online and then in person affair. Ultimately, who is to blame for Hattie’s death?? Perhaps you, like me, will want to read the whole thing to find out.

I was very excited for The Almost Sisters to be available since I loved Joshilyn Jackson’s Someone Else’s Love Story, reviewed here. What’s funny is that I had forgotten that two years ago I read another of Jackson’s books, The Opposite of Everyone, and didn’t really like it. The Almost Sisters was good, especially at the end, but not as good as Someone Else’s Love Story. However, it was better than The Opposite of Everyone. Leia Birch Briggs’ has a one-night stand at a comic convention, which turns into a baby boy. Before she confesses this to her family, her step-sister Rachel’s marriage falls apart and she learns that her grandmother, Birchie, is losing her mind, having hidden her dementia with the help of her best friend. Leia returns to Alabama to help her grandmother and ends up in the middle of a crime scene. While things tie themselves up somewhat too neatly to be believed, it was a good and quick summer read.

I was so excited to read Fredrick Bachman’s newest, Beartown. I had trouble getting into it and struggled to keep up my interest through the first third. The jumping between characters were too confusing and in-depth descriptions about the underpinnings of hockey team structure just were not interesting to me. It then picked up a bit, but around the 50% mark, I felt slogged down again. While the story twist was compelling and I felt more engaged with the characters, the pace was too slow to keep me enjoying the book. However, the last quarter moved along at a good clip and, in the end, I enjoyed the resolutions to each story. On the whole, though, I would say this was not a favorite of mine.

I have read a good deal of positive press about American War by Omar El Akkad. And, there are other futuristic books I have enjoyed, so it seemed like a good one to pick up. It’s a story of a woman who lives through another American Civil War, which, of course, is not so difficult to believe. And, while the first half hummed along at a good clip, I got mired in the middle and at the three-quarter mark, I just wanted to be done with it already. I didn’t really like any of the characters and the war itself was somewhat dense and hard to follow. I wouldn’t grab this one if I were you.

I grabbed Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham after reading multiple good reviews. I didn’t realize it was YA. YA is generally not my favorite, but this book stood above others. When Rowan Chase finds a skeleton in her family’s guesthouse, she is led on a 100-year old mystery. She learns about her own history, as well as the history of Tulsa. In alternating chapters, we learn the backstory of the mystery. The stories, past and present, weave together beautifully and led to an ending I didn’t predict until right before it happened. The story is one I didn’t know and found both interesting and disturbing. It was a well-written book and one that I recommend, even if you don’t enjoy YA.

After swearing off WWII books, I read two in quick succession (since they came from the library at the same time). The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky jumps back and forth from 1936 Vienna to present-day LA. It centers on the lives of two families and a painting they both possessed for a short time.  I enjoyed this story, but it fell a little flat in comparison to the one I just finished, We Were the Lucky Ones. On its own, though, this one is absolutely worth a read. And, the story is much less focused on the war itself, so a bit less depressing.

The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon grabs you from the first page. It’s the story of two women who are thrown together because they are both living in Jordan with their husbands who work for the US Embassy. When Margaret asks Cassie to watch her son one day while she goes to the police station to file a report about her car accident, we spend the day with Cassie. Cassie reminisces about her time with her unlikely friend, and also reads through her journal to learn the motivations behind Margaret’s marriage and behaviors. I lost interest in these characters and the story (other than figuring out the resolution) about mid-way through and struggled to finish it. Perhaps it was the way the story was told (alternating chapters with Margaret alone in the apartment, dissecting the past and Cassie’s journal) or perhaps it was just the characters themselves. In either event, this was a skip-worthy choice, unfortunately.