September felt like a mediocre reading month. I had high expectations for a number of the books that just fell flat. I do have a four-star review below that I think you should consider but I hope October raises the bar.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Before I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower for book club, I knew nothing about it because I had never seen the movie. It’s cute and an excellent choice for book club as it has lots of points for discussion. The reason I didn’t rate it higher is that the main character cries ALL the time. If you know anything about me, I believe crying should be reserved for extreme pain (physical or emotional). It was too much. It bugged me.

The story takes you through the freshman year of a high school boy. It’s written as letters from the main character, Chrarlie, to someone. He writes about his family and new friends. It’s clear Charlie is a naive guy but two students take him under their wing.

He’s an innocent always observing from the sidelines but tries drugs, cigarettes, and dating. The reader cares for Charlie and realizes that he has some underlining issues. I truly thought he was on the spectrum throughout most of the book but that was never confirmed. One of the reasons I thought this is because he is very smart but painfully honest (too his own detriment) in social situations.

At the very end you learn of an event that happened in Charlie’s childhood that helps explain some of his behavior.

Listen for the Lie

In Listen for the Lie, a woman’s best friend was murdered several years ago and she was the prime suspect. Without a murder weapon and zero memory of the night due to head trauma, there wasn’t enough evidence to convict her. Now a true crime podcast is bringing the story to national attention.

Lucy currently lives in LA but her grandmother convinces her to come home to attend her birthday party. It’s a trick to get Lucy on the podcast. The grandmother has become buddies with the handsome host.

The podcast is bringing to light new information. Everyone who was so quick to accuse her years ago might now be second-guessing. The problem is Lucy still isn’t even sure if she committed the murder. Her ex-husband and parents certainly think she did it.

In between each chapter is a brief podcast interview. There is a lot of juicy small-town drama. This book is enjoyable, not scary. I didn’t correctly guess the ending which I like. There is a romance but I wouldn’t consider it spicy.

One Last Summer

One Last Summer is predictable and the characters are too old to be having this kind of drama. That being said as someone who went to MANY summer camps I loved the nostalgic feeling it gave me.

Clara is forced by her boss to go on a week-long sabbatical because she is suffering from burnout. She’s indeed been putting her job over everything else in her life for many years including her friends. A group reunites every year at the summer camp they attended but she has made excuses to not go the last couple of years.

With her forced sabbatical she now has no excuse. When Clara arrives she discovers the camp has been put up for sale and this will be the last week she and her friends will get to spend there. She throws herself into planning the perfect week.

There’s friendship drama, long-lost love, work stress, and this all happens in the span of a week. I didn’t love it but gave it extra points for bringing up amazing summer camp memories.

Witch of Wild Things

This book was recommended as a perfect fall read but I thought it was only good, not great. If you are looking for an excellent witch book for the autumn season I recommend THIS BOOK.

In Witch of Wild Things Sage is moving back home with her aunt after having an affair with the head of the department at the college she teaches at. Sage’s aunt was the one who raised her and her two sisters after their mother left during childhood. But really it was Sage who did a lot of the raising. Sage is still racked with an enormous amount of guilt for not being there when her sisters went hiking and one died.

Now she needs to find a job. Luckily, her old job has an availability. Sage can use her powers to talk to plants. She is a plant whisperer. Unexpectedly, the guy she secretly loved in high school and broke her heart will be working with her.

You can guess where that plot line goes from there but there is depth to this story! The ghost of her sister haunts Sage, all of the plants, the family trauma, etc. I liked the book, it was just a touch too depressing throughout for my taste.

For more book reviews check out my August Book Reviews!