August 2025 Reading Review

The Names

My Review: Wow, this book was POWERFUL. I could not put it down. This is the story of a baby boy, whose mother is in an abusive marriage. On the day that she chooses the name of the baby, the trajectory of their lives are changed based on which name she chooses. The three names/stories are told in parallel throughout the story. While this story had a lot of triggers and dealt with some fairly dark content, I loved it. I loved thinking about the power of names, the power of one small decision that changes the entire trajectory of life. My only complaint was that I wished the ending tied it all up with a pretty bow, but it just kind of…ended. Highly recommend this one if you like unique literary fiction!

Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering Mail in Appalachia

My Review: Another book that I loved! Memoir is my favorite genre, and this one did not disappoint! This is the story of a man who loses his job during Covid, so he decides to become a rural mail carrier. He details his experiences through mailman training, he talks about his co-workers, and he tells of the many adventures and stories he faced each day. I learned so much from reading this story! There is quite a bit of language if that bothers you, and the other valid complaint about this book is that he only was a mail carrier for a year. It would be fun to hear stories from people who have been doing it for an even longer amount of time!

Always Amber: A Story of Redemption from the Shackles of Shame and Trauma

My Review: This is a memoir written by my real-life friend, Amber! She is an incredible woman of faith and I just couldn’t put this book down. I know the ending, because I know Amber, but I was so compelled to keep reading because I the person at the beginning of this story is not the same Amber that I know today. God’s work of redemption in her life is powerful and it was such a privilege to read her story! I highly recommend this one to anyone, especially if you are in a position of Christian counseling young girls or know someone who has gone through an abortion.

Summers at the Saint

My Review: I really enjoyed this beach-read mystery! It wasn’t a cozy mystery, but it also wasn’t a thriller. It was a rom-com, but it did have some romance elements. It did a great job of touching on each of those genres and I found it to be the perfect end of summer read!

The Lake Escape

My Review: This book was a page-turner murder mystery with a side of domestic suspense. It wasn’t a thriller by any means, but there is a missing woman and no one is sure who did it. It wasn’t exactly gripping, but it kept my attention well enough to keep me going until the end! I recommend this for a weekend away or a quick plane trip- just gripping enough to be interesting, but the book can be left at an airport somewhere when finished.

Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

My Review: Wow, what a memoir! This is the story of a young man born and raised in North Korea. He is eventually abandoned by his parents and becomes a street boy, ruling a gang. He eventually escapes North Korea and is finally re-united with his father. This book was SAD. It was dark, it was sad, and even up to the last chapter there was not much redemption from the sadness. I learned a lot about North Korea, but even in the afterward of the book the author talks through how he left out so many details so that no one who is mentioned in the story will be harmed by the North Korean rulers. It’s a sobering read, but one of those books that I’m glad I read.

Julie Chan is Dead

My Review: Ok, so….this book. I LOVED the first half of it. Loved it. It had all the ingredients for my favorite kind of book- influencers, rich people behaving badly, unlikeable main characters. This is the story of a twin sisters who grew up completely differently- one rich, one poor. When the poor sister finds her sister dead, she accidentally/suddenly decides to impersonate her as a social media influencer. She loves her new gig and loves all the money, and she maybe kinda likes the rich social friends. She is invited on a trip with them, and that is when this book turns weird….they go to an island and then are all drugged and spend the week doing the weirdest, cult-ish behavior. And that was when this book turned into a dark horror novel. It was like whiplash, guys! It was like I was reading a completely different book! I kid you not, someone randomly and suddenly gets decapitated!! When there was no hint of such behavior for the first 75% of the book, and now suddenly that JUST HAPPENS? What. I hated the second half. And still torn how I feel about it overall.

Happy Wife

My Review: I guess August was my month of “domestic thrillers” because here is another one! This is the story of a “second wife” whose husband suddenly dies..and she is being framed for the murder. So she embarks on a journey to find the real killer. It was a fast-paced book that I enjoyed reading, but another one of those books that could be left in an airport lounge when finished.

My Dear Hemlock

My Review: THIS BOOK. This book almost immediately skyrocketed into my top five favorite books I’ve EVER read. It is a modern re-telling of The Screwtape Letters but the “target” is a Christian woman. This book was so challenging, convicting and encouraging. If you are a married Christian mother, this book is for you. I think that my single/divorced/widowed friends could also read it, but the main target audience is definitely Christian wives/mothers. I hope that someone will write a version for the single/divorced/widowed, because that would be a great spinoff book as well!

And that was my August reading wrap-up! I’m honestly surprised that I read as much as I did, but I had some really good books to keep me motivated to read! Have you read any of these or plan to read any of them?