July 2025 Reading Wrap Up: 15 Book Reviews Across Fantasy, Romance, Horror & More
My July 2026 Reading Wrap Up
Some months I find myself in a rut 一 not knowing what to read and constantly procrastinating over it. July was not one of those months. I read everything from YA mystery to dark fantasy to historical fiction, and I have gathered them all here for you to see. Filled with synopses, links, publication date and my own ratings - I hope you all can get a new recommendation from this.
Alchemised by SenLinYu
Publish Date - 23rd September 2025
Rating: 5/5
I was underprepared for how deeply this book would engrave itself onto my soul. It was absolutely heart-breaking from start to end and I cannot recommend it enough. This will be a book that you will have strong feelings about - whether that is love or hate - but the story itself is worth the 1030 pages you have to read through. There is a reason that this book is a BookTok sensation.
Synopsis:
Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.
In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.
According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?
To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.
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Heart the Lover by Lily King
Publish Date - 30th April 2026
Rating: 4/5
Heart the Lover is a book that really struck me with its realistically heart-breaking portrayal of how a first love can affect your life, even after you have moved on with your life. I made the mistake of reading this directly after Alchemised, and that most definitely added another layer of emotional devastation to my reading experience of this. The book is split into three sections, and acts as both a sequel and prequel to Writers & Lovers. The first part was quite slow and there are a lot of pretentious literature references, but the later parts really save it.
Synopsis:
Our narrator understands good love stories - their secrets, their highs and free falls. But her greatest love story, the one she lived, never followed the rules.
She was in her senior year of college when star students Sam and Yash swept her into an intoxicating world of academic fervour, rapid-fire banter and raucous card games. Their lives became quickly intertwined - with friendship but also with unpredictable passions and the intimations of first love.
Decades later, she is a successful writer, living a comfortable life with her husband and children, when a surprise visit brings the past crashing into the present, forcing her to confront the decisions and deceptions of her youth.
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The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert
Publish Date - 21st April 2018
Rating: 3/5
This read is the epitome of a good summer rom-com. It has a dual POV, forced proximity and a love story spanning seven years. I loved the inclusivity within the characters, and I adored the portrayal of Jasmine. I’m happy to finally see a romantic comedy where the FMC is sassy, sex-positive and confident in comparison to the typical pure and innocent leads we commonly get. This is a perfect lighter read for those in need of one, but it does contain some trigger warnings that you can view in my full review below.
Synopsis:
Jasmine Allen believes in bad luck, great wine, and the seductive power of a stiletto heel. What she doesn’t believe in is love. Her life is perfect without all that romance rubbish—until a plumbing disaster screws everything up and leaves Jas homeless. Luckily, she has someone to turn to: her best friend Rahul.
For seven years, Rahul Khan has followed three simple rules.
* Don’t touch Jasmine if you can help it.
* Don’t look at her arse in that skirt.
* And don’t ever—ever—tell her you love her.
He should’ve added another rule: Do not, under any circumstances, let Jas move into your house.
Now Rahul is living with the friend he can’t have, and it’s decimating his control. He knows their shared dinners aren’t dates, their late-night kisses are a mistake, and the tenderness in Jasmine’s gaze is only temporary. One wrong word could send his skittish best friend running.
So why is he tempted to risk it all?
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She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena
Publish Date - 9th April 2026
Rating: 1.5/5
This was the biggest disappointment of my reading experience in July. There were many problems with the plot progression, character design and a lack of trust in the readers. There were also more issues with the writing style itself, but those are more personal opinions. Overall, I guessed the plot before 20% completion and then the rest of the book was spent purposefully (and obviously) trying to lead me away from that result.
Synopsis:
Bryden and Sam have thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condo, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.
Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden – working from home that day - has failed to collect their daughter from daycare.
Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.
Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.
How can she have disappeared from her own home? And did she even leave the building at all?
With every minute that passes – and as questions swirl around their community – Bryden and Sam’s past seems a little less perfect, their luxury condo less safe, their friends, neighbours and relatives no longer quite so reliable . . .
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Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Publish Date - 6th February 2024
Rating: 4/5
This was one of those novels I couldn’t believe I hadn’t read yet. It combines my love for paranormal romance with Ali Hazelwood’s comedic charm into a duology to die for. I really loved this book, and although it wasn’t my favourite of Hazelwood’s - it was a lovely break in between heavier reads that I implore you to read if you haven’t!
Synopsis:
Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.
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The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida
Publish Date - 4th September 2025
Rating: 1.5/5
This was the most surprising book that I read this month - in the sense that I truly expected to love it but ended up disliking it quite heavily. I do think that my reasons for disliking it are very personal and that most others that love the genre will also love this book.
Synopsis:
Welcome to Tenderness!
A quaint seaside town in Kitakyushu, Mojiko is full of hidden delights. And one unexpected treasure is the 24/7 convenience store, Tenderness.
At first glance, it’s a store like any other.
Sure, it’s a bit odd that the handsome manager has his own fan club. And perhaps the customers are somewhat eccentric. But there’s a warmth about Tenderness that draws you in.
The bright lights are always on. The employees know you by name. And the shelves are stacked with delicious treats, from strong hot coffee to sweet parfaits, egg sandos to ramen, crispy fried chicken to refreshing soba.
After a while, you get the feeling that whatever you need might just be waiting for you here…
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We Are Always Tender with our Dead by Eric Larocca
Publish Date - 18th August 2026
Rating: 3/5
This was a novel that I knew I had to read the moment I got my hands on it. If you are wanting a disturbing horror that plays with format, perspective and is queer inclusive, this is your book. It’s the first in a series, but reading this as a standalone will have you feeling incredibly disgusted.
Please take note of the trigger warnings in my review - they may seem random but do not take them lightly.
Synopsis:
The lives of those residing in the isolated town of Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire, are forever altered after three faceless entities arrive on Christmas morning to perform a brutal act of violence—a senseless tragedy that can never be undone. While the townspeople grieve their losses and grapple with the aftermath of the attack, a young teenage boy named Rupert Cromwell is forced to confront the painful realities of his family situation. Once relationships become intertwined and more carnage ensues as a result of the massacre, the town residents quickly learn that true retribution is futile, cruelty is earned, and certain thresholds must never be crossed no matter what.
Engrossing, atmospheric, and unsettling, this is a devastating story of a small New England community rocked by an unforgivable act of violence. Writing with visceral intensity and profound eloquence, LaRocca journeys deep into the dark heart of Burnt Sparrow, leaving you chilled to the bone and wanting more.
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The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigette Knightley
Publish Date - 7th July 2026
Rating: 4.5/5
I was excited to delve back into this world, and I was not disappointed. This duology is incredibly comedic, heart-warming and character driven in a perfect way. I am sad that I won’t get any more books with these characters because they were so well crafted to fit into the world, and to fit with each other.
If I could get you to read one series, it would be this one.
Synopsis:
Osric is a member of the Fyren Order, a guild of assassins who gleefully murder for money. Aurienne is a Haelan, a scholar-healer whose Order’s motto is Harm to none. Clear-cut absolutes separate them: good and bad, right and wrong, light and dark . . .
Until they don’t.
When Osric first bribed Aurienne to heal him, he never imagined those lines would begin to blur. But every healing session draws them closer together. He finds himself developing unwanted feelings for Aurienne as her capable hands heal his body—and his heart.
Aurienne’s perfect life has been flung into chaos in the form of a devastatingly handsome assassin. She should be in her research lab, not illicitly healing a Fyren every full moon—nor wrestling an attraction to him that threatens to slip into something else.
Things go superbly sideways when Osric and Aurienne discover more about the deadly Pox deliberately unleashed through the Tīendoms. The plague may be the work of another Order—an Order far nastier than either of them can handle.
As the lines between Osric and Aurienne continue to blur, the balance between peace and war, and love and hate, trembles, shifts, and hinges on a heartbeat.
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Tea & Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher
Publish Date - 1st January 2026
Rating: 3/5
Tea & Alchemy is a unique read, combining historical romance with a gothic paranormal plot that works together pleasantly. It has dual POVs and a doomed romantic plot that will make you cheer for the characters. I don’t know how I had never seen this book on booktok or recommended by anyone, but this is certainly underhyped in comparison to others in the genre.
Synopsis:
Cornwall, 1854. The people of Roche have always whispered about the recluse in the black granite tower that looms above the moorland. But one young woman is driven to discover the truth behind the old tales.
Her life overshadowed by family tragedy, Mina Penrose escapes her lonely days by working at The Magpie, a cozy tearoom on the village’s edge. Lately she’s been seeing shapes in the sodden leaves that hint at the future. After one such omen, Mina stumbles upon a murdered man on the heath. Villagers immediately suspect Harker Tregarrick, a living, breathing mystery who never ventures beyond the bounds of his centuries-old estate.
Until the day after the murder, when the handsome and compelling recluse visits The Magpie…leading to a meeting that will change both their fates. Captivated by a man around whom danger and rumors of death swirl, Mina has never felt more alive. Can she uncover Harker’s heartbreaking history—and the truth about the murder—before tragedy strikes again?
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Overgrowth by Mira Grant
Publish Date - 14th April 2026
Rating: 3.5/5
I had high hopes for this novel, and although I enjoyed it, it let me down in a few important areas to make it a recommendable read. I wanted a sci-fi horror that made my skin crawl with the horrific reality of aliens, but instead I felt bored. This book felt limited, despite how long it was. There was so much room for disgusting body horror, but as the main character’s body morphed into that of an alien, I found myself just wanting more. It held itself back at every avenue for expansion.
Synopsis:
Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has believed her.
Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.
What happens when you know what's coming, and just refuse to listen?
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Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Publish Date - 7th October 2025
Rating: 4/5
Mate is the second book in Ali Hazelwood’s paranormal romance duology and very much kept to the style of Bride. Once again, the comedy, drama and spice of this novel made it such a fun experience. This book takes place in the perspective of Misery's best friend 一 Selena 一 on her journey to discovering who (and what) she truly is.
Synopsis:
A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.
Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.
As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.
But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…
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Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie
Publish Date - 31st July 2025
Rating - 3.5/5
Immortal Consequences is the ultimate YA fantasy 一 set entirely in purgatory, 6 students must survive the trials set before them or risk something worse than death. I truly liked this novel. It was fun, unique and managed to have 6 different POVs without feeling overwhelming or boring in certain perspectives. The lore is handled incredibly well and I will definitely be reading later books!
Synopsis:
Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend the rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school’s arched gates, there is no way out…except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side.
Wren Loughty is certain that this Decennial, she has what it takes to earn the nomination—unless, that is, her academic archrival Augustine Hughes steals her spot.
Irene Manette Bamford has never cared about playing by the rules. She’s willing to break whatever (and whoever) stands between her and getting the hell out of Blackwood, including her best and only friend, Masika Sallow.
Olivier Dupont gave up on securing the nomination ages ago. But after he meets Blackwood’s newest student, Emilio Córdova, he’ll do anything to keep Emilio from leaving him and crossing over to the Other Side—even if it means claiming the victory for himself.
All of them are determined to be Blackwood’s chosen candidate–and all of them would do anything to win. But none of them are prepared for what’s to come. Because this Decennial will be different. This time, the Decennial isn’t a celebration…it’s a competition. And there can only be one victor.
Six nominees. Four trials. Untold danger. Wren, August, Irene, Masika, Olivier and Emilio are about to learn: there are some fates worse than death.
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Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Publish Date - 10th May 2022
Rating: 4/5
I adore Carley Fortune’s writing, and despite this being her debut novel, that hasn’t changed. This is the beautiful story of first loves, and the mistakes that happen when you’re young. Told over multiple summers, it truly felt like I was there. The immersion in all of her books is incredible, and although this isn’t my favourite book of hers, it still deserves a lot of love and praise.
Synopsis:
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.
For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.
When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
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White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton
Publish Date - 1st December 2024
Rating: 2.5/5
I was so intrigued to read more about the Korean cleansing that happened by the hands of the Japanese, and this book certainly provided a basis for that knowledge to grow. I loved the plot itself, but there were a few problems with the writing and the pacing that I struggled to deal with while reading.
Synopsis:
1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.
In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.
As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.
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The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publish Date - 3rd September 2020
Rating: 4/5
I know I am incredibly late to this series, but better late than never. I read this book in one sitting and loved every second of it. It’s some good YA fun mixed with Barnes’ signature style that makes for a perfect concoction of mystery, romance and intrigue. I will absolutely be continuing the series and if you haven’t already - I’d recommend you do as well.
Synopsis:
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
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