July Romance TBR!

Hey everyone! It's Mia. How have you been? I hope you are having a great year. It's already the seventh month! (I just checked July is infact the seventh, not sixth lol). This year's flying. 

For July, as you can see I have picked romance theme. It was honestly so random, I was thinking of Valentine's and it felt kinda unfair to me that there's only one romantic month that too passes away so soon and the world needs more love than just that! So here I am with more than half of my TBR filled with romance. Keep reading to find out what the books are. 

IOU by Kristy Marie

The blurb of this book is pretty unique. It was hard for me to understand what the blurb means but what I got is : Ainsley James is a victim of the cliché trope "boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend", so she gets very upset and leaves her apartment or something. She needs a place to stay and knock on the door of this guy, Maverick Lexington, who's known as this mysterious dude on campus who's known for collecting "favours". And it's their roommates-to-friends-to-lovers-romance. 

I had never heard about the author nor the book, but this month I am buddy reading a lot and this book is what my friend had in my mind, so we are doing it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This book promise crazy-funny heroine (I love that combination!), a brooding-mysterious hero, and A LOT OF BANTER! So, this sounds a lot like Mariana Zapata style (and I love her), I am not sure if it's a slow burn, it can't be.. the book's 245 pages long, but I am looking forward to it!

Kulti by Mariana Zapata

Speaking of Mariana Zapata, here she is!! I have read Kulti once before, it was my first read from her, and I adore it!! It's finally the time I am going to revisit the world and do a re-read. Moreover, this also is for buddy-reading so yikes!!

Kulti is a sports romance, soccer for this one! Sal Casillas is in the international soccer team of women and she's super competitive, one of the best players on her team. Enters Reiner Kulti, who's been her long time imaginary husband. He's the new coach for her team, an ex soccer player himself. He's the silent type, he doesn't talk much and keeps all his walls high up. Seriously, he doesn't talk. Despite Sal's long crush, these two become instant enemies and I welcome you to the world of amazing banter and hilarious comebacks! 

Just letting everyone know, things move sloooooooow around here, so don't try it if you can't take it. I am soooo ready to read it again!

Marriage for One by Ella Maise

Another book I picked up because of the buddy read, and another book which is MZ's style. Till now, we had strangers-to-friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, this one is fake marriage trope! And I love it!!

Jack and Rose (already swooning) don't know each other untill… he takes her to his office and, just like that, he proposes to her, and within a few minutes a deal is signed. I love how easy it's in the books and dramas. I don't know if there is such a movie as well, if there is let me know! Jack and Rose are all back-n-forth, sometimes he acts like he loves her, sometimes he's just a stranger, so there's a lot of pull-n-push. 

This book is a slow burn, 520 pages long, and it's written in both MCs POV. 

"I want to be that person to you, Rose. I want to be the person you lean on. You and I, we're the same. We have no one but each other. You'll lean on me and I'l do the same. We'll learn how. we're in this together…" 

I just read this quote, OMG! I love it! I want it! I am reading it! 

Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage

I said, a lot of Buddy Reads, I was telling the truth. The 4th book I'll be buddy reading / reading in July is Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage. Unlike the others, it's a new-adult sweet romance. It doesn't features a brooding mysterious guy, but a gigolo. (I had to search the word up and it turns out, gigolo means a person who takes payment for being an escort to dances or for sex. From the definition I couldn't make sense of it.. Gigolo sounds much more gentler, even respectful while a man-whore or a prostitute are almost the same things. I'm kind of confused about it.)

Reese Randall hasn't had a good experience in her dating life. Her ex was a psycho killer, who left her with a scar on neck and made her move across the country. When she arrives at her new college, her eyes land on Mason Lowe and she's instantly swooning. Mason works hard for living, he has to support his family. His little sister is sick, the same sister Reese is babysitting. 

It's a forbidden romance, with yet another author I am reading for the first time. I'm in! I don't know if it's my thing, if I would like it, but I am ready to take my chances. 

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

With every book from the Vampire Academy series, I am loving the series more! Last month I read second book in the series, Frostbite, and by the end of it, I was wrecked! In a good way, of course!

I don't know what's going to happen. The blurbs are never specific for these books but what it says is : Rose Hathway, the dhampir friend/guardian of Moroi princess, Lissa Dramogir, has started facing "ghostly shadows" in her mind. Seems like, Lissa, who's specialized in a unique element, soul, has to pay a price for the people she has given life back to, after their death. And maybe, it's only one person Rose can save… her best friend, Lissa or her teacher, who she's in love with, Dimitri Belikov.

Oh no! I don't want to know. The endings are heartbreaking!!

The Kiss Quotient

Another book I am buddy reading and I am realllllyy excited for this one. Who hasn't heard amazing things about The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. It's different than another ones and although there are amazing things said about it, there was enough bad critisism to make me edge back. 

Stella Lane sees the universe with the eyes of a mathematician. She's a well-built woman, smart and accomplished. In past relationships, she's been treated like shit. Stella has Asperger's Syndrome. She hires a man, Michael, as an escort to teach her "stuff" so could become experienced. But as the steam fogs the mirror whole, these two fall in love with each other. 

This book promises me autism rep, which's quite hard work but what's harder is showing how the characters deal with it, and if there's a "solution" or a "recovery" from it, how's it done. This could go horribly wrong and I am worried if it turns out to be another Fifty Shades of Gray. Fingers crossed! 🤞

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

THE FINAL BOOK OF THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS SERIES!!! I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY!! I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE FINAL BATTLE! I AM NOT READING THE BLURB, JUST LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!! mwhahahaha!!

The Truth About Heartbreak by B. Celeste

I don't know much about this book either. This is the first of The Truth About series. B. Celeste is one of the authors I have always wanted to read from, and this month I am reading two of her books! 

The blurb says, it's a brother's best friend romance and angst! That sounds great, "angst". But, there's "cheating" too.. which I hate in romance. What I am assuming is, MC had a crush on her brother's best friend for a long time, but she just knew it's out of limits and all that, but then one night they hook up or something, that makes everything complicated because that dude has a girlfriend. 

It sounds cliché. YA brother's best-friend trope, I haven't read that in a long time. I just hope it's done well.

Underneath the Sycamore Tree by B. Celeste

Second book from this author is, Underneath the Sycamore Tree. Oh I love the cover! 

Emery's father leaves her family to get married to another lady. Her sister is diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease, and yes, she died. Her mother is breaking apart. And now, after everything, Emery too is diagnosed with the same disease that took her sister's life. Em moves in with her father and his new family. 

This is a YA disease romance, like Five Feet Apart, The Fault in Our Stars or Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Em finds her solace in her step-brother. But there's a sad ending.. unfortunately I already know what happens. Fingers crossed 🤞, I have higher expectations for this than The Truth About Heartbreak. 

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Let It Snow, is a book collaboration, 3 authors, 3 holiday romances. I watched the movie a long time ago in quarantine, though I can't remember much of it.

There's one celebrity-commoner romance, one friends-to-lovers and I don't remember what was the last one. Maybe it was about self love and friendship, but there might be differences in the book. All of this takes place one day before Christmas, in a small town and all these characters are intertwined. 

I wasn't going to read it but there's this Goodreads Challenge, I am a part of and since I had to read lots of romance this month, here I am.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

I started reading this book one, maybe two years ago and stopped after some 50 pages. It's been on hold since then, I can't remember why I put it away till now. Those days I was just too bored and I needed something with more action, and this book isn't exactly in those categories. But now, I have picked this up again and I opt to finish it this month. 

Miles Halter leaves his house to attend a boarding school. He's inspired by Francois Rabelais's lines “The Great Perhaps.” and wants to seek out what's waiting for him out there in life. Alaska is a wild and full of life person, Miles meets at his new school and he falls in love with her. 

Hm.. but since it's a contemporary that can't be all, right? I don't know what I am getting myself into but hopefully it's good because this book has won quite a few awards. 

So, that's all the books I think I am going to read in July. My tbrs are always all over the place. I am definitely not sure if I would read all of them or I wouldn't open any other books except these. But that looks like the plan for now. 

My romantic July is ready to bloom. I have friends-to-lovers, sports romance, fake marriage trope, forbidden romances, YA rom-coms and holidays romance! I am excited for all of it, except a few I had to throw in just to get them over with, but I hope this month is better than last! 

Thank you so much for being on my blog. I hope you like my post. Let me know in the comments what are you guys planning to read in July, are there any books we have in common? What book releases are you excited for?

See you soon! Stay safe, bbye!