August Book Releases

Wow – I cannot believe it’s almost August!! Summer has flown. BUT! I am excited for all the amazing August book releases this month. I got to read these titles early thanks to NetGalley and the authors/publishers. Let’s jump right in!

Gone Tonight

Gone Tonight is by Sarah Pekkanen, who you might recognize as half the writer duo of The Golden Couple! It’s available August 1.

Gone Tonight was a delightful story that kept me guessing the whole time. The bonds of a mother daughter relationship are tested! The truth about Ruth’s past comes out, and daughter Catherine is trying to get answers before it’s too late.

My favorite part was realizing all the breadcrumbs Pekkanen had sprinkled throughout the book. Lots of hints for the reader, if you’re paying attention😉

It’s my favorite of these August book releases. Highly recommend Gone Tonight.

Good Bad Girl

I quite enjoyed Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney. When I started it, it was like that movie Valentine’s Day or What To Expect When You’re Expecting, where there are SO many characters — but as the story went on, they were SUCH developed characters. Everyone had such different personalities and it really pulls you right into the story. Listening on audio was a challenge in the beginning, though, keeping all the characters/names straight, since I couldn’t turn back the page and reference a name (and it doesn’t help when a character changes her name!!)

Good Bad Girl was a story about complex mother-daughter relationships. It was done in a very unique way, and way to go with the ending, Alice Feeney! I’m usually not a fan of endings where everything is wrapped up in a big, shiny bow… but this one had the perfect amount of closure at the end – and I loved it.
All the pieces clicked together and I have nothing except for golf claps 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Also – I loved Frankie’s frantic, number-rambling. And the timeline jumps to the past. You can purchase Good Bad Girl here on August 29.

Sun Damage

Available August 1, Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant is a great summer read!

Sun Damage tells the story of a grifter named Ali. She was raised in the foster care system, and she is so likable, you can’t help but root for her. She partners up with a con-man named Sean, and they con their way throughout Europe… until a con goes terribly wrong in southern France and a woman ends up dead.

Instead of reporting it, Ali runs. Unsure what scares her most: the police or Sean. So when Ali realizes she looks so much like the dead woman… she takes her place. Is it a long con? Or is Ali (now Lulu) becoming a better person?

Sun Damage was a QUICK read – or maybe I just couldn’t walk away from it. I read this in 2 sittings. Admittedly, it was a little predictable and ended with a nice little bow (drives me nuts when that happens 😂 everything can’t be a happy ending all the time!)

I wouldn’t call this a thriller, but it did have a fun twist at the end. A solid 4 star quickie read to take with you on a pool day!

One Night

Also available on August 1: One Night, by Georgina Cross! I had no idea what to expect when I started One Night. It was the first book I’ve read from Cross for me. Maybe 4 chapters in, I had my guess as to who was orchestrating everything. I was right.

That said, I was still able to enjoy the story, and Cross managed to throw a decent twist in at the end!

One Night is a locked-door story. A family is mourning and looking for answers years after their daughters death. The eldest of 3, Meghan was popular and (apparently) a master manipulator. Her high school boyfriend went to jail for 10 years for her murder, but he maintains his innocence. The family all receives anonymous invites to a remote home, and OF COURSE there’s a big storm and OF COURSE they lose power and cell service and OF COURSE a tree blocks the road.

All those cliches aside, it was an enjoyable story. I think I’ve just read too many similar plot lines!

One Night would be a tamer option for fans of Ruth Ware’s One by One and the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series!

Dark Corners

Dark Corners is available August 8. This is the second book in the Rachel Krall series by Megan Goldin, and while I did not read the first Rachel Krall book, I jumped right into Dark Corners without any confusion. We start with podcaster Rachel Krall being called to assist the police/fbi in a missing persons case (with suspected foul play) dun dun dun!

Maddison, a high profile influencer, has vanished. Interestingly enough, they can’t find much about her past before her #VanLife Instagram. Maddison met with an inmate named Bailey the day before she vanished, and now Rachel Krall, might be the key to solving the whole ordeal… but can she do it before the possibly dangerous inmate is released? Or is Rachel going to make herself a target and end up in danger?

While the plotline was exciting, and had a “ticking time bomb” feeling with Bailey being released from prison, but I found it to be pretty predictable. I also didn’t think Rachel was not very likable. She was bossy, stubborn, and combative. But everyone in the book seemed quite taken with her. And the ending seemed a little rushed (albeit exciting! I love an action-packed ending!)

Overall, I give Dark Corners 4 stars! It was a fairly quick read that was hard to walk away from!

Which of these August book releases is going to make its way onto your reading list this month?