Y’all this is weird. I had to label this document “July wrap up 2021.” 2021, like, the year. Because this is the second July I’ve been blogging??? Absolutely wild.
Anyway. What happened this July?? Not much. The first half was pretty chill, reading, swimming, the whole summer shebang. The second half? Felt like I was a fly trapped in syrup. Time moved basically backwards, yet I’m still surprised the month is over. Don’t ask me how that works, it just does.
As for reading, I started off the month very strong. But ever since July 19th, I’ve read a grand total of like 50 pages. I’m trying to muddle through a couple of buddy reads (you know for motivation and stuff) but my mind is currently dancing on a unicycle and telling me to suck it when I get within a 5 meter radius of a book. So that’s fun.
In stark comparison to last month, I had exactly no five star reads. I had a one star read (first of the year) and a two star read (third of the year). Which really made my bookish heart warm on the inside *sigh.* It’s not all bad though, I did have a couple fun buddy reads and a few solid 4 stars. And a weird number of my reads made me hungry (specifcally for Oreos, waffles, and pancakes). Let’s break it down.

3.5 🌟 One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
now i really want pancakes
3 🌟 Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery
this girl could win an Olympic medal in talking
4 🌟May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor
thanks for buddy reading Saniya!!
3 🌟 As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper
thanks for the buddy read Rose!!
1 🌟Shipped by Meredith Tate
ugh
2 🌟 Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
big ball of tropes felt bland
4 🌟 Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
alice oseman is a word wizard
5 🌟 Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (reread)
i was sad, so it was time for a reread
3 🌟 Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
couldn’t stop thinking about this series since the new novella announcement
3 🌟 Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi (reread)
so ridiculous, yet so entertaining
3 🌟Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
i do not vibe with the exclaimation “hack me”
4 🌟 The Marvelous by Claire Kann
don’t ask me about the ending because i do not know
3 🌟 XOXO by Axie Oh
fluffy and fine
4 🌟 Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
oreos are in fact the superior food group
4 🌟 Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
pouring syrup into every waffle crater is the only correct way to consume waffles
4 🌟 Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli
straight up fluff and i’m here for it


Uhhh I read exactly one book on my tbr. A for effort, I guess??
Full post can be found here!!

July 6th marks my one year blog-o-versery!!! I decided to write a letter to blogging to thank it for all it has done for me in the last year!!
Full reflection and other mushiness can be found here!!

Ayyy I also celebrated my one year bookstaversery! Because April from a year ago thought it would be a good idea to start two bookish platforms at once. Probably not my wisest moment to undertake so much at once but I guess it all worked out.
For nine tips and tricks I wish I would have known when starting bookstagram, here is the full post!!

Ehh time is accuate on all accounts. Half of the year is gone??? Um what? Anyway. We chatted about stats, favorites, and everything in between!!
Check out the full post here!!

Can you tell I was bored and had too much time on my hands?? Yup. And the result was this charmer. I pitted main characters against my pet lion (Sparky) in an epic showdown. Who will get eaten?? Who will survive??? dun dUN DUN
Tune into the showdown of a lifetime here!!!

Did I get and review my first arc this month?? Yes. Yes I did. And it was all very exciting business. Not as exciting as futuristuc witches of course, but still exciting.
Sound intriguing?? Check out the full review here!!!

I finally reviewed on of my most anticipated releases of the year!! A solid read featuring found family, but I can’t say that magic realism will ever be a favorite of mine.
Check out the full review here!!!

As per usual, there is so much fantastic bookish content being created everyday within the blogosphere. Soo you know what time it is! Let’s highlight some of my favourites of the month and take a moment to appreciate all of these lovely bloggers!
Phoenix @ Words With Wings wrote about Why aro/ace spec characters are so important in books! Everything about this post, just yes. Go read it.
Phoenix @ Words With Wings also wrote People You See at Bookstores which is just fabulous and scarily accurate on many levels.
Raina @ Raina’s Rambling Reads recommends Books Based on Their Levels of Sass. As a lover of sass, I have a deep appreciation for this type of recommendation.
Rachel @ A Bookworm’s Paradise compares Six of Crows Quotes to Real Life Moments. I mean, I’m always here for Six of Crows content but add in 10/10 (and hilarious) comparisons?? I’m sold.

- I actually spent the first part of July up at a lake. I mostly spent time hiding out on the internet, with a healthy amount of swimming and boating tossed in there as well. My brother and I also went kayaking, which was pretty fun.
- Went and saw Black Widow at a drive in!! I kind of am obsessed?? I mean, yes, the pacing at some points was a bit strange (but in all fairness the mcu did screw up nat’s character up until this point) (don’t even get me started on age of ultron) and Melina’s character could have had so much more depth. But it. is still probally one of my top MCU movies soo I can’t complain too much. I also spent far too much time battling bobby pins so I could get the iconic hairstyles from the movie down. After many, many attempts, I finally can do it without a full fledged hair battle so yay?
- Braces came off!! I have had braces since the sixth grade. It was about time!
- I also got my drivers license! But more importantly, my lisence photo looks really good lol
- Summer school is over! Which means regular school is starting up soon, but we are going to ignore that last bit.
And with that, I conclude my July Wrap Up!

How was July for you??

Lovely Wrap Up! I’m glad you liked Blood like Magic and Red, White and Royal Blue!! I enjoyed those books so much when I read them! Also happy 1 year anniversary of your blog!!
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ahh thank you so much!! yesss both were enjoyable reads!! i’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!! thank you and hope you have a brilliant august!!
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I also had a pretty slow last half of the month; I think I read a grand total of one book lol. I’m sorry to see that you didn’t have any five star reads, but I’m glad you at least had some four stars!! also, the red white and royal blue reread must have been fun; it’s one of my favorites, and I’d love to reread it soon. Hope you have an amazing reading month in august!
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hopefully you enjoyed it at least???? yesss i will gladly take the four stars. yess red white and royal blue holds such a special place in my heart, rereading was most certainly a vibe. thank you so much and best of luck with august to you as well : )
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Congrats on the braces coming off! Mine got removed in December last year, and believe me I had had enough of it for the past 2 years 🙄
Ugh I know, July has been a little slumpy for me too with mostly mediocre reads.
And thank you so much for the mention!
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thank you, i am loving my metal free teeth. so. much. better. oof that sucks, hopefully both of our augusts will be filled with bountiful amounts of fantastic reads!!! (*casually glances at our hype-o-meter picks*)
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ahh, i love anne of green gables! and congrats on year of blogging april!!
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yesss such a fun read!! i’m so excited to continue with the series, though a bit sad that anne is all grown up now : (
thank you so much Kaya, hope you have a fab august!!1
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Sorry you had a dull month but surely Becky Albertalli kept you happy.
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oh yes, i could probally function on the vibes from becky albertalli’s books alone for several months lol
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your one-sentence reviews are my EVERYTHING
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AHAHA THANK YOUUUU, I’M GLAD MY ATTEMPT AT REVIEWING/COMEDY IS APPRECIATED
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Congrats on getting your driver’s license!!🍾
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ahh thank you so much, i am so excited about it!!!
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Awesome wrap-up!!! Also congrats on getting your braces off!! Those things are evil, I was stuck with mine for like 6 years lol. Also, you actually got your drivers license photo to look good??? How??? What kind of magic do you possess???? I hope August is a fantastic reading month for you!
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ahh thank you!! SIX YEARS??? MA’AM THAT IS SO AGGRESSIVE???? that seriously sucks. HA i am magical. i braided my hair in like a crown thing so it couldn’t look crusty and then i smiled and hoped for the best. idk historically i suck a pictures (there are like two good ones of me in existence ever sooo) i was pretty proud of how it turned out!! ahh same, hope august is brillant for you as well : )
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omg you had such an exciting month! congrats on finally getting your drivers’ license!! and you braces are off! how does it feel? i’m literally the only one in my friend group without braces and they say i should feel lucky which i guess is true to some extent? and yes black widow was elite! i cannot wait for hawkeye and see florence pugh on screen again!! and thank you so much for mentioning my post!! have an amazing august!
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ahh thank you so much Rania!! it sounds weird, but my teeth feel slimey in a good way??? like no more textural disaster aka braces!!! so jealous ngl, wish i could have skipped the whole braces shebang. truly!! especially with the end credits scene, i’m so excited to see where it goes in the hawkeye show!!!!! for sure, loved reading it had to include it 🙂
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omg i need to get to rw&rb asap!!! it’s on my tbr for august, and it tbh sounds perfect!! askdjfhksdfjh congratulations on getting your drivers license (and having a good photo because let’s be honest that’s the most important part lmao). have a lovely august!! ❤️
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haha hope you’ll love it when you get to it!! thank you so much (right??? like i was more stressed about the photo than the actual test. what can i say, priorities!). hope august has treated you well so far!!
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oh my gosh black widow!!! congrats on the driver’s license, hope august treats you well and you’ll find incredible reads ❤
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yess i’m kind of obsessed. might be one of my favorite mcu movies ahhh!!! thank you so much, hope augusst has been going well for you as well : )
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Lovely wrap up April! XOXO is on my radar, so i’m glad you liked it! Totally agree with Blood Like Magic and The Marvelous. Why is hack it even a saying? It’s catchy but it’s said too often. The Marvelous had such an ending, I def agree that it was a bit confusing. Have a wonderful August! <33
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ahh thank you so much Saniya!! i think you’ll really enjoy xoxo should you decide to pick it up! haha glad to hear you agree. right??? like if you want to make up exclamatory phrases, cool, but hack me just no. i couldn’t decide if it was like gag me or hack me down like a tree you axe murderer???? neither are good options. my mind was literally running in circles trying to figure it out. like we had the mystery-esque vibes but then kann decided to do a draw your own adventure with the ending??? which what??? anyway. hope august has been going well for you so far : )
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hack me was the draft version of an ever after high slang word that wasn’t used- but yeah!! it reminded me of 80s slang..which is better left in the past. (no hate to the book though lol) def agree, the marvelous felt more like a simulation?? idk if that makes sense though haha. you too!! can’t wait to see your august wrap up!
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Anne sure is a talker 😂😂 Love your one liners on the books!!! Also belated blog anniversary wishes!!
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haha facts! thank you so much!!!
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