Reviews of the 8 Books I Read in August 2026

1. The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until, one quiet evening, two detectives show up at her front door. “Mrs. Cass, we were hoping your son could answer a few questions about the girl who disappeared last night…”

Erika has always sensed something… different in her seemingly perfect oldest child. He’s charming, smart, and popular, but mothers have the best instincts, and Erika knows there’s more to her son than meets the eye.

My Rating: ★★★★

My 20th Freida McFadden book which is quite crazy to say. If you can’t tell be now, I’m a huge fan of Freida McFadden and will literally read anything she writes. This was another constant page turner for me and I read 75% of the book in one sitting, unable to put it down.

Of course, I’ve read so much of Freida McFadden’s work that I know that the obvious culprit is always the decoy and that it’s probably the person you least expect with a great twist. I will say the twist in The Perfect Son was great, but that we didn’t really get that much explanation as to why it was this person in the end.

2. Things I Told My Notes App by Milly Goldsmith

Comprised of short, honest reflections on everything from self-worth to the impact of male validation, Things I Told My Notes App is the essential guide on how to choose yourself. Through personal stories and raw honesty, Milly shares how freeing it is to start appreciating the beautiful things that make you unique.

This passionate guide to living life on your own terms celebrates the beauty of being single and finding happiness within yourself. It encourages women on a healing journey to live authentically and embrace their true selves.

My Rating: ★★★

I’ve followed Milly Goldsmith on Instagram for years. Watching her journey of writing this book in three months while being in New York (jealous!) was cool to see, right through to the publication and now as she promotes the book.

I will say that it’s not really anything ground-breaking, almost like reading someone’s diary really. At some points it did make me think that Milly (like a lot of women) base their happiness and self-worth on men, and that this maybe isn’t something that should be promoted. The book is overall about her love life, and I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with being 27 and never having been in a relationship before.

3. Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah

Meghann Dontess is a woman haunted by heartbreak. Twenty-five years ago she was forced to make a terrible choice, one that cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Now, Meghann is a hotshot divorce attorney who doesn’t believe in intimacy–until she meets the one man who can change her mind.

Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her harsh, judgmental older sister and their self-absorbed mother. It is the first time they have been together in more than two decades. Over the course of a hot Pacific Northwest summer, these three women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family.

My Rating: ★★★★

I love Kristin Hannah’s writing. This is one of her older publications that has recently been re-published with a new cover and I hate to say it, the cover grabbed my attention in the library and I checked it out. This story is about two sisters (if you couldn’t guess) who lose touch as they grow older due to family circumstances and eventually find their way back to each other.

I’ll warn you, it’s a tear-jerker and I can fully imagine this being adapted to TV as a movie. A book to read with your girlfriends or mum, especially if you have sisters. This one may hit home even more if you do have sisters, but even as an only child, I still found it incredibly moving.

4. The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary

It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won’t stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.

My Rating: ★★★

This was very Molly the Maid by Nita Prose series, if you’ve come across this. Set in a hotel (a setting I love, having basically grown up in a hotel) with two co-workers who seem to hate each other.

There are many heart-warming characters, and I’d highly recommend this as a book to read over the Christmas holidays, as it read just like a warm and fuzzy Christmas movie you’d watch with your family. Nothing out of the ordinary story-line wise, but an enjoyable read all the same.

5. Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake

Every member of The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumnae, are beautiful, high-achieving, and universally respected. After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being one of the chosen few accepted into The House is the first step in her path to the brightest possible future.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling to return to work after accepting a demotion to support her partner’s new position at the cutthroat University. After eighteen months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane’s clothes don’t fit right and her girl-dad husband isn’t as present as he thinks he is.

When invited to be The House’s academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in the way the alumnae seem to have it all. As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs.

My Rating: ★★

Wow, this was a slow burn for me. This took me weeks to finish, and I just couldn’t get into it from the beginning and struggled around the half-way point. Unfortunately, I’m not someone that can DNF a book and I have to finish it.

Nothing really happened until around 80% in, and even then it felt rushed and not fully explored. There are taboo topics and it reminded me of Bunny by Mona Awad with the campus setting and themes, but I don’t think this was a well-thought out storyline, and with a very abrupt ending that to me didn’t really make any sense.

6. The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose

It’s been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah has long since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers.

After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight.

But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues.

My Rating: ★★★★

I read the first book in this duopoly, The Perfect Marriage years ago and devoured it, so was expecting something similar in the follow-up. If anything, I’d say The Perfect Divorce was better.

Very fast-paced with short chapters, I was constantly trying to work out who ‘dunnit’ and loved how crazy and powerful the main female character was. With a strong female lead and men who constantly let her down, I felt very satisfied reading this and knowing how the full story ended. 

7. First and Forever by Lynn Painter

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyote football. So after she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain following an awful encounter with the team’s beloved mascot, she is disgruntled, to put it mildly. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of a PR nightmare, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, a strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. But he quickly discovers being with Duffy is much easier than he anticipated, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him.

My Rating: ★★★

Lynn Painter’s most recent release and one of her rare adult novels, as most of her books lean towards Young Adult. If you don’t know, I’m obsessed with Lynn Painter and have read a lot of her books already, trying to make my way through her full catalogue. This was a sports romance, quite like any of the other sports romances out there, I’ll be honest with just a little bit less smut (looking at Tessa Bailey here for reference).

I really liked the story and it was a fast-paced book, but there were a few important topics within the book that could have been better developed. Things like dealing with family members who have dementia, grief, a sick father etc. I felt we only skimmed the surface of these issues and it had the potential to be a five-star if the book had been longer and went deeper.

8. Heartstopper (1) by Alice Osman

Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn’t think he has a chance.

But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.

My Rating: ★★★★

I’m very late to the game, but I finally got around to reading this viral graphic novel and I think this might be the first graphic novel I’ve ever read? You’ll know this from the very popular TV series of the same name (which I’m yet to watch), but this took me around 20 minutes to read in total, so it’s very quick.

I’ll definitely be picking up the rest of the series when I can as they’re so quick to read but very fast-paced and has a great storyline. Once I’ve finished the book series, I’ll get into the TV show. Yes, I’m one of those people that has to read the book first.