3 Can't-Put-Them-Down Books That You Must Read This Summer

Before I had kids, I read a book every 1-2 days. Then I had a baby. And another baby. And another and another and another! Needless to say, my free time for reading was GONE, and I was lucky if I was able to get through a few books a year!  

One good thing about social distancing, is that I suddenly had a little bit of extra time, because I'm not constantly driving kids around. I'm not reading a book every day or two, but I am going through at least one book a week now! I have a long list of books that I wanted to read, so I have been checking those off of my list. 

Most of the books I've read were really good, but three recent ones stand out. I know just how hard it is to find time to read when you're a busy mom, so I narrowed my much longer list of recent favorites to a list that's actually doable! One is a bestseller that's being made into a movie, one is fast paced and full of twists, and the last one has a slow build to a twist that I never saw coming. All three made the list, because I could not put them down!

3 Can't-Put-Them-Down Books That You Must Read This Summer

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This bestseller is being made into a movie, and I can't wait to see it! I recently began reading books by Kristin Hannah, and I'm always drawn into the story. She truly is a gifted writer! The Nightingale tells the story of two sisters living in Nazi-occupied France, during World War II. It occasionally jumps from present to past, and is absolutely heart-wrenching at times, but it concludes with a beautiful ending that will leave you in tears. I couldn't put this book down, and it made me feel all the emotions!

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

I absolutely love thrillers with lots of twists and turns! The Couple Next Door is about a couple who goes to their next door neighbor's dinner party one evening, and left their baby at home. Although they had the monitor with them and took turns checking on the baby regularly, when they arrived home, the baby was gone.  This book had plenty of twists, and the chapters were short and engaging. The chapters often ended in cliffhangers that made me want to read more, so I made it through this book in two days. Although I was able to predict a few of the twists, I did NOT predict the ending!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

So many people recommended this book to me, so I decided to splurge and buy it rather than wait for it to become available on the long library waitlist. The Silent Patient is about a woman who is found standing over her murdered husband's body, with the murder weapon in her hand. She never speaks a word from that moment on, and remains silent for years, so a psychotherapist is determined to get her to reveal the cause. This psychological thriller was not fast-paced like the previous book I mentionend, but it was still very engaging. At the end of each chapter, I wanted to read more. This book had a slow build to an mind-blowing twist that I never saw coming! When it hit me, I actually gasped, and slammed the book shut!

Honorable Mentions

Are you looking for something else to read? Maybe you don't have a million kids and already read these, or maybe you read them as fast as I did. Here are two more recent books that I really enjoyed:

• The Girl He Used To Know by Tracey Garvis Graves - I did not expect to enjoy this book, because it's not something I typically read. It's about a woman who is on the autism spectrum, and the man she fell in love with in college. It jumps between present and past, and the chapters are very short, so it's easy to read. I found myself wanting to read more, and there was quite a twist at the end of the book. All the clues were there as the book neared an end, but it didn't hit me until I read the date at the start of one of the last few chapters! I definitely recommend it!
• The Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena - This book is by the same author as The Couple Next Door. Although I didn't enjoy it as much as that one, it was still a good, fast read, full of secrets and twists. It's about a young housewife who gets into a car accident, and ends up with amnesia. Eventually she is linked to a murder, but nobody knows how or why. Everybody has a secret, and the ending surprised me!

Over the past few weeks, I have stayed up way too late reading. I can't help it - reading is one of my favorite hobbies, and I was missing it so much! Although I can't wait for life to return to normal, I am enjoying the slower schedule. Right now, I just need an escape from the monotony of everyday life, so I'm enjoying being able to get lost in a good book!

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