August Wrap Up/September TBR

August started out strongly with a read-a-thon, but then I ran into a brick wall...

The Book of Air by Joe Treasure
This book kicked off the Unhaulathon for me as it needed to be read in time for a blog tour. My full review can be read here so I won't go into too much detail. I will say, though, that this is great if you're interested in dystopian or post-apocalyptic fiction but don't want zombies or things liek The Hunger Games.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
This book. Where do I even start? How about with the fact that it's completely awful. I so wanted to enjoy it, but the entire thing was just a joke. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a story about anxiety because it's not - it's that of an overbearing 'comedic relief' mother and a son who's 'addicted' to video games. Nothing is taken seriously and it just comes across as more offensive than funny. But I do like the yellow cover.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Thankfully The Hate U Give was a much better read, and I can't believe I put it off for so long! For some reason, I was sure that it wouldn't live up to the hype but I can happily say that I was so wrong. I did feel that it was a little too long for what it was, however, and that a bit too much of the story focused on the turf war for my liking. But then, that was a big part of Starr's life and that's pretty much what the book is about, so it wasn't too much of a problem.

Split Second by Sophie McKenzie
I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by Split Second! I was expecting it to be quite basic and cliche, but it turned out to be quite a thrilling dystopian. Very politics based with a cheesy romance, but there was plenty of action and I finished it actually wanting to pick up the sequel.

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
And this is where my read-a-thon progress died a death. I was so sure I could get this finished on the last day or the day after, but this short King gave me so. many. problems. In the end, I finished it after two weeks and wasn't blown away by it. I liked the second half much more than the first, which was incredibly slow going, but it's nothing special. Of the unofficial duology I much prefer Gerald's Game.

A Quite Kind of Thunder by Sarah Barnard

A Quiet Kind of Thunder was just what I needed after Dolores Claiborne. It was short, sweet, realistic, raw, and all around just a good time. I did have a few issues with it - mainly how the relationship moved quite quickly, and then a few regarding the anxiety involved. Nothing too major, and I was able to overlook the latter as just because they didn't match my experiences with anxiety didn't mean they weren't valid experiences.

Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

What started off as a promising thriller soon turned to complete and utter hell as Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls tried to pull a Gone Girl. Until that point, I didn't dislike the book. Sure, it reminded me of Far From You which I did dislike, but the writing and the plot were enough to keep me interested. And then the truth comes out as Delia is revealed to be a codependent manic pixie dream girl and June just... spineless. Not a fan, but at least the writing was decent.

As for September, I really need to try and get as much read as possible before the twenty-fifth, as that's when uni officially starts for me. Yes, I'll have lots of time spent on trains to read, but I can't guarantee much spare time after that. All four of these books are short so I'm sure I can fit them in, and I'd like to see if I can get reviews written for them as well, as my backlog is running out.

What did you read in August? What do you want to read in September?