July 2025 Wrap Up

Hello Readers! I hope you all are well and had a joyful July. My July was pretty normal and uneventful. Check out July highlights, Book read and reading stats of July 2025 in this wrap up post.

July 2025 Highlights

Like I said, July was a pretty normal, uneventful month—nothing new or exciting. My kid did well in school too. There were fewer complaints (thank goodness, because those complaint days? Ugh).

Every time something goes wrong, it somehow reflects on me—as if being a stay-at-home parent means I have magical control over everything. The unspoken judgment, the looks, the silent “what are you even doing?”—I swear, if I could just flip a finger at them without causing a scandal, I would. But hey… society. Anyway, the good news is she’s starting to understand things better now, which is a huge win.

I really enjoyed all the Sundays in July—lazy mornings spent reading and binge-watching Netflix with my kid. We don’t give her screen time during the week (she keeps busy with school, books, and play), so our Sunday movie day has become a much-anticipated treat. She looks forward to it all week—and honestly, so do I.

Where I struggled was with time management—juggling reading, the blog, YouTube, and Instagram. Honestly, YouTube and Instagram are eating up more time than reading. I seriously need to start batch-creating content or dedicate specific days to each platform. YouTube still feels intimidating, and editing is a beast… but I’m slowly learning. I barely get views right now, but that’s okay—I’m just starting out and still finding my footing.

One thing I have been consistent with is posting across all three platforms and keeping up with my workouts—five days a week, no excuses. I’m not compromising workout time.

I also went for a health check-up this month because of last month’s high BP scare. Thankfully, all my reports came back normal. Even my BP has been stable—I’ve been checking it weekly.

Even though I felt like I was reading slowly and some books took almost a week to finish, I was surprised by how many books I actually read by the end of the month.

Reading Stats

Books Read in July 2025

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady – ★★★★.75 (rounded to 5) – Delightful, cozy, and full of bookish charm, this enemies-to-lovers romance melted my reader heart. I loved the unique concept—two rival bookstore owners, each specializing in different genres, competing for the same managerial role… all while being anonymous online friends. The slow-burn shift from enemies to lovers, the characters’ emotional vulnerability, and their growth by the end made this a total win.

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent – ★★★★★ – A beautifully written novella in the Crowns of Nyaxia universe, this had strong Beauty and the Beast vibes, vivid prose, and lush, immersive world-building. It’s Vale and Lilith’s story, set before The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King, and it left me eager to see more of them in the main series.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry – ★★★★★ – This one’s heartfelt, whip-smart, and packed with emotional depth beyond the central romance. I rooted for Nora and Charlie from the start. The small-town vacation with its checklist, sisterly bond, and slow-burn love story hit all the right notes.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna – ★★★★.5 – Whimsical, cozy, and full of heart, this light fantasy features a magical inn, lovable found family, quirky side characters, and strong themes of resilience and second chances. While the ending felt a little underwhelming, the overall journey was a joy.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – ★★★★★ – Warm, wise, and timeless. I adored the layers of sisterhood, the strength of family, and the slow, beautiful transition from girlhood to womanhood. I’m honestly kicking myself for not reading this sooner—and yes, I’m definitely picking up the next books in series.

The Hunger Games (Reread) by Suzanne Collins – ★★★★ – Rereading this felt like peeling back new layers. It’s not just about survival or a love triangle—it’s a smart, searing critique of power, control, and rebellion. Still thrilling, still sharp, and now I can’t wait to dive back into Catching Fire.

Beyond the Syllabus by Ankur Warikoo – ★★★★ – A bite-sized nonfiction packed with practical life advice for teens—money, mindset, friendships, relationships, and more. While it didn’t offer anything new for me personally, I appreciated how it distilled real-world wisdom in a teen-friendly, quote-style format.

The Forgotten Dawn by Rachel Blake – ★★★ – A slow-burn Fae fantasy with an intriguing world and plenty of political drama. The first half dragged a lot—too much inner monologue, low stakes, and a love triangle that felt more like filler. But the second half picked up steam, and that cliffhanger was brutal. I’m definitely reading book two and hoping it have all the action and pace and intrigue I wanted in this.

What I watched in July 2025

This was first movie of the month and the way she perceived the movie, I knew we have to watch a movie every Sunday. She enjoyed this.

My kid is obsessed with this movie and all songs. Every day she plays K-pop playlist in car during pick up and drop. Finally we have moved on from Frozen and my husband is tired of these songs, already! 😂

This had lots of action. At first I thought my kid wouldn’t like all fighting and killing but surprisingly she did and was eager to watch episodes till the end.

Okay, my kid wasn’t interested in the movie as such but as she saw me reading the book and asked me who the girls are on the book cover she remembered these characters as soon as I hit play to watch the movie. She is really good at remembering the details.

Plan for August

We’ve got a day trip and a 3-day getaway planned during the long weekends mid-month and towards the end, plus Raksha Bandhan is coming up this Saturday—so it’s going to be a packed month. I doubt I’ll get much reading done, but continuing with the next books in The Hunger Games series is definitely on the list. I sure plan to blog hop more this month.

BookTube

In case you are interested in watching tags and reviews in video format, here are all the videos I post in July – https://www.youtube.com/@booksteacupandreviews. I would appreciate a little love to this little channel and also let me know what you would love to see more on my BookTube.

What was your favorite and least favorite book in July?

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