Welcome to the July 2025 roundup!

Just to prove how fast the year is flying by (and how bad my memory is ), I totally missed that my blog has now been around for 8 years! The milestone happened last month in June, and I forgot to celebrate it, let alone even think about writing a post. In the past, I’ve penned a ‘Lessons Learned‘ or ‘Blogiversary’ type post, but just didn’t get the chance to this time, so instead I’d like to take the opportunity now to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who reads, comments, and shares my posts, especially those who have been around for the majority of those 8 years. I keep blogging because of you guys, and I hope you’re still enjoying reading my content as much as I am writing it.

Another reason I missed my blogiversary was due to a nasty cold that started in June but took me down for a week in July, and the only good thing about it was getting ahead on my reading goals by listening to two audiobooks while I rested in bed surrounded by the cats. That week off threw out my routine, and I’m still playing catch-up now, so if you’ve noticed that I haven’t read or commented on your July blogs and substack posts, please know I am getting around to all my notifications as soon as I can.

This month, I was also a bit of an introverted social butterfly, meeting up with various members of the Australian writing community at two different bookish events (pics below!).

As for what else I got up to in July, read on…

Despite everything, I did make some progress on my new WIP. I’m still not at the stage of writing pages, let alone chapters, but I have a much better idea of what the story will be about and who the main characters are after a lot of note-taking, planning, and plotting. I have roughly 23 scene ideas too, which right now are little more than a sentence or two, but it’s the start of this manuscript, and I’m very much enjoying being back in a creative space.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

Technically, the third entry in the movie franchise (ignoring the awful 2021 TV series) it’s named the same as the original but serves as a reboot with new characters and a new hit-and-run murder that sparks a killing spree scenario. It also brings back the two survivors of the original movie (Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie and Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray).

The best thing about this movie is the nostalgia it mines from the original cast and movies, peppering this one with references, cameos, call-backs to infamous lines/quotes, and invoking 90s slasher movies when it gets the pacing and scariness of the kills right. What it gets wrong is a muddled middle where scenes jump from one place to another, rapidly moving the plot along but leaving no depth to give the end payoffs and reveals the impact they could have had. There’s also a pretty big twist in this movie that I did not like.

The ending hints at a sequel, which I’m sure will be made if the movie is a big enough hit, and a mid-credit scene is one worth sticking around for if you’re a fan of the original sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Following on from Thunderbolts, which was the best Marvel movie in a long time, The Fantastic Four: First Steps dives right in, skipping the origin story of how the Four got their powers and catching viewers up with a quick TV intro instead. Having watched the 2005, 2007, and 2015 versions, I liked the fact that they didn’t spend a whole movie rehashing and went straight into a problem.

That problem is Galactus, a cosmic entity who eats planets and has decided the world the Fantastic Four live on is next on the menu. This doesn’t sit well with Mister Fantastic and Sue Storm, who are about to have their first child. All the actors do a great job in their roles, and there’s plenty of action, heart, and emotion in the story. As usual, there is a mid-credit scene to lead to the next movie you’ll see the characters in (Avengers: Doomsday), and a fun easter egg at the very end.

Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is a collection of stories revolving around the characters of The Inheritance Games books. While they are stand-alone, it helps if you have read the previous books, as these stories fill in gaps and work better when you already know the characters and some of the circumstances the stories highlight.

As a fan of the original trilogy, I did enjoy visiting the characters again and having some events filled in, especially the full story of Hannah and Toby that was touched on in The Hawthorne Legacy. At the same time, stories revolving around smaller characters, like Zander Hawthorne, highlighted why he’s more of a background character and not someone who should have a whole book dedicated to them.

Definitely one for big fans of The Inheritance Games world, especially those reading the spin-off books, as some stories feature a character who will appear in those volumes.

The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey

After a tragic policing incident that’s slowly revealed throughout the story, DI Georgina and her partner, DI Richie, are sent to a small island off the coast of Scotland to investigate a shocking suicide.

Steeped in old folklore and with an attitude of taking care of their own problems, not everyone on the island is happy to see the investigators, and neither, it seems, is the island itself.

It does its best to mess with Georgina’s fragile mental state, and when she begins hearing the impossibility of wolves howling at night, and sees someone in a mask prowling outside her window, she wonders who—or what—wants her to drop the case. The truth won’t be what you expect, and that’s what makes this such a gripping read.

Full of great characters, voice, and an intriguing storyline, The Wolf Tree is the ideal book for fans of slow-burn mystery thrillers.

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

Having recently watched the TV adaptation of We Were Liars, which hinted at events from this prequel story, I didn’t want to wait a few years for a second series to find out what happened and grabbed the audiobook.

Written from Carrie Sinclair’s point of view, this story involves her early teen years at Beechwood, the private Island where her family spends their summers, and the family secrets she unearths, as well as battles with grief, addiction, a scandalous death, and a cover-up. Despite these heavy topics, it’s an entertaining read where you get to know the characters better and understand what drove some of their actions in We Were Liars.

Whether you’re a fan of that book or the TV adaptation, or just like stories with secrets, this is a book worth adding to your TBR list.

Everyone In the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton

When journalist Kirby gets roped into helping her new roommate, Esme, track down the story behind their town’s long-dead serial killer, she figures the interest might help save the local paper she writes for from going under. But as they sleuth in all the wrong places, a tragedy happens. Esme ends up dead, and their other housemates stop talking to Kirby, forcing her to leave town. A year later, their old group chat pings, and Kirby is horrified to receive a message from Esme, warning that anyone who leaves the group chat will die. Forced back home, Kirby tries to get to the bottom of the mystery and find out who is stalking them before the body count gets even higher.

Although this book sounds heavy, the voice and character of Kirby are so well done that it’s actually darkly humorous. Frankly, Kirby’s a mess, but the kind of mess you want to see succeed. There are also some thrilling chase scenes, numerous mysteries to solve, and a satisfying ending that should entertain any reader who is a fan of thrillers with a touch of fun.

Let’s Be Book Friends!

If you’ve got any good book recommendations, let me know in the comments, or be my friend on Goodreads and share your faves! You can also find and follow my book reviews on Amazon and BookBub.

This month, I’ve been taking photos of… bookish events and release milestones! In July, I attended the launch for Of Flame and Fury by debut YA author Mikayla Bridge, and then the Penguin Fantasy Fest 2025, where YA authors Keshe Chow, Lyndall Clipstone, and Lily Crozier talked about their upcoming books and other industry tidbits. I also celebrated the 1-month anniversary of Writing and Editing Checklists.

In case you missed any of my posts or want to reread them, here are the latest blogs.

Other blogs…

Eternal thanks to the following bloggers for reviewing/spotlighting Writing and Editing Checklists on their blogs this month. Please visit the following links to read the content, and follow these great blogs if you aren’t already.

And that’s it for this month. I hope you’ve enjoyed my July Roundup. Let me know what you got up to in the comments!

— K.M. Allan

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