Y’all, June was such a great reading month for me. I read mostly 4-5 star reads and some were such fun surprises. I love when I pick up a book thinking it will be just a good read and it ends up being great. That happened numerous times in June for me. I can’t wait to share what I read with y’all today.
Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
Jennifer Hillier is one of my very favorite mystery/thriller authors. Jar of Hearts is in my top 5 favorites of all time. I’ve never read a book of hers that I didn’t absolutely love and Things We Do in the Dark was no exception. This story is dark and intense. It’s almost like two completely different stories and then they come together in the end. I loved it!
Rating: 5 stars
Thanks for my early copy, Minotaur Books!
Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
Oh goodness, this book. I read Carola Lovering’s Too Good To Be True earlier this year and loved it, so I was really excited about this new one. Can’t Look Away was incredible. It’s supposed to be a mystery/thriller, but it felt more like general fiction with a slight suspense feel to it. Kinda like Big Little Lies was. I was obsessed with Lovering’s newest and loved *almost* everything about it. I had a problem with the ending, but because I was so obsessed with the book prior to that, I still felt it needed 5 stars. I just wish it had ended differently.
Rating: 5 stars
Thanks for my finished copy, St. Martin’s Press!
Summer Hours by Amy Mason Doan
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
Last summer I discovered Amy Mason Doan when I read The Summer List. It ended up being one of my top 10 favorites books of the year. Summer Hours was a book I knew I wanted to read this summer and I absolutely loved it. It was our June pick for LaLa Life Book Club and I was so pleased with this story. It has 90s flashbacks, a friends to lovers trope, and a road trip. What could be better?
Rating: 5 stars
The Beach Trap by Ali Brady
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
When I heard this book was a retelling of The Parent Trap mixed with Flip or Flop, I was sold. This was the best story. I never really thought I loved books that focused on sisters but this one was delightful. It had two romances, both of which I really loved. It also had the best character growth. This was so good.
Rating: 4 stars
Thanks for my early copy, Berkley Publishing!
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
The Summer of Broken Rules was a book I had seen all over the place. I fell in love with the gorgeous cover, but I didn’t know if I would love the book. I decided to get a copy anyways and at least I could display the pretty cover in my library if I didn’t end up loving it.
Y’all, I was SO shocked by how much I adored this book. It was the best summer read. It had a wonderful Martha’s Vineyard setting, a fun game of Assassin (like Prep!) and the swoooniest romance. I highly, highly recommend this one! I loved it so much I picked it as our July book club pick!
Rating: 5 stars
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
Another complete shocker! I had been seeing raving reviews from a few of my favorite bookstagrammers, so I had high hopes for Nora Goes Off Script. I couldn’t have loved it more. This book was just the best. I haven’t been so obsessed with a book since I read Every Summer After in April. Nora and Leo were the perfect couple to read about. The kids were adorable and funny. The problem in the book wasn’t predictable in the slightest and really kept me guessing as to what happened. And the ending was the BEST! Highly recommend!
Rating: 5 stars
My Summer Darlings by May Cobb
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
When I think of one word to describe My Summer Darlings, it is fun. This was such a fun and juicy read that I could not put down. It was addicting. These characters were the absolute worst, but they were so fun to read about. It was like a grown up, murderous version of Mean Girls.
Rating: 5 stars
Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
Towards the end of the month, I rediscovered my love for young adult contemporaries. I ordered several new ones, but while I waited on those to arrive, I pulled Meet Me at Midnight off my shelf and read it. I got this one two years ago after it was pitched as a YA version of The Hating Game. I tried to read it at the beginning of the pandemic, but I couldn’t get into it. Something kept from me from getting rid of it though and I’m so glad I didn’t.
This was such a great summer read. It’s the perfect blend of The Hating Game and Every Summer After. I loved it!
Rating: 4 stars
Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
Talk about a surprise read! I was not expecting to love Heartbreakers and Fakers nearly as much as I did. This was the best little story about two friends who have to fake date the summer before their senior year. I loved this one so much. I immediately ordered the author’s debut book, The Best Laid Plans. This was such a great book.
Rating: 5 stars
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
I, like the rest of the book world, fell in love with The Love Hypothesis last year, so I was a little nervous about picking up Love on the Brain. It comes out in August and let me tell you, it is adorable! I loved it almost as much as Ali’s first book. It’s filled with the same witty banter and swoony moments as her first book.
Rating: 5 stars
Thanks for my early copy, Berkley Publishing!
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
I 100% think this was a timing thing, but I didn’t love Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey. I read It Happened One Summer last year and absolutely loved it. I think if I had read the second book right after I read the first I would have enjoyed it more, but I just didn’t fall for this one. I didn’t buy the romance between Fox and Hannah and found myself skimming the half just so I could move onto another book. So disappointing!
Rating: 3 stars
Dream On by Angie Hockman
Add to Goodreads/Purchase on Amazon
Dream On sounded like such a unique book and it was! It’s about a girl who wakes up after being in a coma. When she wakes up she has all these vivid memories of a boyfriend that doesn’t exist. One year later, she randomly runs into him but he has no clue who she is. I couldn’t wait to figure out how this story played out and I was surprised by the direction it went in. I really liked this one!
Rating: 4 stars
Thanks for my early copy, Gallery Books!
Check out my past month’s book reviews here:
Remember to follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m shelving and my IG for daily (or almost daily) reading updates!
