We’re now at the halfway mark for our reading this year, so of course we have to talk about what we read in June! Did we have a good reading month? Did we find any new favorite books? Keep on reading to find out!

Candyce

After a great reading month in May, I was curious to see how I’d do in June. Don’t ask me how, but I read 30+ books again! I read 34 books (9 eBooks, 8 paperbacks, 6 manga, 5 hardcovers, 5 audiobooks, and 1 ARC)  and I DNF’d one book! My average rating was 4 stars and that’s a bit higher than the past few months. So I definitely can’t complain. Let’s take a look at what I read!

Authentically, Izzy – Pepper Basham

Authentically, Izzy caught my eye because it’s mostly told through emails. This changes about 60% through this book, but it does have a reason. As a big fan of books told through letters and emails, I was excited. That being said in the end this book just wasn’t for me. Yes, it was cute and sweet, but also falls a bit flat. Part of me thought it was a bit weird she’s constantly emailing her cousins who live in the same small town as she does. Also, sometimes the emails just didn’t feel like they really had a point. I don’t think I’ll be continuing with the other two books in this series.

A Fate Inked in Blood – Danielle L. Jensen

I finally read A Fate Inked in Blood and I’m mad at myself for taking so long to read this. I read this book in one day and just couldn’t put it down. Freya and Bjorn are such amazing characters and their chemistry had me hooked. A lot happens in this story and I need the sequel now! The only thing that would’ve made this better for me is if we had had Bjorn’s POV as well.

Five Feet Apart – Rachael Lippincott

Five Feet Apart has been on my TBR for years now and I still haven’t watched the movie that came out. I’m glad I finally picked this one up though. Stella and Will both have CF and know they won’t live long lives. Getting close to each other could even make them physically ill. This is such an emotional and bittersweet story.

The Princess and the Fangirl & Bookish and the Beast – Ashley Poston

I finally finished the Once Upon a Con trilogy. I read the first book, Geekerella, in 2017 and the other two books have been on my shelves for years. When I decided to read these, I read along with the audiobooks and I’m glad I finally finished these. Both of these are cute YA stories and I love that there’s a fandom involved. I think I enjoyed The Princess and the Fangirl just a bit more than Bookish and the Beast, but I definitely recommend this trilogy.

Killer Content – Olivia Blacke

Killer Content is a book that’s been on my shelves since it released in 2021. This was a cute cozy mystery and I enjoyed my time with it. It wasn’t my favorite book of the month, but it was definitely an entertaining read while on my commute to and from work. Odessa is a quirky character who has lived in a small town all of her life. Moving to New York definitely opened up a whole new world for her. I’ll be reading the second book in the duology soon.

Five Broken Blades – Mai Corland

Five Broken Blades is another book I saw everywhere before it released and I’m always a little hesitant about hyped books, but I didn’t need to be with this one. I wasn’t certain how this would all play out with multiple POVs, but it was so interesting to see how everything came together. There were twists and turns I didn’t see coming and I got so invested in these characters. I’m upset I have to wait until January for the sequel.

Masters of Death – Olivie Blake

After loving The Atlas Six, I’ve been wanting to read more by Olivie Blake. My Discord book group voted Masters of Death as a group read and I was excited to give it a go. Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me at all. It started off good and I was enjoying the characters. In the end I was just really confused and I honestly couldn’t tell you the plot of this story. There were a few moments that stuck with me, but unfortunately that was it.

The Rage of Dragons – Evan Winter

The Rage of Dragons was my June book club book and it’s one I’ve been curious about for quite some time. The book throws you right into the story and the magic and world and it took a bit to have me understand everything, but I was hooked right away. I couldn’t put it down and read the 500+ pages in two sittings.

Late Bloomer – Mazey Eddings

Late Bloomer was my June swoonalong read and another one I just couldn’t put down. Opal and Pepper were both really interesting characters with their own challenges. I loved that even though they didn’t realize it in the beginning, they really complimented the other. I’m glad I picked this one to read.

The Burning God – R.F. Kuang

I’m really bad at finishing series, but I finally finished The Poppy War. I have to say that this one wasn’t pulling me in as much as the first two and the main character had me annoyed for about half of the book, but the author surprised me with an ending I didn’t see coming at all, so The Burning God still ended up being a 5 star read for me.

Heavenbreaker – Sara Wolf

I was kind of hesitant picking up Heavenbreaker, because there have been some mixed reviews. That being said that never stops me from reading a book and I went into this one blind. Heavenbreaker was such a pleasant surprise! I was pulled into this story and so much was going on and I just have so many questions! I need the next book.

Tattered Stars – Catherine Cowles

After reading Fragile Sanctuary last month I had to read more Catherine Cowles. Tattered Stars is the first book in the Tattered & Torn series. It’s clear this author knows what she’s doing with romantic suspense books. Everly and Hayes’ family interacted when they were younger, but not in a good way. Years later Everly moves back to the small town and they get off to a rocky start. I loved how their romance developed and I need more books with the Easton family!

Crossroads – Devney Perry

Crossroads is the start of a new small town romance series and I’m hooked. Indya and West were childhood friends when her family used to visit his family’s ranch during the summer. I loved that we got chapters set in the past to really get to understand these two characters. Their relationship so many years later is rocky, but it’s great seeing them connecting again. Crossroads really hit me in all the feels.

Leather & Lark – Brynne Weaver

When I read Butcher & Blackbird last year, I never expected to love that dark romantic comedy as much as I did. So I can definitely say that Leather & Lark was an anticipated release of mine and it didn’t disappoint. This one wasn’t as action-packed as the first book, but I loved Lachlan and Lark. I don’t want to say too much though, because you just really need to read this one for yourself.

Next to You – Hannah Bonam-Young

After reading Next of Kin, I’ve been wanting to read more by this author. I’m glad I picked up Next to You, because this was just so good. Matt and Lane start off as friends, but it’s clear that there’s more there. Also, I love that these characters communicated. Next to You really hit me in all the feels.

Read Between the Lines – Rachel Lacey

Read Between the Lines was a book I was curious about when it released in 2021 and I finally got around to reading it. This sapphic romance was a lot of fun and we get a romance between an author and a bookstore owner (even though things are a little bit more complicated than that). I loved most of this book, but the third act breakup didn’t really feel necessary to me and gave more drama than was needed.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun – Jonny Garza Villa

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun was a book my Discord book club voted on and I’m so glad I read it. This book was so bittersweet. On one hand our main character Jules finds his first love, but on the other hand he feels he has to hide his sexuality from his father (who isn’t kind to him at all). So needless to say there was a mix of emotions while reading this. A five star read for me!

Help Me Remember – Corinne Michaels

Help Me Remember has been on my radar since 2022 when it released and I finally read it this month. The book started off strong with our main character Brielle waking up and not having her memory for the last 3 years after she was injured and her brother killed. Of course she wants to remember and one of her brother’s friends wants to help her, so they can close the case. The romance started off enjoyable as well as the story line. After awhile though the pacing was just a bit off and Brielle definitely made some questionable decisions that just didn’t work for me. I’m not sure if I’m continuing with this trilogy yet.

Bourbon & Lies – Victoria Wilder

I have to say I love my discord book club for the fact they put books on my radar that I didn’t know were coming. Bourbon & Lies is a romance book with some suspense mixed in. Grant and Laney start off a bit rocky when Laney comes to stay on his family’s property. There are reasons of course and the tension and chemistry between them jump off of the pages. I also loved Grant’s family. This was a 5 star read for me and my only complaint was that the suspense side of things was solved a bit quickly and didn’t really play a part of the book until the last few chapters. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book.

Most Ardently – Gabe Cole Novoa

Most Ardently is a re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice. This book is heartwarming, but also made me so mad at times. Our main character Oliver is so over everyone thinking he’s Elizabeth. In this book he starts to discover himself and wants to let the whole world know who he is. Add the mysterious Darcy on top of that and it gets interesting. This one hit me in all the feels and the romance was everything I needed.

The Someday Daughter – Ellen O’Clover

Audrey’s last idea of fun is spending the summer with her mother she’s never felt connected to. Things definitely get bumpy, but Audrey learns a lot about herself and her mother. More than she ever expected. There is a bit of a romance in the story, but it didn’t feel like it took over the rest of the story which was nice.

Interesting Facts About Space – Emily Austin

Interesting Facts About Space was a book I heard about and it sounded interesting. After reading this one, I’m not really sure of what to tell you about it or even what I think. It was a weird book. There were some interesting aspects and Enid experiences a lot of things, but it left me not really knowing what to think.

Honey – Isabel Banta

Honey was a book that caught my eye, because I was a teenager in the 2000s and a fan of a lot of pop music. These days you hear horror stories about the lives of these celebrities and how the industry treated them. Honey kind of touches that and what else a pop star deals with. After reading it, I do have mixed feelings about this one. A lot of things stayed on the surface and the fast pace made it hard to really care for the characters. Also, there were quite a few things the author could have given a big impact, but they fell a bit flat for me.

Glitterland – Alexis Hall

I’ve been wanting to read Glitterland for quite some time and unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. When I was listening to the audiobook I did enjoy it, but when I was done I honestly couldn’t tell you a lot about it. Also, the pacing and timeline had me confused at times.

Geek Girl – Holly Smale

Geek Girl was just recently adapted into a TV show and I decided I wanted to try the book before I watched the show. At about 90 pages I decided to DNF, because it just wasn’t working for me. I’m not sure if it’s my mood, the audiobook, or just the book, so for now I’m going to put this one down. Maybe I’ll give the show a try first.

One Last Summer – Kate Spencer

Our main character Clara is losing control of her life and is hoping her annual camping trip with friends will help her figure things out. I love the idea of adult camp. I would definitely go to one and read all week. Clara learns a lot about herself while away and I loved seeing her realize what she wanted. The second chance romance was also great and I really enjoyed One Last Summer. This was the perfect read to start off the summer.

The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 1 – Vol. 5 – Kyouka Izumi

Manga is something I’ve been reading more of (I blame the boyfriend for that, haha) and I recently saw The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World. It’s only five volumes and it has a book cafe. Need I say more? This was a cute story, but the pacing is really high. I would’ve loved if we had more volumes, so that all of the story lines could’ve had more time.

A Condition Called Love Vol. 4- Megumi Morino

I finally got the rest of the available volumes of A Condition Called Love and decided to start reading them. We’re finally starting to get more background information about our main characters and there are some twists coming that I didn’t expect.

 

Isabelle

I had a pretty good reading month despite being really busy. In total I read 10 books this month and my TBR is officially lower than it was at the start of the year. That might be the biggest accomplishment yet haha. Hopefully I can keep it that way!

Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros

I started reading this one kinda on a whim. It had been on my list to get to but after a friend shared a meme I just had to go for it right away. I listened to the Graphic Audio audiobook and it was incredible! Those audiobooks are something else and I’m totally hooked on them.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known – Seanan McGuire

I somehow hadn’t read this newest instalment in the Wayward Children series yet so I decided to rectify that right away. Lately I haven’t been loving these as much as I did the first couple of instalments but this was an enjoyable one for sure!

Haikyu 38-44 – Haruichi Furudate

While I wanted to make the end last, I just couldn’t stop reading as it was all so exciting and there was so much suspense! I love this manga with all my heart and I’m so sad that it’s done after 45 volumes. When I started it, I remember thinking ‘oh nice, only 45 volumes, that seems doable’ and now I wish it was 450 volumes haha.

King’s Cage – Victoria Aveyard

I finally got back to this series! After loving Red Queen and being really disappointed by Glass Sword I just couldn’t get myself to read this one. But I’m glad I’ve now listened to the audiobook and only have one more book to go in the series. It wasn’t my favorite book but it was definitely more enjoyable than Glass Sword.

So that’s another 2024 reading wrap up! Have you read any of these? Or how was your reading month? Discover any new favorites everyone needs to know about? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.