The Books I Read in June

 June was a huge reading month for me!  I read 14 books and crossed 4 more off my 52 books challenge.  

1. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth-- Gabe and Pippa have a lovely home that abuts the ocean; however their cliff has become a spot where people come to commit suicide.  Gabe becomes known as the hero that talks people off the ledge. One day a woman is not talked off the ledge and Pippa learns that Gave actually knew the woman. Told in alternating timelines and from different points of view we learn that there is much more to Gabe an Pippa's marriage and the circumstances surrounding the woman's death. I really enjoy Sally's books so much! 

2. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren-- I'm surprised this cute book took me so long to read. I have been very busy this past month or so and it has been taking me longer and longer to finish books.  In this story Sam and Tate meet in London and have a whirlwind romance.  Tate has always kept her real identity hidden but shares all her secrets with Sam; only to have the press turn up at her door. As soon as she realizes Sam has told all her secrets her heart shatters.  The story then picks up 14 years later where Tate is a huge success and runs into Sam once again. Forced to confront him and deal with him on a daily basis Tate is reluctant to hear Sam's side of the story but still finds herself attracted to him. 

3. The Chosen Ones by Scarlett Thomas-- This second book in the Worldquake was just as cute as the first.  Effie has been expelled from magic class and all her boons have been confiscated by her father so she can't even get into the Otherworld. Max has gone missing; sucked deep into a book with only his own powers to rely on.  Raven's witch's intuition is going crazy and the five friends need to be able to come together to defeat the Diberi once again and save the world. 

4. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman-- This book has been on my list for quite some time and I'm glad I finally got around to it.  I downloaded it on the Libby app and listened while I cleaned the house.  It was such a sweet story.  Eleanor struggles to fit in; not always knowing what to say or do and often voicing aloud exactly what she's thinking.  Her life begins to change though the day she meets Raymond and together the two save Sammy's life.  Eleanor had a very difficult childhood and as the story goes on more is revealed that explains how Eleanor became the way she is; but she's softened by Raymond and the new friends she makes along the way.  It was such a sweet, sweet story. 

5. Happy Place by Emily Henry-- I really enjoyed this cute story! Wyn and Harriet have recently broken off their engagement and then find themselves sharing a room at their annual friends vacation in Maine. Not wanting to ruin all the other couples' weekend they keep their break up to themselves but struggle with their attraction and how their relationship abruptly ended.  The story hints at problems and secrets among the other friends too until it all comes to a head one night.  It was the perfect vacation read (it didn't hurt that I was on vacation in Maine at the time and recognized many of the things they referenced!) 

6. The Guest List by Lucy Foley-- I started listening to this audiobook through my Libby app and had to switch to the physical book when I ran out of time to listen. I really enjoyed this twisty story.  Told in alternating time lines and from various points of view it reminded me a lot of Sally Hepworth's books.  Will and Jules are getting married on a nearly deserted island off the coast of Ireland in an old Folly. They have invited close family to stay the night before the wedding and the other guests arrive the day of the wedding.  Their reception is interrupted by a scream when a body is found. Nearly all the characters have something to hide and there are many hints about past wrong doings.  It was a fun little read. 

7. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren-- I really liked Fizzy as the secondary character from The Soulmate Equation so I was happy to see that she got her own book.  Struggling to write any of her romance novels, Fizzy ends up agreeing to make a reality TV series using both the audience and DNADuo to find her perfect match. At first Fizzy and the producer do not hit it off at all and Fizzy assigns him a series of challenges but the more time they spend together the more they realize they are attracted to one another.  It was such a fun and funny book.  Fizzy is quite the character. 

8. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher-- I needed a banned book for my 52 book challenge and this fit the bill nicely. I read the book in 12 hours (with stops to grocery shop and head to Lowe's!).  It was so good!  While I don't agree with book banning at all I can see why some schools might ban this one as we know that, for lack of a better term, suicide can be 'contagious.'  In this book Hannah has committed suicide and left behind a series of tapes outlining 13 reasons why she ended her life-- naming names and asking each person mentioned on the tapes to then mail them to the next one listed.  We read the story through Clay's eyes; a sweet boy that had a crush on Hannah who is mystified as to why he's received the box.  It was gripping and heart breaking and I just loved it.  

9. Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton--I'm a pretty big Harry Potter fan so when I saw this book mentioned on a few other blogs I knew I needed to add it to my pile. Not knowing anything about Tom or his life (other than he played Draco Malfoy) it was an interesting read. I really enjoyed Tom's writing style too and found the book to be quite entertaining.  He seems to be very grounded and didn't have a single bad word to say about anyone.  

10. Too Wrong To Be Right by Melonie Johnson-- This was such an adorable story!  Kat finds herself dumped and the proud owner of a new hedgehog rather unexpectedly.  She decides to swear off dating until she finds Mr. Right and with the help of her friends even makes a list of characteristics she's looking for.  When she literally stumbles upon Mick at his family's funeral home, Kat feels an attraction that she decides can only meal he's no good for her.  Instead Kat and Mick strike up a friendship and Kat is determined to keep things platonic.  I bet it's not spoiler alert to hear that's not how this story ends! 

11. From the World of Percy Jackson: The Sun and The Star a Nico Di Angelo Adventure by Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro -- My boys and I have listened to just about every single Rick Riordan book there is and when I saw that my middle son had taken this book out of our local library and that it was a continuation of sorts of the Percy Jackson saga I just knew I had to read it!  In this latest book Nico Di Angelo and his boyfriend Will are heading into the underworld to rescue a friend from Tartarus. It was wonderful to pick up and fall back into the world of Percy Jackson.  

12. Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry-- I don't usually listen to middle grade fiction but the cover caught my eye when I was scrolling through the Libby app looking for something to listen to.  While I found the format a big odd to listen to since it combines verse and prose, I did enjoy the story a lot.  Calliope is in the 7th grade and has moved schools a lot because each time her mother's life ends in heartbreak they move.  The constant move is hard on Calliope and her life is hard enough trying to hide her Tourette's syndrome from all the kids at school.  Jinsong is Calliope's new neighbor and while he likes her a lot he's afraid to stand up for her at school in case the kids start teasing him as well, but Jinsong feels bad knowing that he's student body president and is supposed to be setting an example for everyone. 

13. The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery-- Finley is raising her 8 year old niece Aubrey and Finley could not love her more.  But when Aubrey's mother (Finley's sister), Sloane comes back and claims to want to be part of Aubrey's life Finley is not sure she can trust her sister to stay sober and out of prison.  Then her grandfather that walked away from the family 20 years ago is back and Finley is reeling from the changes.  She meets Jericho at work who is also reeling from his own family drama and the two become friends helping one another learn to forgive and deal with their families in a more positive way. It was really cute! 

14. A Little Ray of Sunshine by Kristan Higgins-- Harlow is dumbfounded when the child she gave up for adoption nearly 18 years ago turns up in her bookstore on Cape Cod one day.  Never having told her family she even had a child while she was away at college she has a lot of explaining to do but is much more focused on spending time with her son.  The story is told from 3 viewpoints-- Harlow, Monica (the adoptive mother who is blindsided to learn her son picked their summer vacation rental because he knew his birth mother was nearby), and Cynthia (a cousin of sorts of Harlow who is adopted and never found any reason to look for her birth parents).  As the summer goes by all three learn a lot about who they are, what parenthood means to them, and that most things in life are not so easily cut and dried/ black and white/ right and wrong.  It was a really sweet story that tugs at the heart strings. 

Just 7 books left to the challenge!

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