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June was an exciting month as I dove back into reading for entertainment and enjoyment, rather than out of the necessity of being a student.
Here are the 5 books I read in June + a list of hopefuls to read in July!
- “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
- “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood
- “The Maidens” by Alex Michaelides
- A re-read of “Where The Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
Of the five books I’ve read so far, I have written reviews for four. I am still deciphering my thoughts on “The Maidens” by Alex Michaelides so there is no review for that book just yet.
1. “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
[Review Here] [Grab a copy here]
I fall into the category of people who absolutely loved this book. It is a little slow at first but ramps up. If you enjoyed “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert, you will enjoy this story. While I still have a love/hate relationship with Evelyn Hugo, I absolutely loved her story.
This book gets five out of five stars.
2. “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
[Review Here] [Grab a copy here]
Oh, Sally Rooney, we can’t be friends.
When I finished this book, I threw it across my living room out of pure anger that I forced myself to finish reading what felt like a merry-go-round of miscommunication between Marianne and Connell.
This was a book that was very popular on social media and Sally Rooney is adorned by hundreds of thousands of fans, but I’m sorry, I’m just not one of them.
So this book gets one out of five stars.
3. “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood
[Review Here] [Grab a copy here]
This one was challenging for me to review. Immediately after finishing the book, I loved it. I could not think of one thing I disliked about the story. Then I had some time to think about it and let the story “stew” so to speak and realized there was an even balance of things I both did and didn’t like.
So for you Ali Hazelwood,
Adam and Olive get three and a half stars out of five.
4. “The Maidens” by Alex Michaelides
[Review Coming Soon] [Grab a copy here]
Oh, man.
If you’ve read Alex Michaelides’s first book, “The Silent Patient” and loved it, perhaps skip this one. While I will spoil my review a little by ranking it higher than “Normal People”, I still fully believe Alex Michaelides could have done better.
This book gets two out of five stars.
5. “Where The Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
[Review Here] [ Grab a copy here]
I LOVED this book. There are things that I did not enjoy, but what would life be if we simply enjoyed everything and nothing had flaws?
It would probably be boring.
I originally read this book back in January of 2020 and with the upcoming movie adaptation, decided to re-read it.
Despite my love for this book, I’m still mad about that ending Delia.
This book gets four out of five stars.
Now onto my hopefuls list! Here are the 5 books I hope to read in July.
1. “Norwegian Wood” by Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood is a 1987 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. The novel is a nostalgic story of loss and burgeoning sexuality. It is told from the first-person perspective of Toru, who looks back on his days as a college student living in Tokyo. This book has been floating around in really small corners of the book community so I’m excited to dive right in.
2. “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt
Dark Academia. Need I say more?
“Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.” -Goodreads
This is a book I have had on my TBR list for longer than I would like to think. I only recently bought a copy so I am very excited to get started on this story.
3. “Daisy Jones & The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Considering how much I love Evelyn Hugo, I just want to devour all of the books Taylor Jenkins Reid has written.
“A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup. Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity…until now.” – Goodreads
4. “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier
A haunting story about a young woman who marries a wealthy man and moves into his mansion which still holds the memory of his first, late wife?
Yes, please.
“
Ancient, beautiful Manderley, between the rose garden and the sea, is the county’s showpiece. Rebecca made it so – even a year after her death, Rebecca’s influence still rules there. How can Maxim de Winter’s shy new bride ever fill her place or escape her vital shadow? A shadow that grows longer and darker as the brief summer fades, until, in a moment of climatic revelations, it threatens to eclipse Manderley and its inhabitants completely…” – Goodreads
5. “Before the coffee gets cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
I’ve seen this one floating around the #booktok universe here and there and it caught my attention. The story focuses on a little coffee shop in Tokyo that is rumored to allow its customers the opportunity to travel back in time.
“What would you change if you could go back in time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.” – Goodreads
There you have it! 5 books I read in June + At Least 5 Books I want to read in July.
Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!