And just like that, it's already July! Do you have any fun plans for the month? I'm going to visit my sister in Colonial Williamsburg at the end of the month and I'm pretty excited!
I only managed to read nine books in June, instead of my monthly goal of ten, but I had read an extra book or two earlier in the year, so I'm right on track with my yearly goal of 120 books!
All covers are linked to Goodreads.
Not What We Pictured, by Becca Kinzer
★★★.5
Genre: Romance
Release Year: 2026
This was very fun, although it felt especially ridiculous even compared to Becca Kinzer's usual fare. You definitely need to suspend belief to get through this book. (Also, Bobbi really annoyed me.)
The Girl from Everywhere, by Heidi Heilig
★★★★★
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Year: 2016
Just as fantastic as it was when I first read it nine years ago! I love the characters, the setting, the plot ... everything!
The Perfect Couple, by Elin Hilderbrand
★★.5
Genre: Mystery
Release Year: 2018
Setting aside all the infidelity and extramarital affairs, the resolution of the "mystery" was kind of disappointing, although the last line did tie up the theme in a nice, depressing bow. Also, no one got a redemption arc or even all that much character growth.
The Great Divide, by Cristina Henríquez
★★★.5
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Year: 2024
I knew very little about the Panama Canal going into this, and I'm glad I got to learn a bit about it! I do wish that the narrative had been a little more focused. I don't mind a book with a lot of POVs (in fact, I enjoy it if it's done well), but not when it switches perspectives in the middle of a section (sometimes multiple times). I also didn't find the writing to be particularly spectacular, so all in all this took me a while to get through.
Tears of the Wolf, by Elisabeth Wheatley
★★★.5
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Release Year: 2024
I absolutely loved Brynn as a character, and the dyrehunds were fun, but there were some annoying writing things. Elisabeth Wheatley doesn't seem to believe that when you use the word "most", you usually pair it with the word "of"–as in, "most of the men were ..." etc. Instead, every single time, she wrote, "most the men were ..." The first time, I thought it was just a typo, but then it kept happening! There was also so. much. whimpering. Why did everyone whimper everything?!
Content warning: Skip chapter 25 if you don't like spice. I skimmed most of it.
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking, by Bill Buford
★★★.5
Genre: Memoir
Release Year: 2020
I wanted to give this four stars, but although the writing was good and many of the anecdotes were funny, the organization was so scattered that the book didn't really seem to have a central pillar or thought it wanted to express (although it did, sort of, in the very last chapter). Bill kind of annoyed me, to be honest.
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
★★★★.5
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Year: 1985
It's interesting to me that this classic science fiction novel is much more about psychology than it is about science (which I loved!). I do think the blurb is a bit spoilery, so the big reveal at the end wasn't as impactful as it could have been, but there were still some crazy twists! What bumped this up to a 4.5 for me was Ender's redemption arc, which is made all the more impactful by the fact that no one except Ender and the reader feel that he needs one.
Better Than Revenge, by Kasie West
★★★★
Genre: YA Romance
Release Year: 2024
This was so fun! A little predictable, but what good romance isn't predictable? I loved the subplot with Finley's grandma, too.
The Library of Lost and Found, by Phaedra Patrick
★★★.75
Genre: Fiction
Release Year: 2019
This was a very readable book, and I liked the characters. However, the writing style wasn't quite my cup of tea.
Reading Goals/Challenges
Goodreads Challenge: 60 / 120
Paper TBR: 8 / 12
Nonfiction: 14 / 12
National Month Challenge: 6 / 12
Cover Lovers Reading Challenge: 23 / 50
New Release Challenge: 10 / 12
Rereads: 5 / 5
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