To my great surprise, June turned out to be a huge reading month for me! I assumed since it was wedding month and I was working like a madwoman to get everything done before we went on our honeymoon, I wouldn’t have any time to read. Audiobooks were my very best friend in June, as many of these were completed while I ran errands, wrote thank you notes, and packed for our trip! So many good ones, and some not so great ones were finished, so let’s take a look!
SUCH A FUN AGE BY KILEY REID – 5 STARS
I’m starting to notice a theme in myself here when it comes to new releases. Unless I see major buzz that paints a new release in a negative light (ahem… American Dirt), I add it to my list without even knowing what it’s about. Such a Fun Age was such a fun read that also touched on more serious topics such as racism. I loved following the story as it switched back and forth between the perspective of the two main characters, building up the drama and suspense. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but it’s a very timely read.
THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ BY HEATHER MORRIS – 2 STARS
I did not enjoy this one. I’ve seen great things about it, and I really had high hopes considering this was based on a true story and I generally love WWII stories. But it fell flat for me. I expected to learn more about the historical setting, but it was essentially a love story based in Auschwitz. The writing was choppy, so I had a hard time following the narrative, and ultimately just finished it because I wanted it to be over.
THE UPSIDE OF BEING DOWN BY JEN GOTCH – 3 STARS
I have admired Jen Gotch for years for the way she started Ban.do from nothing and has continued to feed it creatively for years. I love their branding and aesthetic and have taken a lot of inspiration from them. You get an inside look at Ban.do here while also seeing Jen Gotch’s history of mental illness and struggles. Unfortunately, while reading this book, I went to look at Jen’s social media to discover some very disappointing allegations from current and former Ban.do employees claiming Jen created a toxic, racist work environment and calling for Ban.do to make changes. Jen has since stepped down from her position as Chief Creative Officer and deactivated all social media accounts.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE BY CELESTE NG – 4 STARS
I wanted to read this book so I could watch the show and not ruin anything for myself. I didn’t have any idea, yet again, what it was about. It honestly didn’t feel like much happened as far as the plot went, but I loved the character development and how Ng slowly revealed each character’s story to the reader in pieces. I left with some unanswered questions, but overall, I enjoyed it.
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LULULEMONS BY LAUREN WEISBERGER – 3 STARS
This is a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, although it can absolutely be read as a standalone book, as well. Instead of following the famous Andy around, this book centers on her frenemy Emily and a new cast of characters. I loved the scandal and family drama that kept popping up at every turn. If you love pop-culture centered books, or if you loved The Devil Wears Prada, this one’s for you!
THE HAPPINESS PROJECT BY GRETCHEN RUBIN – 4 STARS
Ah, The Happiness Project. I took so many notes at the beginning of this book, learning interesting ways to avoid procrastination and just get things done, how to declutter, and hacks for keeping your house clean daily. I loved the theme of personal development because I’m just a self-help junkie. There were definitely times when Rubin got just a little too intellectual for me, talking about reading 17 different biographies about a Saint in history, pondering the meaning of life, etc. But I also felt like I connected with her in other ways, especially when she got to discussing her love of note taking, scrapbooking, and holding onto sentimental things forever. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and felt like I learned a lot.
BRAIN ON FIRE BY SUSANNAH CAHALAN – 4 STARS
Wow, what a ride. Brain on Fire is quite unlike any other book I’ve read. It follows Cahalan as she dissects the weeks leading up to and the months following her mental breakdown as doctors searched for and eventually found a diagnosis for her unidentified madness. The things that Cahalan and her family went through during this period were absolutely heart-breaking and utterly confusing. I recommend this one if you love memoirs and are interested in mental health.
THE SELECTION BY KIERA CASS – 5 STARS
The Selection Series is a fun and light series that I can only describe as The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games. Set in a dystopian future where America has been overthrown and returned to a monarchy, the prince of the land brings in 35 women from across the nation to compete to be his queen. You’ll be left with a cliffhanger and frantically searching to get your hands on book two after this read.
BEACH READ BY EMILY HENRY – 5 STARS
I loved this! Romantic, funny, quirky, the list goes on. It slightly reminded me of an Elin Hilderbrand novel, just without the Nantucket backdrop – family drama and secrets, romance, etc. It absolutely lived up to the hype!
THE ELITE BY KIERA CASS – 5 STARS
Like I said about book one, this series is phenomenal. You better have all the books in the series before you start because the cliffhangers will keep you moving from one to the next very quickly.
UNTAMED BY GLENNON DOYLE – 1 STAR
I am not impressed with Glennon Doyle’s most recent book, Untamed. Sadly, I feel that I can no longer trust her as an author. I have many thoughts on Doyle and two most recent books – if you want to chat about them I am happy to! I just want to make it clear that I do not recommend this one.
I’m right in the middle of several great books right now, so July will be a great month, too!
You can follow along with all of my 2020 reading here:
What I Read in January
What I Read in February
What I Read in March
What I Read in April
What I Read in May
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