My June 2024 Reading Roundup – A Book Review
Ahhhh…. June. We are in the middle of summer now. So far, it’s been great. I’ve taken the kids swimming, ice skating, to the Coca Cola attraction in Atlanta and to the civil rights museum in Atlanta. This past week, I actually took them to the Georgia Aquarium. We’ve been touring Atlanta like we don’t live here! It’s been a blast!
Plus, I finished my book! It’s all on Wattpad. You can read the whole thing right here.
And next stop for me is finding a literary agent. And increasing my social media presence. I’ll be posting to TikTok. You can find me on TikTok here.
But I know why you’re really here. You want to hear about what I read this past month. I read 7 books in June, which isn’t a record for me or anything, but it’s also not bad. So without further ado, here’s my June roundup!
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
I listened to this one through my library’s audiobook system.
I read this author’s other book that was a bestseller, The Silent Patient. You can check out my review for that one here.
I didn’t like the conversational bits of it. It felt like an experiment not meant for mass consumption. The main character talked a lot about story structure as if he’s a writer but then at the end, we learn he’s not a writer. He’s a hopeless romantic in love with a woman who started to feel for him until she found out how manipulating he could be.
I didn’t care about any of the characters. That’s what was wrong with this book. And did he die at the end? I don’t know. It was ambiguous. I DO NOT like ambiguous endings. It’s why I didn’t much care for Verity by Colleen Hoover.
Overall, I did not like this one. And all the revenge stuff? So over the top and stupid and crazy. You can pass on this one.
1/5 stars
Flow by Kennedy Ryan
I listened to this one on audible. Overall, it was okay. It’s a prequel to the main story, Grip. The ending cliffhanger, I saw coming from a mile away. Pretty duh moment in my opinion. There was no real conflict between the two leads, but overall, it was cute and quick. A breezy way to spend the afternoon.
3.75/5 stars
Loathe to Love You: Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood
I read the hard copy from my library. This author is becoming one of my favorite authors. This novella had a slow start. Ian was the perfect, caring gentleman/ boyfriend. Their fight was silly, since she was stubborn and just wanted to do what she wanted to do, no matter the danger she was putting herself in. Bummer they had to spend 5 years apart. But glad they got together of course. Cute story. Liked all the couples of the Loathe to Love You series. You can check out my reviews for the other books in this trilogy here.
4/5 stars
Grip by Kennedy Ryan
I listened to this one on audible. The stakes were kinda cheesy and I’m glad she didn’t go through with having to sleep with that villain guy. He was an entitled prick.
The reasons they had not to be together were annoying. She thought he’d cheat on her or break her heart. Boring. She felt like she was too much like her mother. Boring.
I did not enjoy the cops handcuffing him but I’m glad his cousin saved him from that drama. And I enjoyed the last chapter and wish everyone could read about how when it comes to race, we’re all the same and really no different.
3.75/5 stars
Still by Kennedy Ryan
I also listened to this one on audible. Lots of sex. After a while, it got annoying how into each other they were.
They had to deal with certain family members not fully accepting her, thinking she was just a phase Grip was going through. Black twitter finding out about them. Getting grief from a black male teacher who didn’t understand their relationship. Having to explain and defend their relationship to everyone. It certainly wasn’t easy for them.
And then the baby thing, that racist saying that the baby died because it was an abomination was just awful. The pain they went through. So sad and believable. Not having sex for 6 whole weeks. Poor them. (cough, cough sarcasm).
But overall I enjoyed it. Very good ending to this series.
4.25/ 5 stars
Bully (Book 1 of The Fall Away Series) by Penelope Douglas
Listened to this one on audible. I didn’t love it. The thing that kept them separated was annoying. Jared was mad when Tate was looking happy around his mom (the addict) and her father. So he decided to spread rumors about her? I didn’t get it.
I didn’t love Jared that much. He said he didn’t care if she lived or died at one point. Like what? And he was moody and really undeserving of her. Why did he get to take her virginity? I liked that she had spunk though and would probably cut a bitch. She kinda had to have that spunk, considering what he put her through.
2.5/5 stars
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
I read the hard copy from my library. An incredibly unique story. I almost cried when Lowe basically told her it was just about the sex and not love. It broke my heart. And I don’t cry much from books, so that’s saying something.
I didn’t enjoy the father vampire’s long explanation toward the end. I felt the story was lost there about his reasons for having collateral relationships. But I’m glad Owen, her brother, took over. I liked him. He was a no bullshit kinda guy. And I liked Serena, her best friend. If Koen and Serena are mated, I’d like to read that story.
This author built a world alright. I’d like her to continue it. Slow start but it grabbed my attention eventually. Enjoyed the witty banter throughout. Mick. I didn’t remember who Mick was and he ended up having an important role. So I had to go back and re-read his introduction.
This is my first time reading about knotting, which was hard to visualize. But TikTok has some funny videos to explain, for those of us who are new to reading about werewolf romances. I definitely want to read more vampire and werewolf romances now. This got me hooked.
4/5 stars
Thanks for reading!
