I read a wide range of books in June. From some antiracist education to some light, teen romance, I kind of read it all. They weren’t all five star reads this month, but it was still a good selection of books. Let’s get started!
1// Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
In Perkins’s final installment of her young adult series, she follows Isla (Eye-la) Martin and Josh Wasserstein as they fall madly in love in a short amount of time. Isla’s had her eye on Josh since their freshman year, so when she runs into him at a cafe in New York, it’s Kismet – literally, that’s the name of the cafe they meet at. They reconnect at school, start a whirlwind romance, but then, the worst happens. It was a cute story with an absolutely adorable ending — and there were no love triangles. A perfectly adorable love story for the youths. 3/5 stars
2//The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Admittedly, this was not my favorite Kristin Hannah book. I have truly loved some of her work, but this one didn’t have the same “pow” factor that I felt the other ones did. The Great Alone follows Lenny and her family as they move to Alaska to escape her father’s nightmares. Lenny’s father is a mean drunk, a product of being a prisoner of war, and her mother can’t leave him — she loves him too much. In Alaska, Lenny falls in love with Matthew and with nature. But how can she have a life outside of her family when her mother needs her protection? It’s a heartbreaking depiction of what it can be like to be an abusive relationship and a story about love truly conquering all. 3/5 stars
3// The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was nothing short of fantastic. It’s essentially a murder mystery, but the tale is told completely out of order — I was wondering how everything fit together up until the very end. Evelyn Hardcastle is going to be murdered. Aiden Bishop must figure out by whom. Each day, he wakes up in a different person’s body whose perspective should help him put the pieces together. He’s racing against other participants to figure out the murder suspect so he can finally escape Blackheath. All the twists and turns along the way are worth every page turn and late-night spent reading. Spoiler review coming soon! 4/5 stars
4// The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell
Adrian’s wife, his third wife, is killed in a tragic bus accident. Killed, or murdered? The Third Wife follows Adrian on a journey to discover if his third wife Maya really fell in front of the bus that day or if she was pushed. Unfortunately, this “thriller” fell way flat for me. Adrian was rather unlikeable as a protagonist with a real lack of a redemption arc and the thriller aspect was less than exciting. Skip it! 2/5 stars
5// The Hidden Power of F*cking Up by The Try Guys
My roommate loves The Try Guys. So when she told me about their book, I decided to give it a listen. I really liked it! I don’t follow their Youtube channel, but I still enjoyed hearing their stories and getting to know each of them on a different level. It’s a general memoir-type book, but I think there are helpful lessons about trying and failing in every chapter. 3/5 stars
6// White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
This book was a wake-up call that I needed. DiAngelo deftly explains racism and white privilege to readers with no regard for hurting people’s feelings — which is exactly how it should be. Like most white people, I’ve never considered myself racist, but I’ve definitely not been as actively anti-racist as possible, and I’ve been a perpetrator of white fragility. This book challenged my beliefs and my reactions in the best way possible. I know there have been some comments lately about how this is not the best book to be reading since it isn’t written by a Black author, but I think it’s an important step for people to take. I am obviously continuing my education and reading the other books on my books to read by Black authors list. This was just the start. 4/5 stars
7// The Toll by Neal Shusterman
The final book in the Arc of a Scythe series did not disappoint. This book follows the corrupt Scythe Goddard, the distraught Scythe Farraday, the avenging Rowan, and the Honorable Scythe Anastasia in their final adventure. I don’t want to ruin anything, but this story was entirely pushed forward because of the characters and the mysterious plans the Thunderhead has been trying to act upon for years. Everything isn’t wrapped up with a little bow, but it’s pretty darn close. 5/5 stars
Happy reading,
Kimberly
