June Book Roundup

Yay for summer reading! As you can see from my June reads in the graphic above, June was apparently the month of the blue cover for new book releases. The blues went perfectly with my frequent ocean reading scenery backdrop.

In June, I try to read some new beach reads from my favorite authors. It's the time of year when I can appreciate more setting and a bit lighter reading, only if it's done well though. 

This was one of the best reading months I've had in a long time...up until the veryyy end of the month when I found myself in a little book funk. After so many stellar reads that were new releases this month by the big names, I got caught up in a little slump on a few days towards the end of the month. Regardless, I can't wait to jump right in and share with you. The rest of the month's reads were overall amazing!

Meant to Be by Emily Giffin- 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ahh, a historical fiction book from one of my long-standing favorite authors, one who doesn't seem to release books quite as often as some of my other favorite authors. I always want to devour her books, but I also want to savor them and make them last! Her previous two books seemed to be lacking something compared to her older books, but this one was a reminder of why Emily Giffin is the best of the best.

She had me at the topic for this book. I absolutely loved it. It was alternating narrators done right (and not doing that just for the sake of doing it), love, pure perfection, happiness, an easier read while still having depth, and with an easy writing style that was pleasant. I just wanted to crawl and live inside this book. It makes me want to go back and do rereads of her older ones that I read years and years ago! I can't describe what makes this one so well done piece by piece, but all together, it's done perfectly.

I savored the author's note at the end and it gave me chills, while also encouraging me to do research on the Kennedy's (who this story was lightly based on). I didn't know about these particular Kennedys before reading, but I became invested. There needs to be a sequel to this!

Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close- 4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟

Okay, this book came out of nowhere. I LOVED her previous one, but it came out so long ago, and this book wasn't on my radar of upcoming new releases. As a Chicago girl, I just had to read it. Restaurant and food descriptions? Even better! I forget where this book suddenly popped up online for me, but I immediately put it on hold and dove right in when I got it.

This definitely is that dark, dry, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek humor. I loved how everything in this book was spot on observant. I did love one of the character's chapters more than others, but I loved how it was "my" 90s era with jokes, references, and nostalgia throughout the entire book.

This is another one that I can't put my finger on what makes it so great, but it was unputdownable, real, relatable, and funny with snarky little comments. There was a lot of social commentary and had a somewhat indie feel. I could do without some of the excessive, dramatic, exaggerated political remarks, but that didn't take away from the overall book, at least for me.

The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers- ⭐⭐⭐

Okayyyy, I don't know what to say about this one. I LOVED it for the first 1/4 or so. I even texted my mom immediately and told her to put it on hold. I absolutely loved the topic, time era of the late 40's/early 50's, its ability to cause an escape in time and place, its focus on the lifestyle of women at this time, and how I felt swept away to a simpler time. I try to get that era in history any way and any how I can! It brought to mind aspects of The Help, but it definitely had an original concept. As a current North Carolinian, it was right up my alley. And oh, the fashion!

That being said, I suddenly got stuck about halfway through, I read some other books that were more exciting, and then I forced myself back to this one to finish. I think what did me wrong was the young adult feel that was just relentless throughout the entire book. I don't know, I can see so many other historical fiction fans loving this debut from this author.

Caylor girl presents this next one to you...

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's not summer without a new Elin Hilderbrand book set on Nantucket! Her books just take me away, and I LOVE her recent ones. That being said, you have to know what you're getting with an Elin Hilderbrand book, and I can see how her writing style and content isn't for everyone. I'm actually surprised that I love it so much, but I do! I think if her books were a random book by a random author that I picked up, I would think they're terrible and put them down, but there's something about them that I just can not get enough of. There are some characteristics of these books that are all her own, and I just suspend belief and enjoy the setting.

I appreciate her use of real, informal language. She does try a bit hard to be trendy and recent with high school terms, but you feel like you're just chatting and reading everyday life.  She is incorporating a lot of ghosts into her books lately what is somewhat strange, and the setting isn't as center stage in this one. In addition to that, there are too many characters and not enough development to be invested in each one, so it isn't my favorite. That being said, I know she's retiring from Nantucket books soon, so give me all of them all summer long!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ahh, a new Emily Henry book. I feel like she climbed to popularity quickly, and she has so many fans that just rave about her books. 

This one was so enjoyable, like her others, because of its witty, laugh out loud dialogue. I reread so many of the lines so many times to fully appreciate the joke and word choice. All of her language is so intentional. I devoured this one even though it was somewhat "typical" romance/chick lit, but the irony is that it calls those stereotypical aspects out. I did expect something different from the title, and I could have absolutely done more setting, but all in all, it was a great summer one!

Under Construction: Because Living My Best Life Took A Little Extra Work by Chrishell Stause- ⭐⭐⭐

Sooo within the past few weeks, I have gotten very into Selling Sunset! Per usual, I'm late to the game (or show!), but ahh, I can't get enough. Shane even pops up and can't resist watching it from time to time. That being said, it was perfect timing for me to get into this book. I do like Chrishell, but I expected better from her with this book. It was jumbled, unfocused, scattered, surface level, and repetitive. I had to reread many parts to help it to make sense. It wasn't the best writing and sadly there were a lack of details; I feel like there was nothing new shared and it failed to go behind the scenes of Selling Sunset. Overall, I like her on the show and like her intentions, and it was still a fun, super-quick read.

The Sixth Wedding by Elin Hilderbrand- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

On the few days of my book funk, while I was waiting for another book to come in, I remembered this one I had on my Kindle from forever ago. It was the perfect way to tide me over. I didn't remember much of the details from the original (this one is a novella that is a sequel to 28 Summers, which I loved), but parts of it came back to me as I was reading, and this was another fun, short read in Elin Hilderbrand's typical style. I'm not usually a huge fan of novellas, but it was a good way to catch up with the characters. Short, sweet, and detailed!

Summer...it's the time to lay by the ocean or the pool (ahh, I miss my apartment pool!) or even curl up in some AC with a summer scented candle and a good book!