Welcome to my June 2024 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. I had a few 5 star reads this month that I am excited to share. You can see the first half of my June reading here and I will share the rest next week. Any additional 5 star reads will appear in that post too. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
Title: The Paradise Problem
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Gallery Books, 5/14/24
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: Love their books
My Rating: 5 Stars
I ordered the Target exclusive of The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren and I was surprised to discover the hidden double cover inside! This was a perfectly sweet and funny Christina Lauren book. It had so many fun tropes – marriage of convenience / fake relationship, billionaire + broke, grumpy + sunshine, and vacation romance to name a few. Anna and Liam married each other to make use of married student housing but didn’t know each other at all. Liam is set to inherit from his grandfather, but only if he’s been married for 5 years. Now he and Anna have to prove that their fake marriage and their not really divorced status is actually true love.
“Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam ‘West’ Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways. Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch. Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife. But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.”
I loved both main characters and could definitely see how they fell for each other for real while they attended Liam’s sister’s wedding in paradise!
Title: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books
Author: Kirsten Miller
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow, 6/18/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller is so timely and is a top read of the year for me so far. This book is about the extremism of those who support book banning and what is lost when people don’t have access to books with representation. Lula Dean is looking for attention and her newest goal is focused on books. She fills her Little Library with “wholesome” books, but Lindsay, the daughter of Lula’s high school rival, switches out the books by replacing the books with banned books hiding inside the wholesome dust jackets. This sets off a chain reaction throughout the small town.
“Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local celebrity by embarking on mission to rid the public libraries of all inappropriate books—none of which she’s actually read. To replace the ‘pornographic’ books she’s challenged at the local public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the worthy literature that she’s sure the town’s readers need. What Lula doesn’t know is that a local troublemaker has stolen her wholesome books, removed their dust jackets, and restocked Lula’s library with banned books: literary classics, gay romances, Black history, witchy spell books, Judy Blume novels, and more. One by one, neighbors who borrow books from Lula Dean’s library find their lives changed in unexpected ways. Finally, one of Lula Dean’s enemies discovers the library and decides to turn the tables on her, just as Lula and Beverly are running against each other to replace the town’s disgraced mayor. That’s when all the townspeople who’ve been borrowing from Lula’s library begin to reveal themselves. That’s when the showdown that’s been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town…and change it forever.”
There are many characters who share their viewpoints and I loved getting to know the town members. I was impressed that antisemitism was included as one of the symptoms of white supremacy and the lack of knowledge about the past. Other topics covered include racism, homophobia, sexism, rape, and suicide.
Title: Rules For Camouflage
Author: Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown Books For Young Readers, 6/18/24
Source: The Novl
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Rules For Camouflage by Kristin Cronn-Mills is about Evvie, a recently diagnosed neurodivergent teen who is trying to finish her senior year of high school. She had to miss her sophomore year and now she is taking biology as a senior. Unfortunately, the teacher does not want to work with Evvie and let her write her formal report on Aretha, the zoo octopus who she loves and relates to. Meanwhile, a school bully is targeting Evvie and her friends who are also neurodivergent or just different from other students. And her best friend moved and is having struggles of her own.
“Evvie Chambers is doing her best to skate through the last month of high school to graduation. The only thing standing in her way is a biology report on foxes—and her teacher, Mrs. Audrey Dearborn. The same Mrs. Dearborn who’s been a thorn in Evvie’s side for years, refusing to acknowledge or accommodate her neurodiversity. Evvie would much rather be doing her report on Aretha, the octopus she cares for when she volunteers at the Minnesota Zoo but deviating from the exact assignment isn’t allowed—and Mrs. Dearborn isn’t going to make following the rules easy. Evvie’s only escape from high school hell is the Lair: a safe haven for kids whose brains need some time away. But when Mrs. Dearborn refuses Evvie’s pleas to finesse the final report assignment to her strengths, and persistent bully Vandal McDaniel directs his harassment toward Lair members, Evvie finds herself more desperate than ever for stability and support. When a shocking act of violence pushes the whole mess over the edge, Evvie, with the help of her friends and the others who love her, will have to figure out how to find her place in the wide world, while remaining true to herself.”
I loved the supportive adults in this book, especially Evvie’s mom and her bosses at the zoo. I loved that there is a teacher at school who provides a safe space for kids when they need a cooling off space. I enjoyed Evvie’s developing relationship with Blue and her friendships with the kids at school. This book does contain alcoholism and violence.
Title: Summer Nights and Meteorites
Author: Hannah Reynolds
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Son Books For Young Readers, 5/21/24
Source: Penguin Teen
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this follow up to Eight Nights of Flirting, featuring the same set of cousins on Nantucket. This one is about Jordan, who is heading to Nantucket to spend the summer with her father. She meets a boy on the ferry who turns out to be her father’s research assistant and the person she feels has replaced her in her father’s life. She has also decided to avoid relationships, so Ethan becomes a friend whose house Jordan happens to be staying in. She also finds a job with an astronomer and researches a woman astronomer from the past who has been overlooked in favor of the men who dominated the field.
“Jordan Edelman’s messy dating days are over. After a few too many broken hearts, and a father who worries a bit too much, she’s sworn off boys—at least for the summer. And since she’ll be tagging along on her father’s research trip to Nantucket, she doesn’t think it’ll be too hard to stick to her resolution. But hooking up with the cute boy on the ferry doesn’t count, right? At least, not until that cute boy turns out to be Ethan Barbanel. As in, her father’s longtime research assistant Ethan Barbanel, the boy Jordan has hated from afar for years. And to make matters worse, Jordan might actually be falling for him. As if that didn’t complicate her life enough, Jordan’s new summer job with a local astronomer turns up a centuries-old mystery surrounding Gibson’s Comet—and as she dives into her research, what she learns just might put her growing relationship with Ethan in jeopardy.”
I loved the various aspects in this book, including the women in science, the father daughter relationship, the reappearance of the cousins from the previous book, the setting, and the Jewish representation. I still need to read the first book in this interconnected series – they can be read out of order!
Title: Not In Love
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 6/11/24
Source: Publisher via Net Galley
Why I Read It: Love her books
My Rating: 5 Stars
I have loved all of Ali Hazelwood’s books so far and I loved this one as well. She seems to be leaning into the spicy romance trend with this one, adding even more spicy scenes than in her past books, but still creating a plot featuring Rue and Eli, both of whom had difficult childhoods and don’t believe they will find love.
“Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down. Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him. Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.”
I enjoyed the relationship that Rue and Eli formed by telling each other their secrets. I also enjoyed the side characters, especially Rue’s best friend. I wasn’t sure about how Eli seemed to magically change Rue’s bedroom turn off to a turn on, but they did discuss it and acknowledge it. It fit in well with the rest of the book.
Title: The Secret Language of Birds
Author: Lynne Kelly
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte, 4/9/24
Source: Random House Kids
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
The Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelly is a sweet book about Nina, who goes to stay with her Aunt Audrey at the summer camp she runs. While there, she discovers two whooping cranes – endangered and carefully protected birds – who aren’t meant to be in that location.
“Nina is used to feeling like the odd one out, both at school and in her large family. But while trying to fit in at summer camp, she discovers something even more peculiar: two majestic birds have built a nest in the marsh behind an abandoned infirmary. They appear to be whooping cranes, but that’s impossible—Nina is an amateur bird-watcher, and all her resources tell her that those rare birds haven’t nested in Texas for over a hundred years. When Nina reports the sighting to wildlife officials, more questions arise. Experts track all the endangered birds, but they can’t identify the female bird that Nina found. Who is she, and where did she come from? With the help of some fellow campers, Nina sets out to discover who the mystery bird really is. As she gets closer to the truth, will she find a flock of her own?”
I enjoyed the way that Nina became a part of the community at the camp, finding friends who supported her unique interest in birds. I thought the story surrounding the cranes was realistic and it definitely increased my interest in the species! Nina was a great character to root for and I enjoyed her story a lot.
Title: Josh and Hazel’s Guide To Not Dating
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Gallery Books, 9/4/18
Source: Swap
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 5 Stars
For the backlist challenge of reading a book by a favorite author, I pulled Josh and Hazel’s Guide To Not Dating from my shelf. Josh and Hazel knew each other in college and meet again when it turns out Josh is Hazel’s best friend’s brother. Hazel is super quirky and funny. She and Josh start to hang out and set each other up on dates.
“Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun. Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air. Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?”
I enjoyed this book and seeing Josh and Hazel grow closer and realize their potential together. This had a bit of a grumpy / sunshine feel to it, which is a trope I enjoy! I think some people will not appreciate the ending of the book, but I didn’t mind it and even thought it was cute. I’m glad I read this older book by a newer favorite author of mine!
Come back next week for the rest of my June reads!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?
