It’s time for my first half of June book review post! I am sharing what I read in June so far, although I am skipping my 5 star reads to share later in the month. I haven’t read too many books yet this month, so this will be a shorter post. 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. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Rachel Friedman Breaks The Rules
Author: Sarah Kapit, illustrated by Genevieve Kote
Genre: Young Reader Contemporary
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co Books For Young Readers, 6/18/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This cute and funny book about a Jewish girl with ADHD is the perfect start to a new series about Rachel Friedman, who is bored and breaks the rules. Specifically, she breaks rules at synagogue. Because she wants to meet a famous gymnast, she makes a deal with her father to stop breaking rules for a full week. But when her cat goes missing, the interpretation of the rules comes into question.
“Rachel loves being Jewish, but she hates following the rules at synagogue―and everywhere else. To encourage her to see the value of rules, Rachel and her father strike a deal: If Rachel can stick to the rules for one whole week, she can go to a meet and greet for her favorite gymnast! But when Rachel finds herself in a tricky situation that forces her to choose between following the rules or doing what she believes is right, she learns that some rules are worth breaking. And yet, when the consequences of her rule breaking spin out of control, she learns that some rules are still worth following.”
I loved how Rachel learned why some rules are put into place and how some rules can change. I think this series will be great for young kids and especially great for Jewish kids to see themselves on the page.
Title: Find Me In California
Author: Kerry Lonsdale
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Lake Union, 6/11/24
Source: Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
This was a different style from the books I’ve previously loved by Kerry Lonsdale and it was not what I expected from her. I have loved her previous books but this one was a bit weird for me. This is about Julia, who works in an old age home where her grandmother lives. She needs to find a new place for her grandmother to go, and Matt’s grandmother, who also lives there, needs to move as well. When Julia contacts Matt, they begin a friendship, as they each deal with being caretakers for their ailing relatives. As it turns out, the two grandmothers were friends in the past, and journal entries reveal this part of the story.
“Raised by her fiercely passionate and free-spirited grandmother, Julia Hope has never gone without love. But as she tends to her only living relative during her final days, Julia struggles to overcome her fear of being alone. A thousand miles away, Matt Gatlin has managed to avoid the coldhearted grandmother with whom he once lived. But after twelve years of her being blessedly out of sight, she needs him. His resentments still raw, Matt packs up his car and reluctantly heads to California to confront a bitter past he thought was long gone. Over the next six days, Julia’s and Matt’s fates intersect. An old diary exposes the tragedy of a long-lost love. A history of secrets in two families comes to light. And on a lonely back road, Matt picks up an unusual yet captivating hitchhiker with a secret of her own.”
This book contains a lot of difficult subjects, including dementia, loss of family members, childhood neglect, suicide, drugs, and infidelity.
Title: Just Harriet
Author: Elana K Arnold
Genre: Young Reader Contemporary
Publisher: Walden Pond Press, 2/1/22
Source: Publisher / Library Audio
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review – waiting on my shelf
My Rating: 4 Stars
I picked up Just Harriet this month for a backlist reading prompt – published in 2022. This was a book I originally thought Simon would like but that ended up back in my own pile. I listened to the audio version. Harriet is sent to stay with her grandmother for the summer and along with her cat, she explores and gets to know her father through what he experienced as a kid in the same location.
“There are a few things you should know about Harriet Wermer:
- She just finished third grade.
- She has a perfect cat named Matzo Ball.
- She doesn’t always tell the truth.
- She is very happy to be spending summer vacation away from home and her mom and dad and all the wonderful things she had been planning all year.
Okay, maybe that last one isn’t entirely the truth. Of course, there’s nothing Harriet doesn’t like about Marble Island, the small island off the coast of California where her nanu runs a cozy little bed and breakfast. And nobody doesn’t love Moneypenny, Nanu’s old basset hound. But Harriet doesn’t like the fact that Dad made this decision without even asking her. When Harriet arrives on Marble Island, however, she discovers that it’s full of surprises, and even a mystery. One that seems to involve her Dad, back when he was a young boy living on Marble Island. One that Harriet is absolutely going to solve. And that’s the truth.”
This is another series beginner and a cute book for kids. I thought it was sweet although not entirely memorable, and I loved the animal characters especially!
Title: The Midnight Feast
Author: Lucy Foley
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow, 6/18/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley was a creepy slow burn thriller that takes place at a manor turned resort. The story is told by multiple narrators and has a journal that shares the past. The story line focuses on Francesca, the resort owner, her husband Owen, the bartender Eddie, and someone from her past, Bella.
“It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the ‘Manor Mule’ cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen. But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.”
Once the journal flashbacks began, the book moved faster for me because I started to understand what was occurring. This is atmospheric and has a bird theme going on. It includes rapes, difficult families, drugs, etc.
Title: Just Some Stupid Love Story
Author: Katelyn Doyle
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Macmillan Audio / Flatiron Books, 6/4/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is about Molly, a rom com screenwriter who doesn’t believe in love and Seth, a divorce attorney looking for his soulmate. The two were high school sweethearts who reunite at their 15th reunion and end up making a bet on which couples will end up together in 5 years. This begins a series of wrong timing, will they / won’t they slow burn of a love story.
“Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living―which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth―who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years. Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought ‘the one’ in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart. When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them. Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.”
This book has When Harry Met Sally vibes and reminded me of the books Romantic Comedy and You Again. I didn’t love Seth as a character and I found some of the issues between him and Molly to be repetitive. Molly has issues with her father that lead to her being scared of commitment – but this is a rom com after all, so she moves past them! The timing of this book overlaps with Covid, so that time period is included in the story.
This post includes 5 of the books I read this month. 3 were print books and 2 were on audio. 3 were adult books and 2 were middle grade. Genres included contemporary, thriller, and rom com.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
