Welcome to my June 2025 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. You can see the first half of my June reading here and I will share the rest of my June reads next week. There is still time left this month so if I have any additional 5 star reads they will be shared in next week’s post as well. 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: How To Read a Book
Author: Monica Wood
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Mariner Books, 5/7/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I had heard great things about this one and I’m happy I agree with that assessment! Violet is in jail for driving drunk and killing Frank’s wife. Harriet runs a book club at the jail. These three characters forge an unlikely friendship as Violet adjusts to life in Portland, Maine. Her new job working with African parrots provides meaning to her days as well.
“Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed. When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.”
These are characters that stay with you and this is the kind of book that I love! I also loved the references to Spoon River Anthology, a book I remember reading in 7th grade!
Title: Passion Project
Author: London Sperry
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Penguin Books, 4/8/25
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: Sounded good
My Rating: 5 Stars
My Book of the Month pick in April was Passion Project by London Sperry. While this follows a very similar story line as Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone, Passion Project was also a lovely look at recovery from grief – which seems to be a theme in this year’s books overall. This is about Bennet, who is meant to go on a date with Henry, but she is too anxious to show up. When they meet up for real, they end up going out on various experiences to try to help Bennet find her passion.
“If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where’s that zest she keeps hearing about? She’s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love. When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She’s not ready to date. In fact, it’s been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they’ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course. As their “passion project” continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she’s truly ready to move on.”
I loved the idea and the activities they went on, leading to a nice friends to lovers romance. My one concern was that Bennet probably had undiagnosed depression and I would have liked that to be acknowledged. Overall, I did love this one!
Title: The Poppy Fields
Author: Nikki Erlick
Genre: Contemporary (Speculative) Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow, 6/17/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was one of my most anticipated books for this year, as The Measure was my favorite book in the year I read it. This book begins at the Kansas City Airport. A tornado cancels flights and a group of travelers rent a car together. They are all heading to the Poppy Fields, a center for the treatment of grief where people are able to sleep through their pain. When they wake up, they will be healed, but there is the possibility of a side effect. The travelers (and a small dog) are off to see the founder of this center, each for their own reasons.
“Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal. Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain…and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects. On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way west to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.”
I loved the stories told of each person and of those lost. Grief is a part of life it seems, and with the treatment available, it is possible to skip the difficult parts. But is that worthwhile or should true healing take place? It’s up to each individual to decide.
Title: It’s a Love Story
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 5/27/25
Source: BookSparks
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I previously read and loved Nora Goes Off Script and I loved this one as well It’s a Love Story is about Jane, a movie producer who wants to make a movie but is paired up with Dan, a cinematographer she has a grudge against. Jane promises she can bring in a famous country singer to write a song for the movie, exaggerating her connection to him. Dan offers to help her meet up with the singer and she travels to his family home with him, meeting his brothers and parents and falling for their easy connections with each other. Falling for Dan too is the bonus.
“Jane Jackson spent her adolescence as ‘Poor Janey Jakes,’ the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punch line on America’s fifth-favorite sitcom. Now she’s trying to be taken seriously as a Hollywood studio executive by embracing a new mantra: Fake it till you make it. Except she might have faked it too far. Desperate to get her first project greenlit and riled up by pompous cinematographer and one-time crush Dan Finnegan, she claimed that she could get mega popstar Jack Quinlan to write a song for the movie. Jack may have been her first kiss—and greatest source of shame—but she hasn’t spoken to him in twenty years. Now Jane must turn to the last man she’d ever want to owe: Dan Finnegan. Because Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown, and Dan has an in. A week in close quarters with Dan as she faces down her past is Jane’s idea of hell, but he just might surprise her. While covering up her lie, can they find something true?”
This was such a sweet story that makes you think about finding love in the everyday moments. I loved the characters and can’t wait to read more by this author.
Title: The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau
Author: Kristin Harmel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Gallery, 6/17/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
While I didn’t love the past two books I read by Kristin Harmel, I loved this one and had another planned to read this month – spoiler, I loved that one too! This is about Colette, whose 4 year old sister went missing in 1942, along with a diamond bracelet that is a match to the one that Colette still has in her possession now. Colette is a jewel thief – taking from bad people and funding the good. The missing bracelet makes an appearance and opens a window to what happened to Colette’s sister in the past.
“Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, Annabel: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance. But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette’s four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane’s body was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found. Seventy years later, Colette—who has ‘redistributed’ $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.”
Told in dual timelines, I was intrigued to know all the connections from the past timeline to the present. I was really immersed in this story!
Title: On Guard
Author: Cassidy Wasserman
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
Publisher: Random House Graphic, 6/10/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was my first 5 star middle grade read of the year. And a graphic novel! It is about Grace, whose divorced parents are arguing and her mom is quite difficult to get along with. Grace joins the fencing team and makes new friends.
“Grace isn’t ready for a new school year. Her best friend Ava dropped her at the end of last year, the dust is still settling from her parents’ messy divorce, and things are not going well between Grace and her mom. Mothers and daughters are always so close in movies. But that’s never been Grace and her mom. So now Grace has no friends, no hobbies (band was Ava’s thing), and home feels even more complicated than school. There’s not a single place Grace can just relax. Until, she sees the school’s fencing club practicing. They look so sure of themselves. So steady. It may not solve everything…but could this be a place Grace can finally belong and be herself?”
Why did I love this? Probably because it told a full story with great graphics and I could relate to Grace. I loved that she found her place in the fencing club!
Title: More or Less Maddy
Author: Lisa Genova
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Gallery / Scout Press, 1/14/25
Source: Little Free Library
Why I Read It: Sounded good
My Rating: 5 Stars
While I requested this book from the publisher, I never received it, so I was thrilled when I found it in my friend’s Little Free Library. This book is about Maddy, who has bipolar disorder. She swings from major depression to manic episodes. While manic, she falls for the idea of becoming a comedian, but this becomes a trigger to further manic episodes while she tries to pursue this dream for real.
“Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that she’s always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy’s latest low is devastatingly low, convincing her to go on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling good in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dream, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.”
This is probably the best depiction of mental illness that I have read. You really feel Maddy’s struggles. I appreciated Maddy’s thoughts on whether she HAS bipolar or IS bipolar. This book does contain cutting and suicide attempts. I had Still Alice on my list by this author but I don’t think I ever read it – now I really need to!
Title: Sandwich
Author: Catherine Newman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Harper Perennial, 6/18/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I had been concerned that I wouldn’t like Sandwich by Catherine Newman as it has a lot of mixed reviews and when that happens I usually fall into the “I just liked it” camp. Plus, I thought it was going to be very literary and character driven. As it turned out, I loved it. It is about a middle aged, menopausal, married mom of young adults, the daughter of aging parents, who is spending a week in Cape Cod with her family, including her son’s serious girlfriend, and her cat. Rocky (short for Rachel) is experiencing her hormonal shifts the hard way, but I found her to be so funny and relatable.
“For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too. This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers. It’s one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.”
I will say you won’t like this book if you are anti choice, homophobic, and / or at all squeamish when it comes to the reproductive system. I also can see that many think Rocky was overly enmeshed in her children’s lives. I found her admirable though. I was surprised that this book contained Jewish representation and discussion of the Holocaust. I will definitely be reading Catherine Newman’s follow up to Sandwich, coming out later this year.
Title: Far and Away
Author: Amy Poeppel
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 6/10/25
Source: Audio Publisher
Why I Read It: Loved her previous book
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was a highly anticipated book for me because I loved Amy Poeppel’s book The Sweet Spot, and I loved this one as well. I need a print copy! This is about Lucy and Greta, who do a house swap after Lucy’s son gets into trouble and Greta needs somewhere to stay while her husband takes a job role in TX. Lucy heads to Berlin, a place she is familiar with, having studied abroad there, taking her three children with her. Her husband is away for work and is unreachable, even though Lucy needs his help with her son Jack.
“Perfect strangers Lucy and Greta have agreed to a house swap—and boy, are they going to regret it. Lucy’s hometown of Dallas has gone from home sweet home to vicious snake pit in the blink of an eye after her son makes a mistake he can’t undo. And Greta’s beloved flat in Berlin is suddenly up for grabs when her husband Otto takes a dream job in Texas without even telling her. In their rush to leave town, Lucy and Greta make a deal, pack their bags, and—thanks to martinis, desperation, and some very rusty German—have absolutely no idea what they’re getting themselves into. Trading Southern charm and barbecue for European sophistication and schnitzel, the two women get a lot more than a change of scenery as they move into each other’s houses, neighborhoods, and lives. Greta and Lucy’s husbands are no help: Otto is winning over his colleagues, swimming laps in the backyard pool, and rooting for the Rangers, while Lucy’s husband is doing a six-month stretch out west, either in a NASA biosphere or in jail, depending on who you ask. Meanwhile, Greta’s daughter Emmi and Lucy’s son Jack get tossed into each other’s orbits, where they both discover secrets they can’t ignore. When Greta’s biggest career achievement—the buzzworthy purchase of a Vermeer at auction—is thrown into question and Lucy’s past with a hot Viking named Bjørn invades her present, the two women need each other in ways they never could have imagined. Through jet lag, culture shock, suspiciously nice neighbors, and scandals that refuse to be left behind, Lucy and Greta will have to decide if they can ever go home again.”
I love how Poeppel’s characters overlap and interact and form connections as the book goes on. I really enjoyed the story and the narration by Patti Murrin, Lisa Flanagan, and others!
Title: Summer Romance
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons, 6/4/24
Source: Gift
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 5 Stars
And now for the repeat authors – this year I thought if I read a newer book by an author, I should also be reading the older one by that author that I had waiting to read, so after loving It’s a Love Story, I made sure to read Summer Romance, and I loved it too! This one is about Ali, who is grieving the loss of her mom and going through a divorce. She is the mom of 3 kids and a professional organizer who can’t get her own life in order. She meets Ethan at the dog park and her turns out to be the perfect guy. But he is just visiting. So Ali decides they will have a summer romance.
“Ali Morris is a professional organizer whose own life is a mess. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember. No one is more surprised than Ali when the first time she takes off her wedding ring and puts on pants with hardware—overalls count, right?—she meets someone. Or rather, her dog claims a man for her…by peeing on him. Ethan smiles at Ali like her pants are just right—like he likes what he sees. He looks at her like she’s a younger, braver version of herself. The last thing newly single mom Ali needs is to make her life messier, but there’s no harm in a little summer romance. Is there?”
This book was so sweet and I just loved the characters so much. They somehow made me cry and laugh and want to be them or at least to know them! Annabel Monaghan is definitely a favorite of mine now, and I need to read Same Time Next Summer by her now as well!
Title: The Book of Lost Names
Author: Kristin Harmel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Gallery, 7/21/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 5 Stars
From my 25 in ’25 Backlist list, The Book of Lost Names was another from Kristin Harmel that I really enjoyed. It is about Eva, who sees a photo of a book that was stolen during WWII, which has a code inside. She knows this book, as it was hers. During the war, her father was arrested and taken away. Eva and her mother escape and Eva becomes involved with the resistance, forging documents for children who need to escape to Switzerland. While doing this, Eva finds new relationships and love. Still not sure what happened to many of her contacts, Eva decides to travel to Germany and claim her book.
“Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books when her eyes lock on a photograph in the New York Times. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in more than sixty years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names. The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer, but does she have the strength to revisit old memories? As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris and find refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, where she began forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.”
I couldn’t put this book down. It was both interesting and moving, and I enjoyed the characters. While I found the ending somewhat predictable based on the book I just read by the same author, I loved this anyway.
Come back next week for the rest of my June reads!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?
