June is starting off strong with some wonderful reads (and one not so great, but you can't win them all)! It feels really good to finally have a little time to read more and I'm so glad that there are five books on the list for the first time in awhile!
Every time I think I've decided on my favorite Bridgerton couple, the next one blows them out of the water. Penelope and Colin's story is a bit of a cliche, sure - Penelope has a majorly unrequited crush on her BFF Eloise's older brother who was nice to her a few times when they were young and just when she was starting to accept they would never be together he decides that she is worth his time. Should that story anger me and remind me that men are awful? Probably. Did it? Nope. I adored this book and the growth in Colin and Penelope's relationship. I also loved the fact that Quinn really takes the time to unpack the shame Colin feels in being jealous of Penelope's success. Usually romance novels like this don't take any time to deconstruct toxic masculinity (or at least a small part of it...), but this one did some work and made it that much more interesting!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: Bridgerton, friends to lovers, big reveals
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
I don't have very much to say about this book other than I agree with several other reviews I have seen that refer to this book as "a lesbian book for straight people." The writing was only okay and the best part of the book was the awesome crew of ladies from the bar who were definitely way to cool to be friends with either of the protagonists. If I never read another "good southern girl gets out of bad relationship with a shitty man, meets a butch city lesbian and realizes she is bi but is conflicted about it" book again, it'll be too soon.
Rating: ★★
Read if you love: New York, gay bars, horses?
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
Do I need to say anything more than time traveling lesbians? Okay... only one time traveling lesbian and her modern day bisexual subway crush, but still! I've been very excited for this book to come out and it did not disappoint. I adore Casey McQuiston's writing and think they really do create loveable characters in interesting situations. I loved August and her roommates a lot. They all were unique individuals that fit well together. The way they welcomed August and then later came together to solve the most bonkers problem was really fun to read about. I highly recommend this book!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: time traveling lesbians, investigations, subway crushes
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
Wouldn’t life be easier if we could just be genetically matched with our soulmates? Or maybe not if this wonderful book is any indication! I really loved Jess and River’s story. Jess and her daughter Juno also have a great relationship and I loved the sensitivity that was taken surrounding being a single parent and dating in general, but especially this crazy fake dating scenario Jess found herself in. It would've been really easy to just gloss over itt as a normal question of "when do you introduce your child to an SO?" but I liked that they didn't just breeze by it and actually had it be one of the things Jess thinks about the most. That made this whole crazy situation feel a tiny bit more real. Christina Lauren do an incredible job writing love stories that feel real and raw even in wild circumstances. Though this isn't my favorite Christina Lauren book, I still really enjoyed it.
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: genetics, slow-ish burn, fake dating
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
I won't lie, I had really high hopes for this book after reading The Hating Game... and it did not live up to them. Though I enjoyed the book as a whole, there were a lot of parts I struggled with that made it really hard to remain interested. Though the love story itself was adorable, the rest of the main characters life was a mess to read about. Her relationship with her brother upset me to no end and I hated reading anything where she was thinking about him or talking to him. He infantilized her, HIS TWIN, and undermined her at every turn, yet they still acted like most of the time they had this great relationship. It didn't track. The romance was cute, but it isn't something I'd read again.
Rating: ★★★
Read if you love: Friends to lovers, really blunt narrators, shitty sibling relationships
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
June reads are going really strong! I'm very excited to see what the rest of the month has in store! Make sure you listen to the season finale of Life, Styled to hear mine and Cori's Pride Month recommendations!
What have you been reading this month?
xo,
Kayla
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