Here’s my list of the 12 books I read and/or listened to in June of 2025, and a quick breakdown of my thoughts on each book.

Romance:

Funny Story by Emily Henry
Reading this book by the pool during my vacation at the end of May/beginning of June really healed something in me and definitely pulled me out of my reading slump. The banter, the small town setting, the journey of each main character, all of it, chefs kiss. I probably won’t give it an actual review because I think I would just gush about how much I loved it, and I did really really love it. An easy five stars for me!

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
This one was cute, and I had fun while listening to the audiobook, though admittedly now looking back I think it’s kind of forgettable. I liked the found family in this book in the main character’s group of friends and the couple themselves, but I really didn’t think the epilogue was necessary. If you like second chance romances then this is a decent one to add to your list, but I think I prefer Joyce’s first book, You With a View, to this one. 3.5 stars.

The Next Best Fling by Gabrielle Gamez
I was so close to giving up on this one, and I probably could’ve honestly. I was pretty into it in the beginning and I liked most of the characters, but I think the pacing was just kind of all over the place. Things happened really quickly early on then it felt like we were treading water and watching the characters realize things we knew 200 pages ago, which made for a frustrating reading experience. Not the worst thing ever, but far from the best. 2 stars.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Read my review of this one here. Really liked it!

Sci-Fi/Dystopia:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Another one that I probably won’t get around to reviewing, you’ve likely read it already if you’re interested in it anyways. Safe to say I loved it. It really gave me nostalgia for my first time reading The Hunger Games as you follow Haymitch’s story in the hunger games himself. You know most of the outcome going in, but Suzanne Collins still manages to keep you guessing. Five stars, no real complains, I’m going to give A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes another try.

Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana K’wame Ajhei-Brenyah
This has a fascinating concept that initially may sound like it’s similar to The Hunger Games or something like that but it manages to be completely it’s own thing, and I’d argue it’s even darker because it feels like it could be much closer to our current reality in America. I appreciated the way the author pulled from a lot of more recent cases and statistics to provide not only background for the context of the story, but how similar it is to our criminal justice system. It tackles race, justice both inside and outside of prison, the consequences of resistance. I do wish I hadn’t made the decision to listen to this as an audiobook instead of reading it physically, because the footnotes being immediately read out during a scene distracted me a few times. Although honestly, the pacing was pretty off at times so I’m not sure how far I would’ve gotten into it as a physical book. I think this is the kind of dystopia that will make a big impact for years to come and I could easily see it being read in classrooms, despite my own personal feelings about it being slow or maybe choppy at times. 3.75 stars.

Fantasy:

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
I’m working on a review of this now so I won’t say too much, but I liked this one, just had a few things that kept me from truly loving it. It did make me want to re-read The Princess Bride.

Belladonna by Adlyn Grace
I really don’t read much young adult anymore, not only because I am an adult with no kids who finds teenagers pretty annoying, but because I read so much as an actual young adult that a lot of the tropes just don’t really do anything for me anymore. Belladonna was a bit more mature than other young adult novels since our main character was 18 or 19, and I liked the historical setting and gothic tones. It definitely got slow at times and I found a few elements of the mystery pretty predictable. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was a fun time and the audiobook narrator did a great job. 3.5 stars.

General fiction:

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
This one sounded right up my alley and I did end up really liking it! I can’t recall any other book quite like it, and it felt very much like a product of our time. I appreciated the frank conversations around sex work and the reality of what it’s like to be a single mom, and I felt like for such topics the book was actually pretty light and tame. Also really liked the relationship between Margo and her wrestler dad. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Elle Fanning, who apparently is going to play Margo in a TV series based on the book. I really liked the narration and would recommend listening to the audiobook if you think the story might not keep your eyes on the page, because it is a little slow at times. 4 stars.

Thrillers:

The Inmate by Frieda McFadden
Freida has an immaculate reputation amongst me and my sibling for delivering plots that leave you hooked and guessing until the end, even if the writing leaves a lot to be desired and the characters have completely unrealistic motives and do the dumbest shit possible. They’re fun! They’re like reading an ABC Family miniseries or something! It’s not going to be everyone’s thing because my god does this main character make some horrible decisions for no reason, but I think this one is up there with her most popular book, The Housemaid, in my opinion. 3.5 stars.

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Daddy Issues: The Thriller. For me this one started slow but by about halfway through I got pretty into. It’s impossible for me not to compare this to other dark academia books like The Secret History but this book has the advantage of not being drawn out for like 600 pages, and it’s much less pretentious. It felt like a combination of a personal drama and a whodunnit mystery rolled into one, and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat for the climax. 4 stars.

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose
I’m sorry Jeneva, but to me, you’re no Freida. I probably could’ve not finished this one and been perfectly content. The action really doesn’t start until the last 50 pages or so? Most of the book reads like a lackluster romance with something sinister obviously going on beneath the surface. I kind of forgot I listened to this audiobook until I started putting this list together so I think that tells you what you need to know. 2 stars.

Overall I feel like it was a great month for reading, even with a few books that didn’t make much of an impression. Have you read any of these? If so, do you agree or disagree with my opinions on them?