It’s that time again. Another month has flown by, which means it’s time for another reading wrap-up.
Before we dive in, I want to apologize for the lack of content over the past few weeks. To say work took over would be an understatement. On top of that, I also took on the responsibility of fostering a puppy (and not just any puppy, but a 45lb one). So as you can imagine, finding time to sit down and write became a lot more challenging.
That said, I have some exciting content planned for July, including a few collaborations and contributor posts to mix things up from my usual type of posts. I’m really looking forward to sharing them with you soon!
But without further ado, let’s wrap up everything I read in June.
8 books finished
2,861 pages read
Average time to finish a book: 3 days
Average rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8 stars)
Here’s the complete roundup of everything I read in June, along with my thoughts on each book.
Songs in Ursa Major - Emma Brodie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Starting the month off strong, we had a 5 star read from Emma Brodie. You may remember that last month I gave her second novel, Into the Blue, four stars, which spurred me on to go back and read her debut. And what a debut it is.
I actually wrote a full post about this one, doing my usual “shouting from the rooftops” whenever I fall completely in love with a book. But this really deserves all the praise. It’s a story filled with so much heart yet balanced perfectly with tension, angst, and emotional struggles that pull you completely into the characters’ lives.
While it isn’t written in the same style as Daisy Jones & The Six, it is reminiscent so fans of that novel will likely enjoy. At the same time, it pushes it further, feeling truly like like a love letter to the many trailblazing musicians such as Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks, whose real-life experiences helped pave the way for the kind of fictional story Emma Brodie tells here.
LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!
Half His Age - Jennette McCurdy
⭐️⭐️ / 5
On the opposite end of the spectrum was Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy, which I generously gave two stars.
This was another book that warranted its own dedicated post, where I posed the question: Did this story need to be told?
The subject matter is uncomfortable and not because it challenges the reader, but because it’s overly descriptive and deliberately provocative. It’s a book that comes with plenty of trigger warnings.
Beyond the subject matter, there were pacing and narrative issues. So whilst McCurdy’s honest and raw writing style shone through, I wasn’t convinced this particular story was the best vehicle for it.
If you’re curious, I’d encourage you to make your own judgement as its certainly one that divides readers.
Every Summer After - Carley Fortune
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Next up was a gorgeous and reliable re-read of Every Summer After, which I picked up in anticipation of the TV adaptation released in June.
I will admit that my original five-star rating is perhaps a little generous now that my reading taste level has changed and expanded since I first read it in 2022. Even so, I still found myself swept up in its intimacy and beautifully crafted romance.
The TV adaptation I enjoyed less so, not quite able to capture the same magic for me. I shared all my thoughts in the post below. But don’t let the show put you off picking up the book, Carley Fortune’s writing is where this story shines!
Our Perfect Storm
⭐️⭐️⭐️ .5/ 5
Still in the mood for more of Carley Fortune’s writing, I picked up her latest release, Our Perfect Storm.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but I did find it a little (for lack of a better word) trope-y.
Failed marriage
Friends to lovers
Forced proximity
Miscommunication
You name it, it was textbook romance.
That’s not inherently a bad thing but it isn’t necessarily what I associate Carley Fortune with doing.
That said, if you’re looking for an easy romance, this is still a solid and reliable choice. Carley Fortune’s writing will always be enjoyable and readable!
Days You Were Mine - Claire Leslie Hall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
“A thriller? But you don’t read thrillers,” I hear you say.
And you’d normally be right. But after reading the incredible Broken Country, how could I not pick up another book by Claire Leslie Hall.
This is a really interesting story spanning two timelines, as we meet Luke and his biological mother, Alice, as they reunite after the birth of Luke’s son, Samuel. As the novel unfolds, we learn about Alice’s circumstances leading up Luke’s birth, while simultaneously watching Alice and Luke attempt to build a relationship that quickly becomes far more complicated than either of them anticipated or are equipped to handle.
It’s emotional and warm. It’s sinister and tense. It’s intricate and incredibly clever while still feeling accessible and easy to read.
My only criticism is that I think it could have been a little shorter. Making the pacing punchier would have kept me at the peak of my investment throughout the novel. Regardless this is another strong recommendation!
Girls Our Age - Phoebe Thompson
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
I was so hyped for this one but unfortunately I finished it feeling disappointed and two weeks later it hasn’t left a lasting memory. *Checking my notes as we speak to recall my opinion.*
Overall, it was just boring.
The story achieves its namesake by depicting girls our age (aka late twenties) navigating various different life events from wedding planning, to relationship troubles, to career progression and eating disorders.
Truthfully, if you found any of the subject matter relatable it would probably be quite confronting.
If you don’t find it relatable, it just reads as depressing.
Good premise. Good writing. But needed to build to something to make it worthwhile.
Beartown - Fredrik Backman
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
I’ve been keen to read another of Backman’s novels since finishing My Friends at the start of this year. Unfortunately, Beartown didn’t live up to its predecessor for me.
I found the writing quite staccato, with lots of short sentences and lacking the poetic flow that I felt My Friends had. I did wonder afterwards whether that might be a consequence of translation, but both novels were translated by Neil Smith, so perhaps not.
While I found the initial premise intriguing, I struggled to become fully invested in this story. Partly this was due to the pacing, (the central event of the novel doesn’t occur until over 40% of the way through), but it was also because there are so many characters that I often found myself trying to remember who was who.
My final issue was the number of weird prophecies or life lessons scattered throughout the book. Over time they began to feel as though the novel was spelling out its themes rather than letting us infer them ourselves. A few examples if you fancy a motto or two:
“Everyone has a thousand wishes before a tragedy, but just one afterward.”
“Never trust people who don’t have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason.”
“Every day can mark a minute or a lifetime depending on who you spend it with.”
Sadly, this one isn’t a top recommendation from me.
Burning Side - Sarah Damoff
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
To finish the month, I read Burning Side by Sarah Damoff, another book I was keen to pick up after enjoying The Bright Years back in April.
I actually ended up enjoying this one more than The Bright Years. While both are fundamentally family dramas, I found the conflicts and drama in Burning Side gave me a little more to sink my teeth into. By comparison, The Bright Years felt a touch more slow and mellow.
One of my main criticisms of The Bright Years, both subjective and objective, was that I struggled to connect with the characters and story, which I think was largely due to the pacing and the choppy timeline jumps. Burning Side also moves around in time across various chapter, but the story doesn’t rely on those jumps in the same way. Instead, they mostly serve to add context, making it easier to stay invested in the main characters and story.
I still couldn’t personally relate to many of the themes or characters in Burning Side, having not experienced marital breakdown or the impact of Alzheimer’s myself, but I found it far more interesting to read about as an observer, than I did with The Bright Years where the lack of resonance detracted from experience.
I’d definitely recommend checking it out if you’re in the mood for a heavier family drama.
So have you checked out any of these books?
If not, what was your favourite read in June?
The trailers made the Carley Fortune series look much more young-adulty than the book was - did that hold true of the thing itself? The decision to locate Barry's Bay (a real place, I've been there) to the other side of the country was already strange enough.
I was planning to read Half His Age some time soon, but seeing your review, maybe I'll deprioritise it!