Hey guys!! I hope you all ended up having a great June. I ended up only reading 4 books in June. I think I was in a little bit of a reading slump. I didn’t have much motivation to read. I’m happy to say my July is off to a great start. One of the books I read in June ended up being a real favorite of mine so I can’t wait to talk about that more. Now let’s see what I read in June.
Top Ten By Katie Cotugno
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Lgbt
Pages: 320 pages
Publication Date: October 3rd 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of friends. Introverted, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ryan is a star hockey player who can get any girl he wants—and does, frequently. But against all odds, they became not only friends, but each other’s favorite person. Now, as they face high school graduation, they can’t help but take a moment to reminisce and, in their signature tradition, make a top ten list—counting down the top ten moments of their friendship:
10. Where to begin? Maybe the night we met.
9. Then there was our awkward phase.
8. When you were in love with me but never told me…
7. Those five months we stopped talking were the hardest of my life.
6. Through terrible fights…
5. And emotional makeups.
4. You were there for me when I got my heart broken.
3. …but at times, you were also the one breaking it.
2. Above all, you helped me make sense of the world.
1. Now, as we head off to college—how am I possibly going to live without you?
My Thoughts: Eh I was excited to read a Katie Cotugno book but I have to say I didn’t enjoy this one. I honestly can barley remember what I read. I really didn’t like the set up of this book. It would go back and forth in time and I was just really confused and felt it didn’t fit for this book. I will try another book by her but this one wasn’t for me.
Lying in Wait By Liz Nugent
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 320 pages
Publication Date: June 12 2018
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Plot: My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.
On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life—wife of a respected, successful judge, mother to a beloved son, mistress of a beautiful house in Dublin. That beautiful house, however, holds a secret. And when Lydia’s son, Laurence, discovers its secret, wheels are set in motion that lead to an increasingly claustrophobic and devastatingly dark climax.
My Thoughts: Liz Nugent has become one of my favorite writers. This year I read both of her books and loved both. I really enjoy that she does character drived thrillers. That isn’t something you really see. Plus she does a great job fleshing out the characters. I honestly need more from her. If you’d like to know more about what I thought you can read here in my review.
Words in Deep Blue By Cath Crowley
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
Pages: 273 pages
Publication Date: June 6th 2017
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: This is a love story.
It’s the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets.
It’s the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea.
Now, she’s back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind.
My Thoughts: I was so excited to read this book. I heard good things about it from my friend. I have to say I really didn’t enjoy this much. The one character, Henry, was obsessed with his ex-girlfriend who was a horrible person. He spent so much time talking about her. I couldn’t enjoy the story. I would have gave it 2 stars but I did like the concept of the letter libraries. Henry’s family owns a bookstore. In the bookstore they have a letter library. You can leave messages for other people in the books. I thought that was such a cool idea. If I owned a bookstore, I would totally do that as well. I would love if the author wrote a novella focused on the letter library.
Jar of Hearts By Jennifer Hillier
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction
Pages: 311 pages
Publication Date: June 12th 2018
Publisher: Minotaur Books
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who’s been searching for the truth all these years . . .
When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.
But fourteen years later, Angela Wong’s remains are discovered in the woods near Geo’s childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.
To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he’s something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo’s first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.
For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela’s death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.
While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.
How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?
My Thoughts: I have been hearing a lot about this book. I ended up picking it up when Netgalley had it as Read Now for a couple of days. I got really into it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the two main characters but I still enjoyed reading there chapters. I liked getting their perspectives on things. It also had some pretty shocking moments. I can’t wait to check out more from this author. You can check out my review here for more of what I thought.
Have you guys read any of these books? If so what did you think? What books did you guys end up reading in June? I would love to hear from you!
Bookish In Bed 