June Wrap-up

Hey guys! I can’t believe I’m already on my June wrap-up. It feels like just yesterday I was doing my May wrap-up. I overall had a good month. I found a new favorite which I am so happy about. I’ve also been reading a lot of arcs as well. It’s been nonstop reading and I’m so happy about it. I hope July brings some more favorites as well. Let’s dive in to see what I read in June.

The Writing Retreat By Julia Bartz

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: This was a book I was really looking forward to. It was the Literally Dead Book Club pick for April. I really wanted to like it. The premises sounded right up my alley. It just really didn’t do it for me. I was not a fan of this book at all. I did not have a good time.

The House in the Cerulean Sea By T.J. Klune

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: This was my favorite read of June. I loved this book so much. This is a very strong character driven story. I enjoyed it so much. I really loved the message of the book, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. It was so strong throughout the whole book. Plus I loved the character development of Linus. Chapter 18 is hands down my favorite! Linus had me screaming and cheering. Just incredible. I did write a review for this book which you can find HERE.

Cassandra in Reverse By Holly Smalle

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: I really wanted to like this book so much. I loved the premise of it but found it to get repetitive. I also wished it focused more on Cassandra reconnecting with the mysterious woman in the book than her ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t until that part that I found myself really invested. I did love the ending of this book. I’d check out other books by Holly. I did write a review for this book which you can find HERE.

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese By Deya Muniz

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: Oh man, this story was so fun. I had such a good time reading this. I really enjoyed all the colorful artwork. This was such a CHEESY good time. I loved all the cheese references. Overall a heartfelt comic with some old fashion ways of doing things. A really enjoyable read. I did write a review for this book which you can find HERE.

The Villa By Rachel Hawkins

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: I was looking forward to reading this one. I ended up getting the arc from the publisher. I ended up finally being able to pick it up. However, this fell flat for me. This was very slow-paced. I was interested in the story in the present but couldn’t get into the past point of view. It’s such a shame because I had high hopes for this one. It sounded right up my alley. I did write a review for this book which you can find HERE.

The Puzzle Master By Danielle Trussoni

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: This was such an enjoyable thriller. I constantly read domestic thrillers so this was a nice change of pace. It had so much going on. I had no clue what was going to happen. This book ended up completely shocking me. I didn’t either bother trying to make any guesses cause there was a lot happening. Overall very enjoyable! I did write a review for this book which you can find HERE.

Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend By Alys Arden, Jacquelin De Leon (Illustrator), Sam Lotfi (Illustrator), Wes Abbott (Letterer)

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: I had no idea this was a comic based off of comics from years ago. I just thought the cover looked really cool. I also didn’t know this was going to take place in NY. I should have realized because it says Gravesend, I just didn’t think anything of it. I really enjoyed the art work a lot. I thought it was gorgeous. The story is pretty forgettable however the ending had me invested. I don’t know if there will be another volume to this. I’d like there to be.

What the Neighbors Saw By Melissa Adelman

My Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: This story was very lackluster for me. I guessed the killer pretty much early on. I didn’t find the book very thrilling at all. Once the one person got killed I felt the story dragged on. I ended up skimming through a lot of the story after. Also, I feel the title doesn’t fit the story at all. I kind of get it but still doesn’t really fit.

House of Salt and Sorrows By Erin A. Craig

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: I had to reread this because the second book comes out this month. I overall remembered what happened in this story but needed a refresh. I really enjoy the story a lot. It’s so eerie. I remember being freaked out and shocked a lot the first time reading this book. I don’t know if this always was intended to be a series but I can’t wait for book 2.

Our Wives Under the Sea By Julia Armfield

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: I was really looking forward to this book. I had heard a lot of incredible things about it. So the moment I saw it was on sale on audible for 2 for the price of 1, I was sold. Sadly, I just didn’t get into this one. I found myself not being able to focus on the story and zoning out. A part of me feels a bit weird reading this after everything that happened with ocean gate. I may try again in the future since but still really sad about this.

The Night It Ended By Katie Garner

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts: I have to admit, I did almost dnf this. It was slow in the beginning but after reading reviews, I stuck with it. I wanted to see what everyone was talking about. I’m glad I did. The ending made up for it. I thought it all came together really well. I know this is Katie’s debut novel so I’m looking forward to seeing what she’ll do with her next book.

---

These are all the books I read in June. I’m a bit disappointed with the thrillers I read. I only ended up enjoying one of them. I have some thrillers I plan to pick up next month. I hope I end up enjoying those more. I’m glad I’ve been staying on top of reading my arcs, for the most part. I’ve been doing so many Blog Tours. I might take a break from them but just so many good sounding books. I can’t wait to see how July turns out!

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think of them? If not, are you planning to pick any of these up? 

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph