In case you couldn't tell by the fact I was nowhere to be seen for the entire month of June, things have been a bit crazy around here. I moved house in June, which meant that everything else in my life took a major back seat. I didn't blog at all, I didn't even go on bookstagram to browse and I didn't do a whole lot of reading. Since I didn't get the chance to wrap up May before the madness began, I'm combining my May and June wrap ups. In May, I managed to stick with what seems to be my usual for 2021 and read another 8 books. In June, however, I only managed to get to 5 books. I don't think 5 is too bad considering how busy I have been, but it would have been nice to at least keep the consistency of 8 books a month.
I'm not going to go into too much detail, we do have 13 books to get through, so I would recommend checking out my bookstagram for more in details reviews which I will be getting to soon.
The Roommate by Rosie Danan -
This is a romance that seemed to take the community by storm towards the end of last year. It follows Clara, a clean-cut socialite, who moves across the country to move in with her crush, only to discover he is going away on tour and has rented out his room to Josh, a successful porn star. I love a good forced proximity romance and I really enjoyed this. It also had a bit of an enemies to friends to lovers thing going on, which is one of my favourite tropes in romance. The thing about this book that really stands out is the attitude towards sex. This is a very sex positive book, with a lot of talk about sex workers and the porn industry, which play a massive role in the story. It was refreshing and just a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed the characters and their relationship, and really enjoyed watching it develop. There were a few things, such as Clara's unhealthy crush, that I didn't love in this book, but I did have a good time reading it.
Rating: 4/5
People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry -
This was possibly my most anticipated book of 2021 and it did not disappoint. This book follows Poppy and Alex, friends since college who take a trip together every summer, until two years ago when everything went wrong. With Poppy feeling stuck in a rut, she decides it is the perfect time to reconnect with her best friend and convinces Alex to take one more trip with her. I loved this book with my whole heart. I didn't expect to love this more than Beach Read but this book was everything. Poppy and Alex are such flawed characters but the kind you can see yourself in and can't help but root for. I adored their friendship, both in the flashbacks to previous trips, and in present day. The friends to lovers romance was so perfect, I was completely in love with them. This book was just hilarious, while also being heartbreaking and incredibly sweet. I just loved it so much and want to reread it already.
Rating: 5/5
Wild At Heart by KA Tucker -
I read The Simple Wild in April and completely adored it, so I knew I had to pick up the sequel right away. Wild At Heart picks up right where The Simple Wild ended and follows Calla and Jonah as they navigate life as a couple. I knew I wasn't going to love this as much as the first book. I loved Calla and Jonah's banter and how the behaved around each other as they were getting to know each other and going from enemies to lovers, and I knew that aspect wasn't going to be as strong in an established relationship. However, I did still really love seeing them as a couple and experiencing the start of their journey as a couple. I did get irritated by things both characters did and how they behaved at points, but generally still loved them just as much as in the first book. I didn't love this one quite as much as the first book, but I did still really enjoy this sequel and getting to spend more time with these characters.
Rating: 4/5
Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan -
This is one I picked up at random from KU. It follows Emma, the star of a popular TV show who has just discovered her character is getting killed off and that her boyfriend is cheating, and Lucian, an ex-hockey player struggling with his decision to leave the game he loves for the sake of his health. The two meet when Emma escapes to a secluded estate, which happens to be owned by Lucian's grandmother. This was fun but forgettable. I enjoyed the setting, the characters were fine and the plot was enough to keep me interested. Lucian is a really great chef and baker, which was an aspect I really enjoyed. In the end though, I found myself getting bored and wasn't a fan of the conflict.
Rating: 3/5
Forever Wild by KA Tucker -
I love this series so much I even had to read the Christmas novella in May. This is book 2.5 in the series and follows Calla and Jonah as they prepare to spend Christmas with both their families in their home. It was everything I never knew I needed, as a lover of both Christmas and this series. There was so much packed into 160 pages, it felt like full length novel. It wad fun, it had it's tense moments, but overall it was pure heartwarming goodness. I could read a million books about these characters.
Rating: 5/5
Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson -
This was another of my most anticipated books of 2021, but unfortunately this one was a disappointment. It follows Kat and Stevie, two best friends who spend the night in New York City and everything that possibly could goes wrong. Morgan Matson is one of my favourite authors, so after waiting nearly 3 years I was very excited for a new book from her. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. Maybe I'm just getting too old for fun YA contemporaries, though I really hope not, but I just couldn't enjoy this one. This book is chaotic. Everything that could go wrong for these girls does and not one thing that happens is believable. I know I need to suspend my disbelief, but this book just took it to another level. I also really didn't like these characters. Their friendship is not good, which was sad as that is usually my favourite aspect of Morgan Matson's books. They are not good friends to each other and they both just really annoyed me in general. The one thing I did really love was the relationships that developed between Stevie and her step-siblings. I thought that was great and I would have much preferred to read a book that entirely focused on that. It did have it's good points, but it is definitely my least favourite of Morgan Matson's books. Don't even get me started on Teri's odd side plot.
Rating: 2/5
The Secret Note by Lauren Rowe -
This is a super quick novella and sadly another disappointment. It follows a girl who gets with her brother's friend on a camping trip and then the two reconnect years later. It was super short, not very steamy and pretty boring. I didn't care about the characters or their relationship, the plot was repetitive and dull and I didn't care for the writing. I have heard great things about Lauren Rowe, so I'm hoping this just isn't a good representation of her work.
Rating: 2/5
Love Her Or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey -
After reading the first book in the Hot and Hammered series in May, I was really interested in picking up the second book in the series. This follows a married couple, Rosie and Dominic, who we were introduced to in the first book, who were high school sweethearts but have recently found their marriage to be in trouble. Rosie is unhappy in her marriage and so decides the pair need a marriage boot camp. I enjoyed this book even more than the first. I haven't read a lot of romances featuring married couples but I really loved this one. I adored both of the characters and loved seeing them grow throughout the book. Rosie is such a badass, strong woman and I was just so proud of her by the end of the book. Dominic is a big alpha-softie who adores Rosie with all of his heart but struggles with how to show her, and is so completely lost without her. I was rooting for them from the very beginning and felt so immersed in their journey. They learnt so much about each other, and I actually took a lot from this book as well. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to continue with the series.
Rating: 4/5
Shipped by Angie Hockman -
Since I'm not getting to leave the not-so-sunny UK any time in the near future, I have been reading my fair share of vacation books. That is why I picked up Shipped. This is an enemies-to-lovers romance following two employees, who are competing for the same job, who are sent on a cruise of the Galapagos Islands. Enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, tropical cruise, these are all things I can get on board with in my romances. I really enjoyed the first three quarters of this book. I loved the whole cruise aspect and getting to go on some really exciting excursions with the characters in paradise. I liked the rivalry and the banter between the main characters and how their behaviours changed when they started to develop some feelings. I liked the friendships and the sibling relationship. This book was just so much fun, if a little lacking in the romance which I didn't mind too much, until we got to the end. The ending was over the top and then very convenient. I didn't find it believable and found it really took away from the ending the romance could have had.
Rating: 3/5
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn -
I'm gradually making my way through the Bridgertons series and this was the one I was most excited about. This is Colin and Penelope's story and they are two of my favourite characters in the whole series. It is a best friend's brother/friends-to-lovers romance and it was adorable. As always, I freaking loved Penelope in this book. She is so strong and so confident for someone who is constantly looked down upon and talked badly about. My only disappointment in this book was, very sadly, Colin. I didn't like the way he behaved and some of the things he said at times and it actually made me quite sad. However, he did redeem himself and I still love him. I really enjoyed this story and this romance, although I found the romance to be quite sudden and would have liked more of a build up. I can't really say too much else without spoiling things, but overall I am really enjoying this series and this book was no exception.
Rating: 4/5
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole -
This is a novella in the Reluctant Royals series, which I didn't realise going in as this is the only book in the series available from my library. It follows Likotsi and Fabiola, two women who had a short lived love affair that ended abruptly, who then bump into each other again months later and spend the day together. I don't know if I would have enjoyed this more had I read the previous books in the series, but I felt like I was missing something from the start of this book. While I really enjoyed the characters and them navigating the awkward situation they find themselves in as they try to rebuild a damaged relationship, I just never felt connected to the story. I think I needed to know about their first meeting before being thrown into their reconnecting in order to be invested in their relationship as much as I would have liked. I did still enjoy reading this and will probably pick up other books in this series.
Rating: 3/5
The Locker Room by Meghan Quinn -
This is a college baseball romance and the first in the Brentwood Boys series. It follows Emory, who transfers to a different college after a pretty horrific break up from her boyfriend of 6 years, and Knox, the star of the baseball team. The two meet by chance a couple of times before developing a friendship, but of course that starts to develop into something more. I love a sports romance, especially one set in college, so I was devouring this book. I loved it so much in the beginning. The friendship that developed between the characters, the effortless banter, the way they could be vulnerable with each other, I was loving it all. However, there is a time jump. Unfortunately, it all went a bit downhill for me after the time jump and I just didn't enjoy it as much. I think that is definitely a me thing and it wont stop me from picking up more books in this series.
Rating: 3/5
Like You Love Me by Adrianna Locke -
This is another one that I picked up at random from KU. It is a small town, childhood friends to lovers, marriage of convenience romance following Holden, a vet who comes back to town to help out his grandfather after ending his engagement and losing his job, and Sophie, who is struggling to save the B&B her grandmother left her. The two were best friends as children when Holden spent his summers in the small town and decide to get married in order to help Holden get his dream job. I liked the small town aspect, everyone knowing everyone, getting in each other's business and always being there to help someone in need out. I thought the childhood friends to lovers aspect was fine but I think the romance could have been developed a lot more, it was all a bit fast. Marriage of convenience doesn't always work for me and it didn't really do it in this book. I didn't agree with their decision and the reasoning behind it so couldn't get completely on board with it. Overall, while I enjoyed some aspects of it, this book just wasn't for me.
Those are the 13 books I read in May and June. Another mixed bag in terms of ratings, but some books that will definitely make it into my favourites of the year.
Unfortunately, my lack of reading in June has put me way behind on my goal for the year, so hopefully I can catch up a bit in July. I'm also hoping to get back into the swing of blogging and posting on instagram now that I am more settled in my new home and hopefully things are going to calm down a little.
What was the best book you read recently?
Sophie :)
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