What I Read In June 2025
June was a really fun and varied reading month! So many good books and a couple that were misses. Something about the nicer weather has me wanting to be outside with a book at all times - and extra travel time doesn’t hurt, either.
Click on each book below to see my full thoughts!
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This was probably my favorite book of the month! The book follows Joy, an asexual Black influencer who is secretly in love with her asexual best friend, Malcom. But Malcom doesn’t know and really likes Summer. He invites Joy on a weekend trip where he plans to ask Summer to be his girlfriend so she can distract Summer’s best friend, Fox. dd
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It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” this book because it’s not really a book you are meant to “enjoy.” It’s a powerful look at internalized homophobia, gender roles and stereotypes, and the patriarchy. The main character is extremely unlikeable and conflicted, which is key in driving the story but can be uncomfortable from a reader’s perspective. It’s easy to see why this is such an important book in literature, and I’d highly recommend it to folks looking for stunning writing and challenging themes.
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This was one of those bizarre, intimate books you spend the entire time going “do I even like this?” only for it to end and you to say, “yes, I did really like that.” It follows a young professional woman at rock bottom, struggling to hold down temp jobs and socialize with her friends through her depression and insecurities. It’s described as a “dizzying descent into the mind of a young woman trapped in the funhouse of American consumer culture,” and I think that about sums it up. I wouldn’t recommend this for everyone, but I think it’s the perfect book if you’re into strange satire.
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I struggled a bit with this book. The story itself was interesting. The idea of a group of magical beings fighting against fate to change the future that have been outlined for them seemed super cool, and I think the series had a lot potential, but by the end of book one I was left with a ton of questions. There’s never a real explanation into the magic system, the major war that is allegedly coming (or maybe has already started? that’s unclear too), the histories of the characters, and more. I finished the book and was interested enough to start the second book in a series, but when a whole new character pov was introduced in the same way and when an explanation of a character’s background that was left in the dark for all of book one was explained in a throwaway sentence, I grew frustrated and decided to DNF the series rather than continue with it. That being said, the third book does come out soon and I know there are plenty of folks who love this book. Check it out for yourself if you’re a fantasy lover!
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I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue on with this book for the first few chapters. The story started slow and I wasn’t extremely excited about being in President Snow’s head for this story. That said, as soon as he met Lucy Gray, I was hooked, and as the novel went on I grew to truly appreciate it as a masterpiece of a book told from a true villain’s point of view. I can understand why some folks didn’t love this book - it’s not quite as exciting as some of the others in this series, but it is phenomenally done and I think it’s extremely important to understanding the rest of the series.
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THIS BOOK. Y’all. It’s rare that super popular books live up to the hype, but Sunrise on the Reaping was everything I’d been led to expect and more. I didn’t even make it through the first 5 chapters without crying. Haymitch’s story was beautiful and heartbreaking. This book is officially my favorite of the series, and likely one of my top books of the year.
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I’ve been waiting to feel as excited about an Emily Henry book as I did with Book Lovers, and it finally happened! I devoured Happy Place over the course of 48 hours (I was trapped in a car but still). I loved the second-chance romance, the history between Wynn and Harriet, and the focus on the importance of friendships outside of romantic relationships. Overall this was a great little rom com.
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I picked this up on a recommendation from a friend and found I really enjoyed it. Crystal did a great job narrating her experience and reflecting back on her actions. I didn’t know much about Playboy and Hugh Hefner going into the book, so it was interesting to learn more about that world. I’d recommend this if you're looking for a decent memoir!
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This was a book I found in a Little Free Library on a walk years ago after I saw the movie, and I finally got around to picking it up off my overflowing TBR shelf. I thought Guy Lawson did a good job telling the individual stories of Efraim and David and also breaking down the complex business that is gun running, particularly at the height of two majors wars. I was young during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars so I don’t remember a lot of what was happening worldwide or even in the U.S. at the time, so it was interesting to learn more about that period. Overall this was a solid read if you’re into this type of subject matter.
Need other recommendations? Ask me for some ideas!