Hi friends!
Holy moly June was such a fun/busy month.
So many things have come together, I have so many changes coming, and I’m nervous but excited to share everything with you all. I spent hours working on my thesis and am defending soon! Ah! I’m seriously so excited to officially wrap up my graduate degree and start the next stage of my life.
I’m also going to be spending more time working on the blog, BookTube channel, and Instagram! I’ve been more active this last month and it’s been so much fun connecting with everyone! Meeting friends at BookCon, collabing with some fellow creators, and connecting with fellow readers has me so inspired for things to come!
AND despite all of that was going on, I managed to read 10 books in June!
BookTube Video:
Actually coming soon!
Stats:
ReadAThons:
Cramathon: Read 5 books (School for Good and Evil, Sky in the Deep, Campfire, Snot Girls Vol. 1 & 2)
Summerween-a-thon: Read 3 books (books read during cramathon).
Ratings:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 1
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ – 1
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 3
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ – 3
⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 2
Pages read: 3,218
The books:
Book 1: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Rating: 4/5
Review: My original review can be found here. I have upped my rating since last year. I listened to the audiobook and found myself enjoying the story more. This may be because I knew how it was going to end so I didn’t have any disappointment when it went a certain way or because the audiobook is just a better experience.
Book 2: Legendary by Stephanie Garber
Rating: 5/5
Review: OMG this book was so good. Everything I wanted in Caraval and more. If you’re hesitant to read this book because you didn’t like Caraval, I highly recommend giving this one a try. The world was expanded, the characters were upgraded, and I’M DYING FOR BOOK 3. My full review can be found here.
Book 3: Leah on the Off Beat by Becky Albertalli
Rating: 3.75/5
Review: So, this book has been getting a lot of mixed reviews. I thought it was okay. The biggest critique I’ve heard about this one is that none of the characters felt like the characters we’ve come to know and love in Simon vs. I have to agree. I think that Simon and Bram Blue were pretty good. I felt like they were just as cute as we remember, but they actually felt like themselves. Leah was also pretty true to her Simon vs. counterpart. I personally liked Leah a lot and really resonated with her, but her sardonic attitude may be offputting for some people. Nick and Abby were the two characters that were virtually unrecognizable from their Simon vs. counterparts. I really wasn’t a fan of how their characters developed. Also, the romance in this book felt hella forced. Like some other reviewers, I feel like having the book start during the graduation of the Simon vs. gang and focus more on college would have worked better. Some of the conflicts may have been addressed better and this may have given a more organic setting for the romance to bloom.
Book 4: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Rating: 3.75/5
Review: While the overall premise was cute, this book came off as incredibly heavy handed. I’m fairly certain this book was made for a middle-grade audience, but this book hammered on the message WAY too strong. This book had an interesting concept and play on the fractured fairytale and a pretty solid narrative. I really enjoyed the chapters from Agatha’s perspective, but it wasn’t until the end that I started to enjoy Sophie’s chapters. I do plan on reading the next book, hoping that the narrative improves. I can see how people would like this story, especially fans of The Descendants, but it just didn’t do it for me.
Book 5: Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
Rating: 4/5
Review: This was a good/easy listen. I’ve been working on lab work and drafts today and had this one in the background. I really enjoyed the story, but there’s something I can’t identify keeping me from giving it a solid 5/5 stars. Overall, this was a super fun read.
Book 6: Campfire by Shawn Sarles
Rating: 3.75/5
Review: The premise of this one was super interesting, but there were a few things keeping me from giving it a better rating. The primary issues for me were: the writing was a bit weak at times and took me out of the story, I wanted more campfire stories, and I didn’t think the motives for the villain were believable. If you want a full review, I have one here.
Book 7: Snot Girl Vol. 1 Green Hair Don’t Care by Brian Lee O’Malley and Leslie Hung
Rating: 3/5
Review: I loved the art style and the dark humor. Overall the premise was pretty interesting too. That being said, the story jumped around a bit too much for my liking and it was hard to follow what was going on. At times the whole “is this real” bit added to the narrative, but other times it was just confusing.
Book 8: Snot Girl Vol. 2 California Screaming by Brian Lee O’Malley and Leslie Hung
Rating: 3/5
Review: I liked how the story continued. I think Lottie is a super fun protagonist and this story is developing pretty interestingly. I will definitely be continuing. However, the same issue as the first volume — the story can be confusing at times. I am excited to see how everything ends up.
Book 9: Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
Rating: 4/5
Review: One of the better murder mysteries I’ve read this year. The characters were sassy, the mystery was fun, and the witchy aspect was a blast. Full review can be found here.
Book 10: Wicked Deep by Shea Ernsaw
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: This book was everything. It was so atmospheric, whimsical, and captivating. The hype is well deserved. Full review can be found here.
What was your favorite May read?
Be sure to let me know below!
Coffee Cocktails & Books 📖 