Hello Readers! How is it that the months are flying by when all I’m doing is staying home?? It’s a weird feeling—wanting this year to be over, but also wanting time to slow down. Anyone else feeling like that??

Looking back at My June TBR, I was happy to see I read all but one—even though I didn’t set the bar very high. I ended up reading 7 books, which is not too bad for me.

Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

June Wrap-Up

I started the month finishing up Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren, a book on my backlist. This is a fun, quick read with great characters!

Rating [usr 4]

Next, I picked up Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. And wow, is it steamy! But so much fun, and with the kind of diverse characters we need more of in fiction!

Rating [usr 4]

Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz is a memoir I read for my very first blog tour. And it’s not one I will soon forget. Honest, shocking, and inspiring!

Rating [usr 5]
My Review

I picked up With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo because I’d seen so many great reviews from you all. And it did not disappoint! Emoni is my new favorite character.

Rating [usr 4.5]

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen was a last minute approval on Netgalley. I am so impressed by this little novel. A true classic-in-the-making.

Rating [usr 4.5]
My Review

Next, I picked up an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) I’d received in my book subscription box from The Strand: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust. This original fairytale inspired by Persian mythology was quite impressive!

Rating [usr 4]
My Review

And lastly, I finished up the month with my favorite read of June, Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis. I was invited to read this one ages ago, and it felt like I would never get to it, but I’m so happy I finally did. Loved it!

Rating [usr 5]
My Review

June Book Haul

Thankfully, I had a much more manageable book haul this month. You may remember, I had to split up my Wrap-up and Haul for May because my haul was out of control. Oops. It was fun, though. 😉

My #BlackoutPublishing Books

During #BlackoutPublishing Week, I purchased a few books, happy to support the Black Lives Matter cause! <= I’m including the link if you’d like more information on how to help, as well. I also purchased How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi, but I wanted a physical copy, so I’m still waiting on that one to arrive. Here’s what I added:

• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan

---

My Paperbackswap books

• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
• Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxanne Gay

---

The eARC

Because I’m being ultra choosey right now when it comes to ARCs, I only added one eARC. I’m determined to keep this situation under control. 😉

I couldn’t resist Float Plan by Trish Doller. It sounds emotional and romantic!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Critically acclaimed young adult author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself. 

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has spent the last year foundering on land, shipwrecked by her grief and inability to move on. But when a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take, she impulsively sets off in their sailboat, intending to complete the planned voyage around the Caribbean that Ben had mapped out for them.

But after a treacherous night’s sail and a brush with an ocean tanker, she decides she can’t do it alone, and hires a professional sailor to help her get to Puerto Rico. Much like her, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned, and he can’t refuse her offer. Together they find a way to rebuild their lives and the possibility of new love.

(3/2/21)

---

My Physical ARCs

Who doesn’t love getting a box of books?? I was excited to receive four books from Algonquin Books this month. I’ll be reading and reviewing these closer to their publishing dates!

• His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie (9/1/20)
• Love, Zac: Small-Town Football and the Life and Death of an American Boy by Reid Forgrave (9/8/20)
• A Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son by Michael Ian Black (9/15/20)
• Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen (12/1/20)

---

My Simon & Schuster free e-book

As a “loyal subscriber to Simon & Schuster’s Newsletter,” I was able to choose my last free e-book (while supplies last) to read on the Glose app. This has been the nicest surprise over the past few months, and I’ll miss these emails each week. 😉 I chose:

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney

---

And lastly, I added Someone Else’s Secret by Julia Spiro, my Amazon First Reads selection. It’s set during the summer on Martha’s Vineyard, which sounds like a perfect summer-read.

How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!