May & June reading wrap up 📚

For a YA standalone, I think this book had such a unique premise, but it also was such a well-written story. I believe it's been picked up for a screen adaptation, and I honestly am so intrigued to see how that is done because I think everything with this book just worked for me.

So, I really love this. The ending had me because there's one thing about a prequel series, if I'm reading a book and I know where these characters end up at the very end, you know? I need there still to be something that will surprise me, that will keep me entertained.

And I had seen someone read it semi recently and kind of compare it to like a Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I had been reeling since reading Atmosphere the month prior and decided to pick this up because I was really craving a Taylor Jenkins Reid book.

I went back and then listened to Rock Paper Scissors and Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney as well because they're both thrillers that I have heard a lot of people talk about as like their favorites or the ones that like really got them into the genre. But, I think My Husband's Wife was better.

And I have to say, I think book two was much better than book one. I don't know if it's just if it was just like the mood that I'm in or what, but some of these romancy books that I've struggled to be in the mood to pick up physically are really working for me in audio and this was one.

I did really like Close Knit. Close Knit we're following a footballer and a knitting influencer. And that premise was really fun.

So, Dissection of a Murder was actually recommended to me by Francesca, and I really got into this one, really, really, really enjoyed it. I thought the twist was crazy, but the way that the story ends is quite open-ending.

I think the time jump really worked. I think the pacing of the story for me also really worked. I honestly really loved this.

Personally, I love Metal Singer. I ride or die for that book. I thought it was so fun and so different and so refreshing and just really entertaining.

I think that's my favorite Alice Feeney book. And honestly, probably one of my favorite thrillers that I've read or listened to date.

On Guard by Kelsie Rae Jones and Denise Stone was a five-star read for me. This was one of my favorite books that I've read all year. It was definitely one of my favorite contemporary romances that I've read and it's the second book in the Hastings series.

I went back and then listened to Rock Paper Scissors and Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney as well because they're both thrillers that I have heard a lot of people talk about as like their favorites or the ones that like really got them into the genre. But, I think My Husband's Wife was better.

I read Silver Elite, I enjoyed it at the time when I was reading it, but it wasn't a book that I thought much about after. And I honestly thought it was going to be a series that I potentially DNF'd, but I ended up picking it up in audio book after it was released just because I was in the mood to kind of read something a little bit dystopian while I was renovating the house.

So, I had a really enjoyable time reading this, but I do think the twist at the end is really what brought it all together to me and is a really fun rom-com. So, if you've kind of been craving that like indie rom-com vibe, this was a really fun one that I would recommend.

And then, I don't think I've had any like disappointment with any of like the plot twists or the reveals. Some of them I have been able to guess, some of them I haven't. They're definitely really, really bingeable.

Honestly, I think out of the three audiobooks, The Divorce was my favorite, but it was also so far-fetched. Like, I was listening to it, I was like, "Oh, there's absolutely no way."

So part of I think what made The Housemaid so entertaining, so bingeable, and so fun was a combination of the characters, the setting, and the specific mystery. So each one had to be different to not feel super repetitive.

The second one, kind of yeah, but also the original was almost better, and then the third one and the novella, I was kind of a little bit lost by that point.

The second one, kind of yeah, but also the original was almost better, and then the third one and the novella, I was kind of a little bit lost by that point.

The second one, kind of yeah, but also the original was almost better, and then the third one and the novella, I was kind of a little bit lost by that point.

Book one is The Rose Bargain. I loved it. It was one of the only books that kind of touched that Once Upon a Broken Heart, Stephanie Garber hole in my heart.

And then, I don't think I've had any like disappointment with any of like the plot twists or the reveals. Some of them I have been able to guess, some of them I haven't. They're definitely really, really bingeable.

And I'm very satisfied with how it ended. And I honestly think it was the perfect conclusion to the duology. I felt really satisfied with where it went.

So, I found the way that the story was told to us was really gripping and quite difficult to put down. But oh my goodness, I have such mixed feelings about all the characters in this book. I really enjoyed the ride, and I do love these types of fiction books.

I listened to The Devoted Wife, which is an Audible exclusive. Really enjoyed this. I think that was one of my favorites.

And Throne of Nightmares very much leans into being a book lover and a reader, and we're following a female main character that's obsessed with stories. It like borders almost being like over the top leaning into that, but in like a fun, almost whimsical way.

And I do actually think Throne of Secrets was my favorite out of all three of them, which is crazy cuz I thought that was the one that I would maybe least expect. And I think a big part of that is the audio cuz the audio was really good for this.

I did physically read Throne of the Fallen and enjoy that but it was a couple years ago, and then when Throne of Secrets came out, I just wasn't itching to go and pick it up physically, and I was never really finding myself in the mood for it.

I read Yesteryear. I loved Yesteryear. It was again another book that had like a darker plot twist that I wasn't expecting, and I also think that this is like one of the most hyped talked about books of the year because it's also very on the nose for a lot of commentary with social media and the direction of certain trends, especially when it comes to tradwife.