June Reads {2020}

Happy 12th birthday to my son today and happy book day! Today I’m sharing my June reads and linking up with Steph and Jana’s Show Us Your Books linkup. So far, summer has been great in both the quantity and quality of my reading. I read 10 books in June and we are almost halfway through July and I’ve already read over 5 books! It’s funny because me, who loves holding and reading actual books, has read most of my books this month on my kindle. It’s been relatively easy to get new releases of ebooks from my library system. And with my library closed for so long, this was one of my few options for new books. But great news, my library has been open for curbside pick up and will soon be open to visit! Here are my June reads:

3 stars

The Dead Girl in 2A by Carter Wilson – Clara sits down next to Jake on a plane and they both feel like they know each other, but can’t figure out from where. When they land in Colorado, he is off to do interviews for a ghost writing job and she tells him that she will heading into the mountains to kill herself. As the story unfolds we discover how the two end up knowing each other and the cause of the memory issues they have both been experiencing. I found this to be a pretty slow read that didn’t hold my interest very well. I actually found it to be a bit sci-fi in the unbelievable factor. (mystery/thriller)

The Jetsetters by Amand Eyre Ward – Charlotte Perkins writes an essay and ends up winning the “Become a Jetsetter” contest. She ends up asking her three estranged adult children to come with her on a ten day cruise to Athens, Barcelona and Rome. Of course there is lots of drama, and everyone has secrets that end up being revealed. I thought that I’d enjoy this book but was disappointed. None of the characters were likable and it didn’t feel like anything was resolved. (contemporary fiction)

Open Book by Jessica Simpson – I was never a huge fan of Jessica Simpson or her music. But I did watch a few episodes of “Newlyweds” and had heard a lot of good reviews of this book. It was interesting to see how things really were behind the scenes but overall this was just an “eh” read for me. (memoir)

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore – On the night of Oona’s 19th birthday, which happens to be New Year’s Eve, she ends up time traveling and wakes up as her 51 year-old self. From then on, each New Year’s Eve she time travels to a different age. As she travels, she slowly pieces together the events of her life. I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. I didn’t really know much about it before I read it and I didn’t really love the whole time travel aspect. None of the characters were really likeable, except Kensie. (contemporary/science fiction/time travel)

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher – Thursday’s husband is a polygamist. He has two other wives that he sees, but that she has never met. She gets tired of only seeing him on Thursdays (really? right?!). So when she discovers their names she starts looking into the other wives and even befriends one. But of course things don’t go well. This was a fast-paced read with the usual unreliable narrator. However, I found the ending to be horrible. (thriller/mystery)

4 stars

Beach Read by Emily Henry – August is a literary fiction author. January is a romance writer. The two end up neighbors and make a deal where they each write a book in the other’s genre. As they embark on field trips and interview to help each other research the genre, they of course end up getting close. Although this is a contemporary romance read, it’s not one that I’d classify as light and fluffy. (contemporary romance)

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner – Plus-sized influencer Daphne Berg is shocked when her old high school friend Drue Cavanaugh asks her to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding. The two have a checkered past and Drue is not liked by many people. Daphne agrees and heads to Cape Cod to help Drue celebrate when things go downhill from there. I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers. This book was much different than the Weiner books that I’m used to. There was a mystery aspect to the book and I liked how Weiner addressed issues of body image, family and friendship. However, I did find some of the relationships a bit unrealistic. (contemporary fiction/mystery)

The Happy Ever Playlist by Abby Jimenez – It’s been two years since Sloan’s fiance died and she still hasn’t gotten her life back together. While driving one day, she ends saving a dog. This dog, Tucker, ends up bringing Jason, his owner, into her life. The two hit it off right from the first phone call. But Sloan doesn’t realize that Jason is a rising rock star. Can a relationship survive his career? This is the second book in the Friend Zone series. I learned after reading this book, that it was actually written first, before The Friend Zone but was published after. The Friend Zone gives Sloan’s backstory which leads up to this book. I actually enjoyed this book more than the first! (contemporary romance)

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier – Marin and Derek seem to have the perfect life. They are wealthy and both own and run successful businesses. But as they discover when their four-year-old son is abducted while they are out Christmas shopping, money cannot buy happiness. A year after Sebastian’s abduction, Marin discovers her husband is having an affair. She puts a plan in motion to end the affair because she will not lose her husband too. But of course, things don’t go according to plan. This was a fast-paced thriller that had me guessing until the end. (thriller/mystery)

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See – Li-yan and her family are part of the Akha people and live in the rural mountains of China farming tea. After she gets pregnant and has a baby out of wedlock, Li-yan drops her baby girl at an orphanage and cannot return to her family. She later ends up selling tea and studying under a tea master. She creates a new life for herself, but never forgets the daughter that she had to give up. This book was informative and well written. You really learn about the tea industry and I had never heard of the Akha people prior to reading this. I’ve read several of See’s books and have enjoyed them all. (historical fiction)