June Wrap-Up

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The Adventurer's Son - Roman Dial

Started: May 25th 2020

Finished: June 2nd 2020

Rated: 5

Likes: Adventure Backgrounds, Harsh Reality, Vulnerability of Author, Genuine Love

Dislikes: None

Notes: This made me cry. One of the more powerful details is the yellow starburst, how it was Roman's favorite candy and how his dad was looking for it as a sign of him.

All the Things We Never Knew - Liara Tamani

Started: June 3rd 2020

Finished: June 3rd 2020

Rated: 1

Likes: None

Dislikes: Immature Characters, Cliché/Cookie Cutter plot points, Unoriginal, Cringe, INSTALOVE to the absoute max

Notes: Received an arc from Edelweiss+ for an honest review

Scorpionfish - Natalie Bakopoulos

Started: June 15th 2020

Finished: June 15th 2020

Rated: 2

Likes: Athens Setting

Dislikes: No plot, Mini "Sub" Plots, Characters, Ending

Notes: Received an Arc from NetGalley for an honest review

The June Boys - Court Stevens

Started: June 16th 2020

Finished: June 21st 2020

Rated: 3

Likes: The Gemini Thief Mystery

Dislikes: Characters, Slow First Half, Not Gripping

Notes: Arc from Thomas Nelson via Net Galley

Beach Read - Emily Henry

Started: June 4th 2020

Finished: June 25th 2020

Rated: 5

Likes: Romance, Real to Life, Other Things besides Romance, Characters, Writing Aspect

Dislikes: None

Notes: LOVE LOVE LOVE

Beach Read - Emily Henry

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The hype is worth it.

That is all you need to hear. Don't let it scare you, don't let people tell you that it's not worth it, just stop reading this and go get this book right now.

This was fantastic. It was a romance about two authors that are both in a slump, until they make a bet with each other to write the other persons genre for a change. Fridays are dedicated to spending time together to research for literary fiction. Saturdays are for the cliché romantic montages to give an insight into how love works. Pasts are shared. Notes are written. Stories being crafted. All while love is brewing between them.

I knew I was going to love this. I wasn't scared by the hype or by the reading slump that I was in most of this month, I just knew that this book would sweep me off my feet and make me cry.

I'll start by saying that there wasn't anything I disliked about this. Usually there is something but with this, nope nothing. Even when I didn't feel like reading because of my slump, it wasn't because of this book; this book helped bring me out. Clearly this a romance, but at the same time it is so much more than that. It took on a lot but it conquered everything that it was set to do. There was no plot left without a wrapped, finished bow. There was no part that I wanted to skip. It felt real. Like these characters and what they've gone through are real. These are experiences that SOMEONE has had. Whether it be the frat basement, the breakup with someone you thought you were gonna marry, the death of a loved one, cheating, betrayal, letters, bookshelves and tents. I love that it felt real. It didn't feel like a different world, where the characters are floating on beautiful clouds. No. There was hurt in the book. Real pain and emotions and I cried where I needed to in this book, because damn did it pack a punch. It helped that I felt invested in these characters. That while I was watching them fall in love, I was falling in love with them separately and together. Ugh it was disgusting and beautiful at the same time.

I love that while the romance was the main plot, so was the writing. It was accompanying the romance throughout the whole book and was never set on the back burner. It wasn't something used at the beginning to get the characters together and never talked about again. It was there all the way until the epilogue. It didn't feel fake either, like the author didn't know what they were talking about; I mean clearly Emily Henry knows how to write a book because what else would this review be about?

It's just so good and worth the hype. I love love love it and what are you still doing here?

GO READ IT NOW!

The June Boys - Court Stevens

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'll be honest. I had to drag myself through the first half of this book. It wasn't bad, but it just lacked that oomph that made me want to continue picking it up and making it apart of my day. Court Stevens is a great writer, and she made this story based on true events. That's difficult to do, so for that I give her props. I do think that the first half of the book lacks what the second half of the book has: intrigue.

I understand that the first half was designed to introduce the reader to the characters, their backstories, the history of The June Boys, and all other necessary information to become hooked on this story. But I must have missed my bait because it didn't hook me. Yeah I was somewhat interested in who the Gemini Thief was and why they had been taking boys for ten years. I wanted to know where Aulus was and how he disappeared. I wanted to know all of the information that I assume all other readers want to know, but not to the point where I couldn't set this book down until I figured it out. No.

After I got to the halfway point, things started to heat up. Thea got closer to figuring out the case and more suspects and information ruled out suspects along the way. And wow was it a twist that I didn't see coming, but since I wasn't that invested it went more like "Oh okay that's who it is."I feel like I didn't care much because I wasn't invested in the characters at all. I cared about the plot and who The Gemini Thief was, but that was it.

There was also a lot of details and things that made this story confusing. I didn't understand a lot of detail that was added. I still don't understand the point of the castle and why it was so important. I don't understand how Constance just came back. I don't understand a lot. But that's fine, my questions can just be questions.

I would recommend this book to people simply because I think the idea is good and because Court Stevens is a great writer. I would be interested to see if anyone agrees with my opinion that the first have lacks and if they are confused by a lot of the details.