After the emotional carnage that was Sunrise on the Reaping, I am back into the swing of things reading two favorite genres again – murder and romance!
I read a total of six books this month.
One audiobook. 🎧
Three physical books. 📚
Two ebooks. 🤖
Four out of the six books I read this month were by authors I never read before.
I would be more than happy to pick up another book by Liann Zhang, who’s debut thriller Julie Chan Is Dead is my only five star read of the month…
…I am not sure I can say the same thing about Abby Jimenez. I really really wanted to enjoy Part of Your World since so many people love her romcoms but this did not do it for me. I don’t think I am going to rule Abby out yet but I am not dying to get my hands on another one of her books.
Two out of the six were auto-buy authors for me. Ali Hazelwood delivered another banger and Riley Sager kept me guessing to the very end (again).
Check out the titles along with my short review and star rating below. Let me know your thoughts on any of these titles and what you are reading in the comments! ✨
Part of Your World
Abby Jimenez
After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Ebook
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Did I like it? Don’t think so
Will I read another Abby Jimenez book? Probably.
I know that a romcom is usually unrealistic but I was not a fan of the whirlwind timeline of this romance.
Murder by Cheesecake
Rachel Ekstrom Courage
When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Print
WAY too much St. Olaf and not enough of the Ladies of the Lanai. But I will give credit where credit is due because Rachel got the classic Golden Girls banter down!
The Only One Left
Riley Sager
Set on the remote Maine coast, The Only One Left straddles the line between suspense and horror while excavating deep family histories perpetuated by myth and rumor. It's a tantalizing mystery with layers to peel back.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Print
Sager delivers another page turning thriller though sometimes less is more when it comes to twists and turns.
Maine Characters
Hannah Orenstein
This love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,” the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin in Maine after his unexpected death.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Print
Every character in this book is messy as f*!k and I LOVED it! Plus the lake house is giving dream property.
Julie Chan Is Dead
Liann Zhang
A young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life, only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Audiobook
This was a fun twisted thriller that had me saying “run girl” at several points!
Problematic Summer Romance
Ali Hazelwood
Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.
Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Ebook
I want a tall Irishman to be completely obsessed with me while Sicily…😩
I mean what can I say, it is an Ali Hazelwood book – you are going get a man that is so down-bad and a woman who has no clue! Though, Maya is one of the more forward and confident MFC Hazelwood has written.
Also it is set in ITALY, beautiful ITALY!
And here is the current standing of my Top Reads of 2025
On the June TBR
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
Sounds Like Love
Murder on Sex Island
Make Me Famous
The Busybody Book Club