June Reading List Review

This was another big reading month for me with 7 books-thanks to ALL of my library holds coming in within a week or two! I ended up having to return several without reading them because I had just too many!

This month’s books were a mix of some that I absolutley loved, as well as some books that I expected great things from, but ended up falling short. Here is June’s recap:

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You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

I want to start by saying that I am typically a huge fan of these authors! Buuut, this one unfortuantley wasn’t my favorite. While the storyline was unique and the characters had potential, they ended up feeling a little flat for me. I wanted to learn more about the characters, but they ended up feeling really one-dimensional and I had a hard time distinguishing them from one another! I’d recommend that you read a different book by these authors before this one! 3/5 stars

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Woah. What a page turner!! I love this book and couldn’t put it down. This book follows Jules, who is apartment sitting in one of Manhattan’s fanciest and mysterious buildings. A seemingly good experience quickly turns scary, with strict rules and secretive disappearances as Jules tries to expose the hotel and escape a similar fate.

While maybe not the most realistic book, I thought it was interesting, suspenseful and well written. I especially enjoyed the unexpected ending! 4.5/5 stars

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

This beautifully written story follows two characters: Morgan, who is in jail for a crime that she didn’t commit- released under the promise to restore an old post office mural and Anna, an artist who is wins an art contest to paint a mural in small town Edenton, NC in 1940. This story is full of small town secrets, violence and prejudice as it tells the captivating story of both characters.

I wasn’t sure I would like this book based on the premise, but I have to say that I absolutely loved this book and it is one of my favorites I’ve read this year! There was a little bit of everything: historical fiction, romance, and suspense- I highly recommend! 5/5 stars.

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

This book follows Eva who wakes up after being struck by lightening to find that her mother has been murdered and Eva has no memory of that night. What a premise right?

There were things that I really liked about this book, but also some parts that I didn’t love. I enjoyed the characters and the fast moving story line- I read this book quickly because I was invested in them and wanted to see what happened. However, I found the entire storyline to be a bit hard to believe and thought that it relied way to heavily on perfectly timed coincidences. Defintley not one to read if you’re looking for a believable thriller. 3.5/5 stars

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

The Last Mrs. Parrish is a thriller with a unique storyline about Amber, a “nobody”, who strategically works her way into Daphne Parrish’s life and motivated by jealousy, ultimately makes a plan to replace the wealthy socialite and philanthropist.

I found the book to be a little on the slow side in the beginning, but after the big twist in the middle I finished it one night! A great read if you love a good psychological thriller! 4/5 stars

My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

The only thing that kept me reading this book was that I kept turning the page to try and figure out what the point of it was. I read it several weeks ago and still can’t figure it out. I think it was supposed to be funny-but I didn’t really find the humor in killing people? I don’t really know what else to say- I would love to hear your opinion if you read it! 2.5/5 stars

The Playground by Jane Shemilt

This one was recommended to me by a lady at the library who said she read it in a day-I’ll just say that we don’t share similar opinions on books apparently! The Playground is about a bunch of parents who are so self absorbed in their own lives and problems that they don’t pay any attention to their kids-resulting in tragedy. With all the parents and the kids there were way too many characters- I couldn’t keep them straight. It might have been better with fewer, but more developed characters? It took me a long time to finish and I kind of regret wasting so much time on a mediocre book. 3/5 stars