Reads & Reviews: June 2022

(Picture Creds: Design Collector on Twitter)

June was a month filled with various hits, but also misses in the books that I read. Started the month off with a miss, but ended with one that I think about almost daily.

I increased my reading this month, not even meaning to, but for the pleasure and enjoyment that reading has brought back in my life again.

I’ve noticed myself reaching for books rather than watching shows, because it’s so much more powerful and exciting being able to imagine a character and scenes rather than see them.

Even though there were some eh books this month, it’s only made me appreciate the amazing ones even more and realize the writing styles and authors that I enjoy to read.

Malibu Rising: Taylor Jenkins Reid

I had first heard about this book on Tik-Tok where everyone had amazing things to say about it. I think that’s what through me off, because my expectations were sky-high only to be slightly disappointed and bored. The whole book is narrated in a back-and-forth verse in the current life of Nina and the past lives of her parents love and marriage, and ultimately turmoil. I felt myself getting bored and wanting more throughout the first 2/3 of the book. As soon as the infamous house party actually began, that’s when I found the book getting more and more interesting. Even so, I did love the ending and the way you were left guessing throughout most of the book when the fire reference brought to life in the very beginning would make sense.

2. The Unhoneymooners: Christina Lauren

This book is so comedic and wholesome, ugh I loved it. A very quick, but exciting read. I loved the plot of the story and the whole nemisis, to fake lovers, to friends to actual lovers relationship we saw grow and blossom. It was genius to have it be her sister’s and his brother’s failed honeymoon and for them to go on it together. I had no idea what would happen after the wedding and the twist of the story made it so exciting to read. You’re left constantly rooting for Olive and Ethan to be together only for them to hit up’s and down’s leaving you guessing what’ll actually happen. The ending is a full-circle moment, leaving the reader content and happy. A really great read.

3. How to Save a Life: Eva Carter

This book. No joke I think about this book everyday and the lessons it left me with. It resonated so hard with me and I have not been this impacted by a book since It Ends With Us. The best way to describe this book is like reading a whole season of a show in one book, honestly maybe two seasons. The plot is constantly changing and you never know what’s going to happen next- it’s thrilling. This book is both heart-stopping and heart-warming and leaves you realizing everything is fate and the people that come into your life are truly there for a reason.The biggest lesson I learned from this book is that there’s so many paths in just one life. You never know what big or small thing might save you and when it does, never let it out of your sight and be unappreciative for it. To get more into the plot, it’s basically about a boy named Joel who was given CPR on New Year’s because he goes into cardiac arrest. No matter how many times they try to stay away from eachother, everyyear they cross paths again and either start ti rekindle or don’t the relationship they once had. You’ll never want to put down this book.

4. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff: Richard Carlson

This was my first self help book I’ve ever read and it’s probably a very good first read to get into this genre. Each chapter of the 100 chapter book is a page or two long and talks about a different life lesson from Carlson himself about how to just enjoy and relax your life. I would read a chapter each morning and night and it was a good reminder I’d try to practice throughout my day and end my day with. I’d defiantly say the book was helpful, but not ground-breaking and earth-shattering. It gives you reminders that life isn’t as big and crazy as we think it is. While each chapter is a good reminder, it’s not very informative because of its length. It left me wanting more, and to gain more insight about how to not sweat everything in life. A simple read, with some repetitive- but at the end of the day, good and important reminders.

5. Holding Up the Universe: Jennifer Niven

While this book was very wholesome, I felt like I defiantly could’ve read it in middle school. What I mean by this is that it didn’t have very much substance. Not a crazy love story, I figured the ending would happen from the first 20 pages and I wasn’t left with a resonating lesson afterwards. That being said, I liked how raw and real the characters both were with themselves. I felt like I could see a little bit of me in both character and that made me keep wanting to read. I love the dual narrative to, it kept it interesting going from POV to POV. The book is pretty much about a girl who hadn’t been to school in years because her mother died and she gained lots of weight from that and had gotten stuck in her house and didn’t want to deal with the social anxiety and panic attacks that social settings left her be in after her mothers death. She meets a guy who ultimately bullies her about her weight (you’ll see why) and is also dealing with a backstory of his own, a rare disorder called prosopagnosia which leaves him unable to know anyone because he cannot decipher a name from a face. The two deal and heal with their traumas together while becoming friends and more. A good read, but didn’t love the fact I was reading about a base-level high school relationship.

6. In Five Years: Rebecca Serle

I rarely wasn’t crying when I was reading this. Could’ve easily read this book in one day if I had the time. Such a twisty and turny plot that leaves u enthralled, angry and heartbroken. The ending wasn’t a happy ever after and predicted ending which was what I loved most about the book. A true reminder that life can take unexpected twists no matter what and to hold the one’s you love close to you always. The book was about a girl names Dannie who gets proposed to from her boyfriend of two years but then has a dream about a man named Aaron the night of the proposal. Turns out Aaron is her best friends lover and she must deal with him, her relationship and the twist of what happens to her best friend. An amazing and heart-wrenching read.

Happy reading!

-H <3

A post-love letter.

Independence w/o feeling alone