June was one of the best reading months I’ve had in a long, long time! You know those moments where everything you’re reading is a four or five star rating, and you’re nervous to start the next book? Yeah, I had that moment EVERY TIME I went to start a new book last month!
As always, you can buy the books listed below from my Bookshop.org shop, which donates a portion of every purchase to an indie bookstore near you! Note that the links below are affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission if you purchase at no added cost to you.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Rating: 5/5 stars
What I Liked/Disliked: I’m a huge Elizabeth Acevedo fan, and this may have been one of my favorites of hers to date! I loved following two strong, beautifully developed sisters through their individual and joint story lines as they go through an intense period in their lives. We follow two sisters, Yahaira who lives in New York and Camino who lives in the Dominican Republic, dealing with the death of their father, who dies in a plane crash. I thought both girl’s stories were interesting and the dual perspective was impeccably done. I also was just as invested in the side characters, and love how they supported the story while remaining significant. The book is written in verse and is the perfect short summer read.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
What I Liked/Disliked: This book did so much in so few pages! I can’t think of a better book for young people to be reading than this. We’re introduced to Lucille, a town that has successfully gotten rid of all of it’s “monsters.” Until a creature come to life from a painting tells them otherwise. There wasn’t much I didn’t love about this book! I can’t speak to the trans representation, but I loved the way it was described in the storyline. I fell instantly in love with the characters and found myself rooting for them the entire time. Content warning for child abuse.
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Rating: 5/5 stars
What I Liked/Disliked: Maybe books written in verse are my thing?! I adored this book! We follow Michael who lives in London with his single mom as he grows up and starts to understand more about himself and his identity as a gay, bi-racial man. He really starts to come into his own when he gets to college and joins the drag club. I didn’t want this book to end, and would love to see it adapted! This was a beautiful story about the power of learning to love yourself fully.
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby
Rating: 4/5 stars
What I Liked/Disliked: I’ve been a huge fan of Samantha Irby forever and have waited way too long to read her essay collections. This was page after page of side splitting funny musings! I didn’t stop laughing once while reading. Even when touching on the darker, more difficult times in her life, Irby manages to weave in elements of humor and levity. I’ll definitely be picking up her other collections!
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Rating: 5/5 stars
What I Liked/Disliked: Brit Bennet is the author of my life. Her books are so important to me as a reader, and I loved every single page of this novel. I thought the concept and world that she placed us in was so unique, but also so incredibly familiar. We’ve all lived in, and tried to escape, a Mallard. But beyond the perfectly done plot and fantastic world building, the characters are the standout stars here. I’ve never been more emotionally attached to characters in a book! You will be thinking about them for days after you put this book down. The way that Bennet tackles race, sexuality, gender identity, sibling relationships, romance, found family and the search for identity in under 400 pages is a literary masterpiece. I’ll be sharing a longer review soon!
Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
What I Liked/Disliked: I’m a huge fan of Hannah’s and have really enjoyed her books. I thought this book was really well done, but felt more like a woman’s fiction novel than a typical romance. In fact, the romance is more like background noise to the more serious and critical topics in the book. We follow Avery, a former gymnastic, who’s moving back home after life has gone completely off of her planned track. She becomes a gymnastics coach, and the book sheds light on the sexual and other forms of abuse many gymnasts have reported. Content warning sexual assault.
If you read anything good last month, please let me know in the comments!
What a reading month….I read PET in June as well and loved it…the core message that not all monsters look like monsters and looking like an angel doesn’t mean the person isn’t a monster is so basic and important. I ordered a copy of Freshwater by the author and look forward to reading it (but as it is an adult read, I expect it to be different, though just as thought-provoking). I am loving your content here and on social media. Thank you!