June Wrap-Up

Hello friends and fellow book lovers! I’m keeping the same format from last month where I talk about books as I’ve read them versus creating a huge wrap-up at the end. I think it’s better overall and I don’t feel as rushed versus creating one at the end of the month.

This month, I decided to read books either written by authors on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum or books featuring characters on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Without further ado, let’s get into the books I read in June!

Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant: Finished June 1st. This novel was less than 100 pages but packed a punch with 2 trans MCs along with combining magic, cowboys, and love. I also enjoyed Chant’s writing style and was a great place to start. 4/5 stars. 

How To Make A Wish by Ashley Herring Blake: Finished June 2nd. I wrote a review of this one so check it out! 4/5 stars.

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren: Finished June 3rd. This was such an anticipated read for me and while it wasn’t 5 stars, it was still good. It featured a bi MC with a gay love interest (I think?) along with talk about family, religion, and writing. The ending was a bit cheesy but still a solid read. 4/5 stars.

Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate: Finished June 6th. A book focusing on characters as the seven deadly sins, it was unique, featured a lot of diversity and Redgate had an awesome writing style. The main issue was the plot sometimes felt cliche. 4/5 stars.

Moonstruck Vol 1 by Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle: Finished June 7th. Such an adorable graphic novel with a cute style, a magical story, and an f/f romance. My only complaint was the ending felt a little bit unsatisfying. 4/5 stars.

Ship It by Britta Lundin: Finished June 12th. It took me 4 days to read this because it was so bad. I don’t even have words, but this book was everything I hate about fandom and such a waste of my time. I could go on and on, but I’ll just stop it here. 1/5 stars.

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake: Finished June 13th. After my last doozy, Girl Made of Stars was exactly what I needed. It was a heartbreaking story about sexual assault, family, friendship and finding yourself. It was raw and honest, making it a tough but important read. It’s going to stay with me for a long time. 5/5 stars.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson: Finished June 14th. Alright so I failed my challenge, but in my defense, the hold came off. It was the perfect summer contemporary with a focus on friendship, falling in love and not always having a plan. I loved the writing style and enjoyed almost all the characters plus it was really fun. 4.5/5 stars.

Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera: Finished June 16th. This book was everything I wanted and more. There was a POC MC, f/f romance, family themes, and feminism. Plus it talked a lot about different types of feminism and how harmful white feminism is. It was intense yet funny and amazing. An awesome way to dive back into my LGBT challenge. 5/5 stars. 

The Backstagers Vol 1 by James Tynion IV: Finished June 17th. This graphic novel was adorable. It had m/m romance, m/m friendship, the theater, an incredibly colorful art style and multiple characters of color. It was such a fun and adorable read. 4/5 stars.

Would You Rather: A Memoir of Growing Up and Coming Out by Katie Heaney: Finished June 18th. I listened to this on audio and it was everything I wanted from her first memoir. Thankfully, Katie was the narrator and hearing her tell her story was amazing. Even though I’m straight, I could relate to a lot of moments/worries she has about her relationship and her infatuation with 1D (for me, JB.) It was refreshing after not enjoying her first memoir. 4/5 stars. 

Peter Darling by Austin Chant: Finished June 24th. This was the last LGBTQIA+ book I read in June and also my least favorite of Chant’s. It’s a unique Peter Pan retelling, but something about this book didn’t work for me. Pretty sure it was the mix of the writing style and the romance feels forced? Either way, it didn’t live up to the hype sadly. 3/5 stars.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory: Finished June 27th. I wasn’t anticipating reading this but I listened to it on audio on Scribd over a few days. As much as I wanted to love this romance, I couldn’t get over how dramatic and immature the characters were. They were almost 30 but acted like teenagers.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when they would get into arguments, have a miscommunication or plain act stupid. Maybe it’s because I’m in a relationship but I couldn’t understand why simple things were so difficult. At its heart, the book has a cute love story, features the MC challenging her love interest and a good writing style but it fell flat for me. 2/5 stars.

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In June, I only read 13 books but 11 of them featured characters or authors on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself and similar to last month, I’m going to pick my top two favorite reads!

• Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake: Ashley Herring Blake is definitely one of my new favorite authors and Girl Made of Stars was a wonderful story that I’d recommend to anyone!
• Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate: This is my first Riley Redgate book, but not my last. This was an enjoyable read and I especially loved Redgate’s writing style. I can’t wait to read more from her.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with my progress in June! How many books did you read in June? Which one was your favorite? Can’t wait to hear about it 🙂