I love checking in to report back on my favorite books of the quarter. It’s such a fun check in. This check in is always so interesting because it’s not necessarily just five star reads, but the ones that have really stuck with me and I think that’s so neat to look back on. So let’s dive right in!
10-6
Ten is technically ten with an asterisk because Dungeon Crawler Carl is really standing in for the first four books of the series that I finished in June. I am just truly obsessed with Princess Donut and I’m so attached to Carl and Katia and just really invested in Elle and Imani. Each individual book is not necessarily my favorite but the books as a whole are books that I’m obsessed with. Shadow Princess similarly is standing in for Zodiac Academy but it actually is also clearly and distinctly my favorite in the series so far. I have paused Heartless Sky two chapters in because things are okay in this moment that I cannot bring myself to move on through it.
The Ex Vows is a really stunning second chance romance with anxiety representation that I think will stick with me for a long time. I just read it at the end of June, but I feel like it’s already raised up in my overall estimation of the book so I think it’s a grower. The Other Sides of Now by Paige Harbison is just my favorite type of sliding door situation and I’m obsessed. The way she flies to Ireland and then finds herself living her alternate reality in which her best friend is still alive? Absolutely devastating, honestly. And the way this book ended was heartbreaking, but so good. This whole book is fabulous honestly. Archangel’s Eternity by Nalini Singh gets bonus points because I reread all of Guild Hunters and this one is the perfect ending to one of my favorite series for always.
5-1
One for the Road by Elliot Fletcher is the third installment in a series that I’ve really, really liked and I loved this one. Single mom x grumpy doctor? Yes, please. Also fake dating! It’s actually a recipe for success for me. Hijab Butch Blues is a gorgeous memoir that uses stories from the Quran to illustrate the author’s life as well and it’s just stunningly well written. I loved it so much. Score by Kennedy Ryan is perfection. Period. The mental health rep? The bisexual representation? The way it’s such a light on the Harlem Renaissance and the amount of Black people who have really been hidden and eliminated from the narrative of our history. It’s just so good. After Hours at Dooryard Books and Star Shipped are both Cat Sebastian at her best, the first being a historical and the second a contemporary. They live rent free in my head and will forever. I am so in love with these romances and I want to scream about them forever. Just sheer perfection, okay? PERFECTION.
Closing Thoughts
Please gush about these books with me and/or share with me your favorites from the last three months. Also, will anything ever top Star Shipped for me? I am beginning to think the answer is no because so far, nothing has made me feel like that and it made choosing a favorite book for both May and June difficult because that’s the level of obsessed I want to be with my reads. Anyway, can’t wait to see what these summer months have in store for my reading. I’m praying for some more excellent reads!
xx
firewhiskeyreader 