I flew through some really great books in June, so let’s dive right in!
Just Last Night: Mhairi McFarlane
Eve, Justin, Susie and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Eve is secretly in love with Ed. When there’s a tragedy, their lives are upended, and secrets are revealed. This is a romance, but also not a romance - I didn’t figure out what was happening for quite some time.
Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favorite Brit romance writers - her books are low on the steam scale so if you’re steam-avoidant, I would steer you to her books. This is her newest one.
Overall grade: A
Bad Muslim Discount: Syed M Masood
The book tells the story of two young immigrant Muslims over a timeframe from the mid-90s to 2017. Anvar is looking for meaning in his life - he’s disconnected from his faith, his community, his career and his family. Meanwhile, across the world, Safwa is trying to survive in war-torn Iraq. Their stories occur in parallel, until their paths cross, changing both their lives. This book is thought provoking and sarcastic and so funny in parts - a really well-rounded book.
This book has been criticized for not being representative of Muslim faith and culture, but I disagree with this assessment. I’ve known several “Bad Muslims” in my life and this book is a reminder than no group of people- whether united by faith, traditions, ethnicity or race, is a monolith. We contain multitudes. The main characters in Bad Muslim Discount represent two of these perspectives and experiences.
Overall grade: A+, expect to see this in my year-end recap of best books I read in 2021
The Last Thing He Told Me: Laura Dave
If you’re in the mood for a page-turner, this is the one you should pick up.
Hannah is a wood turner living in California with her husband Owen, and her teenage stepdaughter Bailey (who doesn’t really like Hannah). One day, Owen disappears leaving Hannah with a cryptic note saying “Protect Her”. Hannah knows he means Bailey, but who is she supposed to be protecting Bailey from?
This book takes place across two timelines and I’m not joking when I say I couldn’t stop turning the page. If you like mysteries, this is an excellent read. This book is just about 300 pages, so a pretty quick read.
Overall grade: A
A Pho Love Story:
Bao Nguyen and Linh Mai are classmates who parents own competing Pho restaurants in the same neighborhood. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud between their families stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.
But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect.
This was super cute, think Romeo & Juliet without the messy dying at the end. Warning: you will probably crave pho while you read this.
Overall grade: A-
Malibu Rising: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Full disclosure: Taylor Jenkins Reid could write a phone book and I would probably read it and love it. I’ve loved TJR since she got me out of my reading slump with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo back in 2018 and I’ve been making my way through her back catalog since.
This book has everything I loved about Seven Husbands (including a throwback or two to it) and so much more.
Synopsis: The setting is August 1983, the night of Nina Riva’s famous end of the summer party in Malibu, California. This party is known for creating the legendary “you had to be there” stories that people always talk about and this year promises to be no different. Nina Riva and her siblings are the children of the legendary singer Mick Riva, and they all have secrets.
Set in an alternating timeline of the day of the party, and everything before it, this book is riveting. I flew through this in under 48 hours because I was so invested in the story and the Riva siblings.
Overall grade: A+
One to Watch: Kate Stayman-London
One to Watch is a must read for any fans of the Bachelor franchise. For the record, I am not - I stopped watching after the Andrew Firestone season, which was pretty much a lifetime ago. I’m telling you this to also tell you that you will enjoy this book even if you’re not a fan of the Bachelor franchise because I did!!
Bea is a successful plus size influencer who angry tweets at “Main Squeeze” for only having thin, fit women in the show, when reality is very different. With a change at the helm of the show, Main Squeeze reaches out and asks Bea to be the new bachelorette on the show. They get to change things up and hopefully boost their ratings, and Bea will become an even bigger household name with the opportunity to pivot her career any way she chooses. Bea is under no illusions of what it means to be the first plus size influencer, and accepts the opportunity for her career.
I really enjoyed this, and if you’re looking for a body positive book with a healthy dose of reality TV drama and a little romance, this is the book for you.
Overall grade: A
For Vacation Only: Mila Nicks
When billionaire heir Blake Mulligan is left at the altar, he decides to go on his honeymoon cruise to escape all the questions and pitying looks at home. Jubilee Collazo is a talented singer on Blake’s ship. When Blake asks Jubilee to be his tour guide on all the stops, their relationship quickly grows to something more. But can they survive past the two idyllic weeks on vacation?
This is a cute romance that’s a great beach read - light, fluffy, travel vibes - what more do you need?
Overall grade: B/B+
The Soulmate Equation: Christina Lauren
Jess is a freelance statistician and single mom to Juno, who she’s raising with the help of her grandparents. She’s sworn of dating, until she hears about GeneticAlly, a new matchmaking startup that uses DNA to make its matches. When Jess gets matched with the founder, River Pena, they decide to fake-date to see if their genetic match is real.
If this sounds familiar to the plot of The One on Netflix, you’re not wrong. This is the more upbeat version, without all the murder.
Overall grade: A-
Happily Ever Afters: Elise Bryant
Tessa Johnson is high school student who writes romance books for fun. She’s recently been accepted into a new school with a prestigious writing program, but she’s suffering with writer’s block. She decides to find inspiration by starring in her own real-life romance.
This book is a cute YA but is trying to do a little too much with all the threads and issues it’s trying to address. It get a little bulky toward the end, which is a shame because it could be perfect if it were about 50 pages shorter.
Overall grade: B/B+
Tokyo Ever After: Emiko Jean
Did you enjoy Princess Diaries (the book or the movie)? If your answer is yes, then you need to immediately pick up Tokyo Ever After.
Izumi is a perfectly average Japanese American teen living a very ordinary life when she discovers that she’s the daughter of a Japanese prince. She’s whisked away to Japan to get to know her dad, his family and connect with her history. In Japan she’s contending with being an outsider, meeting the ridiculously high Royal standards, dealing with her scowling but handsome bodyguard and conniving cousins.
So much drama, so much humor, so much fun.
Overall grade: A+
That’s it for June book reviews! I’m already 4 books into July, so I suspect I’ll have another big recap for you next month!
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate which means that if you purchase any of these books using the links I’ve provided, I earn a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay in any way, and as always, all opinions are 100% my own. For my own reading, I mostly borrow books from my Public Library, and I also have a Book of The Month membership. If you’re interested in Book of the Month, you’re welcome to use my referral link here.