The end of June is already here, which not only means the end of another month, but also that we are now officially halfway through the year! I actually can't believe that we have already made it through six months of the year, as they have just flown by without me even realising it. Fortunately, I have had a pretty good reading year so far, both in terms of how much I have been reading and in the books I have been reading, as I have already loved so many of the books I have read this year so far. The last two months in particular been likely my best reading months yet, as I managed to read 4 books in both, and as much as that probably doesn't sound amazing, and I would definitely like to possibly up that number in the coming months, it does mean that I am finally getting back into reading and back into the habit again, which is something I have been trying to do for a very long time. So here are all the books that I managed to read in the months of May and June. And so, enjoy!
I started off the month of May with a book that I actually picked up from the library, as since finishing PS I Still Love You, I was only in the mood for contemporary, and so thought this would be good one to fulfill that desire. This follows Vivi and Jonah, two people who never thought they would meet, but whose lives collide for a summer they never expected. Overall, I really enjoyed this one even though it did take me a while to get through, and I'm really pleased I picked this one up and gave it a go. I enjoyed the story and plot as well as the characters, especially how different the two main characters were and how we got to see both of them individually as well as together as we watched their relationship grow and grow throughout this book. I also really liked how this book dealt with quite important and powerful topics that consistently underlay the romance and other aspects of the plot and story. The ending fit perfectly with the story and just finished off this book exactly how it needed to be.
Rating - 4/5
May was definitely the month of mood reading, as for whatever reason, as I neared the end of When We Collided I suddenly just really wanted to reread this one, and so that is actually what I did. This book focuses on our two characters of Sephy, a superior black Cross, and Callum, a white Nought, as both they and their relationship get pushed to the limit due to the continuous conflict and tensions between the Noughts and Crosses. This was one of my favourite books when I was younger, and so I was really happy to find that I still really loved this one, as it is just such a poignant and important read. I still really enjoyed the plot and the characters in this one, with both Callum and Sephy two of my favourite characters, with the only one of my thoughts that really changed this time around being the actual pacing and execution of the story, as I did find it just a little rushed and the pace just a little too quick for me. But overall, this was still a story that I really enjoy and may even carry on and reread the whole rest of the series as well.
Rating - 3.5/5
As my mood reading continued, after Noughts and Crosses I knew I wanted to return back to a contemporary, and so decided to pick up this one after hearing such good things about it and really enjoying Nicola Yoon's other book, Everything Everything, when I read it at the beginning of the year. The story follows our two main characters of Natasha, who is fighting to stop her family from being deported back to Jamaica, and Daniel, whose Korean parents want him to go to Harvard but whose own passion lies in poetry, not in becoming a doctor. Honestly, I can't even begin to explain how much I adored this book. From the very first page I was just drawn straight into the story and into these two characters lives, who were both amazing both individually and together. The format was one of the most unique and gorgeous I've ever seen, and I loved both the diversity in this book, and the way it tackled important topics that are so current to the world today. So far, this is definitely my favourite book of the year so far, and at the minute I would not be surprised if it still held that spot by December.
Rating - 5/5
With The Sun is also A Star being such a quick read for me, after finishing it I knew I wanted to keep my motivation to read up, and so picked this one up based on that fact, as I have heard from a few people that these books are very quick, addictive reads, something I certainly found to be true when I read this one for myself. This book follows Juliette, whose fatal touch leads her to be released from the cell she has been locked in for 264 days in order to use her as a weapon. As I said, I only really picked this one up for a quick read, and so I was quite satisfied with this book purely because I wasn't expecting much more than your average dystopian, which is what I feel is exactly what you get with this book. Whilst the writing style and world took me a while to get into, once I did I flew through this one in no time at all because I didn't really feel like I had to pay much attention at all to still be able to follow this one. I did like the romance in this, although would have to admit that it is extremely romance heavy, especially towards the end of the book, but found the characters on their own to be very generic and pretty dull to be honest. However, I am still planning on continuing on with this series, as I did enjoy this one, and so would like to see where this story goes next.
Rating - 3/5
Despite being in such a good reading mood at the end of May, June did not get off to the best of starts, not because of what I was reading, or because I wasn't in the mood to read, but simply because of other things that were happening, such as the end of exams and spending a weekend away, and so it took me a little longer than normal to get back into the habit of reading. Partially for that reason, I decided to pick this one up as, if I'm honest, I was for whatever reason not expecting much from this book, that follows Puck as she enters the deadly Scorpio Races in order to save her home and her family, and as she meets Sean, the only person on the island who can tame the savage water horses. All in all, I can't tell you how wrong I was about this book. I adored everything about this one, from the absolutely gorgeous story that wove so many different aspects together to the spectacular setting that I am already desperate to return to. I loved the characters, from Puck and Sean, who have become two of my new favourites, to all of the side characters who I enjoyed so much more than I can say. After reading this one, I can't believe how wrong I was about this book, and its safe to say this one was definitely my most surprising read of the year so far, in the best way possible.
Rating - 4.5/5
Despite May being a month where all of the books I read were based on what mood I was in, this book was one that I actually more had to get round to than one I read because I was in the mood for it, as I actually borrowed this one from a friend and so knew I had to get round to reading it soon. After the release and hype of the Netflix series, I was also really curious to see what they had changed from the book to the TV series, both of which follows the story of Hannah Baker, who sends out 13 tapes that make their way round 13 people, each containing a reason why she killed herself. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to enjoy this book, I just couldn't find myself enjoying pretty much anything about it, other than the fact that it was a very quick read for me. I found the structure of the book to be extremely repetitive, which by the end made this book very boring to me, and so I really didn't feel their was much of a climax at the end of it. I also really didn't like Clay's commentary, as not only was it unnecessary and again very repetitive, but I also didn't really think he had a role in the story at all, and so didn't understand why out of everyone he was the narrator of this story. Finally, I just also had quite a few problems with how this book dealt with suicide and other issues, and so I just really couldn't enjoy this one at all.
Rating - 2/5
Clearly these two months have been the months for contemporaries, as just like in May, after finishing Thirteen Reasons Why I knew I wanted to pick up another contemporary, one that I hopefully would enjoy a little more than it. This is one I picked up quite spontaneously a couple of months ago now, and so one that I haven't heard or know a huge ton about at all, so I was quite looking forward to going into a book without having huge expectations and without knowing other peoples opinions on it either. The books follows Lexi Angelo, who meets author Aidan Green whilst helping out at one of her father's conventions, and follows their interactions and relationship. Overall, I would say that whilst I did enjoy this one, it was definitely not one of my favourite books I've read, as I found it to be just quite mediocre and just like many other YA contemporary romances I've come across before. I did enjoy the story and the plot, and did find myself swooning over the romance at points, but at times just found it to be predictable, and whilst the characters were interesting at times, I didn't love any of them really, and again found them to be your average characters unfortunately.
Rating - 3/5
Finally, when I was nearing the end of unconventional, I desperately wanted to pick up something I knew I would enjoy after my last two reads, and so fell back on a series that has never failed to amaze me. As this is the third book in the Raven Cycle, I don't want to spoil the first two books, but this one follows on just after The Dream Thieves left off and continues the story where it ended in it. So far I have adored everything about this series, and fortunately this one was no different, with the story once again taking turns I never saw coming and continuously amazing me and drawing me further and further into this world. The writing was just as beautiful and magical as it was before, and created the perfect atmosphere for this book, but is likely my favourite aspect of these books is the characters, who I could read about for the rest of my life and never get bored off. This one seemed to focus in a little more on Adam, who has been one of my favourites since the first book, and so I loved exploring his character more, as well as once again seeing all the other spectacular characters grow and develop throughout this story. Whilst I have to admit that The Dream Thieves is still my favourite of the books so far, this one was still absolutely amazing, and I adored it so much that I can't believe I only have one book left to read in this series!
Rating - 4.75/5
What books did you read in May and June? Which was your favourite? Have you read any of these - what did you think?
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