Hello fellow bookworms! How was your June reading? Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year? Time surely flies! I’ve read a couple of great books in June, but also a few I could have passed. Without further ado, here are my June 2023 book reviews.
As a side note, I just want to remind you that you can read the book’s descriptions on Goodreads if the book interests you. I will not give detailed descriptions of the books I read, I simply review them on my site.
Let me get to my June 2023 book reviews now.
Community Board by Tara Conklin
This was such a fun, quirky read! Although the book is lighter than her first one, The Last Romantics, I loved the concept.
The small town of Murdbridge, Massachusetts voices their concerns on an online forum called Community Board. People write all types of announcements there: about lost pets, unwanted items to give away, and so on. But also some ridiculous underlying messages and stabs at the neighbors they’re squabbling with, for example.
Some of the characters were insufferable, but the author meant to show that all types of people live in every community. That’s what makes it interesting!
Although I only gave it four stars, I recommend this book to anyone who wants something light to read. For me, it came at the right moment. It’s the perfect book to read when you’re annoyed with people in your life!!
The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer
This is a great debut coming of age LGBTQIP+ novel by author Bronwyn Fischer. The perfect read for Pride month!
Her writing is sublime, and my feeling is that she will become a new Canadian author to keep an eye out for.
The story follows Nathalie to the University of Toronto, where she’s trying to find herself as she’s becoming an adult. Away from her northern Ontario town of Temagami, she feels overwhelmed by the big city. She meets an older woman named Nora, whom she starts a romantic relationship with.
She sometimes feels as if she’s not mature enough to deal with a fully grown woman, and her inner monologue is very well detailed. As far as character development goes, I think Fischer nailed it.
I definitely recommend this book to people looking to read coming of age novels about the queer community.
Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Bronwyn Fischer for my advanced readers copy to read and review. This book was published on May 23 2023.
The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
This is my second book by Ashley Audrain, and I’m happy to say that it’s my favorite! And that cover is stunning!
I know many people loved The Push more, but I’m not a fan of the evil child trope.
This story enraptured me from the first chapter. I love the way Audrain builds up the characters while making them human, flaws and all. Not many authors manage to delve into the human psyche the way she does. At times you feel compassion for them, while they infuriate you the next minute.
This is a dark, twisted story that gives you a glimpse into the character’s minds.
As women, the pressure is on us to be the perfect wife, mother, and career woman. We often hear the ‘whispers’ she mentions throughout the book, but we often ignore them. Generally, we tend to put other people’s needs before our own. In this book, the author explores what happens when we don’t.
I rounded it up to four because I thought the ending left me with some unanswered questions. It was probably meant to, but I wanted a bit more. That being said, I definitely recommend this book!
Thank you Netgalley, Ashley Audrain, and Penguin Random House Canada for my advanced reader’s copy. This book was published on June 6 2023.
When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill
This is my second book by the author, and it will sadly be my last. I read Lullabies for Little Criminals when I was in college, and I’m not vibing with her style. I wanted to like it so bad since I heard great things about it, but I didn’t. Plus the author is a fellow Montrealer, but oh well.
That isn’t to say her books are bad, they simply don’t work for me. The characters are insufferable and the plot drags on. It feels like a satire piece that mocks the historical period it is based on.
Her writing is actually great and while I got what she was trying to do, it didn’t work for me.
Fans of historical fiction as well as literary fiction might like it, but I didn’t.
If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook
Before I get into my review, I want to thank Netgalley and Celadon for my chance to read and review this book.
It took me over two months to finally finish this book. That should pretty much say it all. Whenever another book I was excited about arrived, I set this one aside. There’s nothing wrong with it per se, it didn’t do anything for me. The writing was basic, the characters annoying, and there was not much of a plot.
You can read the description here, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it more than I did.
If you like family sagas, it may appeal to you. I typically like this genre as well, that is why I wanted to read it. I’m sorry, but it was a complete waste of my time. I say pass this one. This book was published on April 18 2023.
This sums up my book reviews for June 2023. Hope your reading month was great, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon. Until then, keep reading my fellow bookworms! And drop any recs in the comment box below, always appreciate it!
