Tuesday, July 3, 2018

June Wrap Up + Updates!

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni and today I'll be talking about the books I have read in June as well as share some updates! 

June was a pretty great reading month for me (11 books!) and now I'm only three books behind my goodreads goal! I also enjoyed all the books I read last month. All of them were 3.5 Star reads or more! I've only reviewed three of the eleven so far, so be on the lookout for some more reviews this July!

1) Save the Date by Morgan Matson

Save the Date is Matson's newest release, and I really enjoyed it! It wasn't my favorite, but it was entertaining. There was just a bit too many antics for me, and the book seemed much longer than the couple days it took place in. 

2) Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Review
 
Breathe is the first in a dystopian duology. Though I didn't love the book, it was good enough for me to continue on with the series. I'm planning on reading Resist this first week of July. The characters verged on one-dimensional, but the setting itself was intriguing.


 3) 180 Seconds by Jessica Park

 Review
180 Seconds is a new adult romance that I sped through. It wasn't my favorite, and there are a ton of dramatics (as there are in NA), but it was a quick and fun read. The characters had a conversation on consent, which I really appreciated. 

4) The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson


The Beauty of Darkness is the third and final book in Pearson's Remnant Chronicles. I do think it was weaker than its predecessor, The Heart of Betrayal. The book was much longer than necessary, but the ending was satisfactory. I'm looking forward to Pearson's Dance of Thieves, which takes place in the same world.

This book was so weird...in the best way possible! I had no idea where the plot was going, and it was such a fun ride. The audiobook was wonderful, and made the book much for amusing than if I were to have read it in print. I'm very excited for the spinoff about Felicity, Henry's sister! 

6) Roomies by Christina Lauren

After reading fantasy and historical fiction, I really wanted a fun romance, and Roomies delivered. In fact, I enjoyed the writing style so much that I read another book by the author duo shortly after (see number 8)! My problem with Roomies was my own mistake: I skimmed ahead! I tend to get impatient when it comes to romance, but this was a case of self sabotage.

7) From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon


After reading and adoring Menon's debut novel, When Dimple Met Rishi, I was ecstatic to read an e-ARC of her next novel, From Twinkle, With Love. Though it wasn't my favorite contemporary, the relationship was adorable and I appreciated that all of Menon's characters were complex. 
 
8) Hating You/ Dating You by Christina Lauren

Like Roomies, I wanted another adult romance that fun and didn't weigh heavily on my mind. As I did with Roomies, I skimmed ahead, which once again, led me to not enjoying the book as more. I know, I have a problem! Hopefully with my next romance I don't make the same mistake. 

9) Hunted by Meagan Spooner

 After reading and loving Meagan Spooner's Starbound trilogy, which she co-authored with Amie Kaufman, I was interested in reading something she wrote on her own. Though I didn't like the Beast's narration most times, the other protagonist was amazing!

10) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

 

I finally read The Hate U Give. It's worth all the hype, and I cannot wait until the movie. I've seen the trailer twice, and cried both times. The Hate U Give is now a staple in the YA community, and I understand why people say that everyone should read it! 
 
11) Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian

The last book I read this June was Stay Sweet. I listened to the audiobook, and it was lovely. I'm currently writing my review of it now, and it should be up by Thursday. Though I had a couple problems here and there, Stay Sweet is a perfect summer read, and really left me craving ice cream.

Updates!

Blog Aesthetics!  
This month I redid my whole blog look! Though I liked my green theme, it was time for a change. I've come to realize that I like blogs with white space and tend to gravitate towards them, so I wanted to incorporate into my own blog. I redid the header, the background, and made my own graphics in replace of the star system I've used since the beginning of the blog! It's a huge change, but I'm glad I decided to go through with it. I think my blog looks more polished, and I'm therefore more proud of it! The only thing that I think I messed up on was my header It's a tad too big in my opinion, but I really don't want to go back into canva and restart it. I think with time I'll get used to it! 

Goodreads Challenge!  
I've been thinking about lowering my goodreads goal. I set it to 100 books, as I have since 2013, and I've been behind all year. I'm more busy now with college. I'm reading a lot more, but it's normally chapters of books and getting 3/4 of the way through required reading. Because of that, what I'm reading isn't translating the best into goodreads. I've started to feel pressure to read more, and it makes reading feel much more like a chore than a hobby. I want to maintain my amazing relationship with reading, so if I continue to feel pressured, I'll be lowering my goodreads goal to 90 or 85. 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!