june reads.

And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
This was a fun read, and I think my favorite part was that it was all centered on a nursery rhyme.  Even though it spelled out multiple times what was going to happen in the book, everything was still engrossing and surprising as it happened.  The twist in the end was pretty great, albeit a little bit impossible to believe??  But I still liked this book!!

The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo
I've always said that I don't cry when I read books, and that my version of crying in a book is tearing up.  Until this book.  I WEPT at parts of this book, both the tears and the feels this book gave me took be completely by surprise.  I wasn't sure how I'd receive a book written entirely in poems, but I was just as into it as I would be a regularly-written novel.  A few of these poems shocked me at how much I related to them, and I will never ever forget them.

The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley
I was really really into the setting and the atmosphere of this mystery, but not at all about most of the characters involved.  I found them really unlikable and so it got to a point where I was like kill them all, I do not care.  I'm disappointed I didn't like this more because the setting is so perfect for a murder mystery, and I would love to see it again in a book, but with different characters.

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
I don't know what to say about this book that hasn't already been said by people who are better and more qualified than me to make a review.
Perfect.  Haunting.  Frustrating.  Funny.  Hopeful.  Mandatory.  Reading.

Meet Cute Club, by Jack Harbon
Short and sweet.  Nothing particularly new or groundbreaking.

You Deserve Each Other, by Sarah Hogle
I've been swinging between 3 and 4 stars for this book since I read it, but I think I'm going to stick with a 4-star rating for this one.  Though the characters were serious bratty and annoying in the beginning, as soon as they started getting over themselves I really liked this book.  I ALSO CRIED IN THIS BOOK.  I don't know what is wrong with me, if The Poet X has unlocked this new part of me that cries during books, but if this is the new normal I can live with it.  Romances that involve an established couple at the beginning that are going through it are not my favorite.  They stress me out because in my mind the stakes are so high (what if this is the first ever romance without a happy ending!!) and seeing the struggles is not a fun time.  But this one was kind of fun because the pranking and roasting was amusing.  Just wish they hadn't been so annoying in the beginning!

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia
Okay, so not only was I VERY late to the Rick Riordan party, but I am also behind on the Rick Riordan Presents Imprint.  Not only do I love the concept, I love the idea of having a whole host of mythologies for myself and my kids to explore.  Tristan Strong was such an amazing book.  The story and the atmosphere were so FULL.  Of what, it's hard to explain, but by the end of the book I felt enriched and completely satisfied.  This book is also one of the most stunning debuts I have ever read, and I'm really looking forward to the next book.  And also the other mythologies to explore!

The Guest List, by Lucy Foley
Okay, this was basically what I asked for after finishing The Hunting Party.  The perfect setting for a murder mystery, but with more likable characters.  I really liked this one, and definitely much more than Foley's other book I read this month.  There were quite a few characters to pull for, and I really liked how everything wove together and you could see by the end how multiple people had a motive to kill the "victim" (in quotes, because they pretty much deserved it).  I did want the ending to go differently, though.  While I'm not mad at who the killer turned out to be, I would have liked each of the people slighted by the murdered person to have some kind of confrontation with them.  A couple of characters just kind of found out the person was dead and then went home being like "I guess now the only thing to do is to figure out how to move on" and I was very much like WHAAAATTTT.  I also didn't like how one character's story ended in the book, it all just felt very unfair and unsatisfying.  But overall, I liked this book and thought it was a great improvement from The Hunting Party.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, by Roseanne A. Brown
Another really fantastic debut!!  I really liked this book, and I especially liked the main characters, Karina and Malik.  Both had really great backstories (though I would have liked a little more from Malik), and watching them grapple with the idea of having to kill each other added a lot to the story (and is something I'd like to see confronted in book two!).  I always love to see competitions in books, and it was no different here.  I also really liked the depiction of disabilities in both characters, and how those factored into their lives and journeys.  Lastly, the cover.  It is freaking gorgeous, one of the most beautiful book covers I have ever seen.  I can't wait for book two!