Another month down! How is your 2024 going? This month was the month of catching up on arcs for me. I still have a few to go before I will have a little more wiggle room in my reading. I thought I wouldn't be able to reach my goal of 'one nonfiction book a month' but managed to slip an audiobook in!
What were you favorite reads of the month? What are you excited to read in July?
Bi-Partisan by Dallas Smith
Congressman Jamie Montgomery knows that re-election will be tough as a young single man representing a newly redrawn district in NC. His friends tell him to take a break and go out with them, he ends up seeing a man he instantly falls for.
When he ends up going with this man named Adrian, they decide it will only be a one night stand. That is until a paparazzi takes a picture of them leaving the club, and forces Jamie to come out. Now, Jamie is asking Adrian if they can pretend to date, at least so the voters don't see him as someone who would just have a one night stand. But the longer they fake date, the more real their feelings become, but both of them have anxieties they need to figure out.
This book is a really adorable one.
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton
Cleo and her friends accidently steal a spaceship. They didn't mean too. They swear. They just wanted to know why, twenty years ago, the entire Providence crew vanished without a trace, but then the stupid dark-matter engine started on its own, sending them on an adventure they weren't ready for.
Now they are on their way to Proxima Centauri, with the guidance of a grumpy hologram that resembles the captain of the disappeared ship, Billie. Hologram Billie doesn't know what year it is, or what they missed while the others went missing, but as they start to catch up on the story they become more and more concerned.
Now that have to figure out how to get themselves home, and figure out the mystery of the original crew.
Hearts on Thin Ice by Katie Kennedy
Nick Sorensen had once been one of the fastest men in hockey—until the devastating plane crash that took the lives of his best friends, leaving him the only survivor. Now he’s physically ready to get back on the ice, but his coach is concerned Nick isn’t doing as well, mentally, as he says he is. Case in Nick’s apartment is completely empty, apart from a single chair and a mattress on the floor.
To prove he’s fine, really, Nick hires Alyssa Compton, to decorate his space. Alyssa’s thrilled at the chance to prove herself to her demanding boss. Nick turns out to be infuriatingly stubborn and impossible to work with, and just when Alyssa decides to throw in the towel on the whole thing, Nick shows up for her in a way she never could have expected.
The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
When Daphne attends a baseball game just days after signing her divorce papers, she doesn't expect to get drunk enough to heckle a baseball player. She definitely doesn't expect to make him cry. When she tries to apologize through an Instagram DM, she sends everything BUT the apology.
Chris Kepler doesn't normally answer DMs, but this one catches his eye, and the more they talk the more he starts to feel comfortable.
But when Daphne ends up filling in as a reporter for the team, her and Chris start to hit it off IRL. Now Daphne has to figure out the right time to tell Chris her secret, and hope that he accepts that she is also Duckie.
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
Eighteen year old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father. But when he is murdered, and she is left with his journal he told her to burn, she tries to figure out her next move. Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild, determined to discover why anyone would threaten her father.
Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally, Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own.
Crashing into You by Rocky Callen
Leti Rivera loves street racing, and dreams of being a famous female street racer. Her brother, Santos, taught her how to drive so no one could catch her, and driving is how she feels like she is escaping the world around her. But when tragedy strikes after a race, her love for racing is threatened by it. Except, she has promised to win this race for a new friend who she happens to be in love with.
If she can win, he would have the money he needs to save his home, but now Leti is unsure what to do and how to not break the promises she has made to those who are important to her. When Leti and Jacob become friends, they start to feel like they are flying while they are in the car together, mixing with Jacob's love for space and astronauts, together they are in a spaceship.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers. She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.
This story explores how someone leaving shows us the truth about what is happening, and how sometimes we need help in seeing the things that may be hurting us. A really powerful story that I found was a great listen via audiobook.
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim
After her sister Lasya’s sudden death, Kajal vows to do whatever it takes to bring her back. No cost is too great, even if it means preventing Lasya’s soul from joining the cycle of reincarnation. But as Kajal prepares for the resurrection, her sister’s trapped soul warps into a bhuta—a violent, wraith-like spirit hell-bent on murdering those who wronged it in life. With each kill, the bhuta becomes stronger and fiercer, and Kajal’s chances of resurrecting Lasya with her soul intact grow slimmer. Blamed for Lasya’s rampage and condemned as a witch, Kajal is locked away with little hope of escape. That is when two people approach her for help resurrecting their prince in trade for helping her with with her sister.
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