June 2021 Reads

It’s Book Review Day - one of my favorite days of the month!  This month I read 4 books, each one completely different from the next.  One was light and fun.  One was creepy, disturbing and suspenseful.  There was one that I was so excited about, but ended up abandoning.  And one that was a psychological thriller.

The Butterfly Garden – Dot Hutchinson (B)

This is easily one of the most twisted, disturbing books that I read in a long time. Strong Silence of the Lambs vibes. I have mixed feelings on this one. The story is about kidnapped young women (which of course is intense).  It is dark and graphic yet I could not stop reading it because I had to know what happened. It captivated me from the get-go and kept pulling me in until the very end. It is one of the most uniquely crafted stories I’ve read in a while. BUT I do not think I can read any more in this series.  I am not a very sensitive reader… I pretty much read everything and anything.  But this one was at times a bit too much.  After I finished, I knew I needed something significantly more light and fluffy in order to counter affect the feelings of this one. 3.5/5 stars

Beach Read – Emily Henry (A)

This audiobook was sweet, fun, and predictable with a great narrator.  The beginning was a bit slow for me, but I became more invested in the story and characters in the second half of the story. I will admit that this is about as close to chick-lit as I go.  I was the perfect book to listen to after finishing The Butterfly Garden.  So if you are looking for an easy, light summer read, this one would fit the bill for sure.   3.5/5 stars

Dictionary of Lost Words – Pip Williams (A)

I was so excited about this one, but goodness, it really did not live up to my hopes.  The story centers around Esme, who grows up surrounded by scholars that decide what words and which definitions end up in the dictionary.  The premise is about the story of words and the power they hold, who decides what makes the cut into the dictionary, and what happens to the language of those that are underrepresented (the poor, women, and the uneducated). An interesting and intelligent premise (and one that I would like to see explored more), but the overall writing style, lack of character depth and slow progress of the story left me feeling bored.  On the plus side, it was clearly well researched and I did learn a lot; but ultimately I found my personal interest slowly decline with each page. I listened to about 50% of the audiobook before I ultimately abandoned it.  I will also note that I have a number of friends that did enjoy this book greatly.  So as always, it's best to decide for yourself. 1/5 stars

The Wives – Tarryn Fisher (A)

Thursday’s husband has 2 other wives that she has never met.  But one day she learns some information that changes everything. A psychological thriller about a woman in a polygamist marriage – surely this would be interesting!  I picked this one up on a recommendation from a few of my friends.  It was okay; but ultimately I felt it was overhyped and I could not relate at all to the main character.  It was entertaining enough to keep me listening while I cleaned the bathroom or did laundry.  2.5/5 stars  

B – Physical Book

A - Audiobook

As always, you can see a consolidated list of all my book reviews HERE.

Now it’s your turn – what book have you recently read that you can’t stop thinking about?  I don't know about you, but I need some solid book recommendations to get me through the next few months.  Something that will pull me in immediately and keep me going through to the very last page.  So tell me in the comments what you are reading, what you are loving, and what book recs you have for me.