Our June 2025 Favorites!

We have made it more than half way through the year! Where is everyone's reading goal at? I'm currently at 55/80 (Maggie) but as per usual will probably extend that to 100 books at some point later in the year. I'm currently at 64/75 (Allison) but will be prioritizing some longer reads in the coming months.

There were a lot of books released in June, and some more that are coming out in July! What are some of the books you are looking forward to? Mine (Maggie) is definitely 'Roll for Romance' by Lenora Woods. And I (Allison) can't wait to sink my teeth into the 50th anniversary edition of 'Tuck Everlasting' by Natalie Babbitt.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab -Maggie

5 / 5 Stars

With interlocking storylines and lots of history, I absolutely adored this take on vampires. Maria/Sabine is absolutely unhinged at times, refusing to be places behind rules and expectations again. I liked seeing how she changed throughout the years, and her experiences throughout them. Charlotte remains a mystery for a lot of the text, which I found to be really cool. We don't fully know her backstory for a while, just assuming she changed Alice and ran. Alice has gone through a lot, but doesn't wish to completely change her direction in life, but when she wakes up knowing the sun hurts and craving blood she has a few guesses on what happened to her. Alice's modern story was a very fun take on vampires too, since she is the only one who seemed to figure out what she was on her own because of the media around her.

I adored this book. It felt like the book V.E. Schwab has wanting to write for a while, and had that twisted aspect I've come to love with her books. If you are looking for a sapphic fantasy with vampires that covers a lot of centuries I highly recommend this book.

All's Fair in Love and Field Hockey by Kit Rosewater - Allison

4/5 Stars

A star field hockey goalie, Evelyn, is thrown off-kilter by the arrival of an attractive opponent on her school's rival team during her senior year. In addition to struggling with her game, Evelyn struggles with being her true self and with living up to her deceased mother's field hockey legacy. And boy-oh-boy is she messy, messy, messy about it all. The drama in this book feels real. Kit is amazing at writing authentic teenagers without being too adult or too childish. It's a story of redefining one's friendships, relationships, and plans for the future once something is unlocked inside you that you can't ignore any longer. No one seems to be intentionally, purely villainous, which is a feat in a high school story and incredibly refreshing. And the references to Rosa's life in New Mexico were chef's kiss *mwahh*. This was Kit's debut YA novel, and I can't wait to read more of her work to come!

The Murderbot Diaries Vol 1 by Martha Wells - Maggie

5 /5 Stars

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is (and to watch its favorite show in its downtime.) But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.

These two novellas made me laugh out loud at times with how the Murderbot narrates the stories. He is both dry and oddly funny, mostly when he doesn't understand why humans do what they do. He is emotionally distant and doesn't want people to perceive him, but as he helps the scientists they try to get him to join their group and he's unsure of how to handle this new 'mission'. It was a refreshing kind of sci-fi with it being from the POV of the robot and not the humans. I'm excited to continue reading the novellas/novels associated with this story.

Out of Character by Jenna Miller - Allison

5/5 Stars

I was a little late to the party on this 2023 release, but this high-school-aged rom-com did not disappoint! Cass Williams is a fan of online roleplay related to her favorite book series, Tide Wars. But when her fictional life starts to impede on her "regular" life, can she continue to keep the two worlds separate? Should that even be the goal? With a charming girlfriend, a ride-or-die best friend, and a father trying his best, can Cass deal with the drama of her first real relationship, maintaining friendships long-distance, and a mother who walks out on the family?

This book was an adorable, modern story with found families, messy feelings, and, much like Kit, realistically portrayed teenagers. It was the perfect, fun read to get me out of a reading slump with too may serious, sad books in a row. It also had me squealing with cuteness by the end. And not to get too controversial, but a legit tater tot hot dish NEEDS cheese... sorry Jenna!

Consider adding these gems to your TBR list for the second half of the year. Any recommendations for us to add to ours? Leave a comment and let us know!