June started out as a terrible reading month for me. I had little to no time to read and when I could find time I just was not interested. It took me over two weeks to get through my first book, but when I did finally finish it, I managed to end my month on a decent four books read. 

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Read: 04/06/21 – 17/06/21

*I was kindly sent an arc of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

Although it took me a very long time to get through this I did really enjoy it. The concept was really fun and the powers that the main character Briseis possessed were really interesting. I loved learning about all different types of plants, especially the poisonous ones and the lore that was woven into the story was exciting. 

I had no idea going into this book that it had ties to mythology in it and oh boy was I excited when I found out it does. I’m a huge mythology fan and the inclusion of it made this book even better for me. 

Check out my full review of This Poison Heart here. 

Goodreads synopsis: “Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.”

Reputation by Lex Croucher 

Read: 17/06/21 – 24/06/21

*I was kindly sent an arc of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

I had very high hopes of loving this book as it was said to be a mix between Bridgeton and Mean Girls. However, it didn’t really feel like that for me, especially the Mean Girls part. 

This was a good enough book and I did enjoy its scandalous nature enough to give it three stars, but it just did not hit the mark for me. I don’t really have much more to say on it as I genuinely just don’t have strong enough opinions about any parts of the book.

Check out my full review of Reputation here. 

Goodreads synopsis: “Abandoned by her parents, middle-class Georgiana Ellers has moved to a new town to live with her dreary aunt and uncle. At a particularly dull party, she meets the enigmatic Frances Campbell, a wealthy member of the in-crowd who lives a life Georgiana couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams.

Lonely and vulnerable, Georgiana falls in with Frances and her unfathomably rich, deeply improper friends. Georgiana is introduced to a new world: drunken debauchery, mysterious young men with strangely arresting hands, and the upper echelons of Regency society.

But the price of entry to high society might just be higher than Georgiana is willing to pay…”

B*Witch by Paige McKenzie and Nancy Ohlin

Read: 22/06/21 – 28/06/21

I had absolutely no intention of listening to an audiobook last month as I honestly don’t enjoy them that much. But I discovered that Spotify has a tonne of free audiobooks so I thought, why not? 

I did really enjoy my listening experience. Usually, I listen to audiobooks on at least 1.5 speed, which does ruin the listening experience a little. I am very impatient and think that I can read them quicker than how long it takes to listen to the audiobook. However, Spotify doesn’t have a speed option so I listened to it at its intended pace and I enjoyed the story. 

I won’t say too much here as I am planning on reviewing the book sometime this week (maybe). So keep an eye out for that!

Goodreads synopsis: “New girl and secret witch Iris just wants to get through her first day of school without a panic attack. The last thing she expects is to be taken in by a coven of three witches-soft-spoken Greta, thoughtful and musical Ridley, and fiery and spirited Binx. They may be the first witches Iris has met IRL, but their coven is not alone in their small northwestern town.

The Triad is the other coven at their school. When the Triad’s not using spells to punish their exes or break up happy couples for fun, they practice dark magic. The two covens have a rivalry stretching all the way back to junior high.

When tragedy strikes and one of their own is murdered, the rival covens must band together to find out who is responsible before it’s too late. Someone’s anti-witch ideology has turned deadly . . . and one of them is next.”

Up All Night by Various Authors

Read: 24/06/21 – 29/06/21

*I was kindly sent an arc of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

Just as with the book above I will be reviewing this book later this week so I’m not going to say anything here. Sorry you’ll just have to wait to see what I thought of it. 

Goodreads synopsis: “When everyone else goes to bed, the ones who stay up feel like they’re the only people in the world. As the hours tick by deeper into the night, the familiar drops away and the unfamiliar beckons. Adults are asleep, and a hush falls over the hum of daily life. Anything is possible.

It’s a time for romance and adventure. For prom night and ghost hunts. It’s a time for breaking up, for falling in love—for finding yourself.

Stay up all night with these thirteen short stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors like Karen McManus, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nina LaCour, and Brandy Colbert, as they take readers deep into these rarely seen, magical hours.

Full contributor list: Brandy Colbert, Kathleen Glasgow, Maurene Goo, Tiffany D. Jackson, Amanda Joy, Nina LaCour, Karen M. McManus, Anna Meriano, Marieke Nijkamp, Laura Silverman, Kayla Whaley, Julian Winters, Francesca Zappia.”

Let me know what your favourite read of June was!

WANT TO SEE WHAT I’VE BEEN READING LATELY? CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS HERE

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Like this post? Why not read this one too: To Be Read: July 2021