June Book Favourites

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I'm back with my favourite books of the month! I was leaning hard into summery reads, which is reflected in this list.

A great MG read for Pride Month as Bug spends a summer in the 80s coming to understand more of the world around her, especially when she finds out some of the people around her are LGBTQIA+. Loved reading it as an adult, since it felt so full of innocence and nostalgia and days at the beach, while also being a coming-of-age story, when you're forced to learn hard truths about the world.

A bit hard to describe, as it's really one of a kind. It's an epistolary light academia spec fic with both fantasy and sci-fi elements, as well as romance, set on a planet that's mostly covered with water. A year ago, Henerey and E. disappeared, and now their siblings try to figure out what happened by sharing their letters with each other. 
While I do think the epistolary format bogged down the story sometimes, and all the layers to the story meant I really had to pay attention, I loved it. The world is fascinating, all 4 main characters are delightful, and the relationships we get to see develop between them are lovely. There's lots of LGBTQIA rep, as well as OCD and anxiety rep, which I love to see in SFF. So imaginative, and I look forward to the sequel!

A gorgeous memoir about growing up in Jamaica with a strict Rastafarian family. Great look into a new-to-me experience, thought-provoking, and beautiful writing.

This one's for the nerds! Also fans of 10 Things I Hate About You, since it's a contemporary and updated YA version of a Shakespeare play with similar sensibilities.

This is book 3 in this series of murder mysteries set after the events of all Jane Austen books, and you do have to read them in order, but I think they're great fun (as long as you're not an Austen purist).

The second book in another funny cozy mystery series, although it's mostly about our wonderful protagonist, Violet, trying to become a Lady Detective and find her place in the world. I'm more there for the romp and the seaside vibes than the mystery anyway, so it ticks all my boxes for this kind of book.

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