June reads

Mini reviews of everything I read last month.

WOW! What a reading month June was. Six books. One audiobook. Read my favourite book of 2024 so far. And I hit my Goodreads target for the whole year?! Crazy.

Anyway, here’s what I read…

A teaser of what’s to come.

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

A court case delving into a celebrity murder trial, with an A Lister at the heart of it all. What nobody knows, though, is that the serial killer isn’t on trial - they’re sat on the jury.

I read Twisted by Steve Cavanagh earlier this year with my book club and loved it. Thirteen is meant to be his best work, so of course I had to grab it in a 99p Kindle offer. It did not disappoint!

It’s tough to get into, and the court case itself doesn’t actually kick off until about halfway through the book, but all the buildup helps you better understand each character and the court proceedings. In great legal thriller fashion, there’s an epic climax but I did think the final scenes felt a bit rushed. All in all though, it was a great read and such an interesting concept.

Thirteen is actually book four in a series of Cavanagh’s, but I didn’t read any of the books before and found it easy enough to follow. I’ll definitely be reading more of his work.

Spare by Prince Harry

A memoir from Prince Harry, reflecting on his life since his mother’s passing in 1997 right up to the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2021.

Whew. I listened to this bad boy on audiobook and it took me about two months to finish the whole thing.

I don’t want to get into opinions on Harry’s decisions but I will say it was so interesting to hear about Royal life from his point of view. Most of the book covers his early life and years in the army, which I didn’t know much about.

Harry himself reads the audiobook and does so wonderfully. It felt more like listening to a podcast where someone is chatting to you than like listening to a 16-hour long memoir.

The Humans by Matt Haig

In The Humans, an alien arrives on earth and takes the identity of Professor Andrew Martin, a mathematician who has just made a discovery that could be detrimental to the universe. The alien’s task is simple: kill Professor Martin and anyone else he may have shared his findings with… but nothing’s ever that straightforward.

Note to the incredible Matt Haig: please forgive me for what I am about to write.

The Midnight Library is one of my favourite books of all time, and one I think everyone should read. Haig’s memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, is also a beloved book of mine and it got me through a very dark time. So, naturally, I had very high hopes about The Humans - and I just didn’t like it at all.

I struggled with the writing style and didn’t feel connected to the characters - which is kind of the point, because it’s written from the alien’s POV. I also fail to believe someone’s partner and son wouldn’t notice they had been replaced by an extraterrestrial, so that probably didn’t help matters.

I did enjoy the romanticism of humanity, and the gentle reminder of how beautiful our everyday lives are, but unfortunately The Humans won’t be making it to my favourites of 2024.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Violet was meant to be attending Basgiath War College as a scribe, but she has found herself joining the quadrant for dragon riders. In the same quadrant is Xaden Riorson, son of the rebellion leader and the reason Violet’s brother is dead.

Speaking of books making it to my favourites of 2024… I could not get enough of Fourth Wing. I’m usually a pretty slow reader, but I couldn’t put this down and read all 500+ pages in less than five days.

And I now officially have a crush on Xaden Riorson.

Sarcastic dragons, interesting and loveable characters, plenty of action and spice - I just loved this book. It has a Hunger Games feel to it too, which is always a win in my eyes.

Unintentionally matched my nails to the cover, too. It was fate.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

I loved Fourth Wing so much that I instantly bought and started reading its sequel Iron Flame on my Kindle because it wasn’t in stock at my local bookstore and I couldn’t bear to wait one more day for it to arrive.

Picking up straight where Fourth Wing ends, Iron Flame follows the characters through Violet’s second year at Basgiath.

I didn’t love Iron Flame as much as I did Fourth Wing but I still really enjoyed it, particularly the second half of the book. Don’t let that put you off, as I enjoyed Iron Flame more than most books I’ve read… I was just obsessed with Fourth Wing.

The first half is a little slower-paced, with lots of world-building, explanations of history and introductions of new characters so when the action began to ramp up I found myself glued to my Kindle.

The final pages had me in floods of tears and I don’t know how I’m going to cope until the third book, Onyx Storm, comes out in January 2025.

The Love of my Life by Rosie Walsh

Leo is an obituary writer. When Emma, his wife and mother of his child, falls ill, he does what he knows best to cope; writes about her life. But during his research Leo realises he doesn’t really know Emma at all. It’s not even her real name…

I read The Love of my Life really quickly as it was written in a simple style and the plot was easy to follow. I wouldn’t say I liked it, though.

I felt it struggled to find its feet, though - it went from a light, almost comedic, style to a thriller (of sorts) and back - and I didn’t really ‘click’ with any of the characters. The big twist/shock wasn’t as drastic as I expected it to be, either.

Overall, it was a straightforward read albeit forgettable. If you want something easy to pick up while you’re sat on the beach, this is probably the thing for you.

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

Nora’s father is the infamous serial killer Aaron Nierling, who is 26 years into 18 life sentences in a high security prison. Despite her parentage, Nora is a successful surgeon and has put her past behind her. Until a woman is found murdered, with the same signature as her father…

I’ve never read anything by Freida McFadden before but I’ve heard amazing things about her novel The Housemaid, so I had high hopes for this.

God, was I let down. I have a knack for guessing whodunnits and this was no exception, but if a book is well-written then I can look past that.

It was written so dully with no character development and I didn’t understand a lot of the characters’ motives - as in, if someone is framing you for murder would you surely not talk to the police about it?!

By the end I didn’t care who was the culprit.

I’m still going to give The Housemaid as go, though, maybe McFadden can redeem herself…

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So, that was everything I read in June! What did you read last month? Please share any recommendations!