Thankfully my June reading was stronger than my ability to write about it. It’s been an action packed month with reading that covered the spectrum from meh to my favorite(s) of the year so far. Yes, there were two. Let’s jump in before my need for a nap kicks in.
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Published by St. Martin's Griffin
Publication date: August 6, 2024
Best friends forever, lovers for a moment, Kit and Theo unexpectedly find themselves reunited on a three-week food and wine bus tour in Europe in The Pairing. This young, fun, bisexual couple and the author’s food descriptions make this exactly the kind of book I fall into, but a key element moved the story into terrain that was too saucy for my palate.
Ruins by Lily Brooks-Dalton: I loved this lush, dystopian novel. My review
Wasp's Nest by Kat Stoddard
Published by Celadon Books
Publication date: June 30, 2026
This is a contemporary retelling of one of Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant’s most famous collaborations, The Philadelphia Story. Tess is a wealthy young woman who’s heading into marriage for the second time. The first was a disaster, according to her family, because Peter, was so unsuitable. Now, she’s chosen a more appropriate man from a good family. But even though they haven’t stayed in touch and the divorce wasn’t amicable, Tess invites Peter to her wedding. And he not only decides to go, he invites a man he meets in a bar to be his plus-one. Only 15% in and I already have questions, such as: Why would she invite him? Why would he be so desperate to take a date he’d take a stranger? Much like a lonely groomsman as the reception nears its end the trying-too-hard-vibes left me cold. Watch the movie instead.
Whistler by Ann Patchett: One of my favorite books of the year so far. My review
We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune
Published by Tor Books
Publication date: April 28, 2026
Bookshop
From the Technicolor imagination and generous spirit of T.J. Klune comes another story that manages to encompass the worst and the best in life. The world is ending so married couple Don and Rodney make a cross-country trek to find closure with a loved one before Earth is ripped apart by a black hole. As always, Klune captures a panoply of human emotions in the face of change, but Don and Rod’s situation wasn’t as compelling reading as his descriptions of the world coming apart in pieces.
Time to jump into summer reading! Hopefully, I’ll have reviews, but until then you can get lots of great summer reading ideas from me, Chrissie, and Sarah on the podcast Sarah’s Book Shelves Live. Even better—if you subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts you get a free pdf of over 60 books we’ve read and loved that you will, too.
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*I received a free copy of these books from the publishers Tor and Celadon in exchange for an honest review.*
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