June 2026 Reading Round Up – Book Reviews & Goals
June was a different month for us here in the UK – we finally got some real summer! I tend to find I read more when there’s a heatwave as I spend more time outdoors in the sunshine, but then again, when you have kids, it doesn’t always work out like that. I would say I did read at my new normal level which is slightly higher on average than it was last year, and that was probably also partly due to having some excellent and somewhat lightweight reads in there.
June 2026 Reading Stats
- I read 12 books total in June.
- 8 books were from Netgalley.
- 1 out of those 8 was a past publication date.
- 4 books were from my “own but not yet read” shelf.
- 2 books were non-fiction, but they weren’t from my list to read.
- 1 book was a series completion, 2 books were series continuations (1 from the aforementioned completed series).
- I acquired 6 new books – a 99p Kindle book, a gift, two Illumicrate books and 3 books (all one series) from the charity shop.
My total book count was quite a bit lower than May (12 compared to 17), however I did read 2 books that were over 800 words in June, and in May I had a few novellas too, so the page count was only slightly lower in June (and minus 1 day in the month, of course!).
My Netgalley goal is going very well right now – I’m pretty pleased with that one. I’m up another percentage point to 86% when my goal was 85% by the end of the year – I hit it at the half way mark! I’m trying to be careful with my Netgalley requests at the moment and I’m adding the ones I’m strongly considering to lists first before requesting; same with any widgets. There are a few series that I’ve enjoyed that I seem to always get widgets for now, so those ones I tend to accept straight away as I know I’ll love them, but it means some list shuffling!
The secondary Netgalley goal of reducing my past publication date reads from 56 to 40 is on track again too. I’m at 48, so 1-2 per month for the rest of the year and I’m sorted. I actually have 11 planned in which gets me safely beyond the goal, so I’ll be very pleased if I can manage to keep on track and hit that!
After hitting a milestone of being back at the beginning of my “own but not yet read” shelf last month, I’m somewhat (read: completely) failing on reducing it again because I keep acquiring new books, even though I’m trying really hard! I started the year with 143 on the shelf, finally got down to 142 last month, now I’m back up to 146!
I bought the Daisy Chain Flower Shop as a 99p Kindle book as Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series is an auto-buy for me! I’ve been trying to avoid the 99p Kindle books the past few months, but I had to get this one.
Ben bought me a Kindle book: ADHD Body and Mind after listening to the author on a podcast.
I got past the waitlist on Illumicrate for Afterlight so this was the first month of getting two books on there (whoops!). I’ve also been offered a spot on Fairyloot this month too and decided not to accept it, which is very sad considering how long I’ve waited, but I just can’t get any more books!
Then someone with similar taste to me must have made a donation to my local charity shop as they not only had 2 ACOTAR books in there (which came home with me as I didn’t have physical copies), but also the first 3 books of the This Woven Kingdom series for £1 each – I couldn’t leave them there, especially as they were on my “really want to read” list.
Again, I do have a strict plan to reduce the number on that shelf to 120, but it only leaves me with enough room to acquire 5 new books for the rest of the year, eek! That’ll be hard when I already know I need to buy ACOTAR 6, and I know others will pop up. Fortunately I’ve left reading room in my calendar for October, November and December – it was mainly for any ARCs published in those months, but I think I’ll have to throw in a few others too!
Right, that was a lot of blurb! I’ll get on to the reviews!
2026 Reading Goal Updates
Book Reviews from June 26
My favourite book in June was The Family Experiment by John Marrs (very closely followed by What You Made Me Do by Kay Marie).
My least favourite book in June was Cop Town by Karin Slaughter.
The Night Stairs by Erin Kelly
This was an all-consuming, claustrophobic, gothic, dark academia style thriller. I am obsessed.
My full review of The Night Stairs by Erin Kelly is on the blog here!
Glad You Came by Chloe Ford
This was a brilliant adventure of a book where it seemed like it was going to be a straightforward boy-meets-girl on a luxury cruise – I loved it!
My full review of Glad You Came by Chloe Ford will be on the blog later this month!
In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto
A cute and steamy romance that blew me away!
My full review of In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto will be on the blog later this month!
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Can I just start this review with highlighting just how long the books in this series are?! Yes, I’ve read longer, and yes, I know fantasy books are generally longer than others, but somehow these feel that extra bit longer. It’s not necessarily that it drags, but to get the Mass Avalanche, you have to get through slower sections and information dumps occasionally. It means I’ve been reading this series thinking that the books will come out as 4 stars at the end, then hit the last section and immediately upgrade them to 5 stars.
I’m very much enjoying linking this series to the wider SJM world – there are little clues everywhere, then of course, the final pages are the big ones I was waiting for. Again, just like after reading book 1 where I went straight into the next, I had to dive pretty much straight into book 3 despite my highly organised reading calendar! I’m reading it alongside others, but I couldn’t just leave it open like that!
I’m excited to see where it goes and how it’ll link into the new ACOTAR books too.
Please Help Me by Gytha Lodge
A fun, well-paced thriller that had me hooked – I read it in less than 24 hours!
My full review of Please Help Me by Gytha Lodge will be on the blog later this month.
The Secret World of Twilight by Sally Coulthard
This was a gorgeously written love letter to a world that’s hidden in plain sight – both poetic and brimming with facts.
My full review of The Secret World of Twilight by Sally Coulthard will be on the blog later this month.
ADHD Body & Mind by Miguel Toribio-Mateas
This was a brilliant, insightful read, written by someone very much in the know, that goes beyond the usual surface level books on ADHD.
Ben actually bought this for me as a gift after listening to the author on a podcast talking about nutrition and neurodiversity. While I’m not diagnosed with any sort of neurodiversity, there’s definitely something neurospicy about my brain, so I know I do well to treat it that way.
I’ve read a couple of other wellness books that feature ADHD or are all about ADHD, and this was a level above them. It was well-structured in a way that suited my brain – the chapters were easily digestible and had useful snippets and headings as part of the framework. I also really enjoyed the author’s voice and personal story. He is very well-versed in the neurodivergent mind academically as well as personally, being diagnosed in mid-life. He explains in the opening line that this was meant to be a text book, but ended up as an evidence based book with a soul.
It’s not a book that gives you answers, but invites you to embrace and explore your neurodiversity. It approaches ADHD with a lot of data but also a lot of heart. It encouraged me to listen to my body and brain carefully to put new tools into practice. At times the message was repetitive, but it served to enforce it.
I’ve highlighted tens of passages in the book to come back, both for the practical advice but also the connection I felt with it – the visibility, the understanding. I came away from the book feeling seen, and reminded to be scared of the way that my brain might differ from others.
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
I have completed the Maasverse! At least, until October anyway. And wow. Sarah J. Maas really knows how to write – not just a book or a series, but an entire interconnected universe.
As always with a book in a series, I’m struggling for the review, but this one really packed a punch. I’ve seen people saying this was their least favourite in Crescent City, especially the first parts before you reach the “Mass avalanche”, but I disagree. I really enjoyed the first parts of this book – especially the big crossover. I savoured these parts of the story!
It did feel a liiiittle longer than it needed to be, but then again, with the amount of detail that Maas includes that you end up needing later on, it would be hard to reduce the word/page count, I’d imagine.
I’ll soon be embarking on an ACOTAR reread in prep for ACOTAR 6, and I’m excited to remind myself of the connections between the two series. There was so much going on that I’m sure there are details I didn’t pick up on. I’m so excited that I can finally check out theories and fan art without being worried about spoilers!!
You’re My Cherry Pie by Athena Carstairs
A charming and light fake dating romance that had me hooked!
My full review of You’re My Cherry Pie by Athena Carstairs is on the blog here!
The Family Experiment by John Marrs
Oh, I loved this one! It was dark but so potentially realistic that it was genuinely scary.
This was a Black Mirror-esque world where families can raise a child in the Metaverse. In the run up to the launch of this service, they launch a new reality TV series where families compete to do the best job of raising a virtual child who will act, feel and seem totally real to them. At the end, only one family will be able to keep their child, the rest are permanently deleted; or they can choose to keep the prize money instead to have a “real world” child.
The book follows several families competing in the show. I was worried I might get confused between the different families, but as some are eliminated fairly quickly and others have such distinct personalities, it wasn’t difficult to follow. The short chapters kept the pace going well, interspersed with the occasional “ad” for new AI technologies or chats from the wider world discussing the show that people could interact with in real time.
Of course, there are huge ethical and moral questions instantly about a variety of aspects of this premise: are the AI children sentient? Is it okay to livestream families 24/7? Live commentary (via red or black hearts) on their parenting styles? Deleting children at the end of it?! As the book continues and we get more and more of an insight into this world and how it was developed, even more pressing and horrifying questions are asked. It really gets you thinking and considering how this could easily be something somewhat true to life nowadays.
The end wraps up very nicely, with a couple of twists that might just knock you off your feet!
It was only when I picked it up to read that I realised it was book #5 set in this world and that I’d actually read book #1 many years ago when it first launched. I’d love to read the others, but I don’t think that having not read them took away from the experience too much. There were obvious references that would have wider context had I read them, but I don’t think I missed out not doing so. Now I just need to read the others!
I’d already recommended it to someone at work within a day of finishing it!
Cop Town by Karin Slaughter
I didn’t fully connect with this book, though it was through no fault of the book’s really, it was all me! When I requested it several years ago, I was much more into police procedural and crime thrillers; nowadays, it’s not my vibe so much. The era and setting, 1970s Atlanta, aren’t my typical realm either.
Having said that, as a crime thriller, it’s exceptionally well done. It’s not my first Karin Slaughter book, so I knew the type of story and writing to expect – the first one I read was honestly a complete shocker in my early 20s, it was interesting to see how much less I was phased by this one nowadays! I was captivated by the differences in the world I inhabit to this one – the way women and queer people were treated was horrific, but not unexpected. It’s a world I just can’t imagine, and that was eye-opening.
Besides that, the story was good. It was fast-paced and had a fascinating, well-developed cast of characters. Again, I couldn’t identify with any of them, but I still found myself entranced. Kate, the new police recruit, goes on a journey through the book with an excellent and very satisfying full circle moment at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book (and apologies for the very late review!)
What You Made Me Do by Kay Marie
I’m going to be thinking about this book for the next few weeks, I LOVED it! Come for the carefree college nostalgia, stay for an emotional romance that dives straight into the deepest depths of trust and healing.
My full review of What You Made Me Do by Kay Marie will be on the blog in September (I accidentally read this one too early!)
