What I Read and Loved | June 2025

Seven books, two TV series, and more

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

June is always an exciting but busy month for me. It always marks the end of the school year, and since I work in five different libraries, I’m always overwhelmed by last-minute tasks at so many different sites, such as inventory, tidying up, and trying to get books returned and shelved. For the first half of June, I feel like I'm barely keeping it all together, but for the last half of June, I'm truly living my best no-alarm-clock life.

When I feel busy or overwhelmed, I often gravitate toward books that are quick reads, highly entertaining, and/or good as audiobooks. This process usually serves me well, but out of the seven books I finished in June, only two received a four-star or higher rating. Let's get into my reviews, and I'll explain why. This is a long one, so to read the whole newsletter, click through to Substack.

What I Read

I list books in the order in which I read them. All books are linked to Bookshop.org, where your purchases can support an indie bookstore of your choice and my work on Literary Merit.

I Thought It Would Be Better Than This: Rise From Disappointment, Regain Control, and Rebuild a Life You Love by Jessica N. Turner: After 16 years of marriage, Jessica Turner faces a divorce when her husband, Matthew, comes out as gay. The two still have a deep love for one another, work hard to remain good friends, and commit to raising their three children in harmony. Despite all of that, the divorce tears Turner apart in ways she did and didn't expect. This book is the result of her coming to terms with her new normal, wrestling with life as a single woman, and learning how to heal and build a beautiful new reality for herself as someone who's stronger than she's ever been.

Before I talk about what I did and didn't like about this book, please know that I'm not the target audience. I've never been married, I don't have kids, and there's no particular challenge I'm working through right now. I picked up this book anyway because I've been a longtime follower of Jessica on social media, and I'm always intrigued by stories about relationships and their messy evolutions.

I Thought It Would Be Better Than This is a mix of memoir and self-help. The memoir parts were much stronger than the self-help sections, and I think this book would have been better if more emphasis had been put on telling the author's story instead of walking readers through theirs. (A person experiencing divorce might feel differently, of course.) I found the self-help portions of the book to be a bit trite and self-explanatory. Turner isn't shy about revealing the pain she experienced in the wake of her divorce, and some of her suggestions for recovery sounded flippant in the wake of such heartache.

This book is her story, though, so even if I didn't find much of the self-help parts inspiring or convincing, she obviously did, and maybe the right reader will, too. I admire what Turner is trying to do in this book, but it's one I'd only recommend to specific readers who might need some easily digestible encouragement. (ebook, 2/5 stars)

Community Board by Tara Conklin: Darcy Clipper is almost 30, and her life quickly falls apart. Her husband leaves her for someone else, and the sabbatical she was told she could take from her job turns into a firing. The only thing Darcy knows to do without a job or apartment is to go back home to her parents' house in Murbridge, Massachusetts. She decides to surprise them, but when she arrives, Darcy is the one who's surprised. Her parents are gone, and when she gets in touch, they admit they're in Arizona for a few months, trying it out to see if they want to make a permanent move.

Alone and spiraling, Darcy gets by by eating the massive amount of canned goods her mom has stored in their basement and the baked goods left on the porch by her mom's friend. She slowly starts reentering the world through the town's online community board, where people post about missing pets, loud noises, suspicious strangers, and even leave cryptic love notes. These odd posts and quirky townspeople are the impetus to Darcy's return to reality, and a friendship with a determined neighbor will change everything.

Community Board is a funny and charming novel. Darcy is a sympathetic character whose breakdown seems completely understandable, given the circumstances. I enjoyed the offbeat board postings that reminded me of the small Kansas town in which I grew up. (My town's newspaper would include reports of who had a family reunion and who went to the doctor in Kansas City.)

Readers should note that this novel contains little plot. Tara Conklin focuses on her characters, especially Darcy, as they interact both digitally and in person. I'm always onboard with a lack of plot, but there were times when the novel felt a bit slow. Despite that critique, I'm glad I read Community Board and would recommend it to readers who like Gilmore Girls or other stories with small-town vibes. (Audiobook, 3/5 stars)

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: One of my pre-summer traditions is reading Emily Henry's latest book. This year, that book is Great Big Beautiful Life, a departure from Henry's last few romances. I'd still consider this book to be a romance novel, but it's also historical fiction with a touch of mystery.

The story begins when writer Alice Scott gets an opportunity to pen a biography about Margaret Ives, a once-famous and now reclusive Hollywood socialite whose family was known for their wealth and drama. Another writer is also in the running, a man named Hayden Anderson, who's already won a Pulitzer for another biography. Margaret wants to meet with both writers to determine which one will be a better fit, so the two rivals travel to Little Crescent Island, inspired by a real place near Savannah, Georgia.

As people tend to do in romances, Alice and Hayden find themselves running into each other in the small town where they're staying, and eventually sparks start to fly. As their romance develops, readers are learning more about Margaret Ives, her family, and the losses they suffered throughout history.

One of the things I love about Emily Henry's books is her character development. Her books have a great deal of plot, but the heart of her novels is always the people. That's one of the things I found missing in Great Big Beautiful Life. Alice and especially Hayden are mostly flat characters, and their love story doesn't make much sense because of that. Hayden has such little personality that Alice's fondness for him makes zero sense to me.

Another aspect of this novel that I didn't like was learning about Margaret's past. She's an interesting character, but I don't think readers need as much information about her family as we got. This novel was longer than it needed to be, and the back-and-forth timelines made it feel choppy, something I've never noticed in other Emily Henry books.

There were moments in this book that charmed me, such as the quaint setting by the water and the complicated relationship between Alice and her mom. Henry is always good at giving readers dynamic supporting characters, and that's true in this book, too.

If you're like me and you always reach for a new Emily Henry book, you'll probably find enough in this new release to make it worthwhile. But if you've never read Henry before, I don't recommend starting here, since this book is such a departure from her older (and better) titles. (ebook, 2.5/5 stars)

Awake by Jen Hatmaker: In the summer of 2020, Jen Hatmaker woke up in the middle of the night and found her husband of 26 years next to her in bed, messaging his girlfriend. That was the bomb that blew up Hatmaker's entire life and ended her marriage. She and her then-husband, Brandon, had been in the public eye for many years. Brandon had been a pastor, and Jen a well-known author, speaker, and podcaster. Awake is the story of how she walked through divorce and rebuilding in the public eye.

Written in vignettes, Hatmaker shares her story in bits and pieces. This style doesn't always work for me, but it does in this book. Hatmaker writes about the time she called her close-knit family together to tell them the news, and she reflects on how she parented her five kids as a newly single mom. She highlights her parents and how they helped pick up the pieces in the wake of her grief. The beginning of Hatmaker's story takes place during the COVID-19 lockdown, which adds another layer of trauma to an already traumatizing ordeal.

What I love so much about Awake is the honesty. Hatmaker vulnerably shares about the moments she sobbed in disbelief, topics she took into therapy, and reflects on the issues that were present in her marriage all along. She shows tremendous grace to Brandon, holding him accountable for his actions while unpacking what might have led him to them. She also talks about how certain problematic religious teachings that she held closely for years negatively impacted her, especially as a young bride.

The rawness with which Hatmaker writes allows readers to get an up-close look at grief and loss, yet this book is one of the most inspiring and triumphant stories I've read. It's beautiful to witness Hatmaker find her true voice, unlearn some detrimental beliefs and theology, and witness the transformation from sorrow to joy.

Even if divorce isn't part of your story, Awake has something to offer you. I can't wait for more readers to get their hands on this fantastic memoir. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy. Awake comes out on September 23. (ebook, 5/5 stars)

O Sinners! by Nicole Cuffy: Still wrestling with the death of his father, New Yorker and young journalist Faruq Zaidi pitches a new story. He wants to travel to California to immerse himself in the group called the Nameless, led by the mysterious Odo and committed to upholding Odo's 18 Utterances, including ideas about what the group calls "distortions." Faruq's editor agrees, and off he goes, trying to learn more about Odo, what his followers truly believe, and how they came together in California.

Faruq's time with the cult is one part of the story, but there are two other types of chapters. One is the transcript from a documentary made about the Nameless and a controversial episode that happened in Texas. Other chapters are set during Odo's time fighting in the jungles during the Vietnam War, the time when he received his divine inspiration.

My favorite chapters were the ones in which Faruq is living with the cult. He forms a relationship with Odo and is tasked with some interesting jobs around the commune. I wasn't into the chapters focused on Odo's Vietnam Experience, and the documentary transcript was interesting, but I would have preferred that story told in traditional prose since the back and forth of timelines and writing style was sometimes frustrating as a reader.

Ultimately, O Sinners! has a fascinating story as its core, but the style and broad storytelling made it less impactful than it could have been. The novel is over 400 pages, and I don't think Cuffy needed all of them for her story to pack a punch. If you're interested in cults and appreciate touches of historical fiction, you might love O Sinners! If not, this novel probably isn't for you. (Audiobook, 3/5 stars)

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava: Sloane is a thirty-something New Yorker living with and helping care for her mom. She works at a nail salon and admits to readers early on that she's a liar. When she sees a little girl and the girl's handsome father at the park one day, she steps in when the girl is stung by a bee, saying she's a nurse. Sloane has an immediate crush on the dad, Jay, and she's also intrigued by his beautiful wife, Violet. The wealthy couple lives in an expensive brownstone, and after a couple of planned encounters, Sloane is invited for dinner as a thank you for helping with the couple's daughter. Eventually, Sloane becomes the girl's nanny, and her life becomes dangerously entwined with her new friends.

I'll cut to the chase and say that I did not like this book. I almost stopped reading it several different times, but I kept going because it was fast-paced and didn't require any thought, two things I was looking for as school reached its end.

I usually enjoy unreliable narrators, but I don't like it when they explicitly say, "I'm a liar." I'd rather be shown their character instead of having it spelled out for me right away. That was a frustrating beginning to this book, and it only got worse with each unbelievable plot twist. I love a twisty thriller or mystery that's full of surprises, but the twists have to feel rooted in reality, and the ones in Count My Lies never did. Like I said, this thriller is a fast-paced read, but sadly, I didn't find anything about the story satisfying. (ebook, 1/5 stars)

Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald: April is single and works from home. She's starting to wonder if she's missing out by being alone so often, so she decides to take a leap. There's a handsome bookseller named Westley at April's favorite local bookstore, and when she drops off some books to sell, April leaves an anonymous note in one of them, kicking off what she hopes might be a fun new romance.

Before the book with the letter inside can make its way to Westley, it's sold to Laura, a hardworking single mom since the death of her husband several years prior. Laura is skeptical of the note, but she can't help but be intrigued. After thinking it over, she responds, leaving her letter in the copy of The Hunger Games, as instructed.

While both women are thinking about the handsome bookseller, Westley is thinking about the movie currently shooting inside the Seattle bookstore, and the small role he was forced to take. As chaos reigns at the store, Laura and Alice strike up a correspondence that neither expected.

If I had to describe Storybook Ending with one word, I'd choose "delightful." I'm always up for a book set in a bookstore, and I definitely enjoyed those chapters, but I also loved getting to know Alice and Laura, two complex and lovely characters. It was fun to see how their friendship grew and how Westley learned to tune out the noise to think about what he really wants to do with his life.

If you're looking for a lighthearted and happy book this summer, pick up Storybook Ending. I wanted to hug this book, and I think that's high praise. (ebook, 4/5 stars)

What I Loved

TELEVISION: The Four Seasons

As a longtime Tina Fey fan, I was eager to check out her new series, and I’m happy to say that I loved it. The Four Seasons, based on the Alan Alda film, follows three couples as they vacation together each season. The show is hilarious, and it often made me laugh out loud. I loved the exploration of marriage and friendship, and enjoyed the ensemble cast.

TELEVISION: The Residence

I’m a big fan of Kate Andersen Brower’s books about presidential history, including The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House. When I heard that the book was the inspiration for a new Netflix series, I knew I’d love the show, and I did. Uzo Aduba delivers a great performance as Detective Cordelia Cupp, who’s called in to help determine who killed the Chief Butler at the White House. The production design on this show is incredible, and the cast is fantastic. It was just announced that there won’t be a second season, but thankfully, the series wraps up nicely.

What I Wrote

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What did you read and love in June? Did any of our books overlap?

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