Everything I Read in June 2025
1. The Business Trip
A mystery with tons of twists and turns that will leave you guessing throughout most of the story. Stephanie and Jasmine are strangers who end up sitting next to each other on the plane. Their paths only cross this one time but their lives will quickly become entangled forever. Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship and sees her possible freedom in Stephanie. A few days after their encounter, friends of Stephanie and Jasmine begin receiving strange text messages that cause them to worry about each woman’s safety. Both women are soon declared missing and authorities are looking for help in searching for their whereabouts before it’s too late. Rating: 8.5
2. James
If you are a fan of classic literary faves, you will love this book. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t a love for me. It’s based on the book Huckleberry Finn and is told from the point of view of his enslaved friend Jim. Jim overhears from a man in his town that his owners are about to sell him and separate him from his wife and daughters. So Jim goes on the run hoping that his family can stay together until he can meet up with them again after he has formulated a plan to avoid being sold. Jim wants to travel north where he heard he can possibly be free and then find a way to have his family reunite with him.
I haven’t read Huckleberry Finn in decades so I pretty much went into this book with no frame of reference but found it easy to follow without remembering the premise of the original story. It’s a heartbreaking story told in a very straightforward way that will stick with you even after finishing it. Rating: 8
3. Say You’ll Remember Me
Ilove all Abby Jimenez books so I knew this would be a hit even before starting it. Thankfully I was correct and she put out another great beach read type of story that is enjoyable and easy to get through.
Xavier is a veterinarian who has dedicated his life to animals after a particularly difficult and traumatic childhood. Samantha recently adopted a kitten with health issues and has to bring her to Xavier’s clinic. From their first encounter, they have chemistry and Xavier asks Samantha out despite their very different personalities. The only problem is Samantha is moving across the country to help take care of her ailing mother but says yes to the date because she doesn’t think it will really go anywhere. Soon Xavier and Samantha find themselves in a long distance relationship with no end in sight. Can this continue indefinitely or should they end it before someone gets hurt? Rating: 8.5
4. Pictures of You
This book took a bit to get into and I was about to abandon it but I decided to keep going and finish a few more chapters. Thank goodness I did because I ended up LOVING the entire story! Evie wakes up in the hospital after a horrific car crash to find out she has lost her memory and can’t remember anything past her first 16 years of life. She doesn’t remember getting married, who her husband is and why they got into a car crash. Things are made worse when she finds out that her husband has died but doesn’t feel sadness for him because she can’t remember their relationship.
The only person who can seem to help Evie make sense of her new reality is her high school best friend Drew. She recalls how much she adored Drew and how they were so close as teenagers. But the incidents that occurred following high school up to the present day removed nearly every person she loved from her life. Evie is now trying to put the pieces back together with Drew’s help but the reality is so much more devastating than Evie wants to know. The beginning is a bit slow and hard to follow at times but stick with it because it all comes together in the best way! Rating: 9
5. Good Bad Girl
I have loved quite a few Alice Feeney books but this one was a like but not a love. I had a difficult time keeping up with the characters but eventually it all came together and the ending was a bit shocking which I always enjoy. Edith has been placed into an elderly care home and has hated every minute of it. Her daughter Clio thought it was the best thing for her but Edith is planning her escape. She befriended one of the employees there named Patience and convinces her to help her leave this care home for good. Patience agrees but Edith doesn’t fully know Patience’s motives or what she is hiding. Edith, Patience and Clio are more connected than they think and secrets that have been buried for decades come to light and will change all of their lives forever. Rating: 8
6. The Quiet Librarian
This took me forever to finish because I kept hoping it would get better but it never really did. Hana is a middle-aged librarian living in Minnesota and does everything to live a quiet and unassuming life. Her childhood and early adulthood was traumatic and something she has spent her life trying to run from. But when a detective shows up asking questions about the death of her best friend, Hana knows she will not be able to keep the secrets of her past much longer. Before she was Hana, she was Nura and grew up in Bosnia during the war. She witnessed unspeakable things and had to protect herself in order to stay alive. Now she must relive her past in order to help her best friend get justice. Rating: 6
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