Happy (almost) June! Did this month fly by for you, or was it just me? May was a good month for me. I signed a lease for a new apartment, hung out with bookish friends, and read lovely new books. It was also a great reading month. I read 25 books this month, and the majority of them were 3.5 stars and above reads. Keep scrolling to read full reviews for some of my favorite books from this month. The list is not in any particular order.
*Some of my favorites from this month will be released in June, so full reviews for those books are coming soon.
1. Whispers of You & Echoes of You by Catherine Cowles
Whispers of You Review
Rating: 5⭐️
Available on KU: ✔️
Tropes/Info
– romantic suspense
– small town
– dual pov
– forced proximity
– second chance/ “it’s always been you”
“It didn’t matter if it had been ten days or ten years. A love like that ruined you for all others.”
Oh my, this book was fantastic! I’m deep into my small-town romance era, so it should come as no surprise that I’m reviewing another small-town romance book. This book was the first I’ve read from Catherine Cowles, and now I have to read more! 😍Whispers of You gripped me from the very first page! What a way to start a book. Wow. I was on the edge of my seat and had to know what happened next.
I adored Wren and Holt’s love story! My heart broke for them multiple times. But oh my goodness, it was put together by the end. I swooned, cried, laughed, and didn’t want their story to end. And his nickname for her was “cricket,” how freaking precious is that?!
If you’re looking for a book with the perfect mix of a cozy small-town romance and gripping mystery & suspense, you’ll want to check this book out. My copy of the second book (Echoes of You) got here yesterday, and I’m excited to dig in this weekend. I can’t wait to read all of Catherine’s books! I’m a new fan, for sure.
Echoes of You Review
Rating: 4.5/5⭐️
Available on KU: ✔️
Tropes/Info:
– small town
– romantic suspense
– “who hurt you”
– childhood friends to lovers
– only one bed
– “it’s always been you”
“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
I knew I was a Catherine Cowles fan after reading Whispers of You last month, but Echoes of You solidified my being a fan. I’m pumped to read the rest of Catherine’s books. 🤎
Echoes of You was an excellent romantic suspense book full of love, tension, suspense, humor, and all the small-town vibes. Cedar Ridge sounds like a gorgeous mountain town, but oh my, there are some characters there. 😳 This book didn’t have as much mystery as Whispers of You (book 1), but I was always on the edge of my seat waiting for stuff to hit the fan any moment. It was also a quick read because I couldn’t put it down!
I adored Maddie and Nash’s story. Childhood friends to lovers is a sweet trope. And I loved seeing them finally admit their feelings for each other and look out for one another. You could tell the love between them ran deep.
If you’re looking for a quick, great read, check out Echoes of You.
2. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Rating: 5⭐️
Tropes/Info
– reality dating show
– romance author
– British hero
– sizzling chemistry
– friends to lovers
Ahhhh, THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE AND FUNNY! If you’re a romance lover, here is your sign to read this book asap when it comes out next week. It truly is a love letter to all romance book lovers out there, and I’ll be raving about it for a long time!
I loved The Soulmate Equation, so it was great living in that universe for a bit longer. I’m so happy we got to see more of Jess and River.
I adored Fizzy! She was charismatic, hilarious, kindhearted, and an overall magnetic human. I connected with her on many levels and saw myself in her a ton, which was terrific. And don’t even get me started on Connor. I’m always a fan of a British hero, and Connor was positively delicious! I loved their chemistry and getting to see sparks fly between them.
The reality dating show in the book was also so well done! I never felt like too much was happening, and I got a real kick out of that storyline.
3. Rewrite our Story by Kat Singleton
Rating: 5/5⭐️
Available on KU: ✔️
Tropes/Info:
– second chance
– small town
– angsty & spicy
– best friend’s brother
– dual timeline
– grumpy hero with a dirty mouth
Welcome to Sutten Mountain!
Oh, my freaking goodness, this book had everything. It pulled on my heartstrings right out the gate, was angsty as heck, had hilarious moments, was swoony, and had fantastic spice. I savored this book because I didn’t want Cade and Mare’s story to end.
Let’s talk about Cade Jennings! I was not prepared for the mouth on that man—my goodness. I’m not complaining. But wowza. 😳🥵 I also enjoyed the dual timeline. Sometimes dual timelines can be hard to follow, but I never felt that way in Rewrite Our Story. The timeline was easy to follow and enhanced the story.
Sutten Mountain sounds like a fantastic place to be! This book + the AMAZING pr box that Kat sent the other day made me wish I could visit! I’ll be there in my dreams. 😍
If you’re a fan of small towns, crying, and cowboys with dirty mouths, you need to pick up this book ASAP! Great job, Kat! I can’t wait to read book two!
Two of my favorite quotes:
– “She’s my Goldie.”
– “The stars fail in comparison to her, but they sure do put up a fight.”
4. Love Me Today by AL Jackson
Rating: 5/5⭐️
Available on KU: ✔️
Tropes/Info:
– small town
– enemies to lovers
– romantic suspense
– single dad
– horse trainer FMC
– grumpy x sunshine
– billionaire MMC
Love Me Today had alllll the tropes. 😍 It made me smile, laugh, and tear up and had me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was watching a suspenseful movie and could visualize it perfectly. Wow.
“𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘, 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓.”
Paisley and Caleb balanced each other out terrifically. Caleb was a great grumpy hero. He had demons, and it was interesting seeing him battle them and finally realize that he was worthy of love—and sweet, sweet Paisley. I loved her heart and how she wanted nothing but the best for Evelyn and Caleb. I also loved how she held her own against Caleb. She’s a “little riot,” indeed.
“𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚, 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆.”
The enemies-to-lovers trope in this book was SO GOOD! When they eventually give in to their feelings, things heat up. 😳 I cackled so hard at the orgasm quote. Oh, and he calls her “good girl.” 👀
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚.”
And I couldn’t possibly write this review without mentioning precious Evelyn. She was the sweetest little gal. She had faced so much hardship in her short life and was still full of energy and smiles. She pulled on my heartstrings and had me near tears with the adorable things she’d say.
If you’re looking for a romance book to keep you on your toes and make you swoon, you should read Love Me Today.
5. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Rating: 5/5⭐️
Read if you 💛:
– dragons
– divergent/how to train your dragon/hunger games vibes
– DRAGONS
– romantasy
– slow burns
“There’s nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn’t find you, Violence.”
Okay! I know you don’t need another review of this book. But here is a somewhat short one, IF YOU LOVE FANTASY, READ THIS BOOK. IF YOU’VE NEVER REALLY READ FANTASY, GIVE IT A TRY.
Initially, I didn’t want to buy into the hype. I was deep in my small-town romance era and thought a fantasy book about dragons couldn’t satisfy me. I was WRONG. I was naive. I was incorrect. Fourth Wing made me feel nostalgic. I felt like I was back in my teenage bedroom, reading one of my favorite books.
I adored how the dragons had unique personalities. They all made me laugh. I also loved the bond between the riders and dragons. Oh, and the slow burn was fantastic. I loved that this was a romantasy book, but the romance didn’t take over the book. What a wild thing for a romance lover to say. I know.
And that ending! Wow. November is too far away.
6. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Rating: 4.5/5⭐️
Tropes/Info:
– Small Town Romance
– Bookworm Heroine
– Dating Lessons
– Closed Door Romance
– Bodyguard x Flower Shop Owner
– Cute & Funny
– Quick Read
– Audrey Hepburn References
“I am convinced dating was created by an evil villain to torture humanity. Dramatic? Not in the least.”
OH MY GOODNESS! Practice Makes Perfect was all I hoped it would be. I loved When in Rome (the first book in this series), so I had high hopes for Practice Makes Perfect, which did not disappoint. I was hooked from the first line! I laughed and smiled the whole time and didn’t want to put it down. It was the PERFECT book to read while I am in my small-town romance era. Ahh, I’m feeling all the feels just thinking about it.
I adored Annie’s character and loved her personality. Will also showed that you should never judge a book by its cover, and my oh my, he made me swoon so much! Gosh, I loved them together. They were both incredibly likable, and I rooted for them the whole way through.
I also loved seeing all the people we loved from book one! I felt like I was visiting an old friend while reading this book, and I couldn’t be happier.
Overall, I had a blast spending more time in Rome, Kentucky, and I can’t wait to return. 🤎💗 If you’re looking for a cozy, sweet, summertime small-town romance, you should pick up Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams!
Advanced Reader Copies that I Loved
*Full reviews coming soon
I hope you have a wonderful June!
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