My June Reads

The books I’ve read in June!

Here are all my June reviews:

1. The Magpie Society by Zoe Sugg and Amy McCulloch
2. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
3. The Diary of a Social Butterfly by Moni Mohsin
4. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

One for Sorrow by Zoe Sugg and Amy McCulloch

Themes: YA murder mystery, Dark Academia

My rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Illumen Hall is an elite boarding school. Tragedy strikes when the body of a student is discovered at their exclusive summer party – on her back is an elaborate tattoo of a magpie.

When new girl Audrey arrives the following term, running from her own secrets back home in America, she is thrown into solving the case. Despite her best efforts to avoid any drama, her new roommate Ivy was close to the murdered girl, and the two of them can’t help but get pulled in.

The two can’t stand each other, but as they are drawn deeper into the mystery of this strange and terrible murder, they will discover that something dangerous is at the heart of their superficially perfect school.

Welcome to The Magpie Society.

 

Quick review: A very good YA murder mystery. Even though the writing is not the best, it is a quick and griping read.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

Themes: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

My rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis:

Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.

She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.

Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.

But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.

Quick review: I’m not sure this book deserves all the hype it’s getting. It’s not badly written, I spent a good time reading it but there is nothing new in it (the author is trying to use all the classic tropes of romance) and the pace is a bit slow. And I found the treatment of other subjects such as feminism and sexism a bit too clumsy. But it’s still a good book to begin summer with!

The Diary of a Social Butterfly by Moni Mohsin

Themes: Contemporary, Humour

My rating: 1,5/5

Synopsis:

This is the hugely entertaining journal of a socialite in Lahore. Pakistan may be making headlines – but Butterfly is set to conquer the world. ‘Everyone knows me. All of Lahore, all of Karachi, all of Isloo – oho, baba, Islamabad – half of Dubai, half of London and all of Khan Market and all the nice, nice bearers in Imperial Hotel also…No ball, no party, no dinner, no coffee morning, no funeral, no GT – Get-Together, baba – is complete without me.’ Meet Butterfly, Pakistan’s most lovable, silly, socialite. An avid party goer, inspired mis speller, and unwittingly acute observer of Pakistani high society, Butterfly is a woman like no other. In her world, SMS becomes S & M and people eat ‘three tiara cakes’ while shunning ‘do number ka maal’. ‘What cheeks!’ as she would say. As her country faces tribulations – from 9/11 to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto – Butterfly glides through her world, unfazed, untouched, and stopped short only by the chip in her manicure. Wicked, irreverent and hugely entertaining, “The Diary of a Social Butterfly” gives you a delicious glimpse into the parallel universe of the have-musts. 

Quick review: I’m sorry to say that I hated this book… The writing and obscure cultural references juste made it impossible to read for me. I really have been lured by the reference to Jane Austen on the cover, and still don’t see why it is here!

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Themes: YA fantasy, assassin

My rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie… and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for. 

Quick review: What can I say apart that this sequel is amazing? We get rid of the love triangle (fortunately!) and the plot is moving forward leaving the reader heartbroken and hungry for more!

I hope you had a gread beginning summer reads!

Note: Most synopses are taken from Goodreads.

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