Everything I Read in June 2024
1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
I am not normally someone that loves YA books (young adult) but I heard so many great things about this one so I gave it a go. It’s a really good murder mystery that is easy to follow along and captivated me pretty quickly. Andie was murdered by her boyfriend Sal a few years ago and after the murder, Sal committed suicide and admitted to the entire thing. But Sal’s family has never been convinced that he did it. Pip is a senior at the same high school and decides to investigate the murder for her senior project. What she discovers will finally put the entire case to rest and answer a ton of unanswered questions that the entire town has about this horrible event. Rating: 8
2. The House in the Pines
Sometimes Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks are my favorite and others are just ok. Sadly this was one was just ok. Maya has been living with the trauma of watching her high school best friend drop dead in front of her. And knowing Frank, the man that was responsible for it never was brought to justice. The only problem is that Maya doesn’t actually know what Frank did to her. One minute he was talking to Maya’s friend, Aubrey, and the next minute Aubrey was laying dead on the ground. Years later Frank is seen with a woman that seemingly drops dead while with him and Maya is convinced there is something more going on. She heads back to her home town to confront Frank and understand what really happened. The story flip flops between the present and the past but is hard to follow at times. Rating: 7
3. The Other Couple
A bit predictable but I still really enjoyed this mystery. Kirsten and Nick are away for the weekend and on their way home strike a pedestrian killing him instantly. They know they are in the wrong and are afraid of the repercussions so they take the body with them and never report the crime. Both are powerful figures in their community and have too much to lose if they report it.
The victim’s wife, Amy, is left wondering what happened to her husband. And why he has seemingly disappeared while talking the dog for a walk. The authorities don’t have a body so they are trying to convince Amy that her husband must have run off. But Amy doesn’t believe that and decides to investigate things on her own. She soon discovers the truth but is worried that she won’t be able to prove it without her husband’s body. So she decides to seek justice in her own way. Rating: 8
4. Funny Story
A light hearted easy read that was really enjoyable. Daphne and her fiance Peter moved back to Peter’s home town to get married and start their life together. But after the night of Peter’s bachelor party, Peter comes home and tells Daphne he has fallen in love with his female best friend Petra and is leaving. Daphne has no choice but to move out and into an apartment with Petra’s now ex-boyfriend Miles. Daphne and Miles are jilted lovers that are forced to live together until they can figure out new arrangements for each of them. A friendship grows between them and they become vital to each other’s post breakup recovery. Could it evolve into more? I’m sure you can guess what happens next but regardless, it’s such a cute heartwarming story. Rating: 8.5
5. The Island
This book kept me guessing because I constantly thought I had it figured out but was always wrong. LOL Heather and Tom are newly married and decide to take a vacation with Tom’s teenage kids to the Australian outback. The kids are painfully bored and convince Tom and Heather to venture on to a remote island for some exploration and a peek at the wildlife. The island is set apart from the mainland and is inhabited by locals that are not keen on visitors.
While exploring the island in their car, they are involved in a fatal accident that takes the life of one of the locals. Tom and Heather are too far from the authorities to report the crime and are scared of the residents on the island. They decide to try and cover up the crime and head to the ferry to get back to the mainland. But before the ferry takes off, the island residents discover the scene of the accident and want to speak to Tom and Heather. Things take a turn for the worse and Heather must try and escape with the two kids and get help. Rating: 8
6. The Next Mrs. Parrish
I LOVED The Last Mrs. Parrish and this was the sequel to that book. I knew I would enjoy it just as much and I did! Jackson Parrish is in prison for tax evasion and his new wife Amber is regretting her decision to have married him. Amber broke up his last marriage to Daphne in hopes that she would be the next Mrs. Parrish and live the life of luxury with the wealthy Jackson Parrish. But that all changed when he was arrested and Amber isn’t sure she wants to continue this relationship. Daphne fled her awful marriage to Jackson and is trying to rebuild her life with their two daughters on the opposite end of the country. But when one of the daughters tries to run away and go back to visit her father, Daphne agrees to reunite the girls with Jackson when he gets out of prison.
After Jackson is released early due to good behavior, Daphne is hesitant to see him again and get sucked back into his web of lies and abuse. But Jackson promises he has changed. Amber who is desperate to divorce Jackson agrees to help him win back Daphne if he helps her with her new scheme. There are tons of twists and turns and it kept my attention all the way through. Loved it! Rating: 9
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