Everything I Read in June 2025

This was a big month of reading as I somehow managed to read 12 books. It was also a big month for buzzy books. So many of the books I had pre-ordered arrived; my TBR pile felt like Christmas. I felt like I was just glued to my books this month, as I was just so excited to read. Truly: it was all I wanted to do, which to me, is the best feeling. The new TJR (Atmosphere) was a highlight for me, same with the new Lisa Jewell. To have a new book from both of those authors come out in the same month? Such a treat. 

Read on for mini reviews of the 12 books I read. And tell me what you read and loved last month! I live for your comments and recommendations.

Lastly, don’t forget about my Library page. It has everything I’ve read in the past 10+ years, easy filters, and its own separate search to help you find the perfect book.

Everything I Read in June 2025

Thrillers

Tell Them You Lied, by Laura Leffler

This is a fast-paced thriller about a toxic female friendship. When Anna and Willow meet in art school, they grow close immediately. Willow is moody, mysterious, cool, and chic… while Anna is more earnest and hardworking. Anna grows to worship Willow, as Willow takes her under her wing, opening her world up to new opportunities, art’s great secrets, money, and excitement. Five years later, the young women are living together in Brooklyn, Anna is waiting tables, and Willow is a gallery girl. Without enough money to buy art supplies, Anna barely survives off her tips, while Willow is immensely privileged and seems to get whatever she wants..

When Anna feels like Willow is pulling away, she does the unthinkable. She stages a mugging for Willow, with the intent that Willow will come running back to her. But the mugging isn’t on any day. It’s on September 11, 2001. As the city reels from the day’s events, Willow does not come home. And Anna is left to wonder if her prank is to blame for Willow’s disappearance. The book alternates between art school and life in New York. There is a trigger for sexual abuse. It’s very dark and twisty. I liked but did not love this book, and I can’t say I found it to be enjoyable to read! Overall Score: B // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

A Killing Cold, by Kate Alice Marshall

I really loved this. It started a teensy bit slow, but it picks up. I couldn’t put it down once I got into it (about 25-30 pages). I read it in under 24 hours! Theodora Scott (Theo) has had it rough. She doesn’t remember the first four years of her life, and her adoptive parents put her through hell. Still, she’s pulled herself up, living in LA and working at a bookshop. When she snags the man of her dreams, Connor, they have instant chemistry and are engaged within three months. It all feels like a fairytale. Connor is wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family. When he brings her to their family’s winter retreat for the holidays, Theo begins to experience some strange things. The place feels oddly familiar, like she has been there before.

Connor’s family is less than welcoming. But also, there were menacing notes, telling her to stay away from Connor and that she shouldn’t have come. She tries to ignore the messages, but can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. And why does this place feel so familiar? Slowly, memories begin to come together, and Theo realizes that there are shocking secrets the family will do anything to keep hidden. It might just cost her everything… not just the new life she’s worked hard to create for herself. Her life is at stake. Overall Score: A // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

The First Gentleman, by James Patterson and Bill Clinton

I wasn’t so sure about this, but I’m glad I read it, as it was an absolute delight. I want to go back and read the other Clinton/Patterson books! Madeline Wright is the first female president. And she’s up for reelection. The only thing standing in her way? Her husband, Cole Wright, is on trial for murder. A pair of investigative journalists is hot on Cole’s trail, resurfacing secrets from his younger years when he played for the New England Patriots. He’d had a secret relationship with a cheerleader, who disappeared on the night they’d had plans.

As Garrett and Brea (the journalists) race to figure out what happened twenty years ago, a web of secrets is revealed, and key witnesses keep turning up dead. Is Cole a killer, desperate to cover things up, or is something else at play? We are introduced to a cast of politicos, mobsters, a mysterious professor, and more. I could not put it down! And I did guess the twist, but it was still absolutely worth the read. I loved it! Overall Score: A- // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

Next to Heaven, by James Frey

This book (and its author) are very controversial. Frey lied about things being true in his memoir, and has admitted to using AI (though I believe, at least from what I’ve read, just for research, which I don’t find problematic). When I picked this as my book of the month, I didn’t remember the first scandal (sorry! It was 20 years ago!), and I hadn’t heard about the AI stuff. If I had, I wouldn’t have chosen it. (Meanwhile, BOTM called it “NSFW Gatsby,” and the WSJ gave it a glowing review.) But I did choose it, and it was honestly an enjoyable read. I like the direct writing style and short sentences, and found it to be creative–different from other thrillers I have read. The plot was scandalous and engaging. There’s a murder, but it doesn’t happen until 70% in (though you know about the murder from the book description, and there are breadcrumbs leading up to the murder).

The book is set in a small Connecticut town, among the richest of the rich. It felt like an extension of reading Your Friends & Neighbors, which I missed, which is why I enjoyed it. Two women decide to throw a swingers party, which alters the town’s dynamic permanently. And when a murder rocks the town even further, we aren’t sure who is guilty. This was rich people behaving badly at its finest; a great choice for a beach read. Overall Score: B+ // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

Jill is Not Happy, by Kaira Roud

I won’t beat around the bush: this is probably the worst thriller I’ve read in a long time. The writing is really bad. That will often be the case and the plot will make it worth it, but that was not the case with this one–the plot wasn’t great, either! There’s no big twist and the ending was deeply unsatisfying. Jack and Jill live a beautiful, privileged life. But they have secrets. Jack is over it. He’s having an affair with a younger woman, and plans to leave his wife. But Jill has been keeping secrets too. And she is not going to let Jack go so easily. The two take a road trip to Utah. Jill thinks it’s a reconciliation trip; Jack thinks it’s the last time he’ll have to deal with her. Jill’s planned every detail and is set on keeping Jack’s attention.

I read it in an afternoon, thinking it would get better. It didn’t. This is highly skippable. It did hold my attention for that afternoon, but it was folllowed by that “ugh, what did I just read, why did I just waste my afternoon on this” sort of vibe. Overall Score: B- // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

Park Avenue, by Renée Ahdieh

This was described to me as Succession, but make it about a K-Beauty brand. That got my attention! Jia Song is a young, ambitious lawyer. She’s the daughter of Korean bodega owners and has always had a taste for the finer things in life. She’s already made junior partner at her firm and is about to score the Birkin bag of her dreams. Things get even more exciting when a high-profile case is dropped in her lap. She might be able to fast-track herself to senior partner before hitting 35.

The Park family is imploding and needs Jia (and her firm’s!) help. The family’s net worth is estimated at a billion dollars, with a super successful Korean beauty brand that has dominated the beauty world for over twenty years. Except: the family patriarch has left his dying wife, absconding with a much younger woman, and (we think!) hiding the family fortune. The three adult children can’t stop fighting and hire Jia to help. It’s her job to figure out where Seven (the father) has hidden the money. Jia finds herself immersed in a world of private jets and terrible behavior ans she and the three Park siblings race to make things right. Dark secrets come out, and Jia is forced to decide what is actually important to her. Overall Score: B // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

The Last Ferry Out, by Andrea Bartz

This was a fun read; I gobbled it up in just a few days. Abby arrives on Isla Colel (a tiny island off the coast of Cancun… I thought of Holbox), she is broken-hearted. Just a few months before, her fiancée Eszter died there, and Abby wants to make sense of it all. Once a bustling tourist hub, Colel is now run down, with just a handful of residents. Even the ferry runs just once a week… maybe! Abby befriends a group of friendly expats. She realizes they may be keeping secrets when one night, her new friend Brady tells her she deserves to know the truth about Eszter, only to disappear the next day before he could tell Abby what he wanted to say.

As Abby worries about Brady, the other expats seem way too relaxed about it. Abby races to figure out what happened to Brady, but as she does that, dark secrets and shady pasts emerge. Can she trust her new friends? She realizes that Eszter had lied to her about so much. Does she even know the woman she was about to marry, and can Abby figure out what happened to Eszter before becoming the island’s next victim? Overall Score: B+ // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

Don’t Let Him In, by Lisa Jewell

Lisa Jewell is one of my absolute favorite authors, so when my pre-order arrived, I dropped everything to read it. And in true Lisa Jewell fashion, it did not disappoint. For a solid 36 hours, it was all I could think about, and I felt mad that I had to work and couldn’t just read! Nina Swann has just lost her husband in a tragic assault. When a condolence card arrives from an old friend of her late husband, they meet up to share memories. Nick is a fifty-something-year-old silver fox. Charming and charismatic, he seems to be perfect! Though it feels a little too soon, the two begin a relationship. Nina is head over heels for this beautiful, charming man.

Meanwhile, Nina’s daughter worries he’s too good to be true. Something feels off, so she begins digging into Nick’s past. We also meet Martha. Martha is a florist, living in the next town over with her infant daughter, teenage sons, and devoted husband Alistair. But lately, something feels off with Al. He’s traveling a lot, disappears for days on end, and doesn’t answer his phone. He always has an explanation for his absence, but Martha’s gut tells her something is very wrong. The actual truth is darker than Martha, Ash, or Nina can imagine. As the three of them dig into the past, secrets are unraveled, and they realize they aren’t the only ones being targeted by this dangerous man. Overall Score: A // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

Romance

Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was hard to classify, as it skirts the line between romance and thriller! I chose “romance,” but it’s so much more than that: intensely researched, deeply suspenseful! I had pre-ordered this a year ago and was thrilled when it arrived in the mail. A perfect excuse to stay home, curl up, and pathologically read. TJR is one of my favorite authors, and this one did not disappoint. Also, it has to have been a massive undertaking to write, as it is about astronauts going to space! This has everything: romance, thrills (it’s stressful sometimes), laughter, and tears. I experienced such a range of emotions reading it.

Joan Goodwin is a professor of astrophysics and a doting auntie. She’s always led a quiet, lonely life, but is happy! Meanwhile, she has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. When she gets the opportunity to apply to be one of the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program, she jumps at the chance. She applies, and (out of thousands of applicants), makes the cut. In her class of candidates, she finds a group of best friends and a chosen family. Joining this team has changed her life. She finds purpose, friendship, and even romantic love. Then, in 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes instantly.

I will say no more, but parts of this are HIGH STRESS in the best possible way. This was an ambitious book, and one that I enjoyed reading. I also loved the 80s nostalgia! Overall Score: A // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

Contemporary Fiction

Notes on Infinity, by Austin Taylor

Ooph, this book completely crippled me and broke my heart! Zoe and Jack are two ambitious, passionate Harvard students. When Jack refers Zoe to a position in a prestigious professor’s lab, they become entwined in each other’s lives as colleagues. When their research leads to a promising (groundbreaking) discovery, the two drop out of school and found Manna, a biotech startup. They announce that they’ve discovered a cure for aging. Suddenly, Zoe (not old enough to drink!) is giving TED talks. Their company dominates national news stories. Zoe is profiled in Vogue. But when the two receive a startling accusation, everything is at stake: their lives, the company they built, their partnership.

I couldn’t put this down. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but it made me cry and I can’t remember the last time a book made me cry, which is why I gave it an A.  Overall Score: A // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

The Compound, by Aisling Rawle

A reader suggested that I read this, and I’m so glad I took her recommendation, as I really enjoyed this. It’s a dystopian reality television show set in the future. We don’t know how far in the future, but we know there have been several devastating wars and that the outside world is falling apart. It felt like a mash-up of Big Brother,The Hunger Games, and The Bachelor. Ten boys, ten girls. Daily challenges that they must complete to earn prizes. Some of the prizes are luxurious (champagne! clothing!) while others are necessities (food, water, a front door). Lily is bored and beautiful, and feels like her life is going nowhere. The show will give her a chance to earn prizes and possibly secure brand deals when she returns to the real world. But will it be worth it? How far will she go to earn more prizes? As the challenges become increasingly uncomfortable, tension mounts between the dwindling number of contestants. This was that rare combination of beautiful, literary writing and a page-turning plot. I devoured it in just over 24 hours. Overall Score: A- // Order on Bookshop or Amazon

Non-Fiction

Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson

President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. I have to admit, this was a tough listen. I breathed out a giant sigh of relief. And I have mixed feelings about all of it (Biden’s decision to stay in the run, but also Jake Tapper’s election). It’s all a big mess. But I am glad I listened to it. I think it’s important to understand what happened, so we don’t make these kind of mistakes again. But it was a hard listen, and felt very stressful at times, especially given the current political hellscape. Woof.  Overall Score: B // Order on Bookshop or Amazon