June 2017 Wrap Up

This is our wrap up for the month of June! For those of you who don't know, a wrap up is a brief overview of each of the books we read this month, and then a rating out of 5 stars!

Annalise:

In the month of June, I read five books. Carney’s House Party and Winona’s Pony Cart by Maud Hart Lovelace, Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy, and A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.

Carney’s House Party: The first novel of Maud Hart Lovelace’s that doesn’t follow the beloved Betsy Ray was exactly as I expected it to be. The cute, homey feel of this book made it a perfect summer read, and something nice to look forward to in the busy month of June. This novel follows Carney Sibley, one of Betsy Ray’s (the Betsy-Tacy book, for anyone who doesn’t know! They are an absolute pleasure and I highly suggest!) as she finishes her first year at Vassar and is about to head back to Deep Valley for the summer. But when she arrives home she meets the dashing and rugged Sam Hutchinson, the boy who she taunts and teases since she is still hoping that her lovely high school sweetheart, Larry Humphreys, loves her. When Larry comes into town just to see Carney, it becomes an endearing story about falling out of love, and simultaneous into it. I gave this book a 3.75/5 stars.

Winona’s Pony Cart: Another book in the Deep Valley series, this one centered around Winona Root’s ninth birthday, and how all she wants is a pony cart. This book, while still has Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, is a bit ridiculous. Lovelace does have wonderful prose and is able to write in a seemingly effortless way, but this book is the combination of an aristocratic and stuck-up family, and their daughter who is upset because she didn’t get a pony for her birthday. The story ends well, as happy endings is Lovelace’s specialty, but I think I really only read it so that I could be versed in the entirety of Maud’s books. I gave this book a 2/5

Dumplin’: This book was fun, adorable, and absolutely stunning, and I wish that I had read it when I was more in the mood so that I would have craved it more. The story, which I’m sure you’ve heard all about (it’s becoming a movie starring Jennifer Aniston!), follows Willowdean, a self proclaimed “fat girl” and her everyday life as a confidence queen. But when she meets a boy, a boy who seems to like her back, Willowdean finds herself shedding that crown and becoming more self-conscious than ever. So, she enters the local beauty pageant alongside some other outcasts and finds herself becoming stronger and more in tune with herself than ever. This book has friendships, romance, hardships, and real life struggles. It is an absolute joy to read. I gave this a book a 3.5/5 stars.

A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury: These books I have decided to put together since they are books one and two of the A Court of Thorns and Roses Triology by the ever-talented Sarah J. Maas. I am currently reading the last book, and will be delving deeper into the life of Feyre through a full book review that you can find here! But a quick little synopsis of my feelings, ACOTAR was a book that I struggled through the first half, but absolute ravaged through the second. I gave it a 3/5 stars. ACOMAF was the first book in a while that I was utterly sucked into. I had genuine trouble putting it down, and that is a wonderful feeling. I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars.

Ellie:

In the month of June, I read six books. Carney’s House Party by Maud Hart Lovelace, The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo, The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle, The Storied Life of A.J. Fickry by Gabrielle Zevin, and Furiously Happy and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.

Carney’s House Party: This is a novel from the Deep Valley universe so lovingly created by Maud Hart Lovelace. Since Annalise read this too, I’ll keep my synopsis short! This book had many elements I loved, and included our personal favorite, Betsy Ray. The romances between Carney and Larry and Carney and Sam proved to always be interesting & intrigued me constantly. I missed, however, the Ray family and their scenarios, so I gave this book a 3.5/5 stars.

The Light We Lost: Read my full review on the Our Posts section of this blog! I loved this novel, and it was full of romance and life’s challenges. Lucy and Gabe’s love for each other is prominent throughout this whole work, including their relationships with other people. This novel is beautiful, and I would recommend it to anyone. 5/5 stars.

The Infinite Moment of Us: After reading other works by Myracle when I was young, I expected the same type of writing in this novel. BUT I was pleasantly surprised! This novel follows the summer romance between Wren and Charlie, as they find love and happiness amidst some rough home life situations. Wren had been the perfect daughter for years, and in this summer and her decision to put off college to go be a part of Project Unity, the reader gets to see the turmoil of a seemingly perfect family. Charlie, a foster kid with a troubled past, brings out the best in Wren, even when her best is not what her family appreciates. I liked this novel a lot, and give it 3.5/5 stars.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fickry: Recommended to me by Annalise, this work is the perfect summer read! Following a bookshop owner through his life seems to be a story meant to be boring and filled with book cliches and tropes, but this novel is unique. It is 258 pages of pure sweetness, as the father-daughter relationship is always the most prominent storyline. There is romance and intrigue, however, if that is what you love in a book! The running theme underneath the plot is books, and I believe that this work is full of everything a book should be filled with: family, love, small towns, and books! My friends, this book is beautiful, I give it 4/5 stars.

Furiously Happy & Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: I’m grouping these two together because they are both hysterical works by Jenny Lawson! These two are about Jenny’s life with mental illness, and are full of stories from her life that are sure to make you laugh. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened is the first of the two, and is full of humor, heart, and graphically honest stories behind living with mental illness. My favorite story from this novel? When Jenny Lawson got her hand stuck in a cow’s uterus. And with that, 4.5/5 stars. Furiously Happy is the sequel, though you can read them in any order (I did!). This one is a little darker, focused more on the mental illness side of things. But still funny and a wonderful read! I personally love reading about mental illness, and these works show it in such a realistic manner that I am almost proud to read them & identify with the situations involved. 5/5 stars, & Jenny Lawson, PLEASE WRITE MORE ASAP ANNALISE & I WANT TO READ MORE!!

#MonthlyWrapUp