Books I Read in June (And Whether or Not You Should Read Them).

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Plot: Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice. -via Goodreads
Favorite quote: “You have these lines you won’t cross. But then you cross them. And suddenly you possess the very dangerous information that you can break the rule and the world won’t instantly come to an end. You’ve taken a big, black, bold line and you’ve made it a little bit gray. And now every time you cross it again, it just gets grayer and grayer until one day you look around and you think, There was a line here once, I think.” 
My thoughts: I adored this book. I didn't think I was going to be super into the format it was in, but I loved it. I also loved the raw and honest look at addiction. While technically fiction, there's a whole lot in there that I'm sure isn't. SUCH good story telling. Also: This may be the reason I'm realllllly wanting to chop my hair into a shaggy 70's bob.
Should you read it? Yes!
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 
Plot: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps. -via Goodreads
Favorite quote: “Faces change with life’s toll, but eyes remain a window to what was, and she could see him there.” 
My thoughts: I read this on the plane to Texas, and while I'd heard a lot about it, I didn't know what kind of book it was exactly. Romance? Mystery? Some sort of fictionalized memoir? Turns out, all of the above. And it was beautiful. It absolutely lived up to the hype for me. 
Should you read it? Yes! 
All the Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank
Plot: The perennial New York Times bestselling author returns with an emotionally resonant novel that illuminates the power of friendship in women’s lives, and is filled with her trademark wit, poignant and timely themes, sassy, flesh-and-blood characters, and the steamy Southern atmosphere and beauty of her beloved Carolina Lowcountry.
Few writers capture the complexities, pain, and joy of relationships—between friends, family members, husbands and wives, or lovers—as beloved New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank. In this charming, evocative, soul-touching novel, she once again takes us deep into the heart of the magical Lowcountry where three amazing middle-aged women are bonded by another amazing woman’s death.

Through their shared loss they forge a deep friendship, asking critical questions. Who was their friend and what did her life mean? Are they living the lives they imagined for themselves? Will they ever be able to afford to retire? How will they maximize their happiness? Security? Health? And ultimately, their own legacies?

A plan is conceived and unfurls with each turn of the tide during one sweltering summer on the Isle of Palms. Without ever fully realizing how close they were to the edge, they finally triumph amid laughter and maybe even newfound love. -via Goodreads
My thoughts: I started this on the plane home from Minnesota and finished it before bed that night. It was a quick, lighthearted read, and exactly what I needed after such a knowledge-heavy weekend. It was adorable. Side note: I LOVE when authors write about women over 40 who (shock!) have lives and hobbies and do fun things besides stay at home cooking dinner for their husbands and kids. 
Should you read it? If you're looking for a quick and easy, lighthearted beach read, then yes! 
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Plot: Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her. -via Goodreads
My thoughts: I do not even know what to put here because WHAT. WHAT THE. W H A T. This made my brain explode. I cannot believe someone was creative enough for all these twists. I'm sorry I can't really talk about it, but I don't want to spoil it for you! But it was the best thriller I've read in a long time. If you've read this, I did to talk to you.
Should you read it? Y E S
What about you?! What did you read this month?