mrsalwaysreading's Reviews (624)

My nonfic/memoir option for June was 

The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts

By: Loren Grush

WHAT A GREAT BOOK. 

I own the physical copy but I listened to this one on audio. And I am so so glad I did. 

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. I wish I had this book then to inspire me. 

I don’t want to spoil anything at all about this book but I will say this:

These women pioneers inspire we even at 41 years old. I want to be tenacious, fearless, drive. and dedicated like them when I grow up. 

Till Summer Do Us Part

By Meghan Quinn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Overall it was a cute and spicy easy read. 

There were a couple plot holes that were slightly problematic but it didn’t really detract from the happily ever after. 

The spice was spicy. The banter was amazing.

The Retirement Plan 

By Sue Hincenbergs

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This book was fun. 

Not what I expected, but fun. 

Around the 60% mark it got a little muddled but it picked back up at the end and ended up all resolved. 

The Retirement Plan felt like those 90s movies where we can see all the moving parts but no one else can, and everyone is tripping over eachother.. 

Bring Down The House

By Charlotte Runcie

Publication Date: 

July 8, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and DoubleDay publication for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.

The book is a contemporary look at cancel culture and a peek at a fringe ‘me too’ moment. 

I don’t really read contemporary fiction, as much of it seems to want to evoke emotions and I am allergic to them. 

Just because I don’t enjoy them, doesn’t mean they are poorly written, nor am I suggesting anyone else shouldn’t read them. 

This book was entertaining in the first half and the second half I felt like I was just waiting for the resolution to happen. The ending felt very rushed.

The Summer Proposal

By VI Keeland

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this romance with the right amount of spice. 

It was a quick and easy read with a HEA. 

I needed something easy as a break between the ARCs I’m reading. This was perfect. A great summer-themed read. 

Mystery. Unraveling the past. Missing memories. Missing women. 

This book had all the makings of a must-read summer thriller. But it fell flat for me. 

For being a short book it felt like it drug on, and it took me longer than it should have to read. 

The twist at the end was pretty shocking. I did NOT like how the whole thing ended up. 

Say You’ll Remember Me

By Abby Jiminez

Books & Bubbles Book Club 

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Contemporary Fiction and not-spicy romance is not my go-to genre. 

This was a quick, easy read.

I read this book for an in-person book club in my hometown. If it wasn’t for the book club, I wouldn’t have picked this one up. 

Also worth noting, dementia is one of my biggest fears. 

You Belong Here

By Megan Miranda 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub date: July 29, 2025

Let me catch my breath. 

So first of all, this book kept me up all night. It had me in an absolute chokehold. 

Megan Miranda is a powerhouse thriller author. I auto-buy all of her books. And I love them. 

I am grateful to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced copy of this book, in exchange for my honest thoughts about it. 

Buckle up because I have many…

Megan Miranda and I are in the exact same stage of parenthood. For both of our children. So maybe this book just resonated with me on a deeper level because of that. 

•I literally FELT all the feelings in this book. The grief. The panic. The relief. The anxiety and restlessness and the feeling of loss of control. 

•The twists in this book had me second and third guessing even my own rational thought. 

•The portrayal of parenthood broke my heart. It is me. The mom and the mom. I am her. 

Five stars. No notes. 

Killing The Witches 

By Bill O’Riley and Martin Dugard

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I am not sure how I feel about this one. I waffled between 3 and 3.5 stars. 

It started off with a background on the Puritan settlement and spent a good chunk explaining the religious sentiment at the time that the phenomenon of the witch accusations, and the traveling hysteria up and down the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 

Then the book transitions and follows Ben Franklin into the time period of the revolution. 

During the last 20% or so, the book explains the movie The Exorcist. I waited until the very last page for a full-circle moment that didn’t really happen. 

Overall, the 60% that was about the witch hunts was good, but the whole book felt a little disjointed. 

I am glad I read it, leading up to a summer trip to New England with a stop in Salem, Mass. 

The Unlucky Ones

By Hannah Morrissey

Black Harbor # 4

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so excited for this book. The hype surrounding it’s publication was big. 

It fell flat for me. 

And this time honesty hurts because I love Hannah Morrissey. She is such a genuine and authentic human. 

Unlucky Ones wasn’t as gripping as Hello, Transcriber - though it follows the same cast of characters. 

While the story delivered on the gritty small-town crime undercurrent, I was expecting a little more mystery. A little more polish. 

If you read Hello, Transcriber, I’d love to know what you think of this one.