Five Star Friday is my version of the monthly wrap-up. On the first Friday of each month, I will share my five-star reads from the previous month. Fingers crossed, I have lots of books to tell you about.
This month, I was able to read 24 books, and I had 3 five-star reads.
Published by Avon on June 16, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
In this lush, slow-burning romance, two childhood neighbors, connected by a shared tragedy, unexpectedly reunite to ghostwrite a love story for a reclusive author. Spending the summer at her secluded Hamptons estate, they soon discover that dozens of classic romance tropes, including the ones they’re crafting on page, are mysteriously playing out in real life.
Katie Caruso is a completely normal twenty-five-year-old girl. At least, for the past eight years, she’s tried to be. She likes glitter and sequins and flirting with cute boys at New York City bars. She’s also a ghostwriter for Meredith Bradford, the bestselling romance novelist of all time. But then Tyler McNally walks back into Katie’s life, and that bedazzled facade crumbles at her platform-sneakered feet.
Katie and Tyler haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the overdose death of Katie’s older brother, a standout MLB pitching prospect. Tyler was her brother’s best friend, and Katie—naturally—was the girl next door. But now, Tyler is a sleeve-tattooed, Ivy League-educated aspiring literary fiction novelist, nine years sober . . . and Katie’s writing partner for the summer.
As genre conventions require, Katie and Tyler soon find themselves removed from Manhattan and instead writing their love story in “forced proximity” at Meredith’s isolated Southampton home. As the summer unfolds, the tropes Katie and Tyler have written into their novel begin to play out in their own lives. Call it destiny, fate, or magic It’s clear their love story is unfinished. This time, though, they’ll fight for their happy ending.
Heart-wrenching and tender, Tropesick is a love letter to the romance genre. With a wink and a nod, Okie has packed the novel with listeners’ favorite
Grumpy/Sunshine Brother’s best friend Girl next door Forced proximity Forbidden love Kissing in the rain Groveling hero Second-chance romance Slow burn Only one bed
I loved the whole idea of this book, and I thought Oakie did it well. As a BIG romance reader, I embrace and love the tropes, and it was delightful to see so many of them explored in this story. Big emotions were evoked because these two shared a rather painful past. He was her first love but also her brother's best friend. They hadn't been in contact for many years, and then fate brought them together as writing partners. Not only did Katie have to work with Tyler, she had to teach him how to write a romance. The whole set up was a powder keg waiting to ignite in a romantic way. And just when I thought I knew exactly what was going on, Oakie threw me a curve ball that I really didn't expect. I was wholly engrossed in this story. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.
[review]
Published by Simon & Schuster on May 19, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Rating:
Goodreads
From the author of The Bright Years, the story of April and Leo, a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging.
When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.
As the family reckons with the aftermath—grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact—the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo’s marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April’s generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo’s relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.
A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.
Sarah Damoff's crime against me is leaving me in a puddle of my tears. Seriously! I had to take pain killer after finishing this one because all the sobbing I did left me snotty with swollen eyes and a headache. There was so much beauty in the pain, and big ideas about love. Beautiful and heartbreaking which seems to be Damoff's signature. It definitely left me asking myself how I would handle these situations.
[review]
Published by Gallery Books on July 7, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Time Travel, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
For fans of The Love of My Afterlife and The Seven Year Slip, Reese’s LitUp Fellow Natalie Messier’s debut following a woman who gets a chance to relive her college years—with the opportunity to win back the one that got away—is “full of surprises and sneakily perceptive” (Yulin Kuang, USA TODAY bestselling author of How to End a Love Story).
Joey Vasquez’s life is the definition of good on paper. At thirty-two, she’s a Los Angeles lawyer on the cusp of making partner, but while she’s a professional success, she’s a personal disaster. Her social life mostly consists of nights spent watching TV with her elderly cat. Life isn’t quite what she dreamed when she was younger, but really, whose life is?
But a dinner party with the best friend she’s secretly pined after for years and its aftermath changes everything.
When Joey is given a second chance at life, she finds herself in college again. Armed with memories from her first life, Joey is certain she’s come back to finally convince the one man she ever loved to love her back—so why does she find herself strangely drawn to the man she thought she hated?
Another book that had me reflecting on my own life and what I would choose given the choice to go back and start my life again. I always delight in a great concept, and it was executed so well. Joey started out doing the things we expect in time travel books, but then she also began observing more and reflecting on her and other people's past actions. Having lived those extra years gave her a different perspective of her college years. There was a great twist in there too.
Honorable Mention
July was packed with great reading. Here are my honorable mention books. All earned 4.5 stars.
- How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle by Alissa DeRogatis
- Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances
- Lost and Found by Tarah DeWitt
- Darling Daffodils Farm by Britanee Nicole
- A Thousand Little Goodbyes by Lucy Gilmore
- The Rulebreaker by Piper Rayne
- Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
- Fossil Feud by Maggie North
Let us know in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment