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 28 books, and I had 7 five-star reads.
Published by Berkely on June 17, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Enchanted Realism, Romance
Goodreads
A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from Ashley Poston.
Joni Lark is living the dream. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA…and she can’t seem to write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it.
When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark her inspiration. But when she gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is avoiding her, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing.
How can she think about writing her next song when everything is changing without her?
Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with hangups of his own.
Surely, he’s a figment of her overworked imagination.
But then the very real man attached to the voice shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s aggravating and gruff on the outside—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan:
They’ll finish the song haunting them both, break their connection, and hope they don’t risk their hearts in the process.
Because that song stuck in their heads? Maybe it’s there for a reason.
I cannot get enough of these wonderful romances that Poston is turning out. The magical elements are always an interesting touch. This time, it was two people being able to hear each other in their heads. Poston used this connection in fun ways as well as a path to helping them get to know each other. In the end, their connection had something really touching behind it. I shed some tears.
[review]
Published by Berkley on July 22, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Adventure, Romance
Goodreads
A treasure hunter and the bestselling adventure novelist who broke her heart after one successful expedition reunite for a summer to search for lost riches.
Treasure hunter Stella Moore dreams of having it all—wealth, love, and a flourishing career—but knows she’ll never be that lucky. Every summer she and her childhood friends travel to search for hidden treasure, but she can barely manage her bills, let alone a relationship. Then, a chance encounter with alluring novelist Huck Sullivan during an expedition in Iceland has Stella thinking maybe her fortune has changed.
After his last book bombed, Huck hasn’t written a word. Joining Stella and her crew on an adventure seems like the perfect distraction from his problems, and when the crew finally uncovers hidden treasure, he is certain that he’s found more than just inspiration for his next novel. Huck and Stella’s undeniable connection gives way to an unforgettable night on a black sand beach.
After Huck disappears without a goodbye, Stella vows to put the heartbreak behind her—but that’s easier said than done when, a year later, every bookstore has a life-size cutout of her ex-lover next to stacks of his latest record-breaking bestseller. Good thing it’s time for another summer treasure hunt. Stella throws herself into mapping the path to a shipwreck off Key West, but the last thing she expects is an extra crew member showing up in search of material for a sequel and a second chance.
Stella and Huck are prepared for storms, sharks, sea sickness, even a tentative truce. But facing the feelings they buried and confronting the devastating truth about why Huck left is the only way to find what their hearts have been searching for all along.
I was thrilled to accompany these hunters on their latest adventure. I adored the characters and was rooting for the couple, but I also found all the history and searches for treasures interesting. This story was a great blend of found family, friendship. romance, and adventure. It was fun and thrilling, and I enjoyed it immensely.
[review]
Published by Berkley on April 15, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads
Four strangers are brought together to participate in an experimental treatment designed to heal broken hearts in this surprising and heartfelt debut novel from author Amelia Ireland.
In a perfectly ordinary building, four strangers who couldn't be more different meet for the first time. Their skepticism of this new kind of grief therapy—and the unnervingly perceptive group leader—means they're all wary, but as the weeks go by, they find themselves returning again and again, pulled to work toward healing, even if it means first facing the pain head-on.
A sharp-tongued lawyer who has no intention of letting down her walls, a fragile young woman looking for a place to belong, a musician at the top of his game who's one drink away from losing it all, and an interior designer facing the crumbling of her picture-perfect life—this unlikely group slowly opens up, not only to the possibility of a happier future but to friendship, change, and even romance.
When a shocking revelation reveals the real reason they were chosen for this group, it shakes the very foundation of what they thought they knew. What began as a journey designed to heal turns out to be a much greater test of friendship, strength, and love as they realize happiness is just outside the door...if they're brave enough to seek it.
This story was touching and interesting. Touching because it was about people who had all suffered a great loss and were trying to heal. Interesting because it wasn't what I was expecting. I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, but I must say, I loved the way it surprised me. Absolutely adored this story of grief and loss, friendship and healing.
[review]
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on August 5, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
No one is going to convince her to fall in love again...
Ryder Colburn has his hands full running the family business and caring for the ailing father who’s a virtual stranger from the cold, heavy-handed man he used to be. He’s got zero free time for hobbies or women. Or so he thinks until one walks into his life… and the path of an oncoming car.
Ryder doesn’t mind playing the hero for the skittish, scarred chef Penny. Maybe it’s the secrets in her eyes or the scar on her chin. Whatever the reason, he’s compelled to get closer.
Penny’s learned her lesson and now she’s paying the price. That’s why she’s sharing a dilapidated house in a tiny California town with her feisty grandmother and tween brother living off the leftovers from her catering job. It’s a far cry from her dream life. But who needs dreams… or love… or sex when there’s amateur plumbing projects to tackle and breakfast casseroles to bake?
One thing’s for sure, she’s never falling in love again. Not even with the sexy, snarky contractor who keeps testing the walls she’s built.
You all know I adore Shalvis, and she really kicked this series off the right way. I am so invested in the Colburn family already, I can only imagine my love and adoration of them growing with each book. These people had a tough childhood, but they always looked out for each other and continue to do so. I was happy someone like Ryan came into Penny's life. She was not loved properly by her parents or her ex. He grandmother and brother were lovely, but she was their caregiver and she deserved someone who would care for her. Filled with the warmth and humor I have grown to expect from Shalvis, this was another winner for me.
[review]
Published by Scholastic Press on February 25, 2014
Age/Genres: Middle Grades, Fiction
Goodreads
A moving new middle-grade novel from the Newbery Honor author of Rules.
When Lucy's family moves to an old house on a lake, Lucy tries to see her new home through her camera's lens, as her father has taught her -- he's a famous photographer, away on a shoot. Will her photos ever meet his high standards? When she discovers that he's judging a photo contest, Lucy decides to enter anonymously. She wants to find out if her eye for photography is really special -- or only good enough.
As she seeks out subjects for her photos, Lucy gets to know Nate, the boy next door. But slowly the camera reveals what Nate doesn't want to see: his grandmother's memory is slipping away, and with it much of what he cherishes about his summers on the lake. This summer, Nate will learn about the power of art to show truth. And Lucy will learn how beauty can change lives . . . including her own.
I always talk about how well I think middle grades authors handle heavier topics and Lord handles many deftly in Half a Chance. From being the new kid to watching a loved one deal with dementia, it was all done gently and thoughtfully. I loved the photo contest and hearing about the way they captured each word. I also enjoyed being in New Hampshire (the reason I picked up this book). The kids spent a lot of time outside on the lake and basked in the wonder of nature. I have to admit that I shed tears whenever grandma Lila's storyline was addressed. I watched the same thing happen to my grandmother (though I was an adult), and it's hard. It was beautiful what the kids wanted to do for her. Very touching story that was executed well, in my opinion.
Published by Atria/Emily Bestler Books on August 12, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Romance, Enchanted Realism
Goodreads
In elementary school Chloe Hanako Quinn is assigned Oliver Jones as her pen pal. Before sending her letter she also whispers a note into it…and he hears her. It is the beginning of a friendship that blooms into something more—that is, until disaster strikes.
Now more than twenty years later Chloe is a high school guidance counselor in New York City, but life is not what she dreamed it would be as she faces a layoff, rising rent, a situationship, and loneliness. Desperate for encouragement, she gives herself a pep talk via uplifting messages written on yellow origami paper that she folds into roses. When one of the roses accidentally finds its way to a neighbor in need of cheering-up, Chloe, feeling a desire to spread kindness and optimism, begins purposely leaving them around town.
Across the city, Oliver has picked himself up from the rough circumstances that forced him to leave everything behind as a teenager—including Chloe. Now a successful financial analyst, Oliver’s past continues to haunt him. But when the city is suddenly inundated with yellow origami roses, a specific one finds its way into his hands and changes his life forever.
I knew Skye from her young adult books but had never read any of her work. She began writing adult books with touches of magic that kept hitting my TBR. I am glad I took a chance on her work because I adored The Incredible Kindness of Paper. This story was sweet, heartfelt, and feel-good. I cracked my face in half with how wide I was grinning as I read this beautiful tale of first love, second chances, acts of kindness, and connection. I was delighted by the overall idea, but also the string of coincidences which seem like fate to me. This story was able to lift my spirits and fill me with hope.
Published by Ballantine Books on July 8, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean’s first foray into contemporary fiction, with a sharp, sexy novel about a wealthy New England family's long-overdue reckoning with hidden desires, destructive secrets…and one week that threatens to tear them apart
Alice isn't like the other Storm siblings. While the rest stayed to battle for their parents' approval, attention, and untold billions, she left, building her own life beyond the family’s name and influence. Nothing could induce her to come back, except the shocking death of her larger-than-life father. Now back on the family’s private island off the Rhode Island coast, she plans to keep her head down, pay the last of her respects, and leave the minute the funeral is over.
Unfortunately, her father had other plans. The eccentric, manipulative patriarch left his widow and their grown children a final challenge--an inheritance game designed to humiliate, devastate, and unravel the Storm family in ways both petty and life-altering. The rules of the game are clear: stay on the island for one week, complete the tasks, receive the inheritance.
One week on Storm Island is an impossible task for Alice. Every corner of the sprawling old house is bursting dysfunctional chaos: Her older sister’s secret love affair. Her brother’s incessant mansplaining. Her sister-in-law’s unapologetic greed. Her younger sister’s obsession with "vibes". Her mother’s penchant for stirring up competition between her children. And all under the stern, watchful gaze of Jack Dean, her father’s enigmatic, unfairly good-looking, second-in-command. It will be a miracle if Alice manages to escape the week unscathed.
A story about the transformative power of grief, love, and family, this luscious novel is at once deliciously clever and surprisingly tender, exploring past secrets, present truths, and futures forged in the wake of wild summer storms.
This was a book that grabbed my attention and never let go. I was obsessed with all the drama! These were some complicated people, but I was glad to see them reunite and heal. Not just from the sudden death of their father but from all the years of games and estrangement. Each person had their come-to-Jesus moment, and they were all definitely better off at the end of this tale.
Honorable Mention
July was packed with great reading. Here are my honorable mention books. All earned 4.5 stars.
- Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely
- Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe
- Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
Let us know in the comments!
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