Reviews of the 8 Books I Read in June 2026

1. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty?

What Natalie’s followers (all 8 million of them) don’t know won’t hurt them. Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children, they’re all familiar, but something’s off.

When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.

My Rating: ★★★★

Quite possibly the book of 2026 as it’s all anyone is talking about, so I had to see for myself what all the fuss was about. And for a debut novel, the hype around Yesteryear is quite the accomplishment.

Firstly, the concept of the book is very intriguing. A ‘trad influencer’ who finds herself back in the 1800s living out the kind of life she glamorised online. I found it slow enough on the uptake, but by the 75% mark, I was completely hooked. A very good ending and I can see exactly why this is a book club hit.

2. What Happens in Nashville by Angela Britnell

Claire Buchan is hardly over the moon about the prospect of her sister’s hen party; travelling from the UK to Nashville, Tennessee, for a week of honky-tonks, karaoke and cowboys. Certainly not straight-laced Claire’s idea of a good time, what with her lawyer job and sensible boyfriend, Philip.

But then she doesn’t bank on meeting Rafe Castello. On the surface, Rafe fits the cowboy stereotype with his handsome looks and roguish charm but as he and Claire get to know each other, she realises there is far more to him than meets the eye.

My Rating: ★★

If you’re into love bombing then this will definitely be the book for you. We’ve got ‘I love you’s after four days and talks of moving across the world for someone you’ve just met.

I was mostly interested in the Nashville setting for this short story, but the lack of chemistry and realism put me off getting fully into the book. 

3. The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can’t shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He’s charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems.

My Rating: ★★★

This is one of the more popular Freida McFadden books, but after reading 14 of her books, this didn’t rank near the top for me.

Maybe because I’ve now read so many of her books, I know what to look for and can kind of predict the twists and turns and the prime suspects so it takes most of the fun out of the novel.

In saying that, I love how I can read Freida McFadden books so quickly because the chapters are so short, as well as the sentences which makes you not want to put the book down. As always, an enjoyable read from Freida but just not one of my favourites.

4. American Fantasy by Emma Straub

When the American Fantasy cruise ship sets sail for a four-day themed voyage, aboard are all five members of a famous 1990s boyband, and three thousand screaming women who have worshipped them for thirty years.

Newly divorced and with an empty nest, Annie is on board as a lark to appease her sister. Once a diehard fan of the band as a teen, her tastes have matured, and she feels out of place amid the sea of bedazzled, air-brushed t-shirts bearing the singers’ faces.

Yet when the lights come up and the idols of her youth begin to sing before her, something is unlocked. But a lot can go wrong on a ship ruled by hormones and hope, frustration and fantasy.

My Rating: ★★

Wow. If you want to read a book where nothing happens, make sure to pick up American Fantasy. I had such high hopes for this when I read the ‘About the Author’ blurb at the beginning as Emma Straub owns Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, a bookstore I’ve visited and own a tote bag from.

However, American Fantasy was a 4-day cruise trip with a has-been boyband about 40 years past their prime with their mid-40s/50s fan base. Many things could have taken place in those four days, but absolutely nothing out of the ordinary did. I was pretty bored from start to finish, I hate to say.

5. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come. The complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis, and yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. Every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either.

My Rating: ★★★

I have quite a few Abby Jimenez books on my Kindle that I’ve been meaning to get around to and after reading The Night We Met last month and loving it, I had to continue with her past catalogue.

Part of Your World definitely wasn’t my favourite of her books, but I did enjoy the story all the same. I didn’t feel that much chemistry between the two main characters, but enjoyed the small town aspect of the story and laughed out loud at a few parts. I’ll continue the series, but I’m not in a rush to.

6. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive.

But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

My Rating: ★★★★

Apocalyptic books aren’t usually my sort of genre, but Station Eleven is book number 10 on the New York Times’ ‘100 Best Books of the 21st Century’ list that I’m slowly making my way through – so here we are.

Written in 2014, this books basically tells the story of COVID-19 if it was a lot worse. Almost everyone in the world dies, but our story centres around a travelling symphony who wander from small communities to other small communities to bring a little bit of joy.

I loved the story and how all of the characters interconnected, but more so how the book made you reflect and be grateful for a lot of things that we take for granted and would be lost without if they were to abruptly disappear.

7. The Name Game by Beth O’Leary

Charlie couldn’t be happier to take the job of farm shop manager on the remote, wild Isle of Ormer. She’s grieving, a little lost, and in desperate need of a new beginning.

Jones has come out of a difficult breakup and is looking forward to some peace away from the noise of his city life. Moving to Ormer couldn’t have come at a better time.

But when Charlie Jones and, ahem, Charlie Jones both turn up at Ormer’s one and only farm shop, claiming to have been offered the role of manager, everyone is baffled.

How could this have happened? And just who is the real Charlie Jones?

My Rating: ★★★★

I’ve found a lot of Beth O’Leary books to be a bit middle-of-the-road, nice and simple romcoms, but The Name Game actually overdelivered as to what I was expecting from her latest release.

A unique concept all taking place on a small island off of Guernsey. It had everything you’d want from a small town, found-family kind of trope with added twists along the way. There was a great plot twist about 75% into the book, but from that point it did get a little confusing. Everything ironed out by the end, so I would still give it 4-stars.

8. The Divorce by Freida McFadden

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family.

Then, he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession, and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

My Rating: ★★★★

I don’t know how Freida McFadden does it, but she’s somehow able to churn out thriller after thriller about three times per year and each one has me on the edge of my seat, every single time.

The Divorce was another page-turner, and up there with one of my favourite Freida McFadden books (now that I’ve read 16 of them) as I had no idea where the book was headed. I love that right up until the very final chapter, you’ll still be guessing as to how the book is going to end. I was hooked!