June was a difficult month in ways I wasn’t expecting. Some things happened. Real, ground-shaking things. I’m still finding my footing a month later. Reading slowed down. Writing slowed down. Some days I just couldn’t come to either, no matter how much I wanted to.
I want to be back. I’m trying to come back. And I will be. Fully, properly. As soon as I’m able.
To my regulars: I’m sorry for going quiet, and I’m so grateful you stayed. The likes, the comments, showing up even when I wasn’t. It didn’t go unnoticed. Thank you for keeping on. It means everything. 💙
Now, here’s June, in all its quiet, slow, still-trying glory.
June by the Numbers
Books Completed: 14 | ARCs read: 4 | 5-Star Reads: 6 | Average Rating: 3.6 stars
Audiobook-heavy month, which honestly makes sense. Sometimes you just need a voice to carry you through.
The Favorites: 5-Star Reads of June
Six five-star reads in a slower month. If anything, it tells you the books I did finish really earned their place.
Fright on Stage Right
by G.B. Ralph
Self Published | Cozy Mystery
An absolute delight. This one had everything I want from a cozy — charm, wit, a setting I wanted to live in, and a mystery that actually kept me guessing. The fact that it’s self-published and this polished? G.B. Ralph deserves all the readers. This is a word-of-mouth book if I’ve ever read one — please go find it.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary
Crime and Poetry
by Amanda Flower
Berkley | Cozy Mystery
So Amanda Flower recently announced she’s wrapping up her Amish Sweets Shop mystery series, and I took that news exactly as well as you’d expect. In a moment of pure grief-fuelled author loyalty, I went digging through her backlist for something I might have missed — and found this. The Magical Bookshop series. Bookshop setting. Literary references woven in with genuine affection. A mystery with actual stakes. Reader, it helped. This is the kind of cozy that reminds you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place, and I am so glad my sad spiral led me here. Five stars, zero notes.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley
Berkley | Mystery
This one surprised me in the best way. I went in expecting something light and came out with a lot of feelings. Colleen Oakley is criminally underrated and this book is proof. If you haven’t read it yet. Go. Now.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife
by Anna Johnston
William Morrow | Fiction
This one WRECKED me (in the best way). It’s warm and funny and then it quietly breaks your heart and then puts it back together again. If you are looking for a fiction rec that isn’t a mystery — start here. One of the best reads of my entire year so far, and I think about it more than I’d like to admit.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | Litsy
Also Worth Your Attention
These didn’t hit five stars but they absolutely belong on your radar.
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency
by Lev A.C. Rosen
Poisoned Pen Press | Queer Cozy
Queer cozy done RIGHT. Genuine wit, genuine heart, and a mystery that doesn’t take a back seat to the rep. If you’ve been looking for more diversity in your cozy reads, this is your sign. Four enthusiastic stars.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | Litsy
A Fatal Groove
by Olivia Blacke
St. Martin’s Paperback | Cozy Mystery
Record shop setting. Fun cast of characters. A mystery that keeps you on your toes. Comfort reading at its finest — Olivia Blacke has such a fun voice and this series is pure joy.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | Litsy
Upcoming Releases: Add These NOW
I read these ARCs this month that I genuinely cannot stop thinking about. These are landing later this year and I need you to have them on your radar before the buzz hits.
A Map to Murder
by Michelle Chouinard
Minotaur Books | Cozy Mystery | Out September 22, 2026
I went into this one with high hopes and it exceeded every single one of them. The mystery is genuinely clever — layered in a way that a lot of cozies don’t attempt — and the pacing is absolutely perfect. Michelle Chouinard builds a world you want to settle into while also keeping you completely on edge, which is a very hard thing to pull off. This is the kind of ARC that makes you want to immediately reread it the second you finish, just to see all the pieces you missed. Fall 2026’s cozy mystery to beat. Five stars. Pre-order it.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | Litsy
Murder on Thin Ice
by Laurie Cass
Crooked Lane Books | Cozy Mystery | Out October 6, 2026
Laurie Cass does not miss. I have never once been let down by this series and Murder on Thin Ice is everything I’ve come to love about it — and then some. The setting does that perfect cozy thing where it feels like a character in its own right, snowy and atmospheric and completely immersive. The mystery is tight, the pacing moves, and there’s real emotional depth here that sneaks up on you. Five stars from me, and I’d be shocked if this isn’t one of the most talked-about cozy releases of the autumn. October 6th. Mark it.
Find the book: My Review | Indiebookstore | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary
Wrapping up… until next time!
June was hard. But these books were good. And I’m still here. 💙 Drop your June reads in the comments. I want to hear what got you through the month.
Tough times don’t last. Tough people do!
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