From June, with Love
aka on stone fruit season, what I'm watching, and everything I loved last month
Happy Wednesday friends and welcome back to the monthly report!
Whenever I’m asked about my favorite time of the year, I always have a hard time answering because in truth, there’s something to love about every season. But I must admit there’s something special about the summertime. I think it’s because I still relate the season to my summer breaks in high school and college: a reprieve from “real life.” And every year, when June finally rolls around, I feel like the sky’s the limit on what I can achieve, the places I’ll go, and the adventures I’ll have.
So far, the season’s been relaxed—mainly because of the recent heatwave which has kept me indoors, awaiting the cool breeze that accompanies late evening sunsets. However, that withstanding, midsummer awaits with a calendar filled with museum-hopping, sundress-wearing, water-ice eating fun in the city, endless cookouts, and quality time with my loved ones. ♡
Last month I finally got my mojo back after a horrible reading slump in May in which I started upwards of 15 books and finished only 1 (which I somehow managed to read in less than 24 hours, idk). However, the last 29-ish days have been spent getting lost in fictional worlds and ruminating over some beautiful poetry. And now that I’m back in my bookworm bag, I’m excited to get into my lofty summer reading goals over the next couple of months (more on that soon!). But first, the best of June:
favorite physical read: Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood | ☆☆☆☆☆
Dr. Rue Siebert never goes out with the same man twice, but there’s something about Eli Killgore that piques her curiosity in a way that catches her off guard. And when their first meeting ends horribly, she decides a ‘do-over’ might be in order. However, when he shows up at her job the next day as a member of the firm taking over her mentor’s company, Rue swears to avoid him at all cost. The only problem is, Eli doesn’t care about their “conflict of interest,” and takes every opportunity to get to know Rue despite warnings from his friends to stay focused on their corporate takeover, same as Rue’s boss/friend who keeps warning her away from him—for reasons she refuses to disclose. Rue will have to decide where her loyalties lie: with her work and colleagues who might be keeping something from her; or with her heart and the chance at a life-changing love.
“It’s because with you I never have to worry about being too odd, too unlikeable, too out of tune. You never make me feel anything other than just right.”
This might be my favorite A. Hazelwood book, ever. Sharp dialogue, delicious banter, great supporting characters, and an interesting plot that made it hard for me to put the book down; not to mention, hilariously funny! I really enjoyed how the author found a comfortable balance in creating a character study of why Rue and Eli are the way they are, and how they respond to various stressors, alongside a propulsive plot that is surprising in its twists and turns. I put this one off for a while because I’d heard mixed reviews but I’m so glad I finally gave it a shot—thanks in part to my lovely mutual Natalie, because I finished the epilogue and couldn’t stop smiling. Pro-tip: follow it up with Problematic Summer Romance to see Rue and Eli blissfully happy as two of their loved ones try their hand at romance during a holiday in Sicily!
favorite e-read: Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff | ☆☆☆☆
Square Waves follows Cassidy, the young political intern at the center of a scandal in Big Fan, almost half a decade later as she’s experiencing intense burnout from her job at an anti-bullying nonprofit in DC. When her boss “recommends” she take some time off and recenter, the 28-yr old returns to her childhood home in the Bay. Her first night back, she runs into Leon—her high school nemesis, and after two martinis and too much flirting, ends up hooking up with him before running off into the night. Life has a different plan as she comes face to face with Leon the following morning when she shows up to help their mutual friend Willa prepare for her pottery store’s grand opening. Cassidy is forced to face her fears, her past, and reimagine her future over the course of a month, and decide whether she has the courage to start over and take a chance on herself and put her trust in someone new.
“If I didn’t love Willa so much, I might hate her too. It’s hard not to feel like she has the life we’re supposed to have at our age: a sweet, caring partner; a cool job that she created for herself; and a house… I can still see my high school best friend when I look at her, but she’s grown into herself so much too. I’m not sure that I’ve done the same.”
I really loved the first novella in this series and it was nice to be back in the familiar world of Big Fan but through Cassidy’s pov. I saw a lot of myself in her character as young woman in my late twenties, back home with family after going out into the world and getting my specialty degrees and feeling like ‘where do I go from here?’; trying especially hard not to spiral in the wake of my world looking different from what I expected, post-grad. And it felt really nice to see some of my own complicated feelings affirmed on page. As it pertains to the love between Cassidy and Leon, I love a good “opposites attract-it’s always been you” romance and this was flirty and fun. It was also a good look at how scary it can feel to be truly seen by someone who holds a mirror up to the best and worst parts of yourself and loves you anyway. And how hard it can be to see yourself as deserving and worthy of a soft place to land despite your shortcomings. I would’ve loved to see those themes explored a bit more and see Cassidy and Leon work for and settle into their HEA but for a novella-sized story, I think it was a great read!
what I didn’t love:
Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage | ☆☆☆
After the Cam and Dusty breadcrumbs throughout the first three books in this series, their story felt really lackluster to me. I enjoyed the dual POV and getting to read about their friendship and eventual romance in high school, but in adulthood, I failed to see much of the spark between them. I wanted Cam to really let herself be held by Dusty in this new chapter she found herself in, but it felt like she kept running from a version of him that no longer existed without being open about where her head and heart was at. Also, her faceoff with her parents felt really anti-climatic and I wish there had been a scene where we see her draw firm boundaries with them and stand up for herself and her daughter. There were definitely sweet and funny moments but overall, I wasn’t wowed.
32 Days in May by Betty Corello | ☆☆.75
I was really looking forward to 32 Days after seeing it compared to books like Beach Read—a personal favorite of mine, but by the end I was really let down. Nadia, a former ad exec is diagnosed with Lupus and retreats to her family’s vacation home on the Jersey Shore in search of a smaller and more manageable life. After getting set up with C-list actor Marco, they agree to a “Sweet November”-esque fling for the month of May; and Nadia decides to try being someone else for a month, opting not to disclose her diagnosis and just live. Nadia spends much of the book avoiding the truth of her diagnosis, being reckless with her life and health, that by the end I just wanted to shake her. She didn’t allow those around her to truly be there for her and support her through this major life event and it was a disservice to the love she was trying to build with Marco, her friendships with her neighbors/best friends, and with her family. Which ultimately made the HEA feel unearned and flat.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune | DNF @ 19%
I have reconciled the fact that Carley Fortune is just not an author for me. After struggling to get through Every Summer After, I was content to never pick up one of Fortune’s “summer reads” again but after finding out that One Golden Summer was about Charlie, Sam’s brother from ESA, I thought I’d give it one more try. I made it 19% in to the book before I had to jump ship. The FMC Alice was insufferable with her “I’m not like other girls, I’m a redhead but I’m not a bombshell” vibes, Charlie’s characterization felt childish and underdeveloped compared to how he’s portrayed in the “grown up” timeline of ESA and after 11 chapters, I wasn’t enticed to care about anything Alice was going through.
It’s officially cookout season, which for my family means back and forth trips up and down the eastern seaboard to celebrate birthdays, graduations, and various milestones. It means enjoying fried fish plates courtesy of my uncles on the grill, and bowls of my great-aunt’s famous pasta salad while laying out and working on my tan.
Additionally, it’s finally stone fruit season—my favorite time of the year, so I’ve been spending my weekends checking out new farmer’s markets with my mum, and buying farm fresh fruits and veggies to snack on and incorporate into my summer menus. I’m thinking a cobbler of some sort, and maybe a some type of flatbread with prosciutto and burrata… let me know if you have any ideas!
Watching — East coast summers are overbearingly hot and create the perfect opportunity for me to work through my extensive watchlists. From Love Island—this season is stressing me out and getting on my nerves in equal measure, to The West Wing, it’s been another enjoyable month of TV and Film for me. A few of last month’s standouts include:
Adults (FX and Disney+)
Easily one of the funniest things I’ve ever watched, Adults follows five best friends: Issa, Anton, Paul Baker, Billie, and Samir, who are all living together in New York, post-college, trying to get their lives together and be “real adults.” They aren’t particularly successful in their pursuits but they’re all trying their best anyhow. The writing is hilarious, the cast is super talented, and the absurdity of the friend groups foolishness is off-the-charts; definitely worth the watch! (no really, I need a season 2, please go stream)
Dept. Q (Netflix)
First and foremost, I am a Matthew Goode lover—shoutout to Leap Year (2008), so when Netflix dropped the trailer for Dept. Q starring Goode as DCI Carl Morck—a grumpy, detective suffering from PTSD after a traumatic event involving his former partner, I was immediately on board. And let me say, Netflix did NOT disappoint. When we meet Morck, he’s freshly returned to his job after three months away and he is not doing well. His partner-less, his wife has left him, and his kid hates him. He also doesn’t particularly like his peers, nor do they really like him. But he is great at his job. In an attempt to keep Morck from going off the deep end, his boss puts him in charge of the newly-formed cold cases department in the basement of the precinct. Morck’s not thrilled, especially when the Crown Office sends over hundreds of never closed case files to go through. However, with the help of his mysterious and resourceful “IT Assistant” Akram, the anxiety-riddled Rose, and consultant Hardy, they find themselves looking into the mysterious disappearance of a hot shot lawyer with a long list of enemies.
All the while, Morck’s fellow officers are trying to solve a separate crime related to the traumatic event that sent him on leave. The show is funny, twisty, thought-provoking, and at times eerie, with propulsive dialogue and a subtle found family element that had me flying through the one hour episodes. The series is based on a series of Swedish crime novels, and I so badly need a second season because I need to know more about Moira’s arachnophobia, Akram’s backstory, and who’s behind what happened to Morck and Hardy in that council flat. If you like crime dramas, do yourself a favor and give it a watch.
Ballerina from the John Wick Universe (in Theatres)
John Wick is one of my mum and I’s favorite movie franchises, and one of my favorite subplots in JW3: Parabellum is when we learn the origins of John’s “family” within the world of assassins. So when news of Ballerina first dropped, I was really excited to see the Ruska Roma family’s lore—not to mention getting to see more of Winston and Charon (rest in peace Lance Reddick) again.
In Ballerina, Ana de Armas plays Eve Macarro, a young woman looking for revenge on the people who ambushed her family. However, in order to enact her revenge she needs training, and soon she finds herself under the tutelage of Anjelica Huston’s Ruska Roma—the same family that trained Wick. After she graduates from the academy, she runs into men who bear the same mark as the people who tried to kidnap her as a child; setting herself on a collision course that will threaten a centuries long treaty between two of the oldest assassin organizations, and reveal secrets about herself she never knew. I thought Armas was a great addition to the Wickverse, and her characterization of Eve, someone who is both ruthless and sensitive, who carries her pain at the forefront of everything she does, was well-done and easy to root for. Narratively speaking, I wanted a bit more but overall, it was an enjoyable watch and I look forward to what’s to come from the franchise. [My Letterboxd rating: 3.5 ☆]
Materialists (in Theatres)
It’s officially been three weeks since I saw Materialists and I still haven’t been able to shake my “blah” feelings about it upon leaving the theatre. Now this is my first Celine Song—I know. I know. But I had really high hopes because everyone and their mother has had nothing but positive things to say about her debut, Past Lives, so I was excited. Not to mention, Dakota Johnson!! Pedro Pascal!! And I was a Marvel girl, so, Chris Evans!! And yet, no one’s star power and talent was used to its fullest potential. As characters, I think Lucy, Harry, and John were underdeveloped, and by the end of the film, none of Lucy’s choices made any sense. Like it was visually pretty and the soundtrack was great, but other than that, it fell very flat story wise; which was very disheartening. [My Letterboxd rating: 2.5 ☆]
Listening to — New faves, old faves, and everything in between. I’ve been really loving Kehlani’s latest release, Folded, Kendrick Lamar’s gnx has been on heavy rotation, and with each new listen Leon Thomas III’s recent project— MUTT (Deluxe) is growing on me as well! (the playlists shall return in July ♡)
*no enamored with this month*
Technically, this is a recommendation from May but I really recommend calling up a friend you haven’t seen in a while and going to grab lunch or hang out for a couple hours. Nothing brings me more joy than getting to chat over good food with someone I love, and whenever I get to see my friends, I leave the interaction buoyed and ready to take on the week ahead.
Lately I’ve been thinking about the relationships that are most important to me and how creating community and maintaining lasting friendship in adulthood is somehow less hands on but also requires more work and intention because of personal responsibilities and the like. And while talking with my mum last week, I made a comment about how my grandmother is really, really good at community building. We joke that she’s been having a “hot girl-grandma summer” because once the temperature rises, she stays in the streets lol. But she truly excels at the art of showing up—birthday parties, girl’s nights, book club, her sister’s house just to chat shit; whatever it is, she makes time for the people she loves. Even when she’s tired, she is active in the community she has cultivated over the years. And once she makes a commitment, she is committed. It’s something I really admire about her and something I want to be better at. So one of my big goals in July is to really focus in on my friends, reaching out throughout the week to check in, making plans when our schedule align, and being active in the lives of those I love.
*no treats this month*
And for my book besties… next month’s TBR includes one of my most anticipated reads of the summer, a romance between two exes who once got married in Vegas for 24hrs, a family epic about sacrifice and unlikely inheritances, a dual timeline love story about a woman who falls in love with the same two men, twice; and a memoir from one of my favorite culinary divas! So without further ado…
My July Reading List:
August Lane by Regina Black: Once a week, washed-up country heartthrob Luke Randall performs his lone hit “Another Love Song” at a random motel lounge. He hates the song but the weekly paycheck is the only consistent money he makes these days. But when he’s asked to open up for his childhood hero—country music star, JoJo Lane, as part of her Hall of Fame induction ceremony, it seems his luck’s about to change. The only problem: the concert is being held in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small town he vowed never to return to. Because going home means facing JoJo’s daughter, August—the woman who actually wrote the song he’s made a career of. August hates “Another Love Song” but she hates Luke more. And when he shows up looking to make amends, she’s uninterested. She only wants what she’s owed—a career of her own, away from her mother’s spotlight; so she strikes a deal with Luke: perform one of her new song’s during the concert or she’ll tell the truth about his so-called “hit.” But as Luke and August forge a new partnership, the chemistry and bond they shared as teenagers reignites and August will have to decide what she desires more: revenge on the boy who betrayed her or a chance at love with the man he’s become. (gifted ARC, courtesy of Grand Central Publishing)
Falling for You Again by Kerry Lonsdale: Meli Hynes is good on love. After a failed 24hr Vegas marriage in her youth, these days she’s content to pour all of her passion into her work as a wood craftsman and preparing to steward her family’s shop as part of her eventual inheritance. But when her uncle decides to sell the business to a competitor, Meli’s lifelong goals go up in a cloud of smoke. In an attempt to derail the deal, she convinces her old friend, Aaron—who also happens to be the competitor’s son, to enter into a marriage of convenience with her. After all, this wouldn’t be the first time they impulsively got hitched. But despite their messy history, they promise to keep things strictly professional despite public displays of affection and moving in together. What they failed to plan for, however, is a second chance at love… (gifted ARC, courtesy of Lake Union Publishing)
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy: The Turners have lived in Detroit’s East Side for over five decades. In that time, matriarch Viola Turner has seen her thirteen children grow up and go out into the world, welcomed various grandchildren, seen the rise and fall of her neighborhood, and weathered the loss of her husband. Now, as she prepares to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, her children are called home to decide the house’s fate and reckon with their pasts and futures, both individual and joint. Said to be a “striking examination of the price we pay for our dreams and futures,” I’m excited to read this in anticipation of Flournoy’s upcoming novel The Wilderness, which examines the twenty year friendship of five Black women as they go from young adulthood into midlife between New York and Los Angeles, which releases this September.
All The Men I’ve Loved Again by Christine Pride: When we first meet Cora, it’s 1999 and she has arrived at college eager to shed her shy personality and sheltered upbringing after growing up in an all-white suburb. She is ready to discover who she is in the world. However, she is completely unprepared for Lincoln and the rollercoaster that is falling in love for the first time. And just when she thinks she figured things out, surprises and secrets threaten everything she thought she knew. Enter Aaron, a man who seems to understand her against all odds. But how can she be in love with two people at once? Twenty years later, Cora is approaching her forties and has resigned herself to a life of loneliness, convinced it’s the safest option. But when a chance encounter reunites her with both Aaron and Lincoln, Cora is forced to confront her ideas about love, fate, and herself while facing the same impossible decision of her youth. With positive reviews from many of my favorite authors, including Tia Williams, I’m curious to see how Cora manages to end up in the same predicament twice and which love wins out in the end. (gifted ARC courtesy of Atria Books)
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten: In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—bestselling cookbook author, Food Network personality, and cultural icon, takes her readers on a journey from her “difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons” that would change her life forever. Chronicling decades of adventures and challenges, Garten shares the life lessons she’s learned along the way in her trademark voice, blending playfulness and purpose. I was a big Food Network watcher as a kid and I loved The Barefoot Contessa, so I’m very excited to read about Ina’s journey and learn more about her as a person.
If you’ve made it this far, I hope June was full of love, days spent soaking up the sun, adventure and lots of love! Let me know if we have any mutual faves from the past month or what you’ve been loving lately, and I’ll meet you in the comments!
Talk soon! All my love, always…
xx gabi
Thank you for supporting Required Reading! Every like, comment, and interaction is greatly appreciated! If you enjoyed today’s newsletter and would like to further contribute to the publication’s production, you can buy me a matcha or become a paid subscriber ♡ Thank you for being here, talk soon :)