I kept with my annual tradition of reading only LGBTQIA+ books during Pride month, and ended up with my most productive reading month of 2025 so far! I was also able to give the first half of the year a strong finish, with 2 excellent books in the 5-star range and a bunch of other really enjoyable reads. Let’s get into it!
Stats
Total books read: 11
Pride month reads: 11
Audiobooks: 7
Audiobooks narrated by Natalie Naudus: 3
Ebook stories: 2
Physical books: 2
Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin (5 stars) – I really, really loved this one. The audiobook really enhances the reading experience, in my opinion; the narrator giving voice to the sentient plant has this extremely creepy voice that blended perfectly with the gorgeously eerie writing. It’s a great book to pick up during the fall; it’s horror, but very manageable for those who scare easily, and it’s so well-written.
The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow (5 stars) – This was a big surprise for me; it’s an ebook available on KU from an author I have read from before, but this was, without a doubt, my favorite thing she’s ever written. Sometimes short pieces just really distill down the best things about a story and its writing, and that was definitely true for this post-apocalyptic horror.
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland (4.5 stars) – This was the longest book I’ve picked up in awhile, and it was excellent; it’s romantasy with court intrigue in an Ottoman Empire-inspired fantasy world, featuring a slow-burn romance between a prince and his bodyguard while the two work to solve a mystery that’s attempting to undermine the country and the crown. The romance is very lovely and sweet, and the book has a great mix of dialogue and action; I’m very glad I chose this as my long fantasy read for June.
Wild Things by Laura Kay (4 stars) – This was a fun contemporary in which four friends living in London opt instead to buy a house in the countryside together, which leads to them discovering more joy and love in their lives. It’s been categorized as a romance, but the romance is a lesser part of the story, in my opinion; it’s more of a friendship novel with a side of romance, and I really enjoyed it.
Single Player by Tara Tai (4 stars) – This was an enjoyable contemporary romance set in the world of video games and featuring an enemies-to-lovers romance. I liked it, but didn’t love it; my main gripe was that the “enemies” phase seemed a bit forced to me.
Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns (4 stars) – This was a really unexpected and surprising pick for me. First of all, it wasn’t on my TBR, and I randomly found it while searching through my library’s Libby app for audiobook ideas for Pride month. It’s also a book where I had no idea where the plot was going at any given time, which was a good thing. The writing was very immediate and visceral, and I was hooked by the plot and also the audio narration. I haven’t seen it talked about very much, but it’s definitely worth the read.
Love in Focus by Lyla Lee (4 stars) – Another cute contemporary, this time a second chance romance, which was sweet and a fun listen on audio.
Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli (3.5 stars) – This didn’t quite live up to my extremely high expectations after LOVING Imogen, Obviously, but it was still a fun and cute road trip story featuring lots of queer friendship and a dash of romance.
Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst (3.5 stars) – This contemporary novel was slow-paced and depressing at times, but well-written, and explored interesting themes.
Undercover by Tamsyn Muir (3.5 stars) – This one may have suffered by comparison since I read it right after The Knight and the Butcherbird, which in my opinion was a much better post-apocalyptic short story. This one was interesting and disturbing, and much more straightforward than Muir’s novels.
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen (3 stars) – I was really interested to pick up this book and learn more about asexuality, which I felt like I was really lacking knowledge about, and I’m glad that this book exists to provide information to allosexuals like me and solidarity to those who are asexual. However, I read a lot of nonfiction, and for me, the writing just wasn’t very strong, and the text was extremely repetitive; it’s a short book, but I feel like it could have been a lot shorter and still provided just as much content. I feel bad, because I wanted to really enjoy it and I know it’s an important book for so many people, but I just didn’t feel that it was well-written.
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