June Book of the Month

Hello book lovers! I hope all of you are doing well. It’s that time again where I share my favorite book of the month. How has the time gone by so fast? June has been an odd reading month for me – I only managed to finish one book thanks to finally starting The Night Circus (which I am really enjoying) so naturally, the only book I finished is my book of the month. That’s not to say it doesn’t 100% deserve the award though!

So to announce this month’s book… *drumroll* The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie! 

Goodreads Summary: A brand new series from Booktuber Lucy Powrie – about what happens when you give up on trying to fit in and let your weird out! It’s time to join The Paper & Hearts Society …

Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in. She doesn’t want to go to parties – in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book.

It’s like she hasn’t found her people …

Then Tabby joins a club that promises to celebrate books. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING – especially when making new friends brings out an AWKWARD BUZZING feeling all over her body.

But Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed have something that makes Tabby come back. Maybe it’s the Austen-themed fancy-dress parties, or Ed’s fluffy cat Mrs Simpkins, or could it be Henry himself …

Can Tabby let her weird out AND live THE BEST BOOKISH LIFE POSSIBLE?

Perfect for fans of Holly Smale and Super Awkward.

I have been a big fan/supporter of Lucy Powrie for years now. In case you haven’t heard of her before, she is a fantastic booktuber (@lucythereader) with a huge love for classic novels. Following her progress in writing this book has been so fun and inspiring. I definitely had high hopes going into The Paper & Hearts Society but boy did Lucy blow away my expectations and give me a book that my younger self would have absolutely cherished.

So what can you expect from this book, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

1. Comfort. I have always dreamed of having a friend group where you have a shared love for books, go away on road trips to explore bookish places, and host book club parties with bookish themed games and food. What bookworm doesn’t want that? Reading this book gave me the comfort of having a sense of what such a friendship group would feel like. I loved the realistic teenage representation (which I will discuss further at a later point), as well as the diversity within the group. Although the characters have a lot of differences, with multiple facing various challenges, they fit together perfectly. Lucy did a fantastic job of creating such special characters.

2. A heavy bag. This was another quick read for me that I struggled putting down whenever and wherever. It’s definitely a good choice for summer with it being a book you can just easily slip into a bag and read while enjoying the sun. It was so well-written with a good pace, meaning I never got bored, all while including multiple *gasp* and *aw* moments. The chapter lengths are relatively short too so if you are like me and like gauging your reading times by chapters, this book will suit you well.

3. An honest representation of teenagers. This was the real peak for me and something that I applaud Lucy Powrie for achieving. When in a bookstore, the abundance of young adult titles can be at times intimidating. Add to that the pressure of wanting true representation, diversity, relatability, attention holding and overall a good read worth your buck. Then Lucy came in a said ‘hey, there needs to be a book for bookworms about bookworms’ and then The Paper & Hearts Society was created! (Not sure if that’s actually how it happened but it seems probable!) Not to mention the added representation of dealing with the emotions of moving, family illnesses, anxiety, teenagers acting as parents for their siblings and cyberbullying. All of those things are often rare to find in a young adult fiction novel and it brought me joy to uncover each one. I can see exactly how this book will touch many people’s hearts, make teenagers feel less alone and join the favorites shelf of bookworms.

4. Young love. Nothing says a classic young adult/summer read like a good ol’ romance! Without spoiling too much, this book holds one of my favorite romances ever. If you have ever dreamed of getting a significant other to read one of your favorite books (shoutout to my guy for doing that), your heart is going to melt. Lucy wrote a perfect romance that was realistic, super duper cute, wasn’t rushed and squeezed your heart at the right moments – all while still leaving plenty of room for focusing on the actual friend group.

5. Envy. I wanted to be in this book. I want to be a part of The Paper & Hearts society! This book meant so much to me and will definitely be one that I find myself reaching for when a reading slump is about to hit or I just want a quick feel-good read. And the best part is… IT’S GOING TO BE A SERIES! Lucy has already announced the second book and you can find out more about it on her blog (click here). I can’t wait to see what the next one holds and I am rooting for Lucy as an author who is creating the books people need and isn’t shying away from much-needed representation and diversity!

And that’s it, guys! I am so glad I read this book this month and I definitely recommend it for all of you as an enjoyable summer read that will make you feel good. It’s crazy how fast this month has gone but summer is here (currently dying in the UK heatwave) and its time for us to make the most of it! It’s statistically proven that people read more in the summer than any other time of the year (found that out in the What Should I Read Next? podcast) so be sure to make yourself one of those people! Until next time. x