2025 Popsugar Reading Challenge - Update #6

Happy Tuesday everyone and welcome to my sixth 2025 Popsugar Reading Challenge update with mini reviews!   In June, I read 7 books for a total of 44 completed out of 50.  Only 6 to go!  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in June: 

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Zombie Apocalypse Running Club by Carrie Mac isn't quite what I was expecting it to be at all.  Tonally, it's something else.  It also reads a bit younger than I thought it would as well, but honestly it that mostly works for it given the characters.  I did appreciate that their is a good found family element and the sense of humor.  I'm glad I listened to the audiobook because the production and narration was great.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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We Shall Be Monsters (We Shall Be Monsters #1) by Tara Sim is my favorite book by this author so far.  It pulled me in right away.  Kajal is quite an interesting character with a great arc and development.  Also that extremely good dog really stole the whole show.  I'm really looking forward to the upcoming sequel. 

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong was just a nice fantasy standalone.  I was hoping for a little more about the story to sink it's hooks into me, but it was still worth my time.  My favorite aspect of this was the found family element.  I'll have to check out more from this author in the future.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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The Recruit (CHERUB #1) by Robert Muchamore is not great, but the premise is pretty cool. Also one of the characters has my name, so that was fun to see. Since they talk about the history of the group just a bit, I think I prefer the idea of this book if it were set in the 1940s - 1950s.  I don't think I'll be back for the rest of the series.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum is a novel that I didn't expect to love this quite so much. Before reading this I wasn't at all familiar with the term "healing fiction", but now I get it (or at least, when it comes to this particular book).  I feel all warm inside and that's exactly what I needed right now.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne was a lot of fun. Jim Dale was a great choice for the audiobook narrator. Passpartout's my favorite of the characters. I feel like rewatching several of the adaptations of this now.  I wish I'd read this a long time ago.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis is a nice slice-of-life cozy sci-fi mystery.  I wasn't quite as hooked by it as I was hoping to be.  I think I liked the idea of the hotel itself a little more than anything.  As much as appreciated getting to know the characters and how they got there, I think it could have benefited from fewer POV characters to rotate around.  In a way, it reminded me of a Doctor Who story which is probably the best compliment I can give it.  I think I will be trying more from the author in the future.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

Are you taking part in this challenge?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!