This month, Book of the Month chose six main selections and one add-on.

Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices

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Predictions & Thoughts

The June BOTM main selections include one debut, one early release”, and two books published in May.

BOTM has somewhat disappointed me this month. There are so many debut novels publishing in June and particularly a ton of debuts by BIPOC authors. BOTM totally overlooked these. Instead, for an add-on, they chose a controversial author that they have featured so many times they did not even label her a repeat author.

I am pleased that The Lies I Tell, Things We Do in the Dark, and Woman of Light are selections.

This month, I did not have a high rate of predictions. Two of the books are actually May releases. The Stardust Thief was not on my radar at all but lesser known fantasy books typically are not. I did not include any July books in my predictions since there are so many great books coming out in June. I thought BOTM would have so many June releases to choose from that they would not include any early releases.

I guessed 2 out of 7 correctly – The Lies I Tell and Woman of Light. I debated whether to include The Lifestyle in my predictions and ultimately decided not to since it did not seem like a typical BOTM pick. (I do not include this as correct guesses in my tally.)

Main Selections

The Stardust Thief was a mid-May release inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. This book was not on my radar previously, but that is not too surprising since fantasy is not a genre I read often. However, if I had known about the book, I would have added it to my predictions, because BOTM absolutely LOVES to pick retellings and the like.

I expected The Lies We Tell to be included this month since The Last Flight was also a selection. I have read The Lies We Tell and really enjoyed it. I think it will be a popular pick.

The Lifestyle was a little unexpected. I debated whether to include it in my predictions or not. The synopsis seems like something a bit out of character for BOTM to select. But I am always happy to be surprised, especially when it is a book that is on my most anticipated list for the month. I have seen The Lifestyle primarily categorized as romance, but it appears that BOTM is calling it contemporary fiction.

I am super excited to see Things We Do in the Dark as a pick. I am a big fan of Jennifer Hillier and am so happy she is being exposed to a wider audience through BOTM.

I have an e-galley of Woman of Light that I have started reading. I think it will be well-liked; however, it seems that BOTM subscribers are not big fans of any books labeled as literary fiction.

The Wedding Dress Social Circle was an unexpected selection that was not on my radar.

I am a bit disappointed that there is no REAL contemporary fiction main pick. There are so many great ones being published in June by debut authors.

Add-Ons

I am beyond disappointed that BOTM chose a Elin Hilderbrand book. I know that many of her previous books have been selections; however, in light of her actions in the last year or so, I find it disgusting that BOTM would chose to promote and include one of her books. If you do not know, Hilderbrand has been cruel to the online book community and threatened suicide because someone wrote a neutral review of one of her books, amid other things.

My Choices

Main Picks

Because I have already have three of the main selections as galleys – two of which I have already read – I am going to skip this month.

I really enjoyed The Lies I Tell and Things We Do in the Dark. I also think I am going to like Woman of Light. But these three books are the ones I would have chosen as picks.

I thought about choosing The Lifestyle. However, I think I will wait until I see some reviews for it. Plus, I have a ton of BOTM books on my shelves that need to be read.

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What books did you choose for your June BOTM selections? Let me know in the comments!