My 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge: May - June

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Mallory is done with chess. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with the current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan's loss to an unknown rookie shocks everyone. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realises that the games aren't only on the board.

Even though I know how to play chess, I feel like a lot of it went over my head. Obviously, if you know a lot about chess and the different moves and plays, it might hit differently, but I struggled to find myself absorbed in these sections, of which there were many. As for the romance, it was cute and even a bit steamier than I expected it to be, in a good way. I’m so used to Ali’s MMCs being a certain type of man (primarily huge and tall), that it was a nice change to be presented with someone like Nolan. Him being inexperienced compared to Mallory was also a nice twist. Plus, I liked finding out more about Mallory‘s family and their overall dynamic. And it felt relatable as an older teen/YA story, too.

With A Vengeance by Riley Sager

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna's family. Twelve years later, she's ready for retribution. Under false pretenses, she has lured those responsible onto an overnight train journey. Her goal? Confront the people who've wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. But Anna's plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. It becomes clear that someone else is enacting their own form of revenge. And that they won't stop until everyone else is dead.

Despite being a bit of a Riley Sager super fan, sadly this is probably my least favourite of his books so far. First and foremost, I didn’t care about any of the characters, meaning it didn’t really affect me when they were ultimately killed. Understandably the six guilty parties were all unlikeable, but as I didn’t connect with any of them there wasn’t any jeopardy for me. Even Anna, while I understood her need and quest for justice, the whole plan didn’t make much sense, as who is really going to sit quietly for all those hours and wait to be turned over to the FBI. The final twist (and subsequent reveal) didn’t really go anywhere either.

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, Blake is desperate to make ends meet. Enter Whitney. Beautiful, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She's exactly what Blake's looking for. Or is she? Because something isn't quite right. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets.

Annoyingly, I guessed exactly who was tormenting Blake from the outset. So, every little thing that happened only cemented that. I did enjoy the ways that ‘Whitney’ got under his skin. I could, however, have done without Blake’s internal monologue. There’s only so many times that I could watch him leer over a woman and reduce her to her looks alone, then say how good he was being by not acting on it. Because of this, alarm bells were immediately ringing. I also didn’t think that the reason that Whitney was embroiled in everything was warranted at all. And oh how convenient that the person who is using your real identity just happens to work two blocks away.

The Right Move by Liz Tomforde

RYAN: The last thing I needed was for my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. But when my team’s General Manager vocalises his disapproval of my promotion to Captain, I can’t think of a better way to convince him that I'm approachable than pretending to date my outgoing roommate. The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural. INDY: Our arrangement isn’t one-sided. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex, will be there. And there’s no better date than my his celebrity hero.

I’m not sure anyone could top Ryan as a book boyfriend. Seriously, I was in awe of what he did for Indy. Talk about unrealistic expectations. I liked the bit of fake dating that we get and Indy being a romance reader. I also didn't mind it being my first basketball sports romance either. I wasn’t sure what to think of Indy when she immediately reorganised his apartment on day one. I get that it’s central to the plot and her bringing colour to his life, but it felt like a bit of an overstep. And as I made my way through I started to realise just how long it was. Yes, it absorbs you in their world fully, but it could have been a bit tighter.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

Ghostwriter Olivia has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of legendary horror author Vincent Taylor, famous not only for his novels, but for being the prime suspect in the brutal slaying of his siblings. On the brink of financial ruin, Olivia reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite her father's last book, not realising that she will be forced to reckon with the ghosts that live at the centre of her family. Because after fifty years of silence, Vincent is finally ready to talk. But is he ready to tell the truth?

I liked how the chapters flipped back and forth from the present day to the lead up to the murders. I also appreciated that it was difficult to tell who was telling the truth. It had an unreliable narrator that made sense, given his failing health and memory. You could tell that Danny was keeping a secret, yet to find out what he did to Lydia had me feeling a lot less sympathy for him overall. In fact, I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly likeable, apart from Poppy, really. It was also slow in parts and could have been snappier. I also wouldn't really class it as a thriller either.

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

Maya is 23 and still in the process of figuring out her life. Conor is 38, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him. It's such a cliché. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. But when Maya's brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs, even if it's a problematic one.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I liked the Taormina/wedding vibes and the extended cast of characters. But as someone who was excited for an age gap romance, all we get is Conor repeating over and over again that he’s too old for her in quite an infantilising way. Then, almost as soon as they get together, he wants to propose and get her pregnant. I did enjoy the Edinburgh flashbacks and never expected Irn Bru or some of the other Scottish references to appear in an Ali Hazelwood book. I also liked the moments where it was very obvious that Conor truly cared for her, even if he wouldn’t act on his feelings. However, it wasn't really the age gap romance that I was expecting.

The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Hidden in the heart of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Lost Books', a library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. 10-year-old Daniel is allowed to choose one book and pulls out 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Julian Carax. But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Carax and to save those he left behind.

This was a book club read that wouldn’t have even been on my radar otherwise. And while there were some things that I enjoyed, it did drag on. Yes, it was absorbing and I felt like I was there in Barcelona with Daniel. Fermin was also my favourite character, by far, and there were some incredibly well written sentences and passages. And while I was still intrigued to find out who Coubert was and if there was a potentially supernatural element to him, I probably wasn’t as gripped by the search for Carax as I should have been. I would, however, have loved to see the concept of the Cemetery of Lost Books explored more.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan begins training to be an astronaut alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

This was a quieter book from Taylor Jenkins Reid, with a slower pace and less drama than her previous books. Frustratingly, there was just so much space terminology, that I found myself skimming words and sections. We also meet a good number of characters at the outset that are tricky to discern from one another. The format was nice, with it literally starting off with a bang and I enjoyed watching Joan create her own family with Vanessa and Frances. The last 20% or so was where it was at its strongest and I felt myself being pulled in like I expected I would have been from the very beginning. The tension also ramped up too.

Too Old For This by Samantha Downing

You’d never guess Lottie Jones had skeletons in her closet. She lives for the simple pleasures of weekly bingo games at church, and gossiping with her friends about their children’s love lives. But when investigative journalist Plum shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past, and specifically about her connection to numerous unsolved murders, well, Lottie just can’t have that. But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realises this crime might just be the death of her.

This immediately drew me in and I loved that it was packed with action and kills from the very beginning. You can't help but root for Lottie. And I really appreciated that we get some insight into how her life is now that she is growing old and heading into her twilight years. This was really well done. We see people continuously underestimate her, to their detriment. As someone who reads quite a lot of crime/thriller books and watches true crime docs, it wasn't too gory and I loved the ways that Lottie covered up her crimes. There's also some great dark humour, too.

Publication date: 28th August 2025

Romance Is Dead by Katie Bohn

Scream queen Quinn has had it with scary movies. After years as Hollywood's horror It Girl she's decided, one last film before quitting for good. All that stands in her way is leading man Teddy. Reality TV star and renowned playboy Teddy has looks to kill for, but absolutely no talent. AKA, Quinn's worst nightmare. That's until they stumble across a dead body on set. Everyone believes it's a tragic accident, but Quinn's not convinced. So she offers Teddy a deal: acting lessons in exchange for his help investigating. And as they dig deeper, she begins to wonder what's most at risk here, their lives, or her heart?

As someone who loves romance books, a good mystery and horror movies, this book combines the three perfectly into a story that I couldn’t get enough of. I loved seeing Quinn and Teddy fall for each other. From their banter to the sexy acting lessons, they had incredible chemistry and I was kicking my feet at parts. The movie set setting worked well too. As for the horror movie elements, you can tell that this author knows her stuff and is as big a fan as I am. I loved all the references. I did have a pretty good indication as to who the killer would turn it to be, and I was right. But it didn’t lessen the enjoyment for me and made a lot of sense.

Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn

Scottie just started a new job, and she's the only woman on a team filled with Brads and Chads. Expecting a bachelor-pad atmosphere, she is surprised when she finds out that everyone around her is happily married. In an effort to try and impress her new team, Scottie mentions her own husband. The only problem? He doesn't exist. So when her boss offers her and the supposed love of her life a one-on-one session with the best counsellor money can buy, she has to think quickly. Enter Wilder. Her best friend's brother. And next thing she knows, the two of them are on an eight-day marriage camp. With all her co-workers. Sharing a cabin.

This was a unique take on fake dating and marriage of convenience. I liked the setting and the rather quirky (to say the least) marriage counselling that was going on. It was chaotic, in a good way, I think. It had some of the humour that I’ve come to expect from Meghan, plus her trademark steamy scenes. I’m not sure if the paperback also has the illustrations throughout, but I actually appreciated their inclusion, with them allowing me to picture each character a bit better. I know Scottie was going through it with her not fully coming to terms with the breakdown of her marriage and eventual divorce, but her character did feel a bit one dimensional at times.