Team OwlCrate Books Of The Month: What We Read In June 2025

This is the perfect summer beach read! It has it all: slow-burn romance, laugh-out-loud moments, and so much heart. I highly recommend this one.

Scottie and Wilder are opposites in almost all ways. When Scottie tells her boss she is in a rocky marriage, her boss knows just what to do. Her husband is a renowned couples therapist, and Scottie must make an appointment right away. Now, Scottie needs to find a fake husband to have a fake marriage with, and chaos ensues. 

Fable for the End of the World is captivating, and Reid's writing is so haunting. She does such a fantastic job of bringing life to grief and hope. I have not been able to stop thinking about this book since finishing it.

Either you are an Angel or a Lamb. You don't want to be a lamb. A lamb is for slaughter. What happens when the Angel does not want to do the slaughtering anymore? This story was so very good. It drew me in and I could not put it down.

I could reread this book right this very minute. The story pulled me right in, and I could not put it down. The romance was so good and spicy, and this book was exactly what I needed. Ali is always an autograb for me, and she never disappoints. I adored Scarlett and Lukas; they were a perfect fit. and I highly recommend this book.

First Time Caller by B.K. Borison is a classic romance novel to read by the pool when you want to read a lil smut, but you don't want to be questioned by your friends, family, or neighbors. It's got meet-cute chaos, late-night oversharing, and characters who feel uncomfortably real and who, too, have "reached the end of available people" on Bumble.

Awkward, funny, and full of messy feelings. It gives 90s nostalgia in the best way—pair with a side of SPF, florals, and Sauvignon Blanc.

I'm sure most people are familiar with this book (and likely the film), as it's a classic in the true crime genre, but I was shocked at how well told and readable Truman Capote's telling is.

Following the harrowing murder of the Clutter family in 1950s Kansas, In Cold Blood expertly explores the aftermath and events leading up to the conviction of the perpetrators while not coming off as vulgar or glib.

When a young Métis mother witnesses a crime outside her home, a series of stories unfold from multiple perspectives leading up to the act. 

This book was a heavy read but incredibly well told. Exploring themes of grief, trust, family, and community, it's a story that is bound to haunt. The book itself opens with content warnings for physical and sexual violence, so bear that in mind.

Extremely dark, but the perfect detective vs. serial killer read and done in a very unique way; half of it is told through the serial killer's found diary after his death. Nonstop thrills and twists. If you have a strong stomach and love relentless crime books, you'll love this.

Amongst a backdrop of a remote location in Norway during the summer solstice, this "hitman with a heart" story (one of my favorite subgenres) is beautifully written, emotionally driven, and a perfect read if you're looking for something slightly grittier for the summer months.

I'll be thinking about this horror story for a long time. I absolutely loved it. While at times it felt familiar, it was in a nostalgic way; it was like being told an urban legend from your small hometown. Unhinged and fun as hell.

Ali Hazelwood is back with arguably her best book yet... I highly recommend reading Not In Love before you pick this up, as it directly links.

What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life. Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him. It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life. But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

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. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. 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.

In June, I reread The Summer I Turned Pretty. Did you know that the audiobooks have the show's cast reading them? Now is the perfect time to pick these books up before the third and final season starts!

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.