June 2026 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: The Doughnut Fix

Title: The Doughnut Fix
Author: Jessie Janowitz
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Superfudge meets The Lemonade War in this funny, heartwarming book about change, adventure, family, and of course, doughnuts. Tristan isn’t Gifted or Talented like his sister Jeanine, and he’s always been okay with that because he can make a perfect chocolate chip cookie and he lives in the greatest city in the world. But his life takes a turn for the worse when his parents decide to move to middle-of-nowhere Petersville―a town with one street and no restaurants. It’s like suddenly they’re supposed to be this other family, one that can survive without bagels and movie theaters. His suspicions about his new town are confirmed when he’s tricked into believing the local general store has life-changing chocolate cream doughnuts, when in fact the owner hasn’t made them in years. And so begins the only thing that could make life in Petersville worth getting the recipe, making the doughnuts, and bringing them back to the town through his very own doughnut stand. But Tristan will soon discover that when starting a business, it helps to be both Gifted and Talented, and it’s possible he’s bitten off more than he can chew…

Review:

When Tristan’s family moves out of New York City, his parents assign him and his sisters to make up a project until they go to school next term. Tristan decides to make a business selling the town’s famous chocolate cream doughnuts. He must follow steps to creating a business with the help of some new friends in town. This is a great story to teach kids how to follow their dreams and achieve their goals. Tristan had to go through a lot of trial and error to complete his project, including experimenting with the recipe for the doughnuts. One character who stole the show was Tristan’s younger sister Zoe. She provided some fun comic relief throughout the story!

The Doughnut Fix is a great middle grade book!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com and Jessie Janowitz for providing a copy of this book for a sponsored campaign!

Have you read The Doughnut Fix? What did you think of it?

Review: Essentials, Vol. 2

Title: Essentials, Vol. 2
Author: Luke Arnold, Chris “Doc” Wyatt
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction
Publisher: The Lab Press
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 12, 2026
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The mind-bending adventure of Essentials continues in volume two.

ESSENTIALS VOL. 2 continues the mind-bending journey of Harris Pax, a mathematician who predicted the end of the world but couldn’t prevent it. Now to save humanity, he must return to the underground bunker where madness began, but not without a fight. Alongside unlikely sidekicks—from walking corpses to toy robots—Harris weaves through fractured realities of creatures, angels, and monsters to restore the world he once knew. But will it be enough to defeat Snuggles once and for all?

Review:

This story continues Harris’s journey to save what’s left of humanity after the world ended. The survivors have created their own realities which they’re living in. Harris and his friend Buttons must travel through these imagined realities to save the humans inside. However, they don’t always want to be saved. This is a thought provoking graphic novel about what’s reality and the power of imagination.

Essentials, Vol. 2 is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign!

Content warnings: death, suicide

Other books in the series:

Essentials, Vol. 1

Have you read Essentials, Vol. 2? What did you think of it?

Review: The Divine Feminine Scent

Title: The Divine Feminine Scent
Author: E.C. Beaumont
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Independently published
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 4, 2026
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

She seduces powerful men to harvest their energy.

Selene is a high-stakes investor building life-saving infrastructure, powered by a secret. What begins as a gift becomes her Protocol, refined through psychology, ritual, technology, and obsession.

Then Ethan signs the Protocol.

Ethan is a Silicon Valley millionaire with everything to lose. He becomes her most powerful subject yet. Their connection is intoxicating, obsessive, and irreversible. But Selene’s power comes with a brutal cost. As the line between harvest and love blurs, the stakes become more dangerous for both of them.

A story of dark feminine power, psychological intensity, and the cost of loving your prey.

Inside this high-heat, literary romance:
• Female-dominant dark power dynamics
• A powerful woman who may be saving the world or destroying what she loves
• Psychological conditioning and control
• Obsession-driven relationship
• Morally complex, unapologetic protagonist
• Explicit, high-intensity scenes (no fade-to-black)
• Foot worship and sensory domination
• Supernatural elements woven into a grounded, literary narrative

What would you do to the man you love if it saved thousands?

Content note: This novel contains explicit sexual content, power exchange dynamics, psychological manipulation, and morally dark themes. Intended for adult readers (18+). This is not a conventional romance. There is no redemption arc. The ending will stay with you.

Review:

This story is about a woman who could channel her power through seducing men. Her feet had an intoxicating scent that would then give her power. She used the power to help fund investments to build much needed infrastructure around the world. However, she had to balance her morality, power, and work for the greater good.

The Divine Feminine Scent is a study in sexual power.

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign!

Content warnings: psychological manipulation, sexual content

Have you read The Divine Feminine Scent? What did you think of it?

Review: Three Days Grace

Title: Three Days Grace
Author: Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 12, 2026
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

On the eve of their trip to South Africa, Lynne and her wife, Susan, await three guests in a Paris Nick, Lynne’s distant son; Laslo, Susan’s effusive friend; and Marc, a former professor living on borrowed glamour.

What begins as a bon voyage soon becomes a clash of old wounds and fresh resentments. As night falls, long-buried secrets surface, threatening to dismantle the facades each has built.

Through the winding corridors of Paris and the tangled landscapes of memory, five people must confront the truths they’ve spent decades avoiding. At the heart lies the tragic story of two brothers-one present, one absent-and the lingering trauma that continues to shape their lives.

Set over three days, this unflinching exploration of family, betrayal, and silence asks whether we can ever truly escape our past-and what it takes to finally face the truths we’ve spent a lifetime running from.

Review:

This is a gripping novel about loss and grief. Nick’s father dies suddenly, which brings back the memories of the abuse he suffered as a child. He realizes how much the adults around him knew and chose to ignore. I couldn’t put this book down. I think I could have easily read it in one sitting.

Three Days Grace is a powerful and heartbreaking story.

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign!

Content warnings: child abuse, rape, death of parent, suicide

Have you read Three Days Grace? What did you think of it?

Review: We’re Going to Win this Game

Title: We’re Going to Win this Game
Author: Alberto Casamayor, Palma & Kako
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Editorial el Pirata
Source: Bookinfluencers
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 17, 2026
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Soccer, laughs, and a team that breaks all the rules!Meet theSuper Goals, the most unlikely soccer team you can imagine. This series is packed with humor, friendship, and a passion for soccer that shows how perseverance and determination can lead to the game-winning goal!InWe’re Going to Win This Game, Alex, a soccer-obsessed girl, dreams ofjoining the Super Goals. However, the new coach seems determined to make it impossible. Why does she have it out for Alex? Is it because she never seems to sleep? And what’s up with her grandma’s pet toad in the middle of it all?Every page is fully illustrated in color, with dialogue in comic book speech bubbles. The reading pace is fast and full of humor. Recommended for boys and girls aged 8 to 11. Other titles inThe Super Goalsseries:We’re Going to Win This GameThe Dream Cup

Review:

This is a fun soccer story that shows perseverance pays off. Alex wanted to join the soccer team but she wasn’t old enough. When they changed the age requirement, they ended up with a coach who didn’t like Alex and picked on her. Despite being held back from the team, Alex kept trying her hardest to earn her spot on the team. There were some funny characters on the team who kept the story entertaining! Since the FIFA World Cup is starting, this will be a great book for kids to read this summer!

We’re Going to Win This Game is a great children’s book!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign!

Have you read We’re Going to Win this Game? What did you think of it?