lately with lila june 2025 | cat-astrophes

Hello again, dear friends! I hope all is well for you, and if it’s not then I hope brighter days head your way soon! This past month was a hectic one for me! Between dealing with one of my cats having a medical emergency, getting together with friends, and beginning a new job, I’ve barely had any time to read or blog! That said, I still managed to get a little bit done, so let’s check out how the month panned out!

here on hardcover haven

I’m still slowly savoring You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh. I’m still adoring this absolutely adorable book, which is a total surprise to me, as I typically don’t pick up YA contemporary romance. It’s even got representation of us mixed race Arab girlies with anxiety—representation which nearly brought me to tears during one scene! The story and the romance are also soooo cute!! Anyhoo, I’m not sure if I ever mentioned what You Started It is about? It’s all about a girl who starts fake dating a boy who’s a TikTok dancer all in an attempt to woo back her ex boyfriend. It’s ridiculously adorable, and a perfect pick if you’re looking for a cute summer read!

My reading plans for July are just the same as they were for June: to get through some ALCs which I received from the publisher through Netgalley! Aside from that, I’ll just be mood reading my way through the month!

I watched episode 1 of We Were Liars, which is Amazon’s series adaptation of E. Lockhart’s hit novel of the same name. Then I remembered that I spoiled myself for the ending of the book years ago and—!!SPOILER ALERT!!—the story has a massively tragic ending. I’m not a big fan of tragedies, particularly those dealing heavily with loss of loved ones, so I decided that this TV series probably isn’t for me. That being said, I do think that for viewers who don’t have the same triggers as I do, this series will be an intriguing YA mystery/drama series with lots of perfect summery vibes.

DNF

for readers

• Maria ranted about misogyny in the book community
• 24hryabookblog gushed about fantasy academia and gave recommendations within the subgenre
• Krysta discussed how her school experience barely seems reflected in books and also discussed what a five star review means to her
• Veronica talked over her feelings about AANPHI Month and gave some book recommendations for it as well
• Jack reflected on the myth of “the great American novel” (Video)
• Bookishcore gabbed about their most tabbed books
• Jillian shared books she loved but could never reread
• Rebecca completed the anti-TBR book tag
• Literary Gluttony paired The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches with a lemon shortbread recipe
• Beth recommended must-read books about music
• Briana talked about the fact that Gen Z parents aren’t reading to their kids and gave some solutions as well
• Sumedha gave us insight into her process of writing and posting book reviews
• Elli ranked the books in Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch series
• Jocelyn listed their forty best queer novels of all time
• Stephanie listed eight brilliant books by Caribbean authors to add to your shelf
• Leyre shouted out wonderful LGBTQ+ books
• Delaney highlighted six queer memoirs to read
• Lou gave tips on getting into classics and also recommended classics for beginners
• Kate asked, “where are the middle grade books with boy protagonists?“
• Sela lamented books on her TBR that she keeps saying she’ll read soon
• Tree gave some summertime book recommendations
• Allison talked about the books that have been on her TBR the longest
• Aria tipped us off as to how to reach your reading goals and conquer your TBR
• Michelle mulled over why some readers need to track everything
• Sophie shared her spring 2025 reading diary

for fun

• Kat shared five more TV series she’d make her future boyfriend watch
• Jessica gabbed about six fictional villains who live rent-free in her brain

June was a busy month that had its ups and downs, but for the most part it was a pretty good month for me! The only thing that made the month a tad sad was that one of my family’s cats—Clementine—was diagnosed with kidney disease and is likely in her last year of life. My mom had to go to the vet daily with Clementine for three weeks in a row, and at one point Clementine escaped off of her leash and my mom spent a day and a half tromping through ten acres of a literal swamp behind the vet’s office until she was able to find Clementine—which I’m so grateful for and relieved about! We’ve also had to give Clementine subcutaneous water through an IV every other day, which has been a lot, but it’s worth it to keep Clem healthy. Anyhoo, cat situation aside, I also had some great times and made great memories with friends, so I definitely consider that a big win!

First up, I attended my first ever Pride event with one of my friends, that event being the World Pride DC festival. I’m happy to say that my friend and I had a wonderful time! Everything was so colorful and lively and everyone was all dressed up—it was a real sight to see! We even made some new friends at the festival!

Next, my friends from my Physics I course and I had a dinner after about a year of not seeing each other. It was so nice to see them again and to catch up with them! They’re all doing well and have achieved some big life accomplishments, and I’m so happy for all of them!

Then I got together with one of my besties to hang out. It was a very relaxed and casual get together, but we always have a good time together!

Finally, my friend hooked me up to start working at a local farmers market. So far, I love the job! I adore talking to people and feeling like I’m contributing to my community in a positive way—plus the extra money doesn’t hurt 😉

Aside from working at my new job (which I’m looking forward to), I don’t really have many plans! I’m hoping to get together with one of my good friends and we might go to the Baltimore Aquarium, but that’s really it. I also found two pen pals in June, and already received a letter from one of them, so my big arts and crafts project of July is to respond to said letter and possibly send a letter to my other pen pal as well! Aside from those two activities, though, it’s all up in the air for now!

How was your June 2025? Did you read anything memorable? Are you looking forward to anything in July 2025? What’s on your TBR for the month?

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 31 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.