January 2025 Reads

Picture shows all the books I read in January.
Welcome to Pawnee by Jim O'Heir

This book was different than I expected. I expected more behind-the-scenes stories, more dirt. I did enjoy seeing the show from a different perspective than the lead’s. I also enjoyed how O’Heir brought in many people to read for the book. I just wish there was more substance.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book was really sweet. My favorite aspect was the relationship between the three sisters, more than likely because I’m one of three sisters. I loved how unique they each were and their problems. I loved the partners in their lives, and the children. I especially loved the task set upon them. I’m a sucker for small towns coming together.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss

Guilt and Ginataan by Mia P. Manansala

This installment was okay. I think this series is becoming a bit predictable. There were a few plot threads that I felt were dropped: Elena being elusive, Jae saying I love you for the first time. The book just didn’t seem to have the magic the other four seemed to have. I’ll have to think about if I want to read the next installment or not.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I love this series, I really do, but Mia is my age, and she still reads as a teenager, and that was disappointing. I think that’s really what took me out of the book. The plot was fine, it was just Mia’s voice that really threw me off. I was hoping she would be more mature as an adult.

Rating: 3 out of 5.
The Quarantine Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I forgot how much I really loved this book. I think it hits differently as an adult than it did as a high school student, but all the tangled webs and hypocrisies and some of the symbolism just stood out more. And I truly felt sorry for Gatsby who was trying to fit into a class that would never accept him and who would let him take the blame for things he did not do.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Quinn’s Story was at once heartbreaking and inspirational. Her character development was phenomenal. I loved her relationships with her friends. I especially loved her and Oliver together – the labyrinth was magical. I wish her art was real so I could see it. Everything about this book was amazing, and it had me staying up late and crying in my office at work.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Weight of Water by Jamie Seitz

Is She Really Going OUt with Him? By Sophie Cousens

This book was great! I loved everything. The writing was witty; the story was fun and plausible, and the characters were great. Plus – there were all my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, there’s only one bed, AND he falls first. Anna and Will were great together – their banter was top-notch, their falling in love beautiful. The only thing that would have made the book better would have been more interactions between Will and the kids!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

After setting it aside last year, I’m glad I tried it again. This book was delightful. I loved Tress and her pirate friends. I loved her love for Charlie – and his for her. The twists, the turns, the world-building – it was very unique, while also feeling a bit like The Princess Bride.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

I went into this book not knowing much about Ina Garten and I walked away loving her – especially her relationship with her husband, Jeffrey. This book was simply delightful to read. I loved hearing about her journey to where she is today.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book was a very fascinating read. I grew up in the 90s and didn’t know a lot of this was going on. I remember hearing about a lot of these events, and forming the exact opinions the author talked about – so the author was correct and the media worked. The book is going to give me things to think about.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
90s Bitch: Media Culture, and the failed promis of gender equality by Allison Yarrow

The Favorites bye Layne Fargo

Since I was young, I’ve been obsessed with figure skating. In high school, I became obsessed with Wuthering Heights. Kat and Heath fulfilled a need I didn’t even know I needed. The book was dramatic, and full of excitement and so much passion. I loved the behind-the-scenes drama of international figure skating. This book is my new obsession.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I’m not going to say much, since I don’t want to spoil anything, but this book was amazing. it was very much the middle book of a series, setting up so much and not really answering questions. But, I think the crumps Yarros spread were satisfying. And I will wait (mostly) patiently for the next installment.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

The London Detective Agency

Decoding the Heart

December 2024 Reads

I read this book as an ARC, you can find my review here.

I thought I was getting a book about hockey, and instead I got so much more. I love Fredrik Backman, and I was not disappointed with this book. The writing was beautiful, the characters were rich, the plot heartbreaking. This is book one of a trilogy, so of course I’ll be reading the rest of the series in the new year.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I read Huckleberry Finn specifically so I could read this book. James received a lot of praise and awards this year, and it deserved every single one of them. It was so much more than just a retelling of Finn. It gave Jim so much depth and the backstory was rich. The twist Everett gave to the story was beautiful and made so much sense within the original canon. While you don’t have to read Finn before this, I recommend it, because it gives something extra to the story. If you haven’t read it yet, add it to your 2025 TBR.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I like to fill my Decembers leading up to Christmas with holiday romances. I kicked off this December on a very high note. Shades of Agatha Christie with a traditional Hallmark romance thrown in, I’m pretty sure this will be a book I’m going to want to re-read over and over again. It was fun, I actually laughed out loud several times, the characters were great, and the plot just flew by. It was great.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Another fun holiday romance where the Prince of Christmas (aka Santa’s son) and the Prince of Halloween have a forbidden romance. I love re-tellings and I especially love new twists. The time Raasch took to build the Holiday Universe was amazing. I loved the character building, I love the storyline, and I love the universe. I will definitely be continuing this series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Another one I really enjoyed, but Emily Stone is a must read every year, so I expected nothing less. Enemies to Lovers is always a fun trope, add in forced proximity, and only one bed, and you’ve got a winner! I enjoyed the premise, and the exploration of grief.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This one? Don’t recommend. It was…okay. But, the characters never really redeemed themselves, and the MFC was very much a doormat who never really ever stood up for herself. It was enjoyable and it was very spicy, but I couldn’t really fully get behind the premise of it.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I love Jenny Bayliss, and I am one year behind on her releases, so expect another of her books to pop up in January. This one was touching. I loved that the characters were older. I loved the connection between the two love interests. I LOVED there was no third act break up. The relationship between the community and all the tertiary characters was also lovely.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

These Motham City Monsters books have very little substance, but they are a lot of fun. It was short, it was cute, it did its job.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

When I realized I only had one prompt left for my reading challenge and it was a book with Secret in the title, I scoured my Kindle and found this one. It was, okay. The plot seemed to drag and rush at the same time, the characters weren’t very developed, and it was really hard to become emotionally attached to a story that should have had me crying.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Rounding out the month with a cute YA Hanukkah romance. It was really cute. I loved the characters, i loved the budding romance, and I especially loved the secondary storyline of the whaling ship mystery. It was a fluffy read and it was a lot of fun.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Book Review – PS I Hate You by Lauren Connolly

Book Review

Title – PS I Hate You

Author – Lauren Connolly

Release Date – December 3, 2024

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

PS I Hate You by Lauren Connolly is a book that will break your heart and piece it back together again slowly, just like the puzzles Maddie loves to put together. The story of Maddie and Dom is rich, full of layers, and as they all reveal themselves, you’ll find it impossible to put the book down until everything has been revealed.

When her brother dies, Maddie is devastated. They were close, she was all she really had. When his best friend, and the person who broke her heart at the age of 19, Dom, reveals that they’re to embark on a journey together across eight states to scatter his ashes, she is initially reluctant. There are many things she would rather do than be stuck with Dom.

But, as they take on this final request from her brother, Maddie finds she doesn’t hate Dom as much as she initially thought. Through saying goodbye to her brother, she and Dom find a connection neither of them thought was still there.

Connolly beautifully blends the romance between Maddie and Dom with the grief of losing a loved one. Not only that, she intricately weaves in a story of hope and fear of abandonment through the entire book.

PS I Hate You broke my heart, and I found myself reaching for the tissues often. At one point I had to take my glasses off and wipe my eyes. The prose is rich, the storyline complicated and Maddie and Dom are two people you can root for. If you enjoy a rom com with complicated depths, this is definitely the book for you.

Book Review – Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan

Book Review

Title: Her Knight at the Museum

Author: Bryn Donovan

Release Date: November 12, 2024

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read the ARC. My review is my honest opinion.

Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan is a romance that will have you turning the page. Was the book a little corny at times? Yes. Did that make me love it any less? No. Donovan has done her research about Medieval Times, and even with the stretches she made to make the plot points work, as a historian, I was very satisfied.

The love story between Griffin and Emily felt a little rushed and instalove, but that didn’t detract from anything. Their chemistry was great, the spice levels in the book were high, and I was rooting for Emily to fall just as hard as Griffin for the entirety of the book.

I am a huge fan of time travel romances, and it’s very rare that you find one where the historical man is brought forward in time. Watching Griffin try to make sense of the modern world was definitely my favorite part of the book. I need to find more books with this premise, and read them.

There was a storyline involving the FBI and art theft that definitely kept me stressed out throughout the story, but it was a good stress, if that makes sense.

If you love time-travel romances, this is definitely the book for you. I also heard rumors this is going to be turned into a Hallmark movie, if that is true, sign. me. up.

September 2024 Reads

Well, this was a re-read from elementary school, in preparation of me reading James, and it was something. I felt the book went on for all the some time. Just when I would think Huck’s adventure was wrapping up, he went on another. The book was fairly repetitive and it was one I couldn’t listen to without ear buds in at work, due to the racist terms. I’m glad I read it though, because I think having the story fresh in my mind will help when I read James.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I was really looking forward to this book, and I was kind of let down. The main female character was not as strong as I hoped she would be. She sort of let stuff happen to her, and didn’t push back a lot. The last eighty or so pages were really good, however, and I will probably read the next book in the series to see what happens next.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

This book was so much fun. I really enjoyed reading it and getting to know the people in this new series. I love Jen DeLuca, and I was so excited to see she had a new series, and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot was on point, the characters felt real, and I loved the romance. Everything felt realistic, I would totally believe there is a town full of ghosts in Florida. That feels like it could really be a thing! I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come, I already have hopes and dreams who the book will be about!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was lovely. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it had the exact outcome I had hoped for. I have loved everything I’ve read by Beth O’Leary, and this book was no different.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sometimes you just have to read a book because your curiosity was piqued by the cover. This was one of those books. Not a lot of substance, but it was fun, and I borrowed the next book from Kindle Unlimited, because we all need some fun reads every once in a while.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I wanted to love this book, but I just couldn’t. Everyone was terrible. There was not one redeeming character in this book. I couldn’t root for the main couple, because I didn’t think they deserved to be together. Jack was terrible, and he did some things that were pretty unforgivable.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Can’t believe I’ve never read this before. I had no idea that most of the pirate lore that is in our culture today came from this book! I thought the book was pretty interesting, and the adventure was fun, however, this book also dragged at spots. They spent a lot of time walking around that island. But the book was a fun read in all, and I really enjoyed listening to it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

It’s always great when a book lives up to the hype. This book was so good. The romance was on point. I loved all the characters. I especially loved the way OCD was portrayed in the book. I felt it was a fast read, that the stakes were high, and the romance swoon worthy. I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was full of moments where I was just yelling nope in my car. Lots of body horror, and lots of creepy things occurring. Do not read if you have a phobia of dolls or clowns. And in true Grady Hendrix fashion, the book got weird, fast. I liked how there were aspects that I totally predicted and moments where there was no way I would have ever predicted it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book was everything I hoped it would be. I loved it so much. Going back to the island, seeing the kids, watching Linus and Arthur’s relationship from Arthur’s POV…all worth it. I don’t want to say too much, but the children are still delightful, and the conflict will make your blood boil, but in true Klune fashion, everything works out.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

August 2024 Reads

I read this book as an ARC and gave a full review here.

This was a pretty fun book. Of course it took me until about three quarters of the way through to realize it was a riff on Thelma and Louise… I thought the premise was original, and I found it plausible enough to enjoy. The twist at the end made the book for me.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

It was like this book was written specifically for me. There was nothing I didn’t love about it. The premise of the town from a beloved series being real was like a dream come true. How many of us wish we could go into the setting of our favorite book and meet all the characters?! And the love story was…*chef’s kiss*. I loved this book so much, and I can’t wait to read more of this author’s books.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Easily one of my favorite books of the year, The Frozen River read almost more like a crime thriller than historical fiction. The frustration I felt throughout the book, the anxiety about figuring out whodunit, the end…I actually cheered out loud in my car at the events leading to the end of the book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Read to complete a prompt for a summer reading challenge, this was not my favorite read. I had a lot of high expectations going into it after I read Slaughterhouse Five last year. While the book had an interesting commentary, it was very slow moving and felt very meh.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pull out the tissues, you’re going to need them for this one. While the book felt a little slow in the beginning, as soon as Lenni and Margot met, the book really picked up. I loved the characters and their stories. I loved the concept, and I didn’t even mind all the crying I did along the way.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Check out my books, Mistaken Identity and Be My Little Baby both available now!

July 2024 Reads

My best friend chose the movie “Home” for one of our family movie nights. When the movie was over, the credits stated that it was based on a book. So I had to read the book. And let me tell you, they use the phrase “based on the novel” very loosely. While the same concepts are here, the execution is vastly different. The book was a fun read, and I enjoyed it. It was excellent entertainment while I painted cabinet doors for the kitchen. It made me laugh out loud several times.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked this book as my January Book of the Month pick, but a book that was written so cinematically wasn’t it. It is a magical realism book, so keep that in mind, and be prepared to suspend your disbelief. However, the language and descriptions in this book were gorgeous. There is one scene near the end of the book where I could picture it clearly and I immediately decided I needed an adaptation of the book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Meh. I think I wanted a little more out of this book. I felt some of the characters were underdeveloped and some of the storyline just felt rushed. The book definitely had potential, it just needed to go a little further.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I was able to get the last five Katherine Center books I hadn’t read from the library, so I binged them. Starting with this one. I really liked it. My favorite thing about Center books are the characters and how real they feel. And I felt that the problems these characters experienced were not as extreme as the ones her characters experience in her newer books, and that’s okay. The impact was still the same. I, of course, cried.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really enjoyed this one, and I think this is definitely up in the top half of her books for me. Even though the romance was not front and center, I really loved how the heroine was the focus. About her overcoming her own internal obstacles through external obstacles was the focus instead. It felt really empowering. I even used some of the hiking knowledge from this book on a recent camping trip with my family.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book was very cute, and a very good debut novel. I could see Center’s formula coming into play. But, these early books were very light on the romance. But I still liked them. This one was great, and I loved the LI. This book made my heart full.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I loved this book because it was different than other romances I’ve read. I LOVED that it was about a married couple falling back in love. I L O V E D that it showed the reality of parenting small children. And I LOVED that the mom was trying to find something for herself outside of motherhood. This book was so relatable and I ugly cried through out it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was by far the weakest of Center’s books, and I am so glad that I read it last. I didn’t quite like or buy the concept and I felt that the strains between the different relationships felt forced and contrived, and the romance felt sort of tacked on. Definitely ranked number 11 out of 11 in my ranking of Center’s books.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Why did I wait so long to read this book?! Reading this book, especially with having just lost my grandma, and the anticipatory grief of the inevitable loss of my young nephew, was cathartic. The way Klune talks about death and the afterlife, I don’t know. It really was beautifully written and really fililed me with a sense of hope. Klune has done it again. Even with a book that he merely described as a love story with a ghost.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book circulates around my school, and my oldest has read it, and I figured why not give it a try for a reading challenge I’m doing. Friends. This book. The audiobook is only four hours, and in that four hours Brown told a beautiful story about friendship, motherhood, and found family. I asked my son if the book had a happy ending and he told me no. But, I would argue that while not the ending you would hope for, it wasn’t necessarily sad. It definitely leaves room for hope, too.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a book I had hoped would be better. I don’t know what I didn’t like about it. The plot was okay, the characters were okay, but something just didn’t resonate with me. Maybe after bingeing all of Center’s books the stakes just felt too low? I don’t know. The book was okay.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I read this for the ISDAR book club, and wow. This was very fascinating. I learned a lot about life as a woman in the 18th and 19th Centuries. I also learned a lot about the diseases that ran rampant. Thank goodness for vaccines! I cried a couple times. Eliza had a really hard life, but she persevered. And I learned that LMM took some liberties with the story when he wrote Hamilton. I guess insider trading and stock market speculation don’t make interesting plot points.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Okay. This book. I wanted to like it, but the plot just felt all over the place. Like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to do. I think if it cut a couple plot points out, focused in a little more on character development, and developed the relationship a little more, I would have liked the book a lot better. As it was, there were about five different conflicts and some resolved within two pages, and then whole thing felt disjointed and rushed.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

June 2024 Reads

The Guncle was one of my favorite reads from a couple years ago, and so I was really excited to learn there was going to be a sequel. The sequel wasn’t as good as the first, but I still enjoyed reading it. I felt this book was missing some of what made the first book amazing, but it also had the stuff I liked. The relationship between him and the kids – top notch. It is definitely worth a read, but don’t expect it to be as magical as the first.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Welcome to the first of FIVE Katherine Center books I read in June. I had read The Bodyguard probably two years ago, and then I just bought five more of her books, but never got around to reading them. So, I decided to try another of her books. Y’all. Y’all. Katherine Center is amazing. Each of her heroines have an obstacle to overcome, and they fall in love with men who don’t care about her obstacle. In Fire, we have a female firefighter who is trying to prove that she is as good as the men. This book has so much heart. And it made me cry, and swoon and root for the heroine!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I LOVE Bruce Campbell. So I bought this on release day. Finally getting around to it, and I was underwhelmed. The book was ridiculous, which I know is the point, but I guess I was hoping for something that was a little more ridiculous, or a little more serious. This was too much in between. I wanted a better parody.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The final book in the Wolfen Trilogy. I was so worried this one wouldn’t give the couple a happy ending, but I should never doubt The Warden. Not only did they get a happy ending, she set up some characters for future books. Or at least I hope. Because one person didn’t get their happy ending, and I know that he’s being saved for someone in one of the next books.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Y’all. Y’ALL. When I first read the summary for this book, I rolled my eyes. A man is turning into a shark? This is going to be ridiculous! WRONG. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This books was BEAUTIFUL. The love story was compelling, the mutations were believable, the characters were so well written. And I loved everything about this book. I devoured it. I can’t recommend this book enough. This is definitely at the top of my books I’ve read this year.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Perfect Summer Read. This book was so cute. The premise was adorable, and I loved the characters. I enjoyed reading this book, and it put a smile on my face. I found myself rooting for everyone, and it made me cry at times. Of course, this is the third book in a loosely connected series, so now I’ll have to go back and read the other two books. That’s for July!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My bookclub decided to do Cookbook Club this month. We all picked a Cookbook, read it, picked a recipe and then had a big party. I decided to pick a weird book, and made a few recipes from it. Is it dated? Yes. Was it still fun? Also yes.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My younger sister recommended this book to me, and so I found it on the library no holds shelf. This book was so good. It had just the right amount of suspense, and I honestly didn’t see a lot of it coming. Having an unreliable narrator really added to everything. It made me worried about what was true and what wasn’t, and I even finished the book still wondering what was true or not.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Thus begins a streak of Katherine Center books. Hello Stranger is about a woman who gets face blindness. And this was probably one of my favorites of hers that I read this month. I loved her character, and I loved how fun and silly she was. And I loved Joe, the love interest. And it made me cry. So many tears.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This one was my favorite Center book of the month. Following a rom-com writer and someone who doesn’t believe in love, the chemistry between the two was amazing. The characters were well-written and rich. There wasn’t anything about this book I didn’t like. And of course it made me cry. Of course.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’ve had this book for almost four years. I think this is the first Center book I owned, but never got around to reading it. This one made me want to punch one of the characters. Again, well-written characters with great chemistry that I have come to love in Center’s books. Also, again, lots of tears.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My final Center book for the month. Also one I’ve had for a while. I really enjoyed this one, too! Her heroines are so funny. I love it. And she really has a handle on creating the tension and chemistry between the two love interests. And also, it made me cry.

FYI, I have the last five of her books sitting in my library cart right now. So July will also be Center heavy…

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’ve been working my way through my book of the month pile, and this was one of my books for June. And it was cute. Was it perfect? No. Have I read books who have done this premise (following a couple through the years as they fall in love slowly) better? Yes. Did that stop me from enjoying this book? No. Nat could be grating at times, but that didn’t stop me from rooting for her. It also made me cry. This was a big month of books making me cry. Pretty sure Citizen Alex was the only one that didn’t make me cry this month.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My daughter is having a squirrel girl party for her birthday, so I decided to read some comics about it. This was fun.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

May 2024 Reads

This debut romance novel was really cute. I loved the original premise of the book. They knew of each other in high school, but were never part of the same social circle, but forever connected through a tragic accident involving her sister. Now, they’re forced to work together. I loved how Kuang talked about their shared trauma and how they each dealt with it. And I loved the gradual way they fell in love. It felt very natural and realistic. I’m very excited to see how Kuang adapts Emily Henry’s books for the screen.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I saw this book at the library and thought it would be a more updated version of the story, or a new take on it, or something. Nope. It’s just the text of Frankenstein as a graphic novel. And I have to say, re-reading Frankenstein, even as a graphic novel, was not on my list of books I ever wanted to read again. Turns out, my dislike for the story had nothing to do with being a teenager, and everything to do with the story. Not my favorite classic by any means.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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I love Megan Goldin. She has a way of telling thrilling stories. Plus, I’m a huge sucker for True Crime based novels. This book kept me hooked from the beginning and I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. I honestly didn’t see some of the twists coming, which was refreshing since the last True Crime based book was such a let down. I can’t wait for Goldin to release another book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

If I’m going to be reading my four-year-old chapter books at bedtime, I’m going to count them toward my reading goal for the year. Especially Dav Pilkey books. If you know me, you know I love puns, and Dav Pilkey books are FULL of puns. I read all of Captain Underpants to my son when he was this age, and now I’m reading the Cat Kid Comic Club and Dog Man to my daughter. These books are fun, and hilarious, and not just for kids.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Last year, I read the book Pride and Prometheus thinking it would be a love story mashup between Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice. It was not, and I was so let down. Since I got sort of tricked into re-reading Frankenstein this month, I went in search of books where Frankenstein’s Monster finds love. I know, it sounds weird, but I found it! This is about Frankenstein’s monster in modern times, falling in love. And I was here for the story for about ninety percent of the book, and then it lost me. However, I still really enjoyed it, and it was exactly what I wanted after slogging through Frankenstein a second time.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

What can I say about this book? It was billed as a romance/sci-fi hybrid, which is what appealed to me. However, I would not call this book a romance by any means. Definitely Sci-Fi, but not romance. I spent most of the book trying to figure out what bothered me, and I think I didn’t really enjoy the way it was written. It felt very passive. If I didn’t want to count it toward a reading challenge, I probably would have DNF’d the book. However, about 75% through, things took a turn and suddenly the book became more interesting. And now, if Bradley were to write a sequel to this book, I would probably read it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I spent Memorial Day weekend bingeing the two Christina Lauren books I haven’t read yet. This one was so cute. I loved the premise, and I LOVED the characters. I’m such a sucker for a good dad. I read this very quickly and loved every second of it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The newest release from Christina Lauren, I loved this one too. I read this one in a day. I loved the characters, the premise and the ending. The book made me laugh and cry, and I’m sad that I’m going to have to wait for them to write another book for me to read.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My book club book for the month,it took me the entire month to finish this book. Written in the height of the YA Dystopian craze, this book read like it was trying to be the next Hunger Games or Divergent. All the tropes were there, and it was incredibly predictable. I hated Lena, and even though the book ended on a cliffhanger, I have no desire to read the rest of the trilogy.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

April 2024 Reads

Willy Wonka for adults. This is what this book reminded me of. It was such a touching book, and I devoured it. I loved all the characters, and they were all so real. The experience was amazing, and it made me cry, a lot. I picked this from Book of the Month as my free Book of the Year finalist. I definitely see why so many people voted for it to be Book of the Year!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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One of my favorite series, I’m so happy I put myself on hold right away because I was able to get the book on release day! This book didn’t disappoint. It had the same humor and mishaps as the other three books. I loved that we wrapped up some mysteries, and we added new ones. I hope when the series is over, our girl Finlay comes out on top.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Yes, I read David Copperfield last year, but when I discovered there was this brand new dramatized version with Ncuti Gatwa as Copperfield, I couldn’t resist. If you have ever wanted to read Copperfield but you were intimidated by the length, this is for you. Condensed down to eight hours, most of the book is intact, and this production is beautifully acted. I highly recommend!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

April is the month of reading new entries of my beloved series. The Beloved was probably one of my most highly anticipated releases this year. The follow up after the major cliffhanger in last year’s Lassiter, The Beloved is set in the future, and follows Zsadist and his daughter, and it was beautiful. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. And Ward has perfectly set up the next several books in the series. She never lets me down.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I saw this book at my kids’ book fair and fell in love with the cover, so I nabbed it. It was a cute YA Rom Com. I liked the premise and felt the characters were well rounded, plus there were lots of adorable animals. It was a nice quick read.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My book club celebrates Agatha April every year, and this was our first Miss Marple mystery, and I have to say, I was a little let down. Miss Marple was barely in it, and the mystery itself was kind of meh. Definitely not our favorite of the Christie novels we have read since starting Agatha April a few years ago.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

For one of my yearly reading challenges I needed to read a book that has been turned into a musical, so I chose Matilda! I loved the book. It was magical and funny, and I will say, the musical adaptation was very faithful to the book. I found myself singing the songs as I was reading the book. I think this is my favorite Dahl book I’ve read so far.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Another highly anticipated release, I ignored my husband so I could spend all night reading this book. I immediately fell in love with Miles. He’s probably my favorite of Henry’s heroes so far. I’m pretty sure this is my favorite Henry book. Don’t be surprised if later this year you see this book pop back up on a monthly recap of my reads.

Rating: 5 out of 5.