April Showers Bring…Lots of time for reading.
Here it is! Below is a list of everything I read in April and what I thought of it! These are just my opinions. If a book interests you, I definitely think you should read it! It's all about the journey, right! As always, no spoilers, just general thoughts, and recommendations! Let's get into it. (Trigger warning for all the trigger warnings. This month had a lot of them. If you might be sensitive to any warnings, please look them up before diving into any of these books. Love you!)
- Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
I must say that P Douglas redeemed herself from my March read of hers because oh buddy did I like this one! Obviously, if you are reading Penelope Douglas and other authors like her, you aren’t looking for a beautiful literary masterpiece. This book and its concept were so much fun! I liked the relationships and the interesting dynamic between the two main characters and Ms. Douglas definitely bumped up the spice level with this one. Jordan is such a relatable and strong character, you will love her from page 1. If you like the forbidden relationship troupe, specifically with the father of your boyfriend, get this one! I enjoyed it a lot! Spice level 4/5. 3.7/5 stars. Trigger warning: domestic violence, drunk driving.
2. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
This was the first book for April from our book club. (And of course by “book club” I mean Ashley and I each choose a book from whatever category it is for that month) April’s category is “mystery” and this one was a very fun ride. I have read Ms. Foley before and I already knew I liked the way she writes. This is a fun little story that takes place over the span of only 3ish days. It's very fast-paced and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. The ending got me a little. I liked that there’s a sense of justice (without giving spoilers) but when the killer is revealed I audibly went “really???”. Take that as you…Will. (If you read the book you’ll see how funny that joke is). 3.45/5 stars. Trigger warnings: revenge porn, abortion, suicide, hazing.
3. Daughter by Kate McLaughlin
This was yet another NetGalley gift. I listened to it during work one day and I did not get very much work done. I was very excited about the premise so when I was approved for the audiobook, I threw my headphones on and my responsibilities out the window (for legal purposes that was a joke. I still did my job). Daughter of a serial killer who is deathly sick in prison? Yes; count me in. This book was a ride and at points very disturbing. But, I loved it. I love how it is told through the daughter’s eyes and how you get to hear her inner monologue (which is very relatable- ya know, if you’ve also got a serial killer parent). I loved this book and the ending. I would be excited to read more from her. 4.3/5 stars. Trigger warning: Sexual Assult, Murder, Mutilation, and Necrophilia.
4. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
The Queen CoHo brings us another gut-wrenching page-turner. When I tell you I was 40 pages in and already had tears in my eyes, I mean it. She pulls no punches from page 1. I traded this book when I hadn’t read it yet so I had to read this one in 2 days and that was no issue. I ended up tearing through it and staying up until 2 am! This book was fantastic. I felt like I was in a bit of s slump just not wanting to read physical books right now, but this one really put that to an end. I adore the way you feel so hard for all the characters. Definitely pick this one up! 4 out of 5 stars. Trigger Warning: drunk driving, child custody battles.
5. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Have you found our April theme yet? Yup, you guessed it our two-person book club decided that it was indeed a Lucy Foley month. This second read by Ms. Foley was way more my speed! I loved the setting of this story and the twists and turns as you find out more and more about each of the characters. I like that there were a lot of players involved in this story. It is very face-paced and binge-able with a fantastic twist (I didn’t call it this time). Trust no one, and whatever you think you might know, I promise you are wrong. I highly recommend getting the audiobook of this one. The narrators were great. 4.4 out of 5 stars. Trigger Warning: sex trafficking, death during childbirth.
6. I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuisten
Thank you, NetGalley for gifting me this audiobook! As someone who grew up in a strongly evangelical Christian church, I rather liked the realistic portrayal of how that culture can be damaging (and traumatic) to youth trying to be themselves. I was really excited about this read and it didn’t meet my expectations. I really didn’t like the characters of Shara or Chloe, and as the book centers around them, it was kind of hard to get through the first 75% of the book. But then I must say, I really liked the ending. It took a turn that really sat well with me and I appreciated their solidarity in making others feel comfortable. Shout out to my favorite scandal! I wouldn’t put it in my top 10, but it's a fun, quick read. Very LGBT+ friendly. 3 out of 5 stars. Trigger Warning: religious trauma, some homophobic language.
7. 14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
This book had me hooked from the first sentence. I LOVED the premise and all of the twists and turns. You have no idea who anyone is until it's over. This is a faced paced book that keeps you guessing until the very end. It follows Jessica and her rise to internet fame in an attempt to solve her mother’s murder. I love Jessica and the relationship that develops between her and her father. If you are a fan of Criminal Minds, I would definitely pick this one up! 4.4 out of 5 stars. Very fun read! (Trigger warning: suicide, child abuse).
8. Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens
HOLY. SHIT. THE. TWIST. Like seriously. I thought I knew, and as it was coming to an end, I was thinking “okay I called it but I am still content with that ending”, BUT THEN. BUT THEN the real twist happened and I audibly gasped. It was so stupid good and very unforeseen. The way he writes, the character development, everything about this book makes it rightfully deserving of a 5-star rating from me. Please do yourself a favor and honor the King of Red Herrings by reading this absolutely fantastic book. 5/5 stars. Trigger Warnings: domestic violence, drunk driving, animal abuse. (Side note: the dog does not die but is a very good boy).
9. Sand by Hugh Howey
This was supposed to be a March read, but I slacked so hard in March. However, I was determined to finish it and did so in April. This was a fun coming-of-age story that takes place in….well sand. It is an emotional ride with scientific elements. This was a suggestion from my husband in an attempt to branch out of my book comfort zone. The story moves a little slow at some points, but it did keep me interested. I liked this more than I had expected to. 3.2 out 5 stars.
10. I’ll Be Gone In The Dark: One woman’s obsessive search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
This is a non-fiction, true crime telling of the research that went into the Golden State Killer case. As a true crime junkie, I thought I knew a lot about this case having listened to countless podcasts about it. But I learned so much more about GSK than I ever knew (or wanted to know). I really liked this book and all of the research that went into it. I appreciate how respectfully she talks about victims and their families. This story is a wild ride and left me feeling kind of icky at the end (even though I already knew how it ends). Reader beware: there are a lot of personal notes and author assumptions in this book that are not necessarily proven facts. 3 out of 5 stars. Admittedly, I struggle with non-fiction reads and tend to not rate them very high because my brain misses details. This might be one I re-read in order to fully gather everything. (Trigger warnings: Rape, murder, animal abuse, child abuse, death of a child, sexual assault, stalking- please just check triggers before you read!). Update: There is an HBO docuseries based on this book!
11. These Deadly Games by Diane Urban
Diane Urban stole my heart with “All Your Twisted Secrets”, so when I saw she had a new YA thriller out, I had to read it. I attempted, with no success to obtain an ARC of this book. But ended up just getting it from the library instead. I have to say, Ms. Urban does it again! This book moves faster than a jet plane, so if you decide to pick it up, cancel your plans for that day- this isn’t one you need a bookmark for. This book is gripping and really pulls at your brain. Would I have done anything different than Crystal? I really don’t think so. Be prepared to question everything you think you know. The empathy for these characters was very strong. 5 out of 5 stars. Amazing Read. (Trigger Warning: death of a child, kidnapping, car accidents).
There they are! If you read any of these, let me know what you thought! Also, let me know if you have any recommendations for a future read!
Love you!
