Yesterday we showed you what books we added to our collections in May and today it’s time to show you what books we read. Did we have a good reading month? What books did we love? To find this out, take a look at our May Wrap Up!
Candyce
If you’ve been following our blog, you know the last few months my reading has been amazing. May wasn’t an exception, because I managed to read a total of 29 books!! So let’s not waste any time and dive right in to see what I read.
After reading My Life as a Country Album, this author had me hooked. Guarded Dream is also written with a song in mind for each chapter. I loved these characters and their story and can’t wait for more!
More Than Tempt You – Shayla Black
This is the fifth book in the More Than Tempt You series and it was really good. Betrayal is a big part of this book and the characters realizing not is all how it seems. More Than Tempt You had me hooked from the start.
The Dating Proposal – Lauren Blakely
The Dating Proposal is just the right book to read between the more intense stories that bring a lot of emotion. Our main character is ready to date again and that definitely gives us some funny moments. Add some nerdy aspects and I was a happy reader!
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
I actually started reading Ready Player One at the beginning of last year. Once again, I got distracted by other books, but I finally decided to pick it up again. I ended up reading it all over again. After such a long time I didn’t remember much of the 40 pages I read. I’m happy I finally picked it up, because it’s so good!
Accidental pregnancies can be a lot of fun to read about or really bad. Luckily, Well Suited is an amazing one. The characters are amazing, there is a lot of humor, romance and some steamy moments. I have only read this one in the series, but definitely plan on picking up the others!
Code Name: Genesis – Sawyer Bennett
A stalker brings two people back together after their relationship ended badly years before. Romance mixed with a bit of suspense is a combination I am starting to appreciate more. I missed some balance in certain aspects, but all in all a really good book.
Belladonna’s Heart – Teresa Crumpton
This is a short story and pretty heartbreaking. I can’t imagine what it’s like trying to have baby and being disappointed time after time. Belladonna’s Heart was really confusing though. It seems to be a part of a series and I felt like I was missing so much. Including an ending that didn’t make much sense to me.
Boyfriend Bargain – Ilsa Madden-Mills
The fake relationship trope can be a lot of fun to read about and Boyfriend Bargain was one of them. Even though the bargain part disappeared pretty early on, I really enjoyed these character and their story.
My first book in this series and I’m regretting I didn’t pick them up sooner. The Lying Hours is a lot of fun and I really loved these characters. I think my favorite part are the lines the author puts down at the beginning of every chapter!
Manhattan – Kristen Hope Mazzola
In my opionion this one was way too short! The main character became a widow way too young and she finds new love in this story. I really enjoyed these characters and their story!
More Than Enough – M.L. Rodriguez
A story with a lot of feels! Our main character leaves her abusive husband and starts building her life with her two kids. This was also a short story and I would love to have more!
Happy Messy Scary Love – Leah Konen
Horror lovers will love this contemporary, because there are a lot of references to different movies. Our main character is a big horror fan and wants to write her own screenplay. I definitely recommend this for a fun summer read.
Better Than Me – Kimberly Kincaid
As a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, I am always open for medical dramas. Better Than Me is one in a way and I couldn’t put this one down. In all honesty, I was a little disappointed in the ending though.
Unfortunately, this was the last book in the Varsity Girlfriends series. Game Plan is a lot of fun though and I think this may be my favorite of them all. A cute couple and a really good storyline. Hopefully the authors eventually return to this series.
Freya Barker has become a favorite of mine when it comes to romantic suspense. She always gives us lovable character and the perfect balance between romance and mystery/suspense. Covering Ollie is one of my favorites!
Moonlight Moments – Emily Bowie
I read Stolen Moments a couple of months ago when it released. I enjoyed the characters, but it stayed on the surface. Moonlight Moments continues with a story from a different character. I enjoyed this one a bit more, but it still was lacking in a few ways.
A Five-Minute Life – Emma Scott
Imagine only having five minutes before your memory resets and you know nothing. You only know you’ve been in an accident. A Five Minute Life is a heartbreaking story, but written so beautifully! I really recommend this one.
Secrets of a Fangirl – Erin Dionne
As a fangirl myself, I love any book that involves any fandom. This middelgrade was a good one as well, because it shows how hard it can be for teenagers these days. Loving the things you do and trying to fit in isn’t always easy.
Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders were books I really enjoyed, so I was really excited for Going Off Script and it didn’t disappoint. Another book with learning to be yourself, finding yourself and a fandom. Definitely a book to pick up this summer!
After Fixing Her and Fixing Him I was really excited for Fixing Us. This author didn’t disappoint at all and gave us another amazing romance!
Holding Out is the last book in the Returning Home series and fits perfectly with the other three. I love how all of these stories are connected in some way, but are all unique at the same time! Serena Bell has become an author to keep an eye on!
Coffee for Two – Christina Butrum
If you’re a big fan of small town romances, pick up Coffee for Two. We get amazing characters, a town I want to live in and a romance that leaves a smile on your face.
Baby Mine left us with quite the cliffhanger, so I was very glad when Baby Yours arrived on my Kindle. Yes, there was a lot of drama and such before the end of the story. I am just very happy the story didn’t go the way I was expecting. These authors do amazing work together.
The Boy Next Story – Tiffany Schmidt
I love books that have books as a big part of the story. After reading The Boy Next Story, I really wished I had an English teacher that knew what book you needed in your life. I hope we get many more books in this series.
Fake It Till You Break It – Jenn P. Nguyen
Fake relationships and enemies to lovers are fun tropes and we get both in this book. I loved the characters and the family aspect of this story. I’ve said this a few times, but another perfect summer read!
Written with Regret – Aly Martinez
I have never read anything by Aly Martinez, but wow, this author knows how to write. Written with Regret is filled with so much emotion and the flashbacks give us so much insight into why the characters are the way they are. I can’t wait for the second book in this duet.
Tell Me Goodnight – Kelsey Kingsley
Kelsey Kingsley has an ARC team and I am lucky to be on it. So before this book was released I got quite a few sneak peeks and they did not do this book justice. This author has such a way with words. If you’ve never read a book by her, definitely give her a try.
Two Like Me and You – Chad Allen Gibbs
If you’re looking for an adventure this summer and can’t get away yourself, pick up Two Like Me and You. Three characters go on quite the ride. At times it’s a bit much, but an enjoyable read.
Danika Stone has written a few fluffy stories and I really enjoyed them. All the Feels is one of my favorites and after reading the blurb I was excited for Switchback. This wasn’t a story I was expecting, but it was so good! The way the author described the weather conditions actually had me cold.
Isabelle
I had a pretty good reading month! Obviously not as good as Candyce’s but who can keep up with her 😉 My month didn’t start off great and I was scared I was really going down a slump cycle. But in the end I managed to read 14 books! This was definitely thanks to audiobooks and Middle Grade May 😀 Let’s take a look at those books.
Nexus – Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings
I was part of the blogtour for Nexus! This is the sequel to Zenith, a book I enjoyed more than I thought I would. There have been quite some negative reactions to this sci-fi duology, but I think it’s a very enjoyable one and I liked reading it.
I don’t read a lot of poetry, but this one really spoke to me. Especially the design in this one was so visually pleasing and really gave the collection a little something extra. I would love to read more poetry by Wilder and started following the instagram channel right away.
The Promised Neverland 3&4 – Kaiu Shirai
I really love this manga series! It’s pretty dark for a middle grade series but I would highly recommend it. This is unlike anything I’ve personally ever read and it has wonderful characters. I truly can’t wait to start reading the next one. If only I had unlimited many to buy unlimited books 😉
Nevermoor & Wundersmith – Jessica Townsend
I had been planning on reading Nevermoor for over a year, but somehow I never actually picked it up. And then I also bought Wundersmith because I love the naked hardbacks and didn’t want to miss out on them haha. This Middle Grade May I finally started listening to the audiobooks and I finished both books in a span of 3 days. I just couldn’t stop listening and I’m a big fan of the series now! It was just announced that there will at least be 3 more books in the series, with the third one being released in 2020.
Magisterium 3, 4, & 5 – Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
After finally starting the Nevermoor series I decided it was time to continue another series; Magisterium. I own all the books but didn’t continue after the second book. These were all on audio as well, so I listened to these three books. I thought this was a very enjoyable series, nothing too unique but just a fun and fast paced series.
The Magic Misfits – Neil Patrick Harris
Candyce gifted me this one for our birthdays and I knew I wanted to read it this May right away. She really loved this one and got me super excited about it as well haha. I somehow did manage to take over a week to finish this but that was totally me and not the book. It’s a very cute read and I do want to continue with this series. I especially liked the reveal at the end!
The Dead Queens Club – Hannah Capin
Anddd another audiobook haha (and there are 2 more to come…). I wasn’t completely sure in what genre this one would fall but I think it’s definitely a YA mystery. It’s also a Henry VIII retelling and I thought that was done quite cleverly. For me this was another enjoyable read!
Unfu*k Yourself – Gary John Bishop
I finally read another non-fiction book this year, or actually I listened to it. And I’m happy I went with the audiobook because the author is Scottish and I loved loved loved his voice and accent haha. This was a quick listen and very eye-opening. He told me a lot of stuff I already know but needed to be reminded off.
You – Caroline Kepnes
It took me forever to read this one but once I was past the halfway point I finished it in about a day. I really liked the story, if like is even the right word here. The way it was narrated was pretty unique to me! Almost all the characters are pretty awful but Joe really is the worst. And now I can finally watch the Netflix show!
Gangsta 4 – Kohske
This is probably my other favorite manga series. It’s an adult one and it’s so good! I loved this volume, the only thing was that it can get a bit confusing at times. In some of the fight scenes I wasn’t completely sure what was going on. But other than that I loved the story and these characters are great to read about. I hope to continue the series soon!
So that’s what we read in May! Have you read any of these? What did you think? If there were any books you read in May we need to know about, feel free to tell us about those as well!
I NEED to re-read Ready Player One soon!! I love that one so much. Great recap!
I FINALLY bought Nevermoor so I hope to read that soon. I also need to read You, because I want to watch the show (I’ve seen the first episode).
-Lauren
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Hope you enjoy both of them!