The first third of 2024 is over and it’s unbelievable! We keep saying it, but this year really is flying by. Yesterday was our April bookhaul and we shared the books we added to our collections. Today it’s time for our April wrap up! What did we read? Did we find any favorites? Keep on reading to find out!
Candyce
I can say that April is the month I finished my Goodreads challenge. I read 25 books in total (9 paperbacks, 8 audiobooks, 4 manga, 2 ebooks, 1 ARC, and 1 hardcover). My average rating was a 3.7, so as you can tell there weren’t a lot of standouts this month, but I did enjoy a lot of what I read.
The Sword of Kaigen – M.L. Wang
The Sword of Kaigen is a book I’ve seen so many people love and rave about. It was my book club’s March pick and I honestly don’t get the hype at all. I’m all about world building and don’t mind it at all, but this book is 650 pages and barely anything happens the first half. Also, when things really pick up the pacing is off and I don’t get some developments. I’m happy for people who love this, but I didn’t at all.
Savage Lover – Sophie Lark
Savage Lover is the third book in the Brutal Birthright series and I did enjoy it, but I didn’t love it as much as the first two. Camille and Nero were both interesting characters dealing with things from their past and present. I loved how they were there for each other and how their relationship developed. I can’t wait to read the next book.
If Only I Had Told Her – Laura Nowlin
If He Had Been with Me was a book you saw everywhere last year and I needed to see what the hype was about. It was definitely an emotional read, so I was interested when the author announced If Only I Had Told Her. We get Finn’s POV, his best friend Jack’s POV, and Autumn’s POV again as well. Out of all of that, I think Jack’s POV was the most emotional and hit me the most.
The Night in Question – Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson
I read The Agathas last year and enjoyed reading about this teenage duo trying to solve a crime. The Night in Question is the start of their next case and I loved that it also was mixed with one of the character’s fascination with a movie star who lost her life tragically way too young. It was fun being with these characters again and I hope we get another book in this series.
The Poppy War – R.F. Kuang
All I can say about this book is wow! The Poppy War has an interesting and brutal world, flawed characters, an interesting magical system, and quite a few twists. Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down! I’m so curious to see how Rin’s story continues.
Powerless – Lauren Roberts
Powerless was an anticipated read of mine and I’m sad to say that I’m a bit disappointed. This one felt like a lot of telling instead of showing, the similarities with The Hunger Games, and a possible love triangle made it a little less enjoyable for me. The ending wasn’t what I was expecting, so I am intrigued to see where this story goes.
Girl Abroad – Elle Kennedy
Girl Abroad is a book that sounded right up my alley. Our main character was off to London for a semester abroad. Her father is a former rock star and very protective, so she’s looking forward to some freedom. Things get complicated when her roommates end up being three men instead of three women, haha. I really enjoyed the start of this story and the mystery she tries to solve for a class project. I could’ve done without the love triangle though.
Sword Catcher – Cassandra Clare
I finally read Sword Catcher! I’ve been wanting to read this one since it released last year and I’m glad I did. This is Clare’s first adult book and it’s the first I’ve read outside of the Shdowhunter world. The world and characters were interesting and I loved that romance wasn’t the biggest plot point. This book has left me wanting more and I’m sad we have to wait until 2025 for book two.
The Rule Book – Sarah Adams
The Rule Book is a second chance/marriage of convenience romance that I ended up really loving. In the beginning I wasn’t a big fan of the main characters, but once the whole enemies to lovers aspect of the story was over I really started liking them. This romance had me reading with a smile on my face and I’ll definitely be reading more by this author.
Komi Can’t Communicate Vol. 3 – Tomohito Oda
Komi Can’t Communicate is about a girl with social anxiety who really wants to make friends. This is a heartwarming manga and I’m sure all of us can recognize some of the things Komi feels. I’ve been enjoying this manga, but I don’t really feel like there was much development in this volume.
Cat + Gamer Vol.3 & Vol. 4 – Wataru Nadatani
So I may not game, but I am a cat owner. So a lot of things in this slice of life manga are very familiar. I love reading about our main character learning to live with and take care of cat. She even adopts another kitten in the fourth volume. It’s fun that she compares raising a cat to gaming and leveling up.
A Condition Called Love Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 – Megumi Morino
Hotaru is a 16 year old who doesn’t have any real interest in love and hasn’t experienced any of these feelings. Hananoi-kun feels like everyone has one soulmate and when Hotaru sees him after a public breakup and offers to share her umbrella, he thinks she’s the one and asks her out. It definitely had an interesting start and I’m curious to see what happens between these characters. The second volume definitely has more developments and had me smiling a few times. I’m enjoying this series.
She’s Not Sorry – Mary Kubica
She’s Not Sorry is a new thriller and I loved it! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I definitely didn’t see the twists and reveals coming. I think I love this one just a little bit more than Local Woman Missing. I never know how to talk about my thoughts when it comes to thrillers, because I don’t want to spoil anything.
In a Not So Perfect World – Neely Tubati Alexander
In a Not So Perfect World is about our main character Sloane who is trying to land her dream job as a game developer. She’s asked to stay single if she gets the job, but that becomes an issue when her neighbor asks her on a vacation he was going on with his now ex. Feelings start to develop of course and things get messy, but I loved every minute of this one.
Hot Dutch Daydream – Kristy Boyce
I read Hot British Boyfriend in 2021 and really liked Sage in that story, so it was fun to see she got her own story in Hot Dutch Daydream. Living in The Netherlands and reading this story was both interesting and frustrating at the same time, because some things were just so cliche, haha. Also, the accents in the way Dutch was used did bug me a bit while listening to the audiobook. That being said, Hot Dutch Daydream was a cute one!
Lovely Violent Things – Trisha Wolfe
Lovely Violent Things continues almost right after Lovely Bad Things ends. Again, we’re working with a criminal profiler and a serial killer. Things are still happening and we’re trying to figure out what’s going on. This book is dark, but very interesting! It’s a sequel, so I can’t talk about too much.
The Vacancy in Room 10 – Seraphina Nova Glass
The Vacancy in Room 10 is a new thriller that released at the beginning of April and I kept seeing people loving this book, so I decided to give the audiobook a go. While I enjoyed this one, I don’t think it really blew me away like it did others. I definitely get that people love this one though. It’s not one I can say too much about, because I feel that thrillers are something you really need to read knowing as little as possible.
The New Couple in 5B – Lisa Unger
I think this month has been filled with a few popular thrillers, haha. The New Couple in 5B was another one. This book started off really good and I was really intrigued and I enjoyed the dual timeline. The ending was a bit underwhelming for me, but I’m glad I decided to read this one.
Kilt Trip – Alexandra Kiley
Our main character Addie is a travel consultant and is sent to Scotland to help a family-run tour company that’s been struggling. Logan doesn’t want someone coming in telling him he needs to commercialize his company. We all know how this is going to play out. Kilt Trip is a heartwarming romance that made me want to visit Scotland myself.
This Day Changes Everything – Edward Underhill
I want to start off by saying that I’m normally not a fan on instalove, so even though this story takes place during only 24 hours it didn’t feel too much like instalove. Our main characters end up on the wrong subway together and when one loses a special book, they spend the day together to try and make up the loss. Along the way they start to get to know each other and clearly have a connection. This is so heartwarming and our main characters slowly start learning more about each other, but also about themselves.
Your Coffin or Mine – Jacklyn Hyde
Your Coffin or Mine is a spicy romantic comedy about a 600 year old vampire and a runaway bride. This book was so much fun and until our main character finds out he’s a vampire I was laughing out loud so much. I’m excited for the next book in this series.
Corrupt – Penelope Douglas
The Devil’s Night series is one that gets quite a bit of hype and I’ve been curious. Corrupt is definitely a dark romance and wasn’t easy to read at times. Part of me is intrigued by the story and part of me just doesn’t get the hype. Also, a scene with a dog near the end wasn’t something I wanted to read and didn’t really feel needed to get the point of the story understood. I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing this series.
The Tainted Cup – Robert Jackson Bennett
The Tainted Cup is the start of a new fantasy mystery series. Our main character is part of a team that definitely has similarities to Sherlock & Holmes. This book is quirky and made me laugh out loud and the mystery was quite interesting. I do wish we got some more information about the world, but I will be continuing with this series.
Isabelle
I basically read 2 things in April, but that did count up to 12 books and 5614 pages so I’m really happy with that haha. Let’s take a look!
Throne of Glass Series – Sarah J. Maas
Yes, I reread the whole Throne of Glass series in April. Or to be more specific, in like 16 days. Which is pretty fast for 8 big books I would say haha. I loved this reread so much and I have to stop myself from starting it all over once again. There have been so many tears shed and I still can not get enough haha.
Haikyu 22-25 – Haruichi Furudate
I have said it again and again, I love this manga so so much and I have to get more volumes because I’ve now read all the ones I own. If I knew they had the volumes I needed somewhere reasonably close by I would drive there right now. But I guess I will just have to order them and hope they’ll arrive soon.
So that’s our April wrap up! Have you read any of these? Or did you discover any new favorites in April? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
