Another reading month is over! A third of the year is now over, so how is our reading going? Did we find any new favorites last month? Keep on reading to find out!
Candyce
In April I ended up reading 17 books (10 eARCs, 4 paperbacks, 1 audiobook, 1 ebook, and 1 manga). April wasn’t a good month. My reading started off really strong, but took a nosedive after certain events in my personal life. I’m hoping to have May go back to normal. I did end up reading 10 books for Netgalley, so that was an accomplishment.
Collide – Bal Khabra
I’ve been trying to really tackle my physical TBR and Collide has been on my radar for a while. I loved the concept of this book and loved Aiden, but Summer annoyed me. It was a fun time, but not as amazing as I was expecting.
Training the Heart – Paisley Hope
Training the Heart was so good! This grumpy/sunshine romance was so fun. Wade has been through a lot and doesn’t open up easily, but Ivy knows how to get under his skin. I loved how they grew close and how protective he was. This is going to become a favorite series of mine.
Conform – Ariel Sullivan
Conform is a book I’ve seen everywhere and people seem to love it. I devoured this book in a day and had a great time. Dystopian romance seems to be something I need in my life lately. My only “issue” with this book is the love triangle. I just don’t care for them.
Please Don’t Go – E. Salvador
Please Don’t Go is another book I’ve been excited to read. I have the indie edition and just recently saw this is going to be traditionally published later this month. Be aware that this is a heavy, emotional book. That being said, I loved every second of it.
This Is Not About Us – Allegra Goodman
Books about families is something I’ve come to enjoy. Families are complicated and that can give some interesting stories. This Is Not About Us is more a collection of short stories. I would’ve loved it more I think if it was just one continuous storyline. It was still an interesting read though.
On Thin Ice – Olivia Belle
On Thin Ice is another grumpy/sunshine romance but then make it Dancing with the Stars but on ice skates. That aspect of the story was so much fun. Luca and Matilda were both interesting characters who still had some things to process. These two getting to know each other and their backgrounds had me hooked.
Books & Bewitchment – Isla Jewell
If a book involves books in any way, I’ll read it. Our main character inherits her estranged grandmother’s property and realizes magic runs in her family. So what do you do with a space that isn’t doing well? You turn it into a bookstore. Books &Bewitchment was a cozy story and I had fun. The pacing was a bit off though. For me the ending felt very rushed.
We Burned So Bright – TJ Klune
If TJ Kline writes it, I’ll read it. Our main characters are on one last road trip before Earth is devoured by a black hole. Wow, this one hit me in all the feels. The author explores different ways people could respond to news like this. We Burned So Bright is less than 200 pages long, but gives you everything you want in a story like this.
Love on Ice – Sara Ney
In the past I’ve read adult sport romances by Sara Ney and had fun. So I wanted to give her YA romance, Love on Ice a try. Love on Ice starts off with the stealing of a mascot and one of our main characters being blackmailed. This was a fun read, but I feel like a few of the plot lines weren’t resolved.
First and Forever – Lynn Painter
Lynn Painter writes rom-coms I love and First and Forever is one I’ll be adding to that list. An athlete and diehard fan romance worked really well. I wasn’t a big fan of the third act breakup near the end though. First and Forever proved to me again why I love fake dating though.
Mad Mabel – Sally Hepworth
Mad Mabel seemed like a darker mystery story, but was so much more. The dual timeline lets us get to know Mabel and her tragic backstory. This was actually pretty heartwarming and emotional. I ended up really loving this story.
Happy Ending – Chloe Liese
Chloe Liese wrote one of my favorite romance series, so I have to read everything she writes. Two people pretend to be first loves when their exes break up with them. This ends up turning into an amazing friendship and slowly a bit more. The now and then chapters let us get to know these two very well and I had a great time.
What We Did to Survive – Megan Lally
Megan Lally writes fast paced YA thrillers I can’t put down. After reading What We Did to Survive, I’ve definitely become cautious of the idea of sailing out on the ocean.
A Star-Cursed Heart – Annie Mare
A book where two people are pushed apart because of a curse between their families sounded amazing, but A Star-Cursed Heart left me so confused. I got where the story was heading, but getting there was a struggle. The ideas were great, but the execution was lacking.
Stealing for Keeps – Rebecca Jenshak
After loving Playing with Forever, I wanted to go back to the first book in this series. Stealing for Keeps was a fun romance and I had fun. I did enjoy the second book just a little bit more.
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 Vol. 6 – Mashiro
Whenever I read a manga, it always makes me want to read more. I really need to start reading more every month. This was volume 6 in a series I’ve been loving and started reading after watching the anime. It took a bit before volume 6 was released and I should’ve refreshed my memory a bit before diving in. All in all, I still had a great time.
Burnout – Rebecca Jenshak
Rebecca Jenshak is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. Knox and Avery were such fun characters and J loved their romance. Also, Knox’s family definitely stole the show.
Isabelle
After hardly finishing a book for weeks on end, I finally flew through a couple the last two weeks. I ended up reading 11 books this month, that’s more than half of the books I read all year! Of those books 3 were audio-rereads, 1 eARC, 5 KU books and 2 ebooks I bought myself!
The Assassin’s Blade & Throne of Glass – Sarah J. Maas
Sometimes all that gets me through another sleepless night is rereading the Throne of Glass series. I’m currently towards the end of Crown of Midnight and I’m sure I will be binging the whole series soon haha.
Dune – Frank Herbert
After seeing that trailer for Dune 3 I knew I finally had to read the second book in the Dune series. But before I would be ready for that, I wanted to reread Dune. It was definitely enjoyable, I had forgotten quite some things and I liked comparing it to the movies. I’m currently listening to the sequel.
Mr & Mrs Dixon Hide a Body – Jennifer Holdich
I loved Jennifer Holdich’s debut novel Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath and was really excited to read my eARC of her second novel. In the end I wasn’t really sure about my feelings for this book, I didn’t like it as much as I did Julie Tudor but it was enjoyable. I will be on the look out for Jennifer Holdich’s next book!
Heated Rivalry & The Long Game – Rachel Reid
It has been a while since I was this invested in a book. I actually read Heated Rivalry in 1 day and the next day I started reading The Long Game. These books are so addictive and I loved them a lot. I cried a ton while reading The Long Game and I can’t wait for the second season of Heated Rivalry. So much that I already started rereading Heated Rivalry haha, and I plan on reading the rest of the Game Changers series.
Mindf*ck 1-5 – S.T. Abby
I read the whole Mindf*ck series this past week. This was a one of a kind experience for sure! I didn’t rate the books yet as I have no idea what to rate them haha. But I did definitely enjoy the story (even though I didn’t appreciate the insta love) and I’m happy that I have read this series.
So that’s a wrap on April! How was your month? Have you read any of these? Or what was your favorite read of the month? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.
