May is always a wild month for me… with school ending, it’s really hit or miss on the reading front. Sometimes I go all in, reading the whole time I’m testing, avoiding responsibilities at home, while sometimes I’m lucky to squeeze out a couple books. This month, thanks to a couple weekends where my husband was working and I was not, I was able to get NINE books in! I’m totally impressed with myself.
Of those nine, three were written by BIPOC authors, two featured LGBTQIA+ main characters, and one was nonfiction. I’m pretty happy with those stats, but I’m looking forward to June and Pride Month!
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read in March: 9 Books
- Total Authors Read in March: 9 Authors
- Total Pages Read: 2391 Pages
- Total Hours Listened: 27.5 Hours
- Total Books Quit: 0 Books
- Average Days Per Book: 3.4 Days per Book
- Average Pages Per Day: 77.1 Pages per Day
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Premise: Meg is feeling very isolated and alone in NYC. Estranged from her best friend/roommate and lacking any kind of love life, the only thing she has going for her is her booming calligraphy career. But when a former client comes into the shop and accuses her of hiding messages in her lettering, she is thrown for a loop.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: 20% into this audiobook, I messaged my book club and said, “It’s never a good sign when the main love interest’s biggest personality trait is his broad shoulders.” And I stand by that. I am not someone who picks up romances frequently, but I saw that this one was Libby’s book choice and I decided to give it a try. And WOW did it bore me for about 75% of the audiobook. Why did I keep listening? I’m not sure. Probably because I’m facing a big reading block and the idea of having to pick a different book sounded worse than continuing this one.
HOWEVER. 75%, things got interesting. Reid got likable. All of the mysterious brooding and whispered conversations started making sense. And I began to enjoy this book! Wonders never cease! Did I like it enough to start wanting to recommend it to people? No. But I did like it enough to want to see how it ended, which is a step in the right direction. And, like I said, I’m clearly not the target audience since I don’t usually enjoy romances to begin with (and I am guilty of fast forwarding the more salacious chapters).
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys romances. Anyone who likes a romantic interest with a tough-to-crack exterior.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Premise: After suffering family tragedy and witnessing a brutal murder, Daunis feels lost. Feeling like she has no place where she is fully accepted, she agrees to help her community and turn informant for the FBI.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: This BOOK. Forgive me for writing a review when I’m still living in the world of this novel, but the last 100 pages just completely engrossed, enthralled, and shocked me, and I couldn’t wait to come down off this high before jumping into this review. I will be honest… due to life circumstances and the general pacing of this novel, it took me a while to get into. The beginning was interesting but it dragged a little in the middle. But the ending! Ah! Yessss.
One thing I loved about this novel was its portrayal of Native voices. It is an #ownvoices book, and you could feel the spirit and language and customs woven so authentically throughout the novel. I loved that this book tackled contemporary, real-world issues that face communities (drug epidemics, sexual assault, feelings of identity), but showed them through a lens I had not read or considered before. Plus the perspective gave me so much respect for the customs of this Native tribe, and it reminded me that the way we white people live in America is not the only way to live.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys good mysteries. Anyone looking for a strong main character. Anyone who enjoys forbidden love stories and people-turned-spy.
More Than Words by Jill Santopolo
Premise: Nina Gregory’s life has always been predictable — business school, work on her resume, take over the family hotels, marry her best friend since birth. But when her dad dies, she discovers some secrets that flips her world upside down and changes everything she thought was true.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: This book was perfectly acceptable. No big emotions, no major surprises, nothing that will change my world. But I read it in 2 days (after two months of major reading slump), so I have to give it some credit. I enjoyed the setting, and although Nina’s wealth and privilege made me constantly roll my eyes, she wasn’t super unlikeable and I was rooting for her to finally discover what was obvious to the reader from chapter 2.
Sometimes, though, you just really need a predictable, comfortable read, and this was that for me.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoyed the author’s other books. Anyone who is looking for an easy read.
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Premise: Jamie and Maya have not seen each other since they were little kids, but when they meet up at a campaign event for the local Democrat running in a special election, their parents convince them to go canvassing together.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: I have read and enjoyed Becky Albertalli’s books in the past, so when I saw this one up on audio, I figured I would scoop it up. I enjoyed the ride! I liked the take on the special election, and I thought that political backdrop made everything that happened in the novel just a bit more intensified. It was interesting to see the parallels between the fictional campaign and the real one we just saw in Georgia, down the last name and Jewish heritage.
Where the book got off track for me was the representation and parallel stories. I don’t mind when authors collaborate on books, but this felt like I was reading completely different characters. The jump between the way Jamie saw himself and the way Maya saw him made it feel like these authors didn’t have a full grasp on who the characters were at their core. That, plus the terrible representation of Maya and her religion (the ending was REAL confusing/annoying/girl what are you doing?!), just took me out of the story too much for me to really dive into this YA romance like I wanted to.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys friends-to-lovers tropes. Anyone who likes the political backdrop in a story.
Dear Child by Romy Hausmann
Premise: Lena Beck went missing 13 years ago. When a woman is found hit by a car on the roadway, the authorities suspect it may be her. What follows is a twisty, unpredictable journey.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: This was our book club pick for May, and I am SO READY to discuss this with a bunch of people who have read it. It’s really hard to write a review for this book (I’ve already written and deleted seven sentences) because I feel like even talking about the first page is a spoiler. I messaged book club and said, “I’m on page 20 and I feel like I’m already in the middle of chaos.” Seriously, this book starts with action from the very beginning and never slows down.
I don’t read a lot of thrillers (on purpose), but this is the kind of thriller I like. It wasn’t necessarily heart-racing, but it was a book that I knew if I picked it up, I wouldn’t be able to put it down for an hour. It sucked me right in, and I felt a bit lost every time I had to put it down. The only reason I knocked half a star off of the rating was because I wasn’t really thrilled with the final reveal… but that’s because I really could not have ever guessed it and that annoys me lol. If you’re looking for a book that will keep you on your toes, that will make you feel like you hate and love every single character, that will keep you guessing from the very first chapter, this one is for you.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes thrillers. Anyone who likes multiple perspectives. Anyone who enjoys living in the confusion and chaos.
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
Premise: Quadara is ruled by four queens, each queen overseeing a region of the country. But when thief Keralie comes across information about these queens and their fates, she must decide who she is and what she stands for.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: I read this book cover to cover in one day. It is YA fantasy, after all, though the most fantastical part of this book is the world it’s set in and the tech they have access to… otherwise, it’s pretty realistic fiction. I don’t typically enjoy books that feature protagonists who are criminals, but Keralie managed to be the right mix of moral and tough. Plus I was really interested to see where she would end up, and it was not where I predicted.
The very best parts of this book were the surprises around the corners. I don’t know if anyone could predict this ending, or, at the very least, Keralie’s ending. But there was quite a bit of repetition here that had me skimming some chapters. We see the queen’s deaths three different times. Three! Through different eyes, of course, but all the same, it got to be a bit tiresome. (And no, that’s not a spoiler. The name of the book is FOUR DEAD QUEENS.) So while I devoured this book and enjoyed the worldbuilding, the plot itself fell a bit short… this is one of those novels that is 400+ pages but could have been 300+.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys YA fantasy but doesn’t want to start a series. Anyone who likes books set in different worlds.
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Premise: Tina Fey (circa 2011) tells stories about her life growing up, her time on SNL, and what it’s like to produce 30 Rock.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: I really wanted to enjoy this book, and I can see why it was on the top of all the memoir lists when it came out. This audiobook set the standard when it came out for comedic and candid storytelling, and the audio was fantastic (of course it was). I love Tina Fey so much.
That being said, it wasn’t until she started talking about SNL and 30 Rock that I really got invested. The first half of the book felt a bit disjointed, and I wanted more cohesiveness in her stories, especially because the chapters were so short. However, once the book took off, it hooked me, and I especially loved the audio clips from SNL. This is a must-read if you love Tina Fey and witty memoirs.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves Tina Fey, SNL, and/or 30 Rock. Anyone who enjoys a memoir narrated by their author.
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel
Premise: When the town of Bourne is hit with a tragedy, no one realizes how long-lasting the effects will be. But as children are born with congenital deficits, and as adults develop cancer and lose limbs, the town realizes they have been poisoned. Told from the points of view of a set of triplets, each with their own problems, this story is about the underdog and finding out how to come to terms with their futures.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: I loved Laurie Frankel’s last novel, This Is How It Always Is, so when I saw this book available on a Goodreads giveaway, I had to snatch it up. I’m so glad I read this one. It is so VERY different from her previous novel in its story, but Frankel’s writing is just beautiful and poignant and insightful and welcoming. Seriously, she manages to take a mystery (because there were points, especially at the end, where it felt like a mystery novel) and turn it into a literary look at what it means to be alive. Literary mystery? Is that a new genre?
My biggest takeaway from this novel is the openness and acceptance that was shown to the three girls. Mab, the “normal” one, read like most teenage girls, but Monday, the “B-track” one who falls somewhere on the spectrum, and Mirabel, the one confined to a wheelchair, were treated just like Mab was. No one wished they were different or underestimated their abilities just because they were neurodiverse or not able-bodied. In fact, Mirabel often provided the most insightful chapters, looking internally at herself and externally at the world around her. It was so damn refreshing to see characters portrayed this way, and I hope that this book gets the attention it deserves for this.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for diverse perspectives. Anyone who likes a good underdog story. Anyone who wants to read beautiful writing.
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
Premise: When Penny moves to UT-Austin, she is leaving behind a mother who will probably (definitely) miss her. But she can’t seem to care about what she’s leaving behind when she is faced with college and all its possibilities. Sam, on the other hand, is stuck in life after his girlfriend broke up with him.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: Forgive me if I’m rambling, but I read this 400 page book in 10 hours so… my brain is still swirling a bit in Penny and Sam land. This book was SUCH A GOOD YA BOOK. Like… the love story, the friendships, the finding oneself, the family drama… it all came together in a perfect storm of YA perfection. I mean, if you don’t like YA, don’t read this novel. But if you do like YA… THIS ONE IS FOR YOU.
Took off a star for writing that occasionally seemed a bit contrived or stilted or stereotypical but like… who cares when the story is this good and the characters are this likeable?
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a sweet read. Anyone wanting a book they can fall into.
