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April was a weird reading month. Plenty of duds, but also some total gems, a few that are sure to be on my Best of 2019 list. As always, you can keep up with me in real time on Goodreads or Instagram.
Here’s what I read:
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing – This is pure psycho perfection. The balance of evil and family time/ parenting blew me away. I though it was perfectly done! 5 stars
I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney – This one had me good and I was in deep (Regardless of the fact that the writing was kind of a mess)…until the ending. What a farfetched and GROSS way to wrap it up. Like …can we just stop it with the repulsive twists just for the sake of being twisty and shocking? Yuck. 2.5 stars
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis-Graves – Sometimes I have the words to tell you what makes a book so special. Sometimes there are no adequate words… This is one of those times. But I’ll try. I devoured this book in two sittings and loved every single page. I fell in love with Annika and Jonathan. He is gentle and kind and loving and understanding and protective and patient. She is fierce and brave and tender and pure and so much more than her place on the spectrum or the labels others want to slap on her.Read it. Now. It’s just perfect- but get the tissues ready. It will leave a lump in your throat and fill your heart with joy.5 stars
Love You Hard by Abby Maslin – I just read the last page of this book and my heart is broken wide open. In the best possible way.
I don’t know what I will remember most. The fish tacos, the bottle of contraband pills, TC’s Thanksgiving speech, or the passage where Abby described living amongst military veterans and how that made TC’s injury seem less conspicuous.
A beautiful diamond nestled in an empty and messy lobster claw is the PERFECT metaphor for this love story. That might have been my favorite part. No. Forget it. I can’t pick a favorite part.
Abby is beyond brave. This story was beautiful, ugly, raw, and vulnerable and I will cherish it forever. Abby- Thank you for sharing all of the stories. Even the unflinchingly honest, not so pretty ones. You are my hero!!!5 stars
Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce – Terrible characters, a plot that was sluggish and all over the place… and it just ended up being far too dark and sickening. 2 stars
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – Powerful and devastating and terrifying as a mother of girls.Also – unexpectedly witty and funny and bright. A word of warning: you’ll want to slap her parents and give them a good shake. 5 stars.
Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson – West Point is very special to me- I fell in love with and married a cadet. We sleep with a green girl on our bed, I’ve been to the Firstie Club and 100th night and I’ve eaten meals in the mess hall. I could picture every single page of this book. I’ve also been to military funerals, watched as flags were folded, and gripped friend’s hands as they walked through the unimaginable. I know the fear and the longing and the separation.
This book captured it all perfectly. I have even more respect for the women of USMA than I did before. As my tears fell on the last pages of this book, all I could think is that I’m so damn lucky to be married to my own hero. The men and women of USMA are the best, brightest, and bravest and my life is so much richer because of them. Well done, Claire.4.5 stars
Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart – loved this heartwarming middle grade coming of age story. I don’t usually enjoy westerns and I don’t especially love reading about horses, but man was this special. Dan Gemeinhart is the master of writing about children undergoing sad, horrible things…and courageously prevailing through some trying circumstances- all while meeting some quirky and memorable people along the way. My kind of book. 5 stars.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim – So so so many lies and so much deceit. It’s terrible how lies can fracture relationships. This book was beautifully written and I very much enjoyed the courtroom scenes. I just found it to be boring at times, as much as I hate to admit it. I did really like the commentary on family ties.3 stars
Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey (ARC, pub date 6/11/19) – Whew. This might be the steamiest book I’ve ever read. Don’t read it if you don’t like suuuuuuper hot scenes. 😊😂Travis and Georgie had amazing chemistry. I could have lived without Georgie being a professional clown. I just thought it was odd and didn’t quite fit. But wooooweeeee this is a spicy read!! Fans of Helen Hoang and Christina Lauren will dig this one. 4 stars.
All the Wrong Places by Joy Fielding – I’m always a sucker for online dating gone but this fell a bit flat for me for some reason. It’s marketed as a thriller but isn’t one at all. It’s more like a random dramatic soap opera. I found the Chloe/Matt storyline to be random. Also, heather was truly heinous. Almost like a cartoon villain ! I also had the ending figured out early on because of some pretty heavy handed hints. 2.5 stars
Heart Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis-Graves – I really enjoyed this book and I enjoyed the combination of romance, wit, and computers. My only (tiny) qualm is that i wish we would’ve gotten to see more conversations and romance growth between Kate and Ian other ways besides sex scenes. I love the two of them together and I just wanted to get to know them more. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series! 4 stars
White Hot Hack by Tracey Garvis- Graves – I got my wish! The sequel had much more interaction (and not all the physical type). It also had a fair amount of suspense which was awesome. All in all, this follow-up rocked! 4 stars
I’m so excited for May BOTM. The choices were excellent!!
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang- I LOVED the steamy The Kiss Quotient, so I had to have the sequel!
Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak- A pair of college best friends—one born with everything; the other starting from nothing—become post-college rivals, intent on success no matter the cost. Sounded intriguing, so I grabbed this one.
How Not To Die Alone by Richard Roper- this one is described as up-lit, and one that fans of Eleanor Oliphant will love, so OF COURSE I had to choose it!
Whew! Happy reading to you! As always, share what you loved/didn’t love this month!
Stephanie
I SO love that you take the time to review the books you read. You are my go to on recommendation of books, your guidance has never failed me! Thank you, thank you. You’ve gotten me into reading on a regular basis.