I’m proud to report that I closed out April with nine books! The nine books I finished were a pretty mixed bag, as one can expect. I’d say a majority were winners (a few I would even rate as excellent!) with a couple of lame 2 stars. All in all, I’m pretty happy with the selection last month, and thrilled to share with you. As always, **no spoilers** in my monthly recaps!
READ THIS MONTH
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
Meh. I was pretty impressed with the big twist that was unfolded in the first third, but then the book took a nose dive. I hated each of the characters and got pretty bored. It was a quick read though, I read a majority of it on a 2 hour flight.
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
No thanks. This was an infuriating read. It felt SO POINTLESS and it was SO ANNOYING. I absolutely hated the characters, and it kept going in circles. I felt like I read the same scene over and over and over and over again. The plot didn’t go anywhere until the very end. I will admit, I enjoyed the ending, but honestly, it was so painful to get through 90% of it that I wouldn’t recommend….
The Futures by Anna Pitoniak
I very much enjoyed this book. It reminded me a bit of Fates and Furies. It focuses on a young couple who recently graduated Yale, and begin their lives together in NYC, while trying to figure out who they are. The year is 2008, and Evan, one of our main characters begins working for a hedge fund just before the crash… definitely an enjoyable story.
The Last Mrs. Parish by Liv Constantine
I wouldn’t say this book is a ground breaking thriller, but it’s a decent read that will keep the pages turning quickly. It had a lot of similarities to The Wife Between Us, but the writing was much tighter and didn’t make me roll my eyes. I’d recommend if you were a fan of Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris (yes, the same author above, whose book I just gave a bad review).
Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
I always love a good Emily Giffin novel, I’ve read almost all her books. Pleased to say that Where we Belong is just as wonderful, honest, and as hard to put down as her others. Really glad I read this.
The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close
My god this book was awful. I really didn’t know it was possible to loathe a fictional character as much as I loathed Beth. She was absolutely miserable, and the entirety of this book felt like her whining, bitching, and complaining. Her husband was equally as miserable. It felt like a long read, and honestly? The author trashing Washington, DC got old, really quickly. Ugh what a waste of time.
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of Unruly Women by Anne Helen Petersen
This was a really interesting book. I’m just going to slap the GR description here, and let you come to your own conclusions if you want to read it or not. All I can say is that I’m typically not a non-fiction fan and I really enjoyed it:
‘There have been unruly women for as long as there have been boundaries of what constitutes acceptable “feminine” behavior, but there’s evidence that she’s on the rise–more visible and less easily dismissed–than ever before. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Anne Helen Petersen uses the lens of “unruliness” to explore the ascension of eleven contemporary powerhouses: Serena Williams, Melissa McCarthy, Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer, Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Caitlyn Jenner, Jennifer Weiner, and Lena Dunham.’
Animal Farm by George Orwell
YES! Believe it or not, but I didn’t read Animal Farm in high school (I know! I know!) so I decided to read it now. I loved every word of it and now definitely adding 1984 by George Orwell onto my list.
CURRENTLY READING
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
This was given to me by a friend in a book swap. Alex actually borrowed it during one of our weekend trips. Once he finished, I got stared, and I’m having a tough time getting through it, to be honest. It’s been sitting on my nightstand — stuck on page 20 — for the past three weeks…
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Bleh. I have maybe 100 pages to go, with book club this Friday, and it’s been a f*cking DRAG. It’s so boring and depressing. I don’t know how I’m going to finish it.
The Giver by Louis Lowry
This is yet another book I didn’t read in high school (thanks to the wonderful public school system of Florida….) so I’m reading it as an adult. I’m about halfway through and I LOVE IT.
And based on my backlog of books, I’ve told myself I am NOT reading anything other than my backlog pile (with the exception of book club selections) for the remainder of summer.