'Tis time to say farewell to May and move onto June! And that means that it's time for another monthly reading wrap-up! May was, to put it simply, a weird reading month for me. The majority of my reads were either in the "omg I loved this SO MUCH!!!" category or the "ugggggh...not a fan" category. There wasn't much in between. I had three 5 Star reads and a 4.5 Star read this month, which I very rarely have, but also two 2 Star reads and a 2.5 Star read. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I rated a book 2 Stars before this month, and now all of a sudden there's three of them all at once?? I feel like I've entered the twilight zone...or maybe I've just been more judgmental of books this month. Who knows? (Nobody. Nobody knows.) Anyhow, I'm interested to see if my June reading month is as quirky as my May one has been. Only time will tell. But for now, let me tell you about all the books I read in May! Despite the general strangeness of it, I do feel like it was a pretty good reading month. So let's get into it! Books read: 15 Pages read: 4,956 Genres read: Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Graphic Novel, Poetry, Mystery, Thriller Favorite book read: Heartstopper: Volume Three, by Alice Oseman Heartstopper: Volume Two, by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Omg Charlie and Nick are so cute I can't even-- 😍 If you haven't picked up this series yet, DO IT NOW!! Heartstopper: Volume Three, by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ These books make me so happy! Seriously, I'll just be smiling at the page while I read. I loved watching Nick and Charlie's relationship develop in this volume, and it was also fun to learn more about some of the side characters! Sweet and Bitter Magic, by Adrienne Tooley ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Fabulous world-building in this one!! Sweet romance and interesting plot, too. Good Girl, Bad Blood, by Holly Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If Pip ever asked me to solve a mystery with her, I'd immediately say heck yeah. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening seem slim, so reading this book is the next best thing. Twisty, chilling mystery! We Are Inevitable, by Gayle Forman ⭐️⭐️ The MC drove me absolutely crazy and none of the other characters were much better. The bookstore setting was this book's only redeeming quality. Read my full review here! Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Beautiful artwork and sweet story! I especially enjoyed the messages about the importance of healthy relationships and abandoning toxic ones. Kate in Waiting, by Becky Albertalli ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Are you looking for a book packed with theater references and laugh-out-loud moments? Then Kate in Waiting is the book for you! Becky Albertalli never disappoints, folks. The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I couldn't put this book down! Absolutely beautiful verse and touchingly important messages. Everyone should read this one. Happily Ever Afters, by Elise Bryant ⭐️⭐️ This could've been a cute, nerdy novel but it just...wasn't. The protagonist's horrific life choices (especially in regard to friendship and romance) kinda ruined the book for me. Instructions for Dancing, by Nicola Yoon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ It's one of the unfailing truths of the universe that Nicola Yoon never fails to deliver a stunning book full of feelings, love, and hope. I absolutely adored this book! Also, X is 100% a new book boyfriend of mine. Check out my full review here! Full Disclosure, by Camryn Garrett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really interesting and heartfelt novel. I learned a lot from this one and I highly recommend it! This book should be required reading. They'll Never Catch Us, by Jessica Goodman ⭐️⭐️✨ Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of this one. It wasn't as murder-mystery-ish as I would've liked, and the two POV voices sounded exactly the same. View my full review here! Both Sides Now, by Peyton Thomas ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Quick read full of valuable messages and delightful characters. I really enjoyed the debate element of it. Full review soon to come! If I'm Being Honest, by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another fabulous Wibbroka book! How do they write such adorable romances? It's one of the mysteries of the universe. Can't wait to read their other two books! The Real Thing by Cassie Mae ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Okay, I was surprised by how much I liked this one. I expected it to end up more in the "trashy guilty pleasure" category, but the writing and characters were actually pretty good! That's a wrap on my May reading wrap-up! Time to start my June reading now...
Happy June, y'all! I hope everyone has a fabulous start to the new month!
4 Comments
Happy May, bookworms! I hope you all had a great April and are ready for a new month. And since it's a new month, that means it's time for a reading wrap-up! I know it's been a while since I've done a wrap-up, but I'm hoping to get back into them. I finally had the realization that wrap-ups are a lot easier if you construct them throughout the month and add books as you read them instead of freaking out at the end of the month trying to remember what books you read and why again didn't you like this book?? The ends of my months shall be much less chaotic from now on, and I'm hoping to get back to posting wrap-ups each month. Also, I tried a new format for this wrap-up, so let me know if you like it! I'm happy to say that April was a fantastic reading month for me: I read quite a few books and dared to step out of my comfort zone and read not one, but two classics. *mind blown* I also read my first-ever James Patterson book, plus finally finished King of Scars (yes it took me way too long to read...it was much better once I got into it, though!). Now let's dive into the details of what I read last month! Books read: 15 Pages read: 5,251 Genres read: Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Thriller, LGBTQ+, Classic, Horror Favorite book read: Perfect on Paper, by Sophie Gonzales From Little Tokyo, With Love, by Sarah Kuhn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Heartfelt novel with sweet love discussed important topics. Some parts seemed a tad unrealistic, but overall I adored this book! Full review soon to come! 10 Truths and a Dare, by Ashley Elston ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a cute, lighthearted read. I enjoyed 10 Blind Dates by this author, so it was fun to see the same characters up to their shenanigans once again! Olivia's quirky family was hilarious to read about, too! Check out my full review here. The Princess Will Save You, by Sarah Henning ⭐️⭐️ I was expecting a Princess Bride retelling and this wasn't it...even though it was supposed to be. I sadly ended up skimming most of this book. My Princess Bride-retelling dreams have been crushed. 😭 The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, by Brandy Colbert ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I expected more than this book gave me. Plus, I saw the "plot twist" from a mile away. I liked The Voting Booth by this author a lot more! Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Fun buddy read with April at @bookedtillmidnight! All the symbolism and old-timey humor went completely over my head, but I'm proud of myself for understanding the general gist of this book. Yay for classics! The Ivies, by Alexa Donne⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Boarding school mysteries are the best, especially when paired with immensely shady characters. Check out my full review here. We Set the Dark on Fire, by Tehlor Kay Mejia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Inspiring feminist novel packed full of political intrigue. I can't wait to read the second book in this series! Perfect on Paper, by Sophie Gonzales ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Omg omg omg this book was amazing!! The humor was spot-on and my inner psychology nerd adored the attachment style talk. Why are you still here? GO READ THIS BOOK! (Also, shout-out to April @bookedtillmidnight for recommending this book!) Sunkissed, by Kasie West ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sweet and fun summer story about discovering yourself. I easily identified with the main character, and the romance was adorable. Quick, lighthearted read. All Kinds of Other, by James Sie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book had lots of important messages and the characters felt authentic and realistic. It was inspiring to watch Jack and Jules grow, learn, and become their best selves. I also enjoyed the vlog excerpts, tumblr posts, and text messages interspersed throughout this book! The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ I expected this book to be more scary than it actually was, but since I'm not a horror fan, this was the perfect level of scariness for me. The characters were kind of bizarre, but this was an overall interesting read. Confessions of a Murder Suspect, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro ⭐️⭐️✨ Interesting buddy read with the fabulous Paige from @pagebypaigebooks! We had some entertaining discussions about this book...but I wasn't a fan of the loose ends and "dear diary-esque" writing style. At least I can say I've read a James Patterson book now! Hello (From Here), by Chandler Baker and Wesley King ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was interesting to read a book set in the COVID-era, but my anxiety kicked into action about halfway through, which kind of ruined the experience. *I don't recommend this book for people with anxiety!* The Passing Playbook, by Isaac Fitzsimons ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The third-person POV threw me off at the beginning for some reason, but I really enjoyed this book nonetheless! It had some really important messages and really great representation. I felt like the ending wrapped up a bit too nicely to be realistic, but overall this was a quick, heartwarming read! King of Scars, by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ This book took me a while to get into (like most of the Grishaverse books, except for the Six of Crows duology because it's golden) but once I did I really enjoyed it. I'm a little confused over what exactly went down at the end, but I did adore all the characters (ESPECIALLY NIKOLAI!!! 😍😍) and the action was fabulous. Huge thank-you to Tobi at @tiefling.reads for gifting me a copy of this book and being a fellow Nikolai fan! That's all for my April wrap-up! Have you read any of the books I read last month? And how many books did you read in April? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great start to this new month! |
Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
October 2021
Categories |