What I Read in April 2025
I branched out from romances this month! A mystery, dystopian YA novel, and a play from the Elizabethan Era.
Looking back at this month’s books, I realize there are quite a few buzzy new titles that I made time for. There’s something special about reading a book at the same time as other people. I don’t feel like we get that as much anymore, so I’m happy that I was on the Sunrise on the Reaping train. Not a single day went by this month without seeing a review on Bookstagram. I purchased the book for my husband the weekend it came out and listened to it on audio shortly after he finished. It’s always interesting to get his perspective. Hopefully when he finished up his Master’s degree this summer, we’ll have more opportunities to read books together. I rekindled some interest in television this month and despite skipping a day of reading before bed here and there (GASP!) I still managed to read 12 books! There’s one more book I *might* finish up today, but I’ll include it in my May wrap-up. No spoilers, but I think it’s worth a more thoughtful review.
always shares his family’s favorite books of the month so I’m going to try it out here. Let me know if you’d like to see more of what we read aloud, outside of library hauls.As you may know from my Rereading Project, my 6-year-old daughter loves the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel series. We started Kristy and the Walking Disaster by Ann M. Martin this month and generally read anywhere from 2 to 4 chapters a night. It’s just enough to keep her attention before she’s ready to move on to something else, and not so much that my voice feels spent. The sweet spot.
The team at Nosy Crow was generous enough to gift us a box of some of their most popular titles, and my 3-year-old immediately gravitated toward Suki Cat: Farmer by Grace Habib. My preschooler enjoys pushing, pulling, and turning the chunky sliders to dress up Suki Cat for her daily adventures. I love the rhyming text and narrative that subtly teaches young readers about farm life. Both of my kids love the “Scan the Stories Aloud” QR code on the back cover that opens a webpage with a recording of a narrator. With whimsical noises marking the cue to turn the page, it’s the perfect tool for reading along with the story! I’m eager to introduce my daughter to the Princess Minna series as we continue to transition from picture books to chapter books. She’s most excited about the stickers that came with the books and I’m most excited that we’ll get to read a funny story about a female protagonist together.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter and allowing me into your inbox to share so many great books with you. It’s a pleasure!
Before we dig into this month’s book reviews, tell me— What was your favorite book in April?
April Book Reviews
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Dystopian
Listening Time: 12 h 48 m
Format Read: Audiobook (borrowed from the library)
My main criticism of this book is that I think for an author to make a prequel worthwhile, it needs to have something important to say. While Sunrise on the Reaping and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes provided some context for the core Hunger Games series, I don’t think they were written with the same passion. The reader can see the rebellion form, but we already know this has happened in the past from Katniss’ perspective. I appreciate that the character cameos in Sunrise on the Reaping better explain Katniss’ connection to Haymitch. I still wish we saw more of Haymitch’s day-to-day routine before being immediately reaped for the Quarter Quell. Somehow, the stakes in the games didn’t feel high. The storyline launches you into the arena without any buildup. I'm not enough of a poetry fan for the repetitive songs in this book although I can appreciate the symbolism. The ending, though? Pure evil. This at least felt like it redeemed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Swept Away by Beth O’Leary
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance
Listening Time: 9 h 52 m
Format Read: Audiobook (borrowed from the library)
Swept Away is a slow story that’s meant to be savored. Beth O’Leary is just so good at crafting tender, deep relationships. Despite their different backgrounds, Zeke and Lexi balance each other beautifully. With tropes like reverse age-gap romance, forced proximity, and a story that begins with a one-night stand, there’s plenty of action to keep you entertained while the duo is lost at sea. There’s an interesting twist at the end that I think you have to suspend just as much disbelief for as the whole houseboat lost at sea premise, but it still makes sense to see the characters so deeply entwined! Maybe not O’Leary’s best work, but I still enjoyed the read.
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance
Listening Time: 9 h 59 m
Format Read: Audiobook (free ALC courtesy of Libro.fm)
I don’t think I’ll ever get over the cat in this book being named Pooter. There’s plenty of humor in this romance, but just as many vulnerable and emotional moments. After reading Just for the Summer last year, I knew to expect a complex and emotional story with a realistic romance woven through the pages. The depiction of dementia and the toll of being a caregiver to someone was emotional for me to read, so take care if that’s something you’ve experienced as well. As someone who has been in the same situation before, I felt so much pain for both Samantha and Xavier as they navigated long distance. It was so easy to get wrapped up in this story.
Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 354
Format Read: Physical Copy (borrowed from the library)
I was thrilled to get a second book in Deanna Raybourn’s Killers of a Certain Age series and even more excited when it held up to the first. I can’t get enough of these 60+ year old female assassins. Like the first book, Kills Well With Others is primarily written from Billie’s POV but jumps back in time to recount some of the four women’s earlier missions. The action is gripping but just as much of the story focuses on their friendship, the strain their work puts on their relationships, and the way aging women tend to disappear from focus. My favorite part of this series is the connection to the art world. I hope we get many more missions from The Museum!
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction/Romance
Listening Time: 11 h 11 m
Format Read: Audiobook (borrowed from the library)
If you watched The Life List on Netflix, this book has a similar premise. Lenny’s a bit of a mess after her best friend, Lou, passed away after a battle with cancer. After a babysitting gig introduces her to Miles, he propositions Lenny to help her cross things off her live again list if she helps him connect with his niece. This picked up a ton in the last 1/3 for me. I'm glad I stuck it out. This is NOT a rom-com. It's a beautifully written story about grief. Miles and Lenny's struggles are raw and unfiltered. Their love story is about pulling each other back up from the depths of grief.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance
Pages: 320
Format Read: Kindle (free DRC courtesy of NetGalley)
Expected Publication: May 20, 2025
I enjoyed the overall storyline of The Love Haters. A hunky Coast Guard helicopter rescuer is profiled by a documentary filmmaker who can’t swim? You know there are going to be lots of mishaps and laughter involved. The plot gets a little far fetched at the end but if you’re able to suspend disbelief, you can have a bit of fun with it. The message that it’s just as important to be a gentle, loving friend to yourself as it is to show up for other people came through but I didn’t like how much the book focused on Katie’s body image issues. I think it’s important for readers to know this going into the book because the way it is brought up will be uncomfortable for many women. Besides Hutch, my favorite character was Aunt Rue. I love that she made Katie feel good about herself and brought a bit of color back into her life. At times I forgot about Katie’s previous breakup, even when Hutch’s drama with his brother Cole was brought up. All the characters in this story are dealing with various levels of grief and that sometimes overshadows the romance. While I struggled with certain elements of the book, it was still an entertaining read and the Key West setting make this book a great summer beach read!
Fun For the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Family Drama
Listening Time: 9 h 38 m
Format Read: Audiobook (borrowed from the library)
The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, a bond created by their absentee mother, who would only return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off road trips around the country. Decades later, the Endicotts haven’t spoken in years until a text arrives from Jude, now a famous actress, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota. They’re each at a crossroads: Gemma isn’t sure if she wants to be a mother; Connor, is a divorced novelist with writer’s block; and Roddy risks his future husband for the chance at one last season as a professional soccer player. Forced to face long-buried issues, old resentments, and devastating secrets, their sibling relationship is on the verge of being changed forever. I was equally invested in each character as I was their shared history. If you have siblings, you’ll appreciate how different each character is and just how different their life paths end up. I feel like this would be great as a TV series! A must-read for anyone who enjoys family dramas.
Comedic Timing by Upsana Barath
⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction/Romance
Pages: 176
Format Read: Kindle (owned)
This novella from 831 Stories reads more like lit fic, which I really enjoyed, but I don't think the story will stick with me. There are so many smart reflections on life and love in these short stories from 831 Stories. I found myself highlighting lots of quotes. Comedic Timing felt like a very natural progression from friends to something more, and I appreciated the realness in some of the conflict. The NYC setting was engaging, but I wanted a different outcome for the FMC since it was marketed as an LGBTQ+ novella.
Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance
Listening Time: 10 h 52 m
Format Read: Audiobook (borrowed from the library)
She’s a dance teacher and he’s a professional hockey player. Sounds like the perfect rom-com... except Canadian Boyfriend is a story about grief, disordered eating caused by an abusive mother, being a single parent after losing a spouse, and most of all, friendship. There’s a sweet romance in this book, but unlike most contemporary sports romances, the plot focuses on healing. Kudos to Jenny Holiday for writing realistic characters with amazing personal growth. Aurora and Mike are two well-adjusted adults actively engaged in therapy to work through past trauma. Personally, I was hoping for a bit more yearning. I kept hoping the ending would redeem my lukewarm feelings but the last minute conflict took away from the story more than it added.
Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage
(Rebel Blue Ranch #4)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance
Pages: 352
Format Read: Kindle (owned)
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Cam and Dusty’s love story at first. As someone who is married to their high school sweetheart, it’s not that I didn’t find their draw believable. Just some of the letters from Dusty seemed a little too emotionally mature to be real. By the end of the story, I recognized that the flashbacks help us understand the depth of their feelings for each other but also what went horribly wrong. Cam is kinda the worst but understanding her upbringing redeems some of her actions. This story reminded me a lot of Lauren and Lucas in Ransom Canyon. I’m a sucker for a second-chance romance, and the 'it's always been you' vibes between Cam and Dusty are perfect. It’s incredible how Lyla Sage was able to bring everything full circle in Wild and Wrangled. It's truly the perfect ending to the series, with Cam and Dusty getting their own home alongside the Ryders in Rebel Blue Ranch. I loved that you get to see all the Ryders living out their happily ever after in this book, hence the high rating despite some quibbles!
Under Your Spell by Laura Wood
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance
Listening Time: 10 h 40 m
Format Read: Audiobook (owned)
The romance in this story starts with a one-night stand and ends up in a totally different direction. I can’t get enough of British rom-coms and Laura Wood turned what I thought was going to be a magical realism novel into one of the most heartfelt romances I’ve ever read. Clemmie, the daughter of a washed up rock star, and Theo, a celeb music artist, meet at a party and go home together. Clementine never expects that Theo will end up staying at her family's cozy cottage on the English seaside to overcome writers block and write his next big album. Theo was the opposite of everything you’d expect from a rock star. He was charming, silly, and sweet. He doted on Clemmie and showed up for her through all the bad stuff. I also enjoyed the sister dynamic in this book. They pushed each other out of their comfort zones and all played a hand in making sure Clemmie and Theo ended up together.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Classics/Play - Comedy
Pages: 148
Format Read: Physical Copy (borrowed from the library)
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind. Nor hath love's mind of any judgment taste; Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste: And therefore is love said to be a child, Because in choice he is so oft beguil'd.”
The basic premise in this comedy is that Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. Hermia’s friend Helena’s unrequited love burns hot for Demetrius. Like Stage 5 Clinger hot. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with some flower juice, which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Hilarity ensues.
“Are you sure That we are awake? It seems to me That yet we sleep, we dream”
I can’t believe it took me so long to read this play! I found myself giggling the whole way through due to the mishaps created by meddling characters. Reading this by myself was slightly less engaging than reading it in a classroom setting but I still found myself writing down lines to reference later. There’s some physical comedy described that I think lends itself more to the stage so I’m hopeful that I’ll find somewhere to see it performed soon.
“Be as thou wast wont to be. See as thou wast wont to see.”
What’s up next in May
I checked out a few short books from the library, and I’m carrying two into the first week of May:
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
As I mentioned last month, Spring tends to be my favorite season for publishing. Here are just a few books publishing in May that I’m looking forward to:
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune 5/6
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon 5/6
Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein 5/13
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson 5/13
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood 5/27
I got a little carried away requesting DRCs from NetGalley again, so they’ll be keeping me busy as we head into summer. I hope you’re ready for some reviews of upcoming books.
You can keep up with my reading journey in real time on Goodreads or The Storygraph!
Happy reading,
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Under Your Spell is on my TBR and now I’m even more excited!
I’ve only read abby jimenez, but of course the hunger games one is on my list - working on rereading right now so it will take a while, hopefully by next year before the movie is out!