It’s BOOK DAY!
It’s also the last day of April 🙂 . I hope you all had a wonderful month. I don’t know about you, but I am EXCITED about tomorrow being May 1st!
You guys, I am also really excited about this month’s book review.
I read FOUR BOOKS this month and really loved three of them.
I have several great beach books/poolside reads/summery novels for your upcoming season.
Anyone else love a good book by the water on a warm day? Yes. Please.
Okay, first up…
Book #1 this month was:
…This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman.
As many of you know, this was our APRIL BOOK CLUB pick! If you have read this book, please head to THIS POST to discuss. If you haven’t read this book, let me give you a few deets and also encourage you NOT to read the Book Club post as it does contain spoilers.
Curious about this one? Here is my review (without spoilers):
Except well, spoiler alert, I only gave this novel TWO STARS. Ugh, I just really struggled with it. Had this not been the Book Club read, I would have quit about twenty percent of the way in.
This novel is about three elderly sisters. The book opens with the passing of one of the sisters and then proceeds to tell a very sad, bitter and unhappy story of how the other two sisters cope after her death.
The story follows the remaining sisters and their families as they all move on/don’t move on after the sister’s passing. Honestly? None of the characters were very likable and the story moved really slow. I wanted to shake both of the surviving sisters and make them reconcile. The worst part? After a very long book that didn’t really go anywhere…the story ends abruptly without any real conclusion.
Needless to say, I’m not suggesting you read this by the beach this summer.
Sigh.
That being said…
Book #2:
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
I really liked this one!
This book is technically the second novel in a series. I read and reviewed the first one last May. That being said, the main characters from that first novel are only mentioned very briefly and not relevant to this story at all. You can absolutely read this one stand alone.
This cute little romcom is about a hard working woman named Larissa who is just trying her hardest to get out from debt and family issues and “make it” on her own. One night, she meets two guys (who happen to be best friends) and when they offer to take her home, she accidentally picks the wrong one.
Fast forward and this book is about the choices we make and what if we look back and wish we would have made a different one. Is it too late to change? Can we start over?
I am going to give a trigger warning for this novel. Though it’s light, cute and sweet, it does have some heavy moments with death and alcohol. If these are topics you wish to avoid, then this book might not be for you.
This is a book about friendship and struggles and being vulnerable with the ones who love you most.
This was the perfect palate cleanser after reading the previous book. I needed to read something HAPPY.
Speaking of HAPPY…
Book #3:
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
Goodness, this was probably my favorite of the batch this month. This book was just so sweet!
This little novel is about a young widow who receives a wonderful gift from her late husband…a book every month of the year from a quaint little London bookshop. The books are all different and meant to show her/teach her something in the year following his death.
This book was everything I love in a novel. Charming setting, sweet characters, a heartwarming story with a happy ending…who doesn’t want that in a summer read?
Though the story is sweet and a little predictable, I thought there were enough twists and heartier moments that it wasn’t “cheesy” or too “Hallmark-y”. This was just a really sweet novel. I am so happy I read it!
And finally…
Book #4:
Once and Again by Rebecca Serle
You guys know that I am a BIG fan of Rebecca Serle. I think I’ve read all of her books, and they always, always stand out to me because, while being “chick lit”, they are all really unique, very quirky and highly original. Each novel has a bizarre little twist that somehow just works. In fact, in 2020, I named her book In Five Years my third favorite book of the YEAR (and I read a lot of great books that year!).
Needless to say, this one was twisty and fun and very unexpected. It was very “Rebecca Serle”.
This is the fictional story of a woman in California who was born with a gift…a magic ticket that allows you to go back in time for one “do over”.
She’s not the only one with this magical ticket…her mother and grandmother were born with them too.
I mean, a magical ticket? What? This does not sound like a book I would love…except that is the genius of Rebecca Serle. She can take a “normal” novel, add an odd twist, and you immediately “buy into it”.
When it’s all said and done, this novel is about living life to the fullest. Living in the very present moment. Having regrets…but loving the life you’ve built in spite of them.
This reads very chick lit while also being very thought provoking. If you could turn back the clock would you? Yes, you could change things…but what if so many of the other things you currently love therefore got changed too? What if other people you love turned back the clock? How would that affect the outcome of your life? Do you turn back the clock for yourself or to save someone else?
See?
Thought provoking!
All while being set on the California coast with an adorable cast of characters.
One thing to note, this does have the theme of infertility and IVF running throughout. If that’s a topic you’d prefer to stay away from in books, I would pass on this one.
I really loved this novel. Two thumbs up!
And that’s my APRIL BOOK REVIEW!
Don’t forget…
To see the complete list of books I read in 2015 (all 63 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2016 (all 62 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2017 (all 62 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2018 (all 61 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2019 (all 54 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2020 (all 54 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2021 (all 59 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2022 (all 60 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2023 (all 51 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2024 (all 58 of them), click here.
To see the complete list of books I read in 2025 (all 58 of them), click here.
If you want to stay current on all of the books I’m reading in 2026, THIS PAGE HERE is where I keep the books, authors and reviews each month.
We would love, love to have you join us in May for our BOOK CLUB!
Next month, we are reading…
…Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth and discussing it on May 22nd…which is also the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Woohoo!
One of my very favorite authors + the last day of school!
So much to be excited about on that day 🙂 .
Okay, it’s time to chat books in the comment section. Please comment and share!
I hope you have the BEST Thursday, friends! xx
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