I have had SUCH a good 2024 when it comes to reading – and April might be my best reading month so far of the year. The weather is finally turning into sunshine and warmer temperatures where I am, so here’s to outdoor reading season! I may have gotten a little sunburnt reading the third Magnolia Parks book outside on Sunday.
April Reads
The seven books below are my FAVORITES of the month: The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (out 5/14), The Women by Kristen Hannah, Forget Me Not by Julie Soto, Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle, and the first three books in the Magnolia Parks series. MY FAVORITE of the month is so, so hard to choose! The Paradise Problem is one of my top three favorite Christina Lauren novels, and I was completely enamored by Kristen Hannah’s The Women – it was so different than what I’ve been picking up lately (historical fiction following a nurse during the Vietnam War), but it was so,SO good.
March was a good reading month, not just because I read 11 books and 1 novella, but because I read one of my favorite romance books of the year AND got totally captured by a very popular romance author’s series.
March Reads
My reading was overtaken by Ana Huang in March, between finishing up the Twisted series with Twisted Games, Twisted Hate, & Twisted Lies. I then transitioned to what’s been published of the spinoff series, Kings of Sins, so far (imagine my HAPPINESS when I found out that there’s going to be seven total Kings of Sins books) with King of Wrath, King of Pride, and King of Greed. I feel like what I went through with Ana Huang this book, i.e. the chokehold her books had on me, is what people similarly go through with Colleen Hoover’s books. I knew the exact set-up of each book (wealthy, morally grey male MC falls in love with their opposite female MC), but I cannot get enough. I overall had very similar feelings with each book, but Twisted Games and King of Wrath are my faves. I’m so happy that the next King of Sins book, King of Sloth, is coming out on April 30th, AND that Ana Huang has a new sports romance series coming out in the fall.
The BEST book that I read in March was Kennedy Ryan’s latest Skyland installment, This Could Be Us. This was such a well-written romance book, and had such a good balance of the romance with family and friendship amidst its drama. I read Color Me In for a grad class I’m taking right now for a free choice reading review, Ready Or Not is definitely worth checking out, and I felt medium on my other three reads this month. I knew going into reading Royal Valentine that the last Impossible Meet Cute novella had gotten mixed reviews, and I definitely agree with the side that said this one was a miss. I read Anita de Monte Laughs Last because it was the Bad on Paper Podcast Book Club pick for March and it was a miss for me because I had a lot of trouble getting into each of the perspectives and the writing style overall. I liked The Breakup Tour, but it’s not the most memorable read for me.
What did you read in March? Have you read any of the books that I shared? Share in the comments!
February was SUCH a fantastic reading month! February wasn’t the most calmest of months IRL, so my top go-to comfort was reading as always.
February Reads
I read 11 books and 1 novella from the Improbable Meet Cute series in February. My FAVORITES of the month were Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas, and Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey. I also REALLY enjoyed Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino and Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday.
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey – Fangirl Down might be my favorite sports romance ever! This one follows the fangirl of a professional golf player who’s at a low point in his career and circumstances lead her into becoming his caddy. I’m totally ready to eat up Tessa Bailey’s backlist now. My Rating: 5/5 Stars
House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3)by Sarah J. Maas – We all know basically any Sarah J.Maas book is a guaranteed five stars for me. I loved the way this story ends (& leaves room for more). My Rating: 5/5 Stars
I read 12 books and 5 novella in January – I also feel weird about counting novellas in my total book count, but I’m all about not focusing on the numbers when it comes to reading stats this year. This was a pretty solid reading month! There’s one duology that I think could come up as some of my favorite books of 2024, but there’s not really any books from my January reading that have me screaming from the rooftops. February will probably be a different story just based on my first read of the month and what I’m currently reading, Shark Heart by Emily Habeck and House of Flame and Shadow respectively.
January Reads:
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My FAVORITE of the month was definitely Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. This is such a good YA fantasy duology and liked that it was a pretty simple fantasy world to understand.
I also really enjoyed Meet the Benedettos, Welcome Home, Caroline Kline (out in April), and The Wishing Game.Meet the Benedettos is one of my new favorite Pride and Prejudicie retellings – it’s right up there with Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible for me and has a similar vibe – following a Kardashian-esque family in California. Welcome Home, Caroline is a love letter to the Jersey shore (specifically the area I live in). I read The Wishing Game for a book club and it was a very wholesome story (definitely with some somber aspects though) about a children’s book author who invites four fans to his island based on the book to win the manuscript of his unpublished work. Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is probably my new favorite in her Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships series, as this installment is set in one of my favorite places, Ireland, and follows a musician who helps a pub owner revitalize his bar. There was unique and great mental health representation in both leads.
I finally read Colleen Hoover’s Maybe Someday series and have such mixed feelings about it, which is pretty typical for me when it comes to Colleen Hoover’s books. I liked the start of Maybe Someday, but then I just wanted it to end in its last hundred pages due to the usual third act break up aspect. I then read the sequel Maybe Now and LOVED getting Maggie’s perspectives and basically wanted nothing else except for her storyline. I read the novella, Maybe Not, following Ridge’s roommates before and as Sydney moves in with them, and it brought me back to the Slammed days where Point of Retreat was basically a repeat of the first story except from different characters’ perspectives.
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I still have to red the last two novellas in the Improbable Meet Cute Collection, but Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez’s have been my favorites of the collection so far. I also liked the quirkiness of Sally Thorne’s novella.
Other January Reads:
What did you read in January? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Share in the comments!
I thought about doing this as two separate posts, one what I’ve been reading & enjoying lately, and then my November Wrap Up (where I’d probably be repeating what I had in the earlier post), so I’m here today with a little bit more detailed November Wrap Up. I really don’t have much in the TV category, unless you want me to dive into Selling Sunset S7 (honestly one of my favorite seasons). Other than that, I’ve been rewatching a ton of Friends since the passing of Matthew Perry and then having read his memoir this month. I’ll leave this to the comments, but if you have any, I’ll take some TV recs – I’ve been going back & forth on getting Apple TV+ again for Lessons in Chemistry (despite the mixed reviews) and The Buccaneers. Here’s to hoping for a Bridgerton Season 3 drop on Christmas!
I read a total of ten books in November. My favorites were The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros.
The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead – Why is no else talking about how GREAT Ashley Winstead’s The Boyfriend Candidate?? This is easily one of my favorite contemporary romances of 2023! I liked the first book in this companion series, Fool Me Once, earlier this year, but The Boyfriend Candidate is such a grand slam (and you don’t need to read the first book to read this one). The Boyfriend Candidate follows school librarian Alexis Stone, who has an almost one-night stand with a guy, but a fire at their hotel forces them out before anything can happen. The guy involved quickly flees after carrying Alexis down a flight of stairs, but a photo that goes viral reveals the guy as Logan Arthur, who is running to be the governor as Texas. Logan and his team ask Alexis to be his girlfriend for the rest of his campaign and things unravel, as Alexis becomes involved in the campaign and the two fall for each other. Everyone knows that I love a well-balanced romance, and The Boyfriend Candidate is one of the best yet for its balance of the romance, friendship, family relationships, and the plot focus on politics, as Logan runs for governor and Alexis develops her own spotlight as an education advocate. My Rating: 5/5 Stars
What a crazy month! September was such a busy month for me between plans with friends and family and the return to school. I’m actually surprised I managed to read 8 books this month. Most of my reading has been done on weekends – I did read a certain memoir from a former reality TV star in less than 48 hours though in the midst of an exhausting week, so who knows!
I talked about most of these books in a September reading update. The only two that I added to my read list since was Lucy Score’s 500+ page beast, Things We Left Behind, and Jill Dillard’s memoir, Counting the Cost. These are two of my favorite reads of the month too! I loved Lucy Score’s finale to the Knockemout series. We all obviously would love another book in this series or two, but I love the epilogues Lucy Score includes in each installment, and there’s not really another couple I feel like we need to focus on. Counting the Cost was such an insightful look on what was going on behind-the-scenes from Jill’s perspective on 19 Kids and Counting, and answered a lot of media speculation surround Jill’s “disappearance” from the show and her family.
Do I sound like everyone when I say that I can’t believe it’s already the end of July?? It’s not even like this month went by fast, as it was jam packed with a mini getaway with my sister, pool & beach days, work, and of course, reading! I am all about soaking August in as much as possible before I return to school in September. I have three concerts planned for the first half of August (I leave for one with two friends tomorrow!), birthday plans, plans with family & friends, and days in the pool and at the beach reading my summer TBR, which is basically any books I want to pick up that I haven’t yet for the summer plus some YA and middle grade picks I want to read before I go back to teaching middle school ELA!
I really mean it when I say I read SO much this month, totaling at 21 books for the month! This includes 4 middle grade graphic novels, The Babysitters Club #5-8. I found the first eight books in the series at a library sale & had to snatch them up for my graphic novel section of my classroom. They’re so cute & take me back to when I read the originals growing up!
My FAVORITE book of the month, and hands-down one of my faves for the year, is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Yes, yes, this book is worth all the hype & more, perfect for not-heavy fantasy readers like myself. My local Barnes & Noble just got more copies back in stock, so if you can get a copy now, go get one ASAP!
My other favorites for the month included The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady, Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon, Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks, What Happens After Midnight by K.L.Walther, The Legacies by Jessica Goodman, and Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore. I read an ARC of Be There in Five Podcast host Kate Kennedy’s upcoming book, Once in a Millennial – if Barbie is giving you 90s/2000s nostalgia, check this one out.
June was such a strong kickoff to the summer! I wrapped up my second year of teaching with some fun end of year events, had beach and pool days (in between the weather being affected by wildfires and stretches of overcast weather), and of course, got plenty of reading in already!
I read a total of 15 books in June. It was my favorite reading month of 2023 so far, thanks to some of my most anticipated books of the year including The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand, Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan, and Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood. I also had an unexpected favorite, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – like me, don’t get turned away from reading it based on the octopus part.
One book that I wish was getting more attention is another favorite of the year, My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar. This was a phenomenal memoir about Hannah’s childhood and teenage years during the Holocaust, and as the title suggests, being best friends with Anne Frank when their families moved to Amsterdam. If there’s one non-fiction book you pick up this year, make it this one.
I also really enjoyed Blush by Jamie Brenner, Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum, The Seven Year Slip by Ashely Poston, and Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune – all perfect books to throw in your beach/pool bag! I did admittedly feel ‘meh’ about two 2023 releases, Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman & The Celebrants by Steven Rowely. I was disappointed I didn’t like the latter more because I loved The Guncle in 2023.
More of what I read in June include:
Drama by Raina Telgemeier – I’m all about graphic novels right now for my middle school students and was totally curious about why I see this one on banned books lists, especially also considering that this is one is one of the most popular checkouts at my school’s media center (sidenote that it’s (frustratedly) banned for its LGBTQ rep). I thought this was super cute about a girl who is part of her school’s stage crew and has a crush on one of her friends. This is perfect for my 7th & 8th grade readers.
Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds – This is another recent addition to my classroom library. I’ve read the original novel in verse version, and the graphic novel adds even more emotional punch.
The Push by Ashley Audrain – I wanted a mini break from contemporary and went with one of the most popular thrillers of the past few years, The Push. I breezed through this in one sitting.
When in Rome by Sarah Adams – I thought this one a fairly average contemporary read, but I have read rave reviews for its companion, Practice Makes Perfect.
Never Have I Ever S4 (Netflix) – I’m so sad this show is over, but it went out perfectly (and no spoilers, but I liked the wiggle room for a potential new season one day). The last episode definitely brought on some tears.
Queen Charlotte (Netflix) – Yes, this Bridgerton is late to the party, but I finally watched Queen Charlotte. I don’t think it was as good as the original show, but it still had that ‘I can’t stop watching’ quality.
And Just Like That S2 (HBO Max) – There’s only 3 episodes out at the time I’m writing this. Like most fans, I hate most of the changes they made from the original show. I can’t tell if I’m just used to it from last season, but Carrie’s lie in the third episode was so over-the-top and there’s so much hype over the Met Gala in episode one… and we don’t even see it!?
One of my students surprised me with the Taylor swift Little Golden Book!
May was a busy month for me on between work & related commitments, hanging with friends, and yes, unsuccessfully obtaining Taylor Swift tickets for both venues that are close to me. I could write a whole blog post about how horrible Ticketmaster handled the tickets that weren’t sold in the original November presale, tickets magically popping up DURING the show, and how ridiculous scalpers/bots priced resales. Maybe there’s some world where I manage to get tickets for another Eras stop and travel there, but I’m probably at the point where I’ll have better luck waiting for the next tour.
I am so looking forward to this summer though between the beach, pool days, concerts (despite my TSwift sadness, I have 5 upcoming concerts planned and want to try & add a a few more), and plans with family & friends. I just spent this Memorial Day Weekend reading outside and I am more than ready to continue doing so. I have about three weeks of work left until the school year is out and have a few weeks off before my summer job beings, so we all know that means a lot of reading will be done!!!
Despite it being my busy season, I read 11 books. My FAVORITE to no one’s surprise is Emily Henry’s Happy Place, which is again, no surprise, my favorite book of 2023 so far. That being said, right after, I finally reread People We Meet on Vacation (5/5 stars, of course). I think after I reread Book Lovers, I’ll finally do an Emily Henry romance ranking. Another romance that was a complete winner is Christina Lauren’s The True Love Experiment. CLo’s books are either singles or homers for me, and their latest is a grand slam! I also loved Alexandra Robbins’s The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession. Even after a long day of teaching, all I wanted to do when I got home was dive into this account of three teachers’ experiences across different areas of the US and their challenges. 10/10 recommend that teachers and non-teachers read this one for an honest look and analysis of education in the US. Speaking of teaching, I read a middle grade favorite and award-winner, Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home. WOW, I so understand the praise and recognition for this lyrical novel following a Syrian teenager’s transition to the US.
April was a really good reading month! I had off for spring break, and we were super lucky with the weather. It truly felt like summer, between the sunshine and eighty degree temperature nearly every day.I have a super busy season coming up in May and June between work, family & friend commitments, and concerts (yes, I am hunting for Taylor swift tickets, specifically for her Philadelphia and/or MetLife shows!!!).
April was a bit of a breather from romance, and I really leaned heavy on contemporary adult fiction. I read a total of 13 books. My absolute, currently favorite book of 2023 was known other than Emily Henry’s Happy Place. Never fear, my review is coming here on Wednesday.
My favorite reads of the month were Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson, The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close, and basically anything by Curtis Sittenfeld, but specifically Romantic Comedy, American Wife, and Eligible.
I read 2 YA graphic novels, Sunshine by Jarret J. Krosoczka (LOVE!) and Class Act by Jerry Craft (a new student fave author). I also feel like Elyssa Friedland’s The Most Likely Club doesn’t get enough hype – this was the female friendship story I was craving.
Fangirl Fury 