April 2023 Wrap Up

May 1, 2023April 30, 2023 fangirlfury2 Comments

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.

CONTEMPORARY READS & REALITY TV MOOD: April 2020 Wrap Up

April 30, 2020April 30, 2020 fangirlfury5 Comments

April was another month filled with ups and downs. I’m super grateful for my health and safety right now, but I am definitely missing college life and like everyone, wondering when we’ll be able to get back to some state of ‘normalcy.’ This month, I technically finished my undergraduate work (online), had some fun Zoom sessions and reunions with friends, and again had so many books and TV shows as comfort.

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee | 4/5 Stars

The Thousandth Floor was the first book of April that fit my ‘let me catch up on all the YA dystopian contemporary (trust me it’s a category)’ and shortly after reading, found myself buying books #2 and #3.

Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club #2) by Lyssa Kay Adams | 5/5

Undercover Bromance was such a great companion sequel to The Bromance Book Club. It also made me realize how much I need a book featuring the Russian.

Brunch and Other Obligations by Suzanne Nugent (ARC) | 4/5

It had been a while since I picked up a women’s fiction book, but I enjoyed Brunch and Other Obligations for its slightly comedic twist.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris | 3/5

My sister finally got me to read Behind Closed Doors in April. It definitely wasn’t the best book ever (sorry sis), but at the same time, I couldn’t seem to put it down.

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher | 4/5

I took a little break from (adult) contemporary romances in April , but I’m glad I still read Not the Girl You Marry. Despite the mixed reviews for this one, I thought it was a cute & funny read.Read More »

READING, REREADING & MORE: April 2019 Wrap Up

April 29, 2019February 28, 2020 fangirlfuryLeave a comment

This April was especially busy for me, as I finish up the spring semester of my junior year. Despite the craziness, I still managed to read 9 books this month, keep up with my Netflix binges, and start preparing for Book Expo week.

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Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (reread) | 4/5 Stars

I recently published my 2019 reread goals, including the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy. As someone who always says she wants to reread books, this year I am determined to actually do so! While I’m still very much in love with its settings and atsompshere (including all those French desserts), I actually didn’t love Anna and the French Kiss as much as I did the first time around. I’m going to have post dedicated to rereading all three books, but I found Anna to be more immature than I remembered and I wasn’t in love with some of St.Clair’s actions.

We Were Beautiful by Heather Helper | 4.5/5

Heather Helper wrote of my most memorable first YA reads, The Cupcake Queen, so I was very excited to read her latest release. If you’re looking for a read about self-discovery, friendship, and all the sweet treats, We Were Beautiful is the one for you, as Mia spends her summer after facing a terrible tragedy in NYC.

Books, Film, & Hopefully More Books: April 2018 Wrap Up

April 30, 2018February 28, 2020 fangirlfury6 Comments

April shall be known as the month where I wanted to read all the books, but my last month of the semester and final papers sort’ve prevented that– I still managed to read 6 books! I’m beyond excited for my summer reading plans, and within those 6 books, I also managed to conquer two Sarah J. Maas books!?! Since I spend a lot of time reading, writing, and with words in general for school, I relaxed a lot by watching TV and movies. And writing blog posts, of course.

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The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides | 4/5 Stars

I’ve been loving bookish Instagram templates lately, and I found The Virgin Suicides through a classics challenge template. This intriguing, but shocking read has definitely become one of my favored classics.

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena | 4.5/5 Stars

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan | 4/5 Stars

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (Reread) | 5/5 Stars

Finding Felicity by Stacey Kade | 4/5 Stars

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas | 5/5 Stars

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So imagine my happiness when my family decided to get HBO on Amazon Prime during the busiest time of the school year. There’s so much I want to watch on HBO (my friend keeps pressuring me to start Game of Thrones), and I did find the time to watch a few movies, including The House, La La Land, and Collateral Beauty. Zoella’s New York City vlogs influenced my watching of Collateral Beauty, which was my favorite movie of the month (even if it caused me to ugly cry).

I also watched Speech & Debate on Netflix. I was really excited to watch this one because of Darren Criss and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cameos, and I really enjoyed its cast and humor.

My finals work had me craving some light-hearted TV, which led me to catching on the CW. I’m now up-to-date on Riverdale, and I’ve been loving Life Sentence with Lucy Hale.

Streaming-wise, I watched the first season of Divorce on HBO/Amazon Prime. I’m a huge Sarah Jessica Parker fan and it was fun to see her once again in New York City. And in more light-hearted TV news, I watched the first season of Nailed It on Netflix. I love baking shows, and this one is such much fun, showcasing amateur bakers who try to replicate Pinterest and Instagram-worthy cakes and treats.

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Reviews

SCHOOL BOOKS THAT I ACTUALLY ENJOYED: March Mini Reviews

The Little French Bistro by Nina George

My New Favorite Graphic Novel: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

College YA Meets Music: We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen (featuring Music Habits Tag)

ARC Review: All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor

Queen of My Heart: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Diverse Reviews: A Girl Like That & The Astonishing Color of After

Top Five Wednesday

Favorite Jokesters

Auto-Buy Sci-fi & Fantasy Authors

Ideal Mash-Ups & Anticipated Mash-Ups

Fandom Items

April Snow Showers??: TBB Asks Spring Edition

Monthly Recommendations: Mental Health Rep

Traveling with Fictional Characters and My Favorite Things: The Liebster Award

My Experience Seeing Carousel

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Carousel– During the first week in April, one of my best friends and I went to see Carousel on Broadway. I have a post about my experience seeing the show, and I can now say that I’ve been to a Broadway preview.

Publishing over 200 Posts- Wrap ups truly are full circle. I probably should’ve mentioned this last month, but Give Me More Spring Breaks: March Wrap Up was my 200^th blog post. I’ve actually been doing some spring cleaning on the blog and deleting some old posts, but I’m still over the 200 mark!

Finishing my second year of college- At the time I’m publishing this wrap-up, I only have two days of my sophomore year left! I’ve enjoyed sophomore year much more than my first year, and not just for the fact that I had no written final exams this semester. I did really well in the classroom, had my first internship, made some great friendships, and of course read a lot of books.