April Reading Recap & Book Reviews

Hi y'all! I hope you're having a fantastic day so far. Today we are talking about my favorite thing.. BOOKS! I love book recap posts, so if you have a favorite blogger or YouTuber to follow for recommendations, let me know.

I didn't get to read as many books as I would have liked this month, because of the semester coming to an end and finals but I am hoping that even with a few summer classes, I will be able to up my reading game a little more these upcoming months. I just loooove sitting out by the pool with a good book. #yesma'am

The Nightingale by: Kristen Hannah 

This is my favorite book I have ever read. Yeah dude, I went there. This isn't a small or quick read, but it is beautiful. This book is about two sisters living in war-torn France during World War II and how their completely different lives unfold. This book made me laugh, cry, feel nauseous (we're getting to that) pretty much recommend this to every living soul I encountered the week I read it. I will throw a warning out there that some parts feel a little gory, but nothing rated R by any means. It is just very descriptive at times. EVERYONE of you NEEDS to read this novel. I applaud you Kristen Hannah.

Rate: 5 Stars (plus 100)!!

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

I was not completely fair to this book. I will be honest and say that after reading something like the Nightingale, I wasn't expecting much. I picked a book that had a storyline similar to other okay-ish books I have read before and gave it a shot. WOW was I proved wrong. I loved this book too y'all! I can't even explain the story line, so I will include the proper description below.

"Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. "A place" he said, "where learning is a game."

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym, Truly Devious. It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder."

I will warn you and say that this book is only the first of a trilogy that Maureen Johnson is writing so be prepared; there is a MAJOR cliff hanger for an ending. #UGH

Rate: 5 Stars!

Lilac Girls by: Martha Hall Kelly

 This book is so good, but so similar to Nightingale I couldn't help but compare the two. This one just fell a tad bit short. This is a story told during World War II from three women's perspectives who are each in a different stage of life and country. One woman's perspective I thought was completely useless and could have been left out. Where as I felt on of the woman's perspectives was SO interesting and raw, and could have been written about more. Overall, it is a good book and you will learn a ton about the concentration camps and WWII through it, but I would recommend the Nightingale first.

Rate: 3.5 Stars


The Wish I Wished Last Night by: Shelley Pierce

I was so excited to receive this book written by a family friend and it was so cute. This is definitely made for younger readers but shares a great message about God's love and faithfulness. If you have a late elementary, or middle school age child who is struggling with problems with friends or family, I would highly recommend this book!

Well there you have four awesome book recommendations. Now that my semester is over and I am taking a smaller load of classes this summer, I can't wait to share all of the great books I will be reading. What books have you read and loved this month? Let me know! Talk to you soon.

xoxo