What a month it has been for reading y'all! This month brought a lot of change but one I am not complaining about is my increase in reading time.
Born a Crime by: Trevor Noah
This is a true story about growing up biracial during apratheid in South Africa.
I was really excited to read this one because I have heard a lot about it. Trevor Noah is a comedian and I liked how such an otherwise depressing and often scary story was made humorous at times. However, I would say that is also what ruined it for me. Because he had such a good sense of humor about it all, I lacked the emotional connection to the content at times. Does that make sense? Overall, I found this book super educational and entertaining at the same time. I would recommend it.
Rate: 3.5 Stars
The Breakdown by: B.A. Paris
This book is about a young and happily married teacher, Cass, who takes a secluded short cut home one night in a storm and sees a girl in her car broke down. Too afraid to stop in such a secluded area, she heads home and intends to call the police. However, when she wakes up the next morning, she learns that the girl has been found dead. Cass can't seem to forget that night and her nagging guilt partnered with small moments of memory loss is overtaking her life.
Y'all this thriller is insane! I loved this one. My aunt and mom read this one with me and all three of us couldn't put it down. We each read it in a day! I didn't see this ending coming at all and was shocked by several plot twists throughout the story. This book is really clean for a thriller too which I really appreciated. I highly recommend this one!
Rate: 5 Stars!
Lilly: Palm Beach, Tropical Galmour, and the Birth of a Fashion Legend by: Kathryn Livingston
The title gives the perfect synopsis of this book. This is a nonfiction book about Lilly Pulitzer, her life, the culture of Palm Beach, and the fashion of the 60's.
Y'all know I love Lilly Pulitzer (shocking right?) so when my parents got this book for me on my birthday, I was thrilled. Not only is the book adorable and going to make such a cute coffee table book, but it was an interesting read as well. I read this book cover to cover fairly quickly. I will say that this book is not entirely about Lilly Pulitzer. There is a lot of information about her family tree which I could have done without. Overall though, I really enjoyed this one and just love the Lilly brand so much more now!
Rate: 4 Stars!
A Long Walk to Water by: Linda Sue Park
This middle age book is based off of two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985.
This is a short book and a quick read, but it is extremely impactful. This book has won several awards and for good reason. I highly recommend this one!
Rate: 5 Stars!
The First Time by: Colton Underwood
This is a nonfiction book written by The Bachelor himself, Colton Underwood. He writes about his life growing up, challenges in the NFL, and his journey on The Bachelor franchise looking for love on national television.
I love The Bachelor and couldn't wait to read Coltons book to get some behind the scenes info. I wanted the tea. It was good but not great. Overall, his story and what he had to say about his experiences was interesting but parts of the book felt all over the place and at times repetitive. There is some interesting info in here though about the show which warranted good discussion between my bachelor loving mom and I. I recommend it to Bachelor fans, but if you don't watch the show, I would pass.
Rate: 4 Stars
Counting by Sevens by: Holly Goldberg Sloan
This is the story of Willow Chance. She falls under the "gifted" category but because she is so smart and slightly different she doesn't have a lot of friends. When she experiences a great loss she meets some interesting friends who help her through the grieving process.
This book was so sweet. I have never read a middle grade book that talks about tragedy and loss so well. I also love how well this author wrote a gifted character. So many of her characteristics were spot on with many gifted individuals I have worked with. There were some parts of this story line that stressed me out and felt unnecessary so I did bump it down one star for that reason. Overall. this is a great book!
Rate: 4 Stars
The Clockmaker's Daughter by: Kate Morton
A sweet friend of mine recommended this book to me and I was so excited to finally read a Kate Morton book, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me! I don't really like flowery writing and prefer authors to get to the point, ha. This book could have been cut in half I felt. The story line was good and I did like the way it alternated between time periods. Sadly, this one just wasn't for me.
Rate: 2 Stars
Little Women by: Louisa May Alcott
This classic is about the four March sisters; talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.
Who doesn't love this story? I went to see the recent movie and fell in LOVE with it. It was seriously one of my favorite movies and I knew it was time I read this classic book. I am so glad I did because it is such a timeless and sweet tale. There is a March sister that anyone can relate too. Everyone should read it!
Rate: 4 stars
The Royal Runaway by: Lindsay Emory
This book is about a headstrong princess who has to seek help from an unlikely ally to uncover secrets about her own monarch after being stood up at the alter.
I loved this book so much! I love a royal story line and this book did not disappoint!
Rate: 4 stars
The Woman in the Window by: A.J. Finn
This book is about a young woman with severe PTSD and Agoraphobia. She hasn't left her home in months and stays in her dark space while watching the neighbors through her window. When she discovers her neighbor get killed, the police don't take her seriously because of her mental instability.
This book is an intense thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I really didn't see the ending coming at ALL. I LOVED this one y'all. I can't wait to see the movie when it comes out!
Rate: 5 Stars!
Well there you have my April reads! What did you pick up this month? Let me know in the comments. I always love good recommendations. Talk to you soon.
xoxo
Let's dive in to my reads of April.
Born a Crime by: Trevor Noah
I was really excited to read this one because I have heard a lot about it. Trevor Noah is a comedian and I liked how such an otherwise depressing and often scary story was made humorous at times. However, I would say that is also what ruined it for me. Because he had such a good sense of humor about it all, I lacked the emotional connection to the content at times. Does that make sense? Overall, I found this book super educational and entertaining at the same time. I would recommend it.
Rate: 3.5 Stars
The Breakdown by: B.A. Paris
Y'all this thriller is insane! I loved this one. My aunt and mom read this one with me and all three of us couldn't put it down. We each read it in a day! I didn't see this ending coming at all and was shocked by several plot twists throughout the story. This book is really clean for a thriller too which I really appreciated. I highly recommend this one!
Rate: 5 Stars!
Lilly: Palm Beach, Tropical Galmour, and the Birth of a Fashion Legend by: Kathryn Livingston
Y'all know I love Lilly Pulitzer (shocking right?) so when my parents got this book for me on my birthday, I was thrilled. Not only is the book adorable and going to make such a cute coffee table book, but it was an interesting read as well. I read this book cover to cover fairly quickly. I will say that this book is not entirely about Lilly Pulitzer. There is a lot of information about her family tree which I could have done without. Overall though, I really enjoyed this one and just love the Lilly brand so much more now!
Rate: 4 Stars!
A Long Walk to Water by: Linda Sue Park
This is a short book and a quick read, but it is extremely impactful. This book has won several awards and for good reason. I highly recommend this one!
Rate: 5 Stars!
The First Time by: Colton Underwood
I love The Bachelor and couldn't wait to read Coltons book to get some behind the scenes info. I wanted the tea. It was good but not great. Overall, his story and what he had to say about his experiences was interesting but parts of the book felt all over the place and at times repetitive. There is some interesting info in here though about the show which warranted good discussion between my bachelor loving mom and I. I recommend it to Bachelor fans, but if you don't watch the show, I would pass.
Rate: 4 Stars
Counting by Sevens by: Holly Goldberg Sloan
This book was so sweet. I have never read a middle grade book that talks about tragedy and loss so well. I also love how well this author wrote a gifted character. So many of her characteristics were spot on with many gifted individuals I have worked with. There were some parts of this story line that stressed me out and felt unnecessary so I did bump it down one star for that reason. Overall. this is a great book!
Rate: 4 Stars
The Clockmaker's Daughter by: Kate Morton
Rate: 2 Stars
Little Women by: Louisa May Alcott
Who doesn't love this story? I went to see the recent movie and fell in LOVE with it. It was seriously one of my favorite movies and I knew it was time I read this classic book. I am so glad I did because it is such a timeless and sweet tale. There is a March sister that anyone can relate too. Everyone should read it!
Rate: 4 stars
The Royal Runaway by: Lindsay Emory
I loved this book so much! I love a royal story line and this book did not disappoint!
Rate: 4 stars
The Woman in the Window by: A.J. Finn
This book is an intense thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I really didn't see the ending coming at ALL. I LOVED this one y'all. I can't wait to see the movie when it comes out!
Rate: 5 Stars!
Well there you have my April reads! What did you pick up this month? Let me know in the comments. I always love good recommendations. Talk to you soon.
xoxo
The Woman in the Window is one I finished this month as well! So intense!!! I think it will make a great movie.
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in The Break Down. I am going to check right now if our library has it!
I can't wait to see the movie! You will really like The Breakdown... it is similar to The Woman in the Window! Thanks for reading.
Deletexoxo