April Reading Wrap-up and Mini-Reviews

1. PROMISE ME SUNSHINE BY CARA BASTONE (Adult Romance) (373 pages) (4.5⭐️)

Lenny is grieving the loss of her best friend, Lou. Miles is struggling to connect with his estranged sister and niece. The two agree to help each other – Miles will help Lenny complete a ‘live again’ list while she teaches him how to bond with his niece. I cannot recommend the audiobook for this book enough. The narrator, Alex Finke, infuses so much emotion into her voice that makes the story even more impactful. I connected to both Lenny and Miles and for the most part loved their relationship. My only complaint is that at the end Lenny’s growth is spurred on by her desire to be with Miles rather than for her own personal healing.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8479229146

2. THE OLEANDER SWORD BY TASHA SURI (Adult Fantasy) (480 pages) (5⭐️)

This is the second book in The Burning Kingdom trilogy (book 1 is The Jasmine Throne). In this book, Malini and Priya ally together to take down Malini’s corrupt emperor brother and install Malini on the throne. Meanwhile, Bhumika fights against an ancient villain who has recently reemerged. I liked this book a little more than book 1 because it took everything I loved about that book and amplified it. The pacing is improved, the stakes are higher, and the magic is even more terrifying. This series has everything from politics to battles to deadly magic and forbidden romance!

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8479230144

3. THE SUNSET YEARS OF AGNES SHARP BY LEONIE SWANN (Adult Cozy Mystery) (384 pages) (3.75⭐️)

The titular Agnes Sharp and her housemates try to solve the murders of elderly residents in their small town. I loved the found family feeling between the Sunset Hall Residents – and in particular Agnes and Marshall’s friendship. I (mostly) enjoyed following them on their misadventures, but the ending was farfetched. It feels like it was written for shock value and I wasn’t satisfied with it. However, because I did have a fun time reading and liked a lot of the characters, I do plan to read the sequel.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8277410926

4) THE APPEAL BY JANICE HALLET (Adult Mystery) (416 pages) (5⭐️)

When a young girl is diagnosed with cancer, her family and their community theater launch an appeal to raise funds for an experimental drug to treat her. This novel is told in an unconventional style via emails, text messages, police reports, and other documents. I love books that incorporate mixed media but I think this was my first encounter where the entire book is written in such a unique style. I was worried the characters wouldn’t be as well developed, but everything was very well executed. The experience of reading was like being a detective sorting through clues. This is my favorite book of the year so far.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8523454001

DNFS

1. BATTLE OF THE BOOKSTORES BY ALI BRADY (read 194 pages/45%)

This is a romance book following two rival bookstore owners, Josie and Ryan. I liked the concept of this novel and the characters individually (Ryan more so than Josie). I just didn’t see the chemistry between them, and given this is a romance novel that’s kind of the most important part of the novel. I will say, I do appreciate how Brady challenges stereotypes of the genre: Ryan is a man who owns a romance bookstore and is also dyslexic, while Josie is a college dropout who became a successful business owner.

2) NEVER EVER AFTER BY SUE LYNN TAN (read 80 pages/21.74%)

This is a Chinese Cinderella retelling about a girl, Yining, whose magical ring is stolen by her wicked step-aunt. She must venture into the royal palace to retrieve it. I liked Yining’s character – she’s a survivor, but the story itself didn’t really capture me. The magic surrounding the ring was kind of vague/confusing also.

TOTAL BOOKS READ (JAN-APR): 22

DNFS: 5

TOTAL PAGES READ (JAN-APR): 8,834

AVG. BOOK LENGTH (JAN-APR): 406.10 pages

AVG. RATING (JAN-APR): 4.06⭐️