April 2019 Bookish Wrap Up

This blog post should really be called “What did Simone actually read this month?” I think my reading month was all over the place as I try to read books for work, for myself, and for the blog. It’s been a month and I can’t wait to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This month, I read 10 books so my belief I didn’t do anything this month is a complete lie. While I wish I can read more, I think ten is my limit. It’s always important to balance your regular life with your bookish one. Don’t want to burn out or slump when you’re reading books.

But this month made me feel like reading is more important. I love writing and blogging, but all I want to do all day is read. I hope I get some more time this month. Maybe I’ll blow my wrap up away.

• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
• Dark Lover by JR Ward
• The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
• Paranoid by Lisa Jackson
• The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
• The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz
• The Devouring Gray by Christina Lynn Herman
• 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
• How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

Looking at my reading month, I read a lot of love stories. Some are true romances while others have love themes. But I feel like my new job has me exploring this genre some more in hopes of being more prepared for books I get assigned.

My favorite from this month has got to be The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz. I didn’t plan on reading this book, but I borrowed it from Emma and I had to read it. It was so steamy with the craziest story I’ve ever read. It includes a super messy family tree, a bottle of bourbon, and a story that is just so hard to believe in a good way. It’ll definitely surprise you, keep you reading, and make you want to read more Southern Gothic novels. Let me break out the Faulkner!

The Bride Test is most definitely my second runner-up, but it could have easily been my first if I didn’t read The Bourbon Thief. I’ve been telling people not to expect The Kiss Quotient because it’s not as steamy. It does feature Stella and Michael, but for a brief moment at their wedding. It’s also a completely different story. There’s no one in this one trying to learn how to be a better lover. Not only was this a romance novel, but it also featured themes like immigration, adversity, diversity, and the hope that if you keep on trying and keep an open mind, then the world will open doors for you. Honestly, this was the best mix of both diverse themes with romance and still be considered a romance!

99 Percent Mine was a highly anticipated one for me and sadly, it was a little under par. While I loved the middle and the relationship that Tom and Darcy build, I thought the beginning was really confusing and then ending was a bit rushed.

I also love these “sad girl” books I’ve been reading lately. Stories like How to Make Friends with the Dark that deals with darker themes like loss and grief to The Devouring Gray where a town is under threat of a beast hidden away in a parallel dimension and only the kids know how to go after it. Let’s bring some more thrillers, sad girl books, and horror stories into the mix!

Oh, I also read this book called Escape for my book review job. While I couldn’t find any info on Goodreads, I wanted to include that one to the mix.

How was your reading month?