It’s time for my first half of April book review post! I am sharing what I read in April so far, although I am skipping any 5 star reads to share later in the month. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Kill Joy
Author: Holly Jackson
Genre: YA Mystery Novella
Publisher: Delacorte, 2/28/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
In this novella, Pip attends a murder mystery dinner with her friends and picks her senior capstone project topic – the one she works on in the first A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder book. This serves as a brief prequel to the series.
“Six suspects. Three hours. One murder…Pip is not in the mood for her friend’s murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920’s fancy dress and pretending that their town is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder. But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn’t the only case on her mind …”
If you are a fan of the series and want to revisit a younger and innocent version of Pip, this novella will satisfy. But if you hoped to catch more of Pip after the events of the series, this isn’t it!
Title: Enter The Body
Author: Joy McCullough
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Publisher: Dutton Books For Young Readers, 3/14/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Enter The Body is a retelling of three Shakespeare plays with the starring women taking charge of their own stories. The featured women are Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, Cordelia from King Lear, and Ophelia from Hamlet. The book is told in both verse and play form.
“In the room beneath a stage’s trapdoor, Shakespeare’s dead teenage girls compare their experiences and retell the stories of their lives, their loves, and their fates in their own words. Bestselling author Joy McCullough offers a brilliant testament to how young women can support each other and reclaim their stories in the aftermath of trauma.”
I thought it was interesting that the characters are themselves but they are also playing themselves in their plays each day. Since I’m only really familiar with Romeo and Juliet, I got more out of Juliet’s story than I did out of the other two.
Title: My Name is Layla
Author: Reyna Marder Gentin
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Touchpoint Press, 1/19/21
Source: PR for Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review in 2021
My Rating: 4 Stars
I received this book back in early 2021 and never got around to reading it. I finally added it to my middle grade March pile and ended up reading it in April. I wish I had the cover shown here – mine must be an older version!
“On the first day of eighth grade, thirteen year-old Layla has a pretty good idea of what’s in store for her–another year of awkward social situations, mediocre grades, and teachers who praise her good behavior but find her academic performance disappointing. Layla feels certain she’s capable of more, but each time she tries to read or write, the words on the page dance and spin, changing partners and leaving her to sit on the sidelines. This year will be different in ways Layla could never have predicted. Her new English teacher, Mr. McCarthy, senses her potential. When he pushes her to succeed, Layla almost rises to the challenge before making a desperate choice that nearly costs her everything she’s gained. Will she be able to get back on track? And who can she count on to help her?”
Layla struggles in school and seems to have dyslexia, but somehow no one noticed before she reached 8th grade! Now she has a new English teacher who wants to help her, as well as her best friend and another new friend who provide her with support. Layla is also dealing with family issues – her older brother is a talented basketball player and their father is estranged from the family. I enjoyed reading this short book and thought it could have been even longer than it was!
Title: The Violin Conspiracy
Author: Brendon Slocumb
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Anchor Books, 2/1/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Because Brendan Slocumb has a new book coming out this month, the publisher sent me this one as well. I had heard it was great so decided to read it before the new one. This is a mystery about Ray, a Black violin player whose very valuable violin goes missing. The story goes back to his childhood and describes how his family came to be in possession of the valuable violin.
“Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he’s lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself—and the world—that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.”
I was interested in the family history parts of the book and how other people were trying to contest Ray’s ownership of the violin. He faced much racism along his journey and I felt sad for him, though I felt his character came off as arrogant at times. There is also depiction of emotional abuse in Ray’s childhood. The mystery itself wasn’t as suspenseful as I had hoped, but it was definitely a good book overall.
Title: Real Self-Care
Author: Pooja Lakshmin
Genre: Non Fiction Self Help
Publisher: Penguin Life, 3/14/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars Rounded up to 4
Real Self-Care addresses the systemic obstacles people may face when they are told to take part in self care. The author points out that self-care trips and products are surface level, while real self-care addresses overall care from the inside.
“You may have noticed that it’s nearly impossible to go even a couple days without coming across the term self-care. A word that encompasses any number of lifestyle choices and products—from juice cleanses to yoga workshops to luxury bamboo sheets—self-care has exploded in our collective consciousness as a panacea for practically all of women’s problems. Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Pooja Lakshmin finds this cultural embrace of self-care incomplete at best and manipulative at worst. Fixing your troubles isn’t simple as buying a new day planner or signing up for a meditation class. These faux self-care practices keep us looking outward—comparing ourselves with others or striving for a certain type of perfection. Even worse, they exonerate an oppressive social system that has betrayed women and minorities. Real self-care, in contrast, is an internal, self-reflective process that involves making difficult decisions in line with our values, and when we practice it, we shift our relationships, our workplaces, and even our broken systems.”
Real self-care involves setting boundaries, having compassion for yourself, and taking a look at the values you want to embody. This book was interesting at first, but I did find myself skimming towards the end.
Title: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Author: Jesse Q Sutanto
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Berkley, 3/14/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Jesse Q Sutanto writes in many genres but I think her mysteries featuring older characters are the most entertaining. Vera Wong is hilarious! When she finds a dead body in her tea shop, she decides that she is going to help the police uncover the murderer.
“Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to. Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer. What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?”
I love books with found family and I really enjoyed how Vera formed relationships with her suspects Riki, Sana, Oliver, and Julia and I especially enjoyed her relationship with Julia’s daughter Emma. The food descriptions were wonderful too! I figured out the culprit before Vera did, but had a lot of fun along the way!
Title: The Only Survivors
Author: Megan Miranda
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Scribner / MarySue Ricci Books, 4/11/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars Rounded up to 4
I specifically remember not requesting this book because I haven’t really enjoyed Megan Miranda’s books in the past, but when it arrived I decided to read it anyway. This one takes a familiar trope – a group of classmates reunite every year after a tragic accident killed many of their fellow students. Now, someone wants to uncover their secrets.
“A decade ago, two vans filled with high school seniors on a school service trip crashed into a Tennessee ravine—a tragedy that claimed the lives of multiple classmates and teachers. The nine students who managed to escape the river that night were irrevocably changed. A year later, after one of the survivors dies by suicide on the anniversary of the crash, the rest of them make a pact: to come together each year to commemorate that terrible night. To keep one another safe. To hold one another accountable. Or both. Their annual meeting place, a house on the Outer Banks, has long been a refuge. But by the tenth anniversary, Cassidy Bent has worked to distance herself from the tragedy, and from the other survivors. She’s changed her mobile number. She’s blocked the others’ email addresses. This year, she is determined to finally break ties once and for all. But on the day of the reunion, she receives a text with an obituary attached: another survivor is gone. Now they are seven—and Cassidy finds herself hurling back toward the group, wild with grief—and suspicion. Almost immediately, something feels off this year. Cassidy is the first to notice when Amaya, annual organizer, slips away, overwhelmed. This wouldn’t raise alarm except for the impending storm. Suddenly, they’re facing the threat of closed roads and surging waters…again. Then Amaya stops responding to her phone. After all they’ve been through, she wouldn’t willfully make them worry. Would she? And—as they promised long ago—each survivor will do whatever he or she can do to save one another. Won’t they?”
The story flashes back to what happened at the time of the accident to share what happened, but for some reason, the timeline is shared in reverse. I think in this case the way the story is shared did not add to the suspense. I wasn’t bored, but I felt the ending was anticlimactic.
Title: How I’ll Kill You
Author: Ren DeStefano
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Penguin Audio, 3/21/23
Source: Publisher Audio
Why I Read It: Heard it was good
My Rating: 4 Stars
I had heard that this thriller was really good so I decided to listen to the audio. I enjoyed the narrator and found the beginning hard to put down, but as the book went on, I became confused about how I felt!
“Sissy has an…interesting family. Always the careful one, always the cautious one, she has handled the cleanup while her serial killer sisters have carved a path of carnage across the U.S. Now, as they arrive in the Arizona heat, Sissy must step up and embrace the family pastime of making a man fall in love and then murdering him. Her first target? A young widower named Edison—and their mutual attraction is instant. While their relationship progresses, and most couples would be thinking about picking out china patterns and moving in together, Sissy’s family is reminding her to think about picking out burial sites and moving on. Then something happens that Sissy never anticipated: She begins to feel protective of Edison, and before she can help it, she’s fallen in love. But the clock is ticking, and her sisters are growing restless. It becomes clear that the gravesite she chooses will hide a body no matter what happens; but if she betrays her family, will it be hers?”
Besides the main character of Sissy, I had a difficult time telling the other two sisters apart. I think they were supposed to be very different from one another, but maybe the audio didn’t help me with this issue! Sissy becomes close with her new neighbor Dara (pronounced wrong, unsure of spelling!) and feels strongly for Edison, making her question her murderous goals. I probably missed some things but I expected more twists! The book does include descriptions of childhood abandonment, abuse, and murders.
Title: Forget Me Not
Author: Alyson Derrick
Genre: YA Romance
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers, 4/4/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I really liked Alyson Derrick’s cowritten book with Rachael Lippincott and was excited to read her solo debut. This is about Stevie, who is in love with Nora and planning to escape her small conservative town when she has an accident and wakes from a coma with two years of her life forgotten.
“Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love. But then Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years—not California, not coming to terms with her sexuality, not even Nora. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand, one where she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends, lying about the hours she works, dating a boy she can’t remember crushing on, and headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her fifteen-year-old self would have envisioned. And Nora finds herself…forgotten. Can the two beat the odds a second time and find their way back together when ‘together’ itself is just a lost memory?”
I found it sweet that Stevie had to re-experience her feelings for Nora and how things worked out the same way even though she now has a second chance to make things different in her various relationships. Besides Nora, she has two so-called best friends who say she had a crush on a boy, as well as her parents, who she had planned to leave behind. Stevie is half Korean and experiences racism, as well as the issue of having to hide her sexuality.
This post includes 9 of the books I read this month. Of these books, 8 were print and 1 was audio. 5 were adult books, 3 were YA, and 1 was Middle Grade. Genres included mystery, historical fiction, contemporary, non-fiction, romance, and thriller.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?