Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in May 2023. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I did end up with additional favorite books which I’ll share here! 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: Don’t Ask If I’m Okay
Author: Jessica Kara
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Page Street Kids, 5/16/23
Source: TBR & Beyond
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
You can find my review for Don’t Ask If I’m Okay right here!
Title: Emma of 83rd Street
Author: Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Gallery Books, 5/23/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
This book is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, but for me it was a retelling of Clueless (which itself is a retelling of Emma). It was similar to Clueless in some ways but different in others.
“Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way. Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head. As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.”
Emma is neighbors with Knightley and though they argue, they are actually best friends. When Emma befriends Nadine and tries to make her over and set her up with a boyfriend, Knightley and Emma disagree on Emma’s intentions. Soon they realize their annoyance with each other is actually love for one another and when they get together towards the end of the book, there are seemingly out of place steamy scenes. I thought most of the book was cute, though it got a bit too long in my opinion.
Title: The Collected Regrets of Clover
Author: Mikki Brammer
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, 5/9/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book about Clover, a death doula who doesn’t realize her own reluctance to let others get close to her.
“From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process. Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story––and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.”
Clover lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her grandfather. Because she wasn’t with him when he passed away, she wants to be with others when they do. A new client, Claudia, has a long lost love and to help her leave this world without regrets, Clover decides to find him. Along the way, she has to confront the way she lives and what might be her own regrets one day. Clover learns not to “let the best parts of life pass you by because you’re too scared of the unknown.” Great advice!
Title: The Secret Book of Flora Lea
Author: Patti Callahan Henry
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Atria, 5/2/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Although I couldn’t get into this author’s previous book, I ended up loving The Secret Book of Flora Lea!
“In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own. But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves. Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years? As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance. An astonishing twist ultimately reveals the truth in this transporting and refreshingly original novel about the bond between sisters, the complications of conflicted love, and the enduring magic of storytelling.”
Hazel and Flora were evacuated from London in 1939 and stayed with Bridie and Harry in the countryside. Hazel helps Flora adjust by telling her a fairy tale. When Flora disappears, Hazel never stops looking for her. Then Hazel finds her fairy tale in a book, newly published by an American writer. Hazel sets out to find out how the story she never told anyone but Flora made its way into this book. I thought this book was very beautiful and moving!
Title: Where To Start
Author: Mental Health America
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books, 4/11/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I felt that this book was an appropriate read for Mental Health Awareness Month and I think this book should be available in classrooms and counselor’s offices everywhere.
“It can be extremely hard to figure out what’s going on in our own heads when we are suffering—when we feel alone and unworthy and can’t stop our self-critical inner voice. And it’s even more difficult to know where to go for answers. This book is a perfect first step. Here you’ll find clear, honest, reassuring information about all the most common mental illnesses and what you can do to find help and to practice self-care.
Where to Start features:
- jargon-free information about all the most common mental illnesses, including a first self-assessment test;
- tips on how to get professional help and how to talk about your mental health with friends and family;
- essential tools, including handy worksheets and DIY mental health content; and
- insightful, funny drawings by acclaimed cartoonist Gemma Correll.”
With an overview of many mental health issues and ideas on where to find help, this book is a great way for teens to get information and support. It also provides information on medications, therapy, and talking to caregivers. I also liked the illustrations, especially the ones that depicted how mental health challenges feel.
Title: Borderless
Author: Jennifer DeLeon
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Antheneum / Caitlyn Dlohy Books, 4/25/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Maya is a teen who attends an arts school in Guatemala. She creates fashion out of trash and is in a fashion show for her designs. But when her best friend meets Oscar and introduces Maya to Sebastian, the situation for Maya and her mother becomes dangerous.
“For seventeen-year-old Maya, trashion is her passion, and her talent for making clothing out of unusual objects landed her a scholarship to Guatemala City’s most prestigious art school and a finalist spot in the school’s fashion show. Mamá is her biggest supporter, taking on extra jobs to pay for what the scholarship doesn’t cover, and she might be even more excited than Maya about what the fashion show could do for her future career. So when Mamá doesn’t come to the show, Maya doesn’t know what to think. But the truth is worse than she could have imagined. The gang threats in their neighborhood have walked in their front door—with a boy Maya considered a friend, or maybe more, among them. After barely making their escape, Maya and her mom have no choice but to continue their desperate flight all the way through Guatemala and Mexico in hopes of crossing the US border.”
The border crossing is hard and what happens after they cross is even harder. This was such a good book that exposes the difficulties those seeking asylum face. I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for an Own Voices read about immigration.
Title: Life in Five Senses
Author: Gretchen Rubin
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Crown, 4/18/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This was a very interesting look at experiencing your five senses. The author wanted to get out of her head and more into her body, so she started paying attention to her senses.
“For more than a decade, Gretchen Rubin had been studying happiness and human nature. Then, one day, a visit to her eye doctor made her realize that she’d been overlooking a key element of happiness: her five senses. She’d spent so much time stuck in her head that she’d allowed the vital sensations of life to slip away, unnoticed. This epiphany lifted her from a state of foggy preoccupation into a world rediscovered by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. In this journey of self-experimentation, Rubin explores the mysteries and joys of the five senses as a path to a happier, more mindful life. Drawing on cutting-edge science, philosophy, literature, and her own efforts to practice what she learns, she investigates the profound power of tuning in to the physical world. From the simple pleasures of appreciating the magic of ketchup and adding favorite songs to a playlist, to more adventurous efforts like creating a daily ritual of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and attending Flavor University, Rubin show us how to experience each day with depth, delight, and connection. In the rush of daily life, she finds, our five senses offer us an immediate, sustainable way to cheer up, calm down, and engage the world around us—as well as a way to glimpse the soul and touch the transcendent.”
I enjoyed reading the author’s experiences of visiting the Met every day, remembering tastes from her childhood, etc. There are also lists included to help the reader do a similar look at your own senses. However, at times I was unsure of the point of the book. Maybe referring back to the ultimate goal of body connection in each section would have helped with this.
Title: A Whole Song and Dance
Author: Sarvenaz Tash
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Disney Hyperion, 4/4/23
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Buddy Read
My Rating: 4 Stars
I feel like this cover almost looks middle grade, but instead it’s about college freshman Nasrin, who is attending Tisch (NYU’s theater school), although her parents think she is attending Stern (NYU’s business school). As an Iranian-American, Nasrin feels the pressure to follow her parents’ wishes, but is torn by her own dreams of becoming a star.
“It’s her first semester majoring in musical theater at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, and Nasrin spends her days prepping for auditions, sweating through dance classes, and belting her heart out for the viral streaming show she’s been cast in. But on calls with her maman and baba, she’s the golden child who put her theater dreams aside to follow in their entrepreneurial footsteps as a business major. At least her whole life isn’t a lie—she is taking a single business course. Except she’s kind of failing it. Nasrin needs to bring her grade up fast if she’s going to keep her parents in the dark, so she grudgingly signs up for tutoring with the infuriatingly smug and annoyingly attractive Max. And yet . . . as the semester rushes by, the sparks of anger that first flew between them start to turn into a very different kind of spark. The kind she definitely does not have time for. Except when Nasrin’s charmingly devious cousin takes an interest in Max too, Nasrin has to figure out exactly what has been an act, and what’s for real. Can Nasrin decide what—and who—is truly worth fighting for, and find a way to step into the spotlight as her full self?”
With a web series roll, a boy she might be interested in, a best friend who thinks she is acting selfishly, and a cousin who is interfering with her life, Nasrin has more than enough to deal with. I liked the story and it kept me interested, although the narrator seemed to struggle with accents and kept falling into the stereotypical NY way of speaking, it seemed! This was a cute story and reminded me of how stressful but fun college can be.
There you have it, the rest of my May reading! This post included 8 of the books I read in May. Of these books, 7 were print and 1 was an audio book. Genres included contemporary, rom com, non fiction, and historical fiction. Three of these were YA. I didn’t get to a lot of older books this month because I have so many newer ones to catch up on!
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?