April was a bit of a slower reading month for me. I am not exactly sure why, I was coming off March that was a heavier month and I just had a lot to get done in other areas. Even though I only completed five books (with 1 DNF as well) I read some really great books, in fact The Names was my first 5 ⭐️ fiction novel of the year! I did put together a 2025 Goals & Hopefuls list like I have in years past, but I haven’t published it here yet. I will get to that too, but a couple of books this month were from that list.
Here is what I read in April.
The Names – Florence Knapp
Not a happy book, but so powerful and so well done! While the device of a “what if” storyline is not new, Knapp takes this concept and develops it so beautifully and creatively that it is very shocking to find that this is her debut novel. I am actually one that does often daydream about the What If’s in life – and so I am definitely drawn to this type of storyline. Even so, it did take me a bit to sink into The Names, probably because of one character is so terribly awful but once I did, holy moly – this felt like a literary marvel. The main plot point of the book (a terribly abusive father) is such difficult content but if you can get through that, your empathy for this family will soar and the creative skill in which Knapp develops each storyline kept me deeply invested and turning the pages until the end. While the premise seems to be the different trajectories a name can place upon a life, the deeper storyline is the effects of a woman trapped in a very abusive marriage and the effects on her children and those around her. Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for an advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review. The Names will be available on 5/6/25.
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Heartwood – Amity Gaige
Valerie is an experienced 42 year old hiker that has gone missing on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Beverly is the Maine State Game Warden that is determined to find her. Lena is the 67 year old in a retirement home in Connecticut with a hobby of online birdwatching and wilderness forums that has become a bit obsessed with the case from afar. Their stories are very individual with Valerie’s told through her journal entries as letters to her mother. I was mesmerized by the tales of all three and especially enjoyed Beverly’s perspective in a career most often dominated by men. Heartwood was a full entertaining read in the race against time to find Valerie. I don’t always love books that wind up as celebrity bookclub picks, but Heartwood was an exception to this!
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Say You’ll Remember Me – Abby Jimenez
I often hear people refer to Jimenez as a Rom/Com author and I just don’t think that is what she writes at all. Are there lines & scenarios that invoke a chuckle? Sure, but Romantic Comedy she is not. I would say she is a contemporary women’s fiction author – writing stories about complex characters with real world intense problems. But there is a disconnect when people think they should be laughing throughout the book. In her latest release, both of our MCs have serious issues- one of the present tense and the other resulting in the past. I think the author does a terrific job in making scenarios very realistic, although the romance aspect could use a tiny bit more realism in this one (very insta-love).
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Challenger – Adam Higginbotham
Challenger is the story of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, but it goes so much deeper than that. It follows central participants in the story including cost saving measures that ultimately caused the demise of the shuttle that pretty much disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean upon take off. It makes me think of all of the disasters yet to come due to the cuts we are experiencing now.
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Parents Weekend – Alex Finlay
Parents Weekend is the latest entertaining thriller/mystery by Alex Finlay, who I can count on for a good entertaining read. Was this a plausible story that I can see happening? Probably not. Nor did I expect it to be. But I have come to expect Finlay to deliver a popcorn munching, twisty, dark read and that he did. We have a wide cast of characters that are freshmen at Santa Clara and their folks have all come to visit for Parents Weekend. Only problem is that the kids have all disappeared just before the welcome dinner. Twists and turns weave through the story and things wrap up rather well for the most part. I read Parents Weekend both as a physical digital copy as well as on audio and enjoyed both experiences. Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion. Parents Weekend will be available on 5/6/25.
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Julie Chan is Dead – Liahn Zhang
Julie Chan is Dead is a completely unhinged off the rails look at the Influencer world. The first half was somewhat entertaining but once I passed about the 65% mark it was just too ludicrous for me and ventured into disturbing. This is one I wish I hadn’t finished and had just put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
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