May was a great reading month for me as far as quantity goes. I finished 11 books and enjoyed most of them. There were a few standouts as well. While much of this year has been slow with reading for me, it felt good to really dive into my TBR lists and enjoy some great books.
Here is what I read in May.
Summer Romance – Annabel Monaghan
This was not my first Annabel Monaghan book, but it’s my favorite. I already knew she was a sharp, witty writer that portrayed real, mature women in realistic every day life with accuracy and grace. And she did it again.
I went into this one blind and gasped out loud when I learned quickly that Ali is still in the thick of her grief of losing her mother two years ago. On top of all of the other things going on in this book, that resonated so deeply and I wasn’t sure I could go on. I did, and not only did I fall in love with Ali, I loved reading her journey through her emotional loss and then growth. Monaghan had such great insight and her afterword confirmed that (don’t miss that).
Ali’s life is a mess, she hasn’t worn “hard pants” in two years, she is stuck and her grief is a bit of a cornerstone of that. Her husband has left her, she’s a professional organizer with a mess of a house and her life is chaotic all around. She meets a cute guy on the day she finally takes off her wedding ring and decides she’s going to have a summer romance. Monaghan captures the complexities of a busy woman/mom that is suddenly single, juggling all the balls and desperate to not drop any of them.
I don’t want to scare anyone of thinking this book is solely about grief. It’s much more about Ali as a whole person and her growth. There is so much more, I laughed to myself multiple times and can completely relate to redoing my pantry in plastic bins and having way too much to go through. Ethan, the cute guy, is adorable and the type of book boyfriend every book ought to have. He’s kind, considerate, smart and is obviously very into Ali. Her kiddos and friends are great too. Her ex, well he’s a jerk.
Monaghan is a writer that you wish lived next door. I have no doubt we would be great friends. She would entertain me endlessly with her recommendations for favorite non-hard pants. I don’t often rate this genre of books as highly but I have no doubt that this one will stick with me as I remember “she’s as close as your breath”. Thank you for sharing those words, Annabel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Summer Romance is now available.
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Funny Story – Emily Henry
I have a love hate relationship with Emily Henry. I think overall she has smart, sharp writing and her main character banter is usually first rate. But every now and then I just can’t take another second of the over-banter and it all becomes unhinged for me. I felt with Funny Story she dialed it way back and the book was very enjoyable. I overall didn’t think it was a very realistic fake-dating scenario, but hey, its fiction. I was in need of a light rom-com, and this time Henry delivered.
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One Star Romance – Laura Harkin
This one is a cute rom-com-esque quick read that is more about finding your path than the comedy part of a rom com. It was heavier than I expected, which I didn’t mind and enjoyed the journeys of Natalie and Rob. I did feel that young Natalie was pretty self absorbed, but aren’t most people when they are just starting out their adult journey? Enjoyable & entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion. One Star Romance will be available on 6/18/24.
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The Second Chance Year – Melisa Wiesner
Sadie’s life is a wreck, she’s lost her boyfriend, her job and her apartment and she finds herself making a magical wish on New Year’s Eve for a second chance. Well what do you know – her wish is granted. But are second chances everything they are made out to be? Another lighter read that was enjoyable.
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If Something Happens to Me – Alex Finlay
Fast paced entertaining read that I enjoyed for the most part. Way too many characters (most unnecessary) and if I remember correctly this is common with Finlay’s books. I did enjoy the first half much more than the second and it almost seemed like his writing style changed around the half way point. The twists were so over the top obvious that I thought I would be wrong, but I wasn’t. Entertaining but that’s about it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If Something Happens to Me is now available.
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The Husbands – Holly Gramazio
It was fine – light and entertaining. Lauren is trapped is some type of time warp loop, except time is marching forward while she is presented with a unlimited amount of husbands from her attic. If she doesn’t like them, she just sends them back and a new one walks right down the attic stairs. I don’t want to give anything away, but she definitely is presented with the question of, what am I really looking for…
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How to Age Disgracefully – Claire Pooley
Cozy, quirky characters within a funny, quick read. Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Group Viking for an advance copy in exchange for my opinion. How to Age Disgracefully will be available on 6/11/24.
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The Next Mrs. Parrish – Liv Constantine
In addition to reading Book 1 of the Amber Parrish series, I think I was one of the few that finished the 2020 prequel, The First Shot. This latest release is about half filled with a retelling of that prequel, I’m guessing since so many never read it. With so much repetition I was often bored and wanted things to move faster. Entertaining at times but not much more than that as I was left wanting more. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballantine for an early copy in exchange for my honest review. The Next Mrs. Parrish will be released on 6/18/24.
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The Nature of Disappearing – Kimi Cunningham Grant
This was a slow burn character driven literary suspense novel that was just a tad too slow for me. And while we really got to know our main character Emerly, and kind of got to know Tyler, everyone else was a bit of a mystery. An expert tracker, Emerly has left her left her old life behind after her boyfriend Tyler abandoned her in the forest three years ago. Tyler is now a recovering addict and she has agreed to go with him to search for her once best friend Janessa has gone missing. Janessa is an influencer caught up in the van-life and has suddenly stopped posting, making Tyler very worried. This one had some moments, and was entertaining enough to keep going but not much more. I did like the narrator and production of the audio book. Too many books now have gone the route of a dramatic audio book format. I enjoy it much more this way, a great narrator with a pleasant voice reading me the book. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for both a digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Nature of Disappearing will be available on 6/18/24.
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Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books – Kristin Miller
I was excited to read this one but in the end it was just -eh. There were too many characters, making tracking confusing. I had to go back and reread parts multiple times. Sometimes the story didn’t flow and was largely disjointed. I considered stopping 3 different times, and while I am glad I finished, it was just ok for me. I think it’s such an important topic and had been more hopeful I would enjoy it more. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an early release copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books will be available on 6/18/24.
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Cut and Thirst – Margaret Atwood
Meh for me. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was a little longer with more depth just about all parts of it. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for a digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Cut and Thirst is now available.
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