Sunday Book Club: April 2019 Reading List

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I don’t think I took my headphones out of my ears this last month. That’s probably the only way to explain this ridiculously long list of books. Oh well. Let’s dive into the reading list!

April 2019 Reading List

The Amateurs by Sara Shepard & Follow Me by Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard is a writing machine. I feel like I’m always discovering a new (to me) series that she wrote. This series is about Seneca, a college freshman, who comes to visit Maddy, a friend who she met through an amateur crime solving website. She thinks that they’re going to spend their spring break trying to break a five year old crime that took place in Maddy’s neighborhood. But when she shows up, she discovers that Maddy is actually a girl and everything just seems to go wrong from there. Like most Sara Shepard novels, this series is a lot of brain candy, with an interesting mystery built in. The second book takes place that summer with characters from the first book. I’m waiting for the third book right now, so I’ll let you know how the finale goes!

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Alice thought that her junior year was going to be her last year alive. To explain, Alice found out her sophomore year that she had cancer and was most likely going to pass away. But now, half way through her junior year of high school, they discover that Alice has gone into remission and she’s going to live. Which is great….except now Alice has to deal with everything she did when she thought she was going to die. I have mixed feelings about this book because it was maybe a 3/5 for me, but I liked the fact that Murphy didn’t try to make Alice perfect or sympathetic. She let Alice be a flawed, confused, and even sometimes downright cruel teenager. Also, if you’re wondering why the author’s name sounds so familiar, she’s the author behind Dumplin’ and Puddin’ (both of which I loved).

Verity by Colleen Hoover

If you’ve been looking for a thriller that will give you a good mind eff, this is it. Like, to the point where there’s even a massive online support facebook group for it that the author is in. Verity is just one of those thrillers where you think you have a handle on everything going on, but there’s a good chance you’re wrong. Or not.

(Also, just as an FYI, Verity is only available on Kindle. If you have Kindle Unlimited it’s free, otherwise you can get it for $5.99, but it’s worth it.)

The Burning Island by Hester Young

Anne got me into this series last year and I’m totally into it now. The Charlie Cates series picks up in book three, where Charlie and Noah are settled into domestic life in Arizona. Except Charlie’s solving of a recent missing boy case has lead Charlie’s secret to be leaked all over the internet and news reporters have been hounding their house day and night. The solution? Noah suggests that Charlie and Rae take the girls trip they keep putting off.

Which is how we land in Hawaii, where Charlie’s editor tricks her into becoming involved with a missing girl’s case. You can tell that this novel was the answer to readers’ missing Rae in book two, since we got a lot of her here. And truthfully, I can’t complain because she’s a great contrast to Charlie. I was also fascinated by the evolution of Charlie’s psychic “powers” in this book and I’m interested to see how the author will continue to evolve those or work with them further in future books.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson & The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

Sherlock Holmes for the YA! Another recommendation to me from Anne and I think that these are a much better young adult sleuthing novel than the Charlotte Holmes novels (if I had to pick one). In this series, teenagers who excel in different areas are picked for an elite school in the mountains of New Hampshire. Sounds eh, right? Yes, except for the fact that the school was founded by a man who’s wife and daughter were murdered in an unsolved case more than 60 years ago. Oh and now that Stevie has arrived at the school, weird things start happening. Like, one of the students dies. Or is murdered? As soon as I finished the first book, I went to the second one. I liked the first one a little bit more, but I’m excited for the third to come out.

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher

This one definitely started out slow for me. It’s a historical fiction novel about Kathleen (Kick) Kennedy. She’s one of the older Kennedy girls who only lived until about age 28. The story covers her life from about 17 to 23, when her family was living in England and once they moved back to America at the beginning of World War One. But what it really focuses on is her falling in love with an English Lord and what they go through to try to be together. The more I read about the Kennedy’s, the more I want to learn. I’m about 50/50 on recommending this book. I liked it at some points, but it definitely dragged in others.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Woof, this book was definitely another mind bender. If it’s been on your list, pick it up. I don’t know if I can say much more than that without giving anything away. There were some points of the book that were hard to read (it does take place in a psych ward after all), but it’s good. It was one of those books that when I finished it, I went “woah.”

The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton

Everlasting Rose is the sequel to “The Belles” a fantasy novel I talked about last year and absolutely loved. But like every fantasy novel, nothing good can last. In the sequel everything has gone crazy and our heroine is on the run. I highly recommend this novel, the first book, and everything else Dhonielle Clayton has wrote. So much so that I’ll be writing a whole post about it soon.

Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman

I don’t watch the bachelor. At all. So why did I read this book? Well, just because I don’t watch the Bachelor doesn’t mean I’m not fascinated by the production of it and what goes on behind the scenes. It’s why I was so interested in the tv series UnReal when it came out a few years ago. Anyways, Bachelor Nation is fascinating. It’s written by a journalist and Bachelor-fanatic, so not only can she write, but she actually knows what she’s talking about.

Kaufman goes behind the scenes and does deep interviews with contestants and production to talk about how they actually get contestants on the shows to do and say the things they do (alcohol and mind torture). Also, how people actually get on to the show and what that process is like. It may sound a little fluffy, but honestly, I was fascinated by this book. Even more so the fact that Kaufman had essentially blackballed by The Bachelor BEFORE writing this book because they didn’t like her show recaps.

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

I really enjoyed The Hating Game by Thorne, but 99 Percent Mine just didn’t go it as much for me. I felt like there was too much build up to a certain scene and then once we got to that scene it just kind of fell flat. Also, there seemed to be one too many plot holes in this novel. The love and attention she gave to The Hating Game just didn’t seem to be there for 99 Percent Mine. BUT there was an upside to it because at the end of the book there was a bonus chapter for The Hating Game that was super satisfying.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Okay so I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but you’re going to have to wait one more month for my actual review of this book. Why? Anne and I have chosen it for our One Book, Two Reviews! Plus, we want you to join us too. On May 5th, link up your review post of Daisy Jones & The Six so we can see what you thought of it too!

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Want to read something else about someone faking it? Read this article about A.J. Finn and his long history of deceiving people.

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

Talk about needing a support group after finishing a novel. Imagine if Harry Styles (from One Direction) started dating one of his fan’s really attractive 40 year old mom? What you’ll get is a novel that will leave you emotionally drained, a little turned on, and calling for a support group after. I’ve warned you.

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

If you’re 88 years old and someone gets in your way, what’s the best solution? Well, kill them of course. No? Uhh, well maybe avoid this old lady then. I have to admit though, this tiny book made me giggle a few times and TO BE FAIR, she was trying to help people every time she was up to no good.

Well that’s it for the April 2019 Reading List! What’s on your list for this month? Don’t forget to come back and link up with Anne and I on May 5th with your review of Daisy Jones and the Six!