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Being stuck in my house, with only long walks as my way to spend my time outside the house, means that I’m spending a lot of time reading. Which is great for you guys because it means my May 2020 Reading List is packed with books for you guys (and I thought April was long!).
May 2020 Reading List
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli
Becky can really do no wrong with her books. They’re always these perfect teen rom coms and I love every second of them. This book was all that with a side of advocacy. It also made me miss Target a lot.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
I was iffy about reading this book, especially since I was not one of the people who liked Silver’s first book. But while this book had a slow start it definitely grew on me. I don’t think it’s the book for everyone, but I certainly enjoyed it.
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
Was this a book to read during quarantine? Probably not. Was it really well written and did I enjoy it anyways? Definitely. This is all about the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault trial and how NBC stopped Ronan Farrow from bringing it to light. I had no idea about all of the hoops Farrow jumped through to get this story to public and it was absolutely fascinating to read.
Playing with Matches by Hannah Orenstein
This was a very cutesy “chick-lit” type book. I read it in about one sitting, but I was meh overall about it.
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
I loved this rom-com! The writing and character development was so well done and I appreciated how surprised I was by all of the twists. I highly highly recommend reading this book.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
I went back and forth on this one. I didn’t know if I would be interested in a novel that was entirely about an author’s love life and how it messed with her head, but as she grew, so did my appreciation for the novel. It’s not a crazy roller-coaster of a fiction ride, but it’s definitely interesting.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
This book was portrayed as a fairy tale-ish novel, so I was pretty excited to dive in. But because of the inclusion of an “educational” text within the narrative, it felt like it had some pacing issues. The educational text made sense eventually, but getting to that point was brutal and took away from my overall interest in the book.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Add this to your reading list ASAP! It’s the happy sad beach read rom com that you’ll need in your life. It’s about two writers who start a bet with each other to see who can complete their novel first. But that’s only part of the plot.
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
If you were a fan of The Westing Game growing up, then this is the perfect book for you. It has such perfect Westing Game vibes, I’m crossing my fingers so hard for a sequel right now.
The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Note: I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Holy. Romance. Pants. I know I wasn’t the only person jumping up and down with excitement when the sequel to The Royal We was announced. Luckily, this was one of those sequels that lived up to it’s hype. The Heir Affair started with a slow build, taking place in the immediate weeks where the The Royal We left off and takes the reader from there. While I was nervous that the slow build might continue for too long, Morgan and Cocks quickly reminded me that they were old pros and knew exactly what they were doing. The story line was amazing and took me on a wild ride, with turns I wasn’t expecting. I loved getting to go back to my favorite characters and see them to continue to develop even more. This sequel was perfect and I can only hope to see more in The Royal We series.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
Pro-athletes reading romance books to help fix their relationships? This was such a funny concept, but it made for a great read. It also made me want to force guys to read romance books. Sadly, I don’t think they’ll go for it.
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
This book was the perfect mix of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the fun version with Melissa Jone Hart) and Charmed (whichever version you choose). Taking place in Salem, it focuses around a teenage witch who gets freaked out when she thinks her coven may be under attack from an outside witch. Now, when I first read that description, I was not into it, but it reads a lot more like a fun YA read than a serious fantasy/scify book (I totally just wrote wifi, oy).
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
Yes! I finally picked a book before Reese Witherspoon! This was a great one too. I don’t have a long description to write for this, but just trust me, it’s beautifully written and an excellent story too.
The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock
If you’re obsessed with the Crown and you love juicy royal stories, then this book is perfect for you. It’s all about Princess Margaret and her behind the scenes life. It’s historical fiction, but it’s so much fun.
The Operator by Gretchen Berg
This book was pitched to me as “for fans of Mrs. Masiel” um LIES. I was so bored I fell asleep. I don’t even know how I finished it.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
A little too heavy for quarantine season? Yes. But is it an excellent book? Yes.
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
Playing with Matches by Hannah Orenstein
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock
The Operator by Gretchen Berg
