April Wrap Up & May TBR (2024)

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And after another absent month, I'm back with last month's wrap up & this month's TBR. 

I don't have any reason why I haven't posted at all this past month, I've just been trying to get to grips with actually being productive. 

I'm drawing a line over April. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. 

~April Wrap Up~

I read a total of two books in April, but boy am I happy to have finished these two! 

They're two books that it seems I've been wanting to read since the end of the time, and I am extremely chuffed to have finally finished!

1. The Burning God (The Poppy War #3), by R.F. Kuang

If the other two books made me emotional, this one left me in pieces. I read a fair bit of this in the car, to and from work (audiobook of course, I'm not that reckless!) and I definitely went over the speed limit a couple of times because of this! 

I went into this with no idea of where it was headed, and it did not disappoint! I was on bated breath the entire time when reading this, because it was shock twist after shock twist! Just, this series was everything I wanted it to be and more! 

Can't wait to delve into Yellowface!

2. I Invited Her In, by Adele Parks 

So, I finally fucking finished this! At the start I was pretty hesitant, not sure what I was thinking, but then I started taking it on the tube (trip to London for The Crystal Maze) and all of a sudden, something just clicked! I finished three quarters of the book in about three days! 

I don't tend to read that many thrillers, but this one look inviting (haha), what with the simple premise of a long-forgotten friend helping another friend when she's down on her luck, and everyone I spoke to at least remembering how good the tv show was, that I had to pick it up. 

After finishing it, I know it won't be long until I'm ready to watch the tv show. 

Stinkingly good story, guys. 

~May TBR~

1. Hothouse Flower, by Lucinda Riley 

Okay, so my lovely colleague Liz dropped round a couple more Lucinda Riley books (thank you Liz). So naturally, I dropped the book I was reading (coincidentally, a book that was similar enough to Lucinda Riley so I could purge the effect her books had on me) so I could read this. 

Now, this actually has a lot of aspects that the Seven Sisters books had. You're jumping back in time, through a story told by a relative, or a book, to learn more about how it's affecting you in recent time. I'm currently 200 pages in and it's gripped me with both hands. 

 

2. The Goodbye Cat, by Hiro Arikawa

Of course this is coming next. Seven short stories, about cats, set in Japan. The book is so smooth, the blurb is so gentle, I can just tell, I'm going to love the writing style. I so badly just want to knock this out in a weekend- let's hope I get that chance. 

Most people that have read this (online) seem to have to loved this and I can't wait to join them. 

This book is happening this month. 

3. The Light Behind the Window, by Lucinda Riley 

The Light Behind the Window tells the story of Emilie de la Martiniéres who, after denying her aristocratic background for several years, finds herself to be the sole inheritor of her grand childhood home, after the death of her distant mother. An uncovered notebook leaves her searching for the rest of them, from the point of view of a mysterious Sophia, whose tragic affair changed the path of her family history dramatically. As she pursues the notebook and reads the story, set in London 1943, she discovers that they may indeed hold the key to her future, as well as her past. 

Yeah, I received two books. Looks like it's going to be a very Lucinda Riley month, and honestly, I'm okay with that. 

4. The Wake-Up Call, by Beth O' Leary 

Okay, so there was NO WAY I was adding a third Lucinda Riley book in this TBR, so I had a quick look at my TBR. I haven't read a Beth O' Leary book in FOREVER (it's been all Emily Henry- I get them confused sometimes). And honestly, out of this and No Show, this appealed to me the most. 

The Wake-Up Call is about Izzy and Lucas, sworn enemies, that have to put their differences aside, to work together, so they can find the couples that are missing their wedding rings, so they can save the hotel they both work at and love. 

Of course things happen between them that they don't expect. That's just part of the story. 

This appealed to me because it reminds me of Act Your Age, Eve Brown, by Talia Hibbert, that I finished just under a year ago. Probably because they're both set in a hotel, but whatever. 

Okay! Those are all the books I read in April, and all the books I plan to read this month! Feel free to comment what you read last month, or books on your TBR for May- we can talk about them!

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

April TBR (2024)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my April TBR (2024)! 

I don't have much else to say, other than that. 

So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy it. 

1. The Burning God (The Poppy War #1), by R.F. Kuang

I am currently 200 pages into this at the moment, just in part 2, and I am loving it. I think it's probably my favourite in the trilogy so far, but we'll see if that changes by the end. I know the ending to this will be big and unexpected, but I am ready for it. I'm hoping to finish this in the next week, and get some pages logged this weekend. 

I have absolutely loved every book in this trilogy, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up! 

Yellowface won't be far away, I'm sure. 

2. I Invited Her In, by Adele Parks

This is the priority of the month. Honestly, if all I manage to finish this month is The Burning God and I Invited Her In, I'm considering this month a success. 

I Invited Her In tells the story of Mel, who receives a message from her friend Abi, who she hasn't heard from in years, after dropping out of Uni. She needs a place to stay, to grieve, and move on from her cheating partner. 

So, of course, Mel offers her a place to stay. What could possibly go wrong?

I've heard so many good things about this novel, and I'm excited to finally be getting to it. I'm hoping it'll be just what I need after the turmoil of The Burning God, and there's no question, I need to read this book in April.

3. Sheltering Rain, by JoJo Moyes 

Another book, that I borrowed the same time as I Invited Her In, but a very different book, and less of the 'I need to read this book now', but more 'I want to get to this soon' kind of feeling. Written by the amazing JoJo Moyes, author of Me Before You, my expectations are high. 

Sheltering Rain takes place over three generations, with twenty-one-year-old Joy, who meets handsome naval officer Edward at an ex-pat party in 1950s Hong Kong, when they are quickly wedded and ready to travel the world; Kate, their daughter, when she mysteriously flees the family home in the 1980s; and fifteen-years after that, when their granddaughter Sabine leaves London, in pursuit of the grandparents she knows nothing about. But the deeper she searches, mysterious secrets come to surface. Some secrets that should keep buried... 

This reminds me very much of the Seven Sisters' series, except with less of the back and forth, which is one of the reasons why I picked it up, and it's been ages since I've read a JoJo Moyes book, much less her debut (I read the blurb). Looking forward to deliving in. 

4. The Goodbye Cat, by Hiro Arikawa

This book has been staring me in the face for four months, and it'll be the first one I pick up after reading the ones I absolutely have to. 

The Goodbye Cat is a collection of seven short stories about, you guessed it, cats. I saw this in an independent book shop in Stamford, and just fell in love. I asked me partner to get me one of three books I liked the look of, (the fact that he got me all three is besides the point), but this is the one I want to devour first, so on to the TBR it goes! 

5. The Murders at Fleat House, by Lucinda Riley 

Of course I couldn't resist purchasing this when I saw it. My Lucinda Riley love didn't die when I finished the Seven Sisters series, it actually did the opposite. The urge to read more of her books, from different time periods, different genres, is ever present. 

The Murders at Fleat House has nothing but amazing reviews, from people that have read a lot of her books, as well as people that haven't read a single one. 

I have no doubt that I'm about to be enthralled by the inevitable twists and turns that Lucinda Riley presents me with in this twisted thriller. 

Okay! Those are all the books I'm hoping to read this month! Honestly, even starting The Murders at Fleat House will feel amazing to me, but hopefully I manage them all! 

As always, feel free to comment your monthly TBR below, so we can chat about them!

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

March Wrap Up (2024)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my wrap up for the month! 

(I genuinely thought this was going to be a one book wrap up at one point, but thankfully that's not the case!)

I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to comment what books you all picked up at the bottom!

1. Love Ya, Babe, by Chris Higgins

I re-read this as a spur of the moment decision, when I wanted a quick read (after it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere with The Alfoxden and Grasmere Journals). Chris Higgins' books have always felt like books I can return to for a quick, engaging read that discusses important issues (especially for teenagers). 

Sometimes my Chris Higgins' book choice can be completely random, but honestly, it usually just tends to be the one that I feel like reading at the time. 

Love Ya, Babe is about Gabby, whose finding it hard to deal with her embarrasing mother Posy, and look after her brothers, as well as trying to figure out her feelings for her crush, Si, who also happens to be the subject of her best friend's feelings. All of this is chaotic enough, but when Gabby's older-than-average mother announces that she is pregnant, her life truly begins to spiral out of control. Can Gabby sort out her life in time for the new arrival? 

Love Ya, Babe deals with financial issues, identity issues, new family arrives, postpartum depression, growing up, breakups, and that's just to name a few! 

It was lovely to pick up an old favourite, and I definitely feel like I got my mojo back after speeding through this! 

2. The Alfoxden and Grasmere Journals, by Dorothy Wordsworth

I finished it! Two down, one to go! 

I might have said in my TBR that I hoped to fly through this. Yeah, I was kind of eating my words when I failed to finish this in a week. Instead, it took me the best part of the month. 

I still enjoyed it, quite a lot. I liked how the entries got longer and more detailed as I went on. I enjoyed the staccato one liners as much as the paragraphs about Dorothy's life with her brother and his late wife. It truly was a simple, nourishing and fulfilling life Dorothy led with her brother and it was wonderful to have an account of everything they got up to. 

3,4,5,6,7. Heartstopper Vol. 1-5 , by Alice Oseman 

After reading The Alfoxden and Grasmere Journals, I always planned to start The Burning God, the last book in The Poppy War trilogy. But I knew that if I persisted with it, I'd be pushing myself into a reading slump. So, I picked up the first book I thought of. 

Heartstopper. I'd had the fifth volume for three months, since Christmas, and I still hadn't picked it up. 

Never one to do things by half, I picked the first volume up and marathoned the entire series. 

Honestly, it was just what I needed, to fall in love with these wonderful characters and their love stories, all over again. Of course I loved the fifth volume, but I can feel Alice Oseman steering the story towards an emotional final volume, and I'm not ready for it (don't even know when it's out, does anyone else)? 

(Let me know in the comments if you do.) 

Okay! Those are all the books I finished in the month of March! I hope you enjoyed reading about them and, as always, feel free to comment what you got up to this month! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening, day or morning, wherever you are in the world, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx