May Wrap Up (2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my May Wrap Up (2023)! 

I've been looking forward to this all day, so let's get down to it. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

1. Get A Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1), by Talia Hibbert 

If I were to calculate the time it took to read this book, I reckon it would be less than half a day. A couple of bus rides, a morning at the beach and the about 2/3 of a plane ride is all it took to get through it. Basically, it was always wanting to see what came next, with Chloe, as she took on a list she never thought she would, and achieved things she never thought she could. I loved how she grew as a character, as her relationship with Red also grew. The younger brown sisters made an appearance every so often, and honestly, I wish there was more with just the three of them together. Wonderful first book of the series. 

2. Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds (Graphic novel)

I didn't plan to pick this up. I simply walked into one of my local bookshops, glanced at the graphic novels (which was literally the first shelf you saw, walking in), read the blurb and picked it up. I finished it that night. 

Long Way Down was brutal. It tells the story of a neighbourhood where, if blood is spilled, you always get even. When fifteen-year-old Will's brother Sean is murdered, that's what Will sets out to do. Gun in his back pocket, he makes his way to Sean's killer's building, gets into the elevator. 

6 floors.

6 minutes. 

Absolutely amazing book. Gripping, emotional. Exceptional. That's all I'm gonna say. 

3. Take A Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2), by Talia Hibbert 

After finishing Get A Life, Chloe Brown so quickly, I feel like I thought I was going to fly through this too. It's not like the story was bad, not at all. But going back to normality took it's toll (I was in Malta when reading the first book) and for some reason, this (engaging, funny and entertaining) book took me over two weeks to complete. 

And the fact of the matter is, I did enjoy this. Really, honestly did. I loved the banter that Dani and Raj had, the way certain issues and themes were discussed, like Raj's anxiety, or Danika's lets say, obsessive habits, the sex scenes were something else, let me tell you. Honestly, I genuinely enjoyed this! 

Anybody had this happen to you before? Comment down below if it has! 

4. Act Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters #3), by Talia Hibbert 

Somehow I always knew this would be the one that I'd connect with the most. You follow Eve, the youngest of the three Brown sisters, and after ruining a very extravant wedding, she's completely cut off from all of her accounts, forced to find a job and keep it for at least a year before getting her funding back. I loved Eve's chaoticness, the way she seemed to just wing a situation and own it anyway- even if she had no idea what she was doing. The two older Brown sisters made an appearance every so often of course, but the past I loved the most was the way Eve never sat down and gave up. There was a romance too of course, but the main part of enjoyment for me was seeing Eve learn about herself and grow from a spoilt child to a capable woman. It was truly amazing to see- a solid end to The Brown Sisters trilogy. 

5. Hell Breaks Loose (Skulduggery Pleasant #0?), by Derek Landy 

Of course this was always going to be a priority. When have I been able to leave a Skulduggery Pleasant book unread for longer than a couple weeks?

Okay... it was enough. Enough to miss all the characters from the earlier books, for sure. You read from the POV of Ghastly, guys. Ghastly. If you've read past the first few books, you'll know how wonderful that is. Not just him, Hopeless, from the Dead Men group. All the original villains. 

Let's just say it was an amazing read. And it was enough to want to read the first 9 books all over again. 

6. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell 

Finally! I've been wanting to read this for the longest time, and I finally got to re-read it! Fangirl is 100% a comfort read for me. Much like HP is for a lot of people (haha, funny). I will never get tired of even, probably not even when I'm fifty. I guess we'll see. If you do't know what this book is, it's about Cath and her sister Wren, on their first day at Uni/ College. Wren wants some independence, so for the first time, Cath and Wren are rooming seperately. It kind of just stems from there, telling a coming of age story of fanfiction, family and first love. 

Fangirl is, and always will be, Rainbow Rowell's best book, in my opinion. And it will always hold a special piece in my heart. 

Okay! Those are all the books I've read this month! 

I've actually got to a few. Yay! 

That's all that I have for you today, don't hesitate to comment what you guys read this month, and we can chat about them! 

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

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx