May Wrap-Up

Hi guys! How are you? I hope you’ve had a lovely May! This was an amazing reading month for me, I actually finished 18 books!!! 12 of those I’ve already talked about in another post, so even though I read a lot, this is going to be a pretty short wrap-up. So, here’s what I read in May:

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

TW: sexual assault, anxiety attacks.

This is the best YA contemporary I’ve read in so long. It actually gave me a book-hangover and those are usually reserved for heartbreaking SFF books, so there’s that. It’s told from the dual POV’s of Sam and Penny. Penny is a writer and college student, Sam working and living in a coffee shop, but wants to make documentaries. The two of them meet, then start a friendship, which turns into romance, mostly via text and it’s so well done. Texting in books is usually a mess, but this was so natural and realistic and cute. I ship Penny and Sam so hard, you guys.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by  Jessica Townsend ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was an absolutely delightful MG novel, about a young girl who’s whisked away to a magical city, by a mysterious stranger – on her 11th birthday. To stay in Nevermoor, Morrigans has to compete in four difficult trials and become a member of the Wundrous Society. I was so charmed by this. I love how magical and full of whimsy the city of Nevermoor is, with all it’s parades and celebrations. Morrigan’s new home, the Hotel Deucalion, is another wonderful setting, with rooms that change to fit the owner, a colorful staff and many secrets yet to explore.

 

Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a really beautiful and powerful book, written in verse, about a young Dominican girl finding herself and finding her voice, through poetry. It explores themes like religion, sexuality, sexism and parental expectations. My favorite part was getting to read the poems Xiomara wrote, like the rough drafts for her English assignments, so I wish we’d gotten to see more of those. My fave lines: If Medusa was Dominican and had a daughter, she might wonder at this curse/ At how her blood is always becoming some fake hero’s mission. Something to be slayed, conquered.

 

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a You’ve Got Mail-inspired contemporary about a girl who moves to a surfing town in California to live with her dad, without telling her internet friend/crush – who happens to live in the same town. This was such a fun and summery read, with a super cute hate-to-love romance, lovely family relationships, surfing and lots of classicmovie references.

 

 

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead ⭐⭐⭐

This is book’s shelved as YA fantasy, but I think alt-history’s a better label for it, cause there’s nothing fantastical about it. It follows a young noble woman who escapes an arranged marriage by taking her servant’s place at a finishing school, which sends girls to the New Worldas brides. I really liked the focus on the female friendships in the first half of the book and I thought the romance was well done and really sweet. The plot wasn’t very well paced though, it dragged in some places and felt very rushed in other, especially towards the end.

Sunburn by Laura Lippman ⭐⭐

I though this would be a sexy, twisty noir – but it was just bland and it’s a shame, cause I think there’s a good story in there somewhere. It just got lost in the terrible pacing and unnecessary POV’s. No one wants a chapter from a minor character’s sister or the main character’s ex-mother in law… I gave this one star for the main characters, who are actually charismatic and interesting, and one for the A+ food descriptions. If you want a twisty noir for summer I recommend checking out Peter Swanson or Megan Abbott instead.

 

 

 

As I mentioned, I also read 12 other books, which you can read about in my Bookish Buzz-Words VS. BookishNope-Words, if you want to know what I thought about any of these:

Let’s talk! Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What did you read in May? Was it a good reading month for you too?