Hi, and thanks for stopping by.
Today I'm talking all about my favourite reads from April 2018! I've read some great books this month - I finally rated some books 5 stars, after waiting MONTHS since my only other 5-star review in January! Please do let me know if you've read any of these books, and what you thought of them; or, let me know what your favourite books have been during April!! Just leave a comment down below. I know I'm uploading this slightly early, but don't worry, I'll let you know in May if I discover another gem in the last three days of April!! Anyway, on with the favourites...
Cath crowley’s
words in deep blue
5 stars
[I received this book for free, via NetGalley, for review from the publishers.]
I have already reviewed this book in full on my blog, here, but I'll just talk briefly about how much I loved this story. It follows Rachel and Henry, best friends, as they reunite in Henry's family's secondhand bookshop. The novel focuses on themes such as family dynamics, unrequited love, grief, friendship and first love. I think it handles these difficult, and at times slightly overdone, topics with sensitivity and originality. This is a new release for 2018 and I can't encourage you enough to support Cath by reading it!
I have already reviewed this book in full on my blog, here, but I'll just talk briefly about how much I loved this story. It follows Rachel and Henry, best friends, as they reunite in Henry's family's secondhand bookshop. The novel focuses on themes such as family dynamics, unrequited love, grief, friendship and first love. I think it handles these difficult, and at times slightly overdone, topics with sensitivity and originality. This is a new release for 2018 and I can't encourage you enough to support Cath by reading it!
Kiley roache’s
frat girl
4 stars
[I received this book for free, via NetGalley, for review from the publishers.]
As I mentioned in my goodreads review of this book, I don't think this story will be for everybody, especially not for every feminist. I definitely identify strongly as a feminist, and I really enjoyed the book, so I guess it'll be a case of each individual having a slightly different opinion. It follows Cass, on scholarship at university by promising to secretly rush a sexist frat and expose them. I think the problem some people may have with this is the slight leaning towards, "yes they're sexist, but they're not bad people" or "they're not all misogynists". At times I found this slightly problematic, but overall this is such an entertaining, educative book and has some really great examples of male-female friendships.
Megan miranda’s
all the missing girls
4 stars
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. It's set in one of these creepy, tiny, atmospheric towns in a Southern state of America. I don't know if these actually exist in real life in all their creepiness, but they're such effective settings in books - I always think that whenever I read a novel set in one. I have to admit that I'm not sure I necessarily enjoyed this as a thriller...it had mysterious, suspenseful aspects, sure, but that wasn't necessarily what I was interested in. I just thought the characters were really well written and had real depth. As for the twisty revelations at the end? Meh, they were okay.
John green’s
turtles all the way down
5 stars
I will be incredibly surprised if this book doesn't end up in my Top 5 of 2018 post in December - that's how much I adored it. I've had this book on my shelf for ages and when it was unwrapped from my TBR, I groaned. I love John Green, don't get me wrong, but the blurb of this book just makes it sound SO bizarre and SO not my thing at all. In reality, though, IGNORE the blurb because this book is fantastic. It follows Aza as she navigates friendship, first love, her relationship with her mother, all whilst struggling through extreme, crippling OCD. This depiction of OCD, although I am not speaking from personal experience of the condition, is so stunning and heartbreaking. The last few pages of this book made me cry like a child. John Green does it again.
t.e. carter’s I stop
somewhere
4.5 stars
[I received this book for free, via NetGalley, for review from the publishers.]
I was SO torn on how to rate this book. Let me just preface this by saying, this book is one of the most troubling, difficult, horrendous things I've actually ever read. It will absolutely be triggering for some people, and for others it might just be something that makes you too uncomfortable to read - just a warning. It follows Ellie Frias, a girl who was raped and killed and ever since, is left floating around her town, watching other girls being abused by her murderers. This book does focus on some elements of rape culture but there is more focus on rape itself, I'd say and also on this idea of "what makes a girl" which I found really interesting and desperately sad, too. T.E. Carter's writing style is absolutely beautiful - how somebody can write about something so awful in such a stunning way always leaves me in awe.
So those are the best books of the month, for me. If you want to keep up to date with the books I read and review throughout the month in real time, please do follow my reviews/add me as a friend on goodreads here.
Till next time
Katie
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