This blog post is all about the books I read in April 2025.
It’s been a consistent few months of reading, and April was definitely one of my favourite months in a while.
Thanks to my local library I got to read a number of books I’ve had on my TBR for a long time.
I’m not sure May is going to be as great of a month as I’ll be travelling in the outback for a week and have a few events lined up. But we’ll see how it goes!
If you want to keep up with my reading in realtime, you can follow my Goodreads profile here.
This blog post is all about the books I read in April.
Reviews of the 8 Books I Read in April 2025
Below are the ratings and reviews of all 8 books I read in April 2025. There’s quite a mix of great and not-so-great books this month!
1. The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Women is a powerful and emotional historical novel about Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a young nursing student who joins the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War. Leaving behind her sheltered life in California, Frankie faces the brutal realities of combat, forging deep bonds and enduring unimaginable loss. But the toughest fight begins when she returns home to a divided America that refuses to honor her service. With sweeping scope and intimate depth, Kristin Hannah delivers a gripping tribute to the often-overlooked women of war and the strength it takes to survive both the battlefield and its aftermath.
My Rating: ★★★★★
I had read Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah at the beginning of 2025 and really enjoyed it. However, The Women had me staring at the wall for a good five minutes after I read the last sentence. Centred around the women of the Vietnam War, this is arguably one of the best books I’ve ever read and I know it will stay with me for a very long time. Exceptional.
2. The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
When broke marine biology student Tallulah becomes a live-in nanny for grumpy hockey star Burgess and his shy tween daughter, sparks fly. But as feelings grow and complications mount, Tallulah walks away to protect their fragile family—until Burgess risks it all for a second shot at love.
My Rating: ★★★★★
This is the second book in the Big Shots series by Tessa Bailey, and I didn’t really have high hopes after reading the first book in this series. However, the chemistry between the two main characters of this book was incredible. It felt real, natural and I kept wanting to pick the book up and keep reading. Not the safest to read on public transport if there are some wandering eyes around you, but I’m very excited to read the next book in the series.
RELATED blog post to read: The Best Tessa Bailey Books You Need to Read in 2025
3. The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
When struggling artist Anna and buttoned-up professor Liam discover their quickie college marriage was never officially annulled, they agree to fake it a little longer—just long enough for Liam to secure his $100 million inheritance. But as Anna enters his wealthy, high-pressure world, fake sparks turn into real feelings in this sharp, heartfelt rom-com about love, lies, and second chances.
My Rating: ★★★
I’m pretty sure I’m yet to find a Christina Lauren book that I love. She’s such a popular author among people that have similar reading tastes to me, but I just can’t connect. I think I also don’t love the ‘fake dating’ trope which is what this book was, so I couldn’t relate and didn’t feel the chemistry between the two characters.
RELATED blog post to read: Christina Lauren Books You Need To Read: In Order
4. By Grand Central I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart
A searing, lyrical meditation on obsessive love, By Grand Central I Sat Down and Wept blends poetic prose with raw emotion to chronicle Elizabeth Smart’s tumultuous affair with poet George Barker. First published in 1945, this slim yet powerful volume captures the ecstasy and devastation of passion in language as rapturous as it is heartbreaking. Paired with The Assumption of the Rogues and Rascals—a short novel often seen as a companion piece—this edition reaffirms the book’s status as a cult literary classic and a masterwork of modern romantic intensity.
My Rating: ★★
The only good thing about this book was the title. Five stars for that alone. I know the book was written quite a while ago, but it switched between first and second person narrative a lot, and the main storyline seemed to revolve around a woman pining for a man that wasn’t available.
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5. Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Deep Dive is a swoony, slow-burn sports romance about ambition, vulnerability, and the chemistry no one sees coming. Focused and fiercely independent, Stanford diver Scarlett Vandermeer has no room for distractions—especially not from someone like Lukas Blomqvist, the golden boy of competitive swimming. But when a shared secret brings them unexpectedly close, what starts as a no-strings fling quickly spirals into something deeper. With Olympic dreams on the line and hearts on the brink, Scarlett must decide if love is a risk worth taking.
My Rating: ★★★
Like Christina Lauren, I think I’m going to give Ali Hazelwood a break for a while. The storyline was strange to say the least, and it was very obvious where the story was headed. A whole lot of smut and not much plot if you ask me.
RELATED blog post to read: Ali Hazelwood Books You Need to Read: In Order
6. The Favourites by Layne Fargo
The Favourites is a fiery, emotional deep-dive into obsession, ambition, and the dark side of fame. Olympic figure skater Katarina Shaw and her former partner Heath Rocha once mesmerized the world with their intense chemistry and rebel spirit on the ice. But behind the glittering performances was a volatile bond shaped by trauma, love, and fierce determination—until a scandal at the height of their career ended it all. Now, ten years later, a tell-all documentary threatens to rewrite their legacy. For the first time, Kat breaks her silence to reclaim the truth, revealing a story more explosive than anyone imagined.
My Rating: ★★★★★
I’d seen this very highly hyped across the internet and colour me intrigued. If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six, then you’ll love this. It’s very much copy and paste of the format, but the drama, the suspense, the romance, it’s all there. It didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, but I think that made the book even better.
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7. Orbital by Samantha Harvey
A crew aboard the International Space Station orbits Earth, observing its breathtaking beauty and growing ever more aware of its fragility. As personal loss and global events unfold far below, the astronauts reflect on what it means to belong to a planet they can’t touch, yet feel more connected to than ever.
My Rating: ★★
This book wouldn’t have received my vote for the Booker Prize, but what do I know? It was a struggle to get through this book and I can only praise the fact that it was 100 pages long, so it didn’t take too long to read. Parts of the book were thought-provoking, especially after travelling for the past year, but nothing happened. Nothing. But then I suppose nothing happens in space. Was that the point?
8. The Crash by Freida McFadden
The Crash is a chilling psychological thriller about Tegan, a pregnant woman fleeing her troubled life who ends up stranded in a snowstorm. Rescued by a seemingly kind couple in rural Maine, she soon realizes their cabin isn’t the safe haven she thought. As her situation grows more sinister, Tegan must fight to survive and protect her unborn child in a place far more dangerous than she could have imagined.
My Rating: ★★★
Not Freida’s best work, I hate to say. Sometimes I read Freida’s books and I think it could have been written by someone in high school. The sentences are so short and simple, but that’s also what makes it so easy to read and quick to get through. It’s hard not to compare everything she writes to The Housemaid, but this was nowhere near the bar she’s set from that.
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