Reviews of the 12 Books I Read in April 2026

1. Chasing the Wild (1) by Elliott Rose

What happens when you’re snowed in on a mountain ranch, with the one man you definitely should not be fantasizing about?

I’ve always done what was expected of me. Layla Birch, the good girl. Only, I didn’t count on him. Colton Wilder. The cowboy nearly twice my age. My ex-boyfriend’s father.

No one would find out. Would they?

My Rating: ★★★

Starting a new cowboy romance series before finishing any of the 10 I’ve already started? Well, there’s a surprise.

Chasing the Wild is the first book in the Crimson Ridge series, featuring – you guessed it – a cowboy romance.

Maybe not your usual trope, as this one actually follows our young female main character hunting down her ex boyfriend after she finds out he’s been using her name to take out loans and getting into debt, but ends up getting snowed in at his family ranch with his dad instead. You can guess what happens next.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between the dad and son’s ex girlfriend, but I will say that there wasn’t much plot involved for such a long book, if you catch my drift.

2. Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

Eighteen months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, DC suburbs, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month. Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband Ian, Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it’s publicly listed and the masses descend (with unbeatable, all-cash offers in hand).

A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary. As Margo infiltrates the homeowners’ lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged—but just when she thinks she’s won them over, she hits a snag in her plan. Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there’s no boundary she won’t cross to seize the dream life she’s been chasing. The most unsettling part? You’ll root for her, even as you gasp in disbelief.

My Rating: ★★★★

I’m not sure if I would have rated this book so highly if I wasn’t also going through a flat move/house hunt at the same time that I was reading this. It definitely asks the question, How far would you go to get the house of your dreams?

The ending was not what I expected at all, which I loved and it was a great book to read while I was also viewing apartments and going through bidding wars. Renting bidding wars that is, and yes, that really is a thing.

3. Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

The Flynn family is coming undone. Catherine and Bud’s open marriage has reached its breaking point as their daughters spiral in their own chaotic: Abigail, the eldest, is dating a man in his twenties nicknamed War Crime Wes; Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist; the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone—or something—is monitoring the town’s citizens.

Irreverent and addictive, pinging between the voices of the Flynn family and those of the panorama of characters around them, Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs is a debut novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Lost Lambs is quite the hot topic right now, with everyone flocking to read it – see what I did there? It’s whacky, wild and hilarious.

A book that’s a cert to be a monthly book club pick as there are numerous conversation starters and topics of discussion to be had about every character in the book. If you’re heading on holiday soon, this is a great one to pick up and read by the pool.

4. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal. He is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin.

Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances give him access to a much larger world of emotional discovery.

My Rating: ★★★★

This was ranked the 3rd best book of the 21st Century (a list that I’m slowly making my way through) so I finally tackled all 462 pages of it.

The book spans decades of a gentleman’s life in Moscow and the many different life events of the time, all while he is sentenced to spend the remainder of his life at a famous hotel. Sounds pretty nice, right?

It’s slow on the uptake, but I did find myself warming to a lot of the characters and I’ll definitely be watching the TV series that has been adapted from the book.

5. The Housemaid’s Wedding (2.5) by Freida McFadden

Today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I’m engaged to the man of my dreams, and in a few short hours, I’m going to stand before a judge, who will declare us husband and wife, till death does us part. Despite some bumps in the road, this day is everything I dreamed it would be.

There’s only one problem: Someone out there doesn’t want me to live long enough to say my vows. And if I’m not careful, they may very well get their wish.

My Rating: ★★★

I’ve now completed The Housemaid series/universe now that I’ve read this short novella. I believe if you were to start from scratch, you should read this between the 2nd and 3rd book (after The Housemaid’s Secret), but I don’t think it matters too much.

The Housemaid’s Wedding was more like a bonus scene than a brand new book/part to the story. If you’re a fan of the series and need some a little Freida McFadden fix, then I’d recommend picking it up.

6. Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey

Britta is an ambitious waitress working at Sluggers. The popular bar holds a special place in her heart and is a regular hangout for the Bridgeport Bandits, the local hockey club. With a half brother on the team, Britta has a strict no-dating policy for hockey boys. But she does have a soft spot for one particular player.

Sumner Mayfield is on the brink of breaking into the NHL, but time’s running out. With his work visa about to expire, Sumner’s only chance to stay in Bridgeport is to marry an American—and get a green card.

On New Year’s Eve, the team begs Britta to marry Sumner that very night.

My Rating: ★★

Another short novella (which is probably why I read so many books this month), I’m making my way through Tessa Bailey’s huge back catalogue of books slowly but surely.

For a short story, I actually really didn’t enjoy this. The book was told across a whole year, which is pretty hard to do via a novella. It meant there was no room for character development or any building of chemistry between the characters, just jumping forward three-four months each chapter.

7. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others, it’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg, she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center.

Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?

My Rating: ★★★★★

I love Fredrik Backman’s writing so much. If you ever need a book to make you cry with sadness and then cry with happiness, pick up one of his books. The characters, the setting, the plot are always so heartwarming and almost fable-like in a way.

I find Fredrik Backman’s writing always has hidden messages and life lessons, passages to make you stop and think after reading them. If you need to feel hopeful or have your faith in the world restored, look no further.

8. Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, aka her archnemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her—and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

My Rating: ★★★★

This latest release from Ali Hazelwood is more of a novella in size, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It’s been a long while since I actually read any Ali Hazelwood as most of her books have been down-the-middle average for me, but this one hit the mark, even for a novella.

9. The Ghostlights by Grainne Murphy

When a stranger checks into a family B&B – in a small village in rural Ireland – no one takes too much notice… at least until his body is found in the lake four days later.

The identity of the unknown guest raises questions for polar opposite twin sisters Liv and Marianne and their mother Ethel, all of whom feel trapped by the choices they made earlier in life. They each find themselves forced to confront their past, their present and what they really want from their future.

My Rating: ★★★

I enjoyed The Ghostlights and how the story revolved around two sisters and their mother, their relationships and struggles, all while a guest from their B&B drowns in the local lake. Believe it or not, the death of the B&B guest isn’t really a major focus of the story, not until the last few chapters.

I think this book would have been great if we had some more POVs from Liv’s son Shay, Marianne’s partner, and the B&B guest for some closure at the end, as we never find out his story at all. I think there was further to go with this book and it just didn’t delve deep enough for me.

10. Just Friends by Haley Pham

Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up—best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence.

Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop—only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race.

My Rating: ★★★★

I had seen mixed reviews for this book online before reading it, and even before the book had officially been published.

Mostly, I would assume it was because this was popular book YouTuber Haley Pham’s debut novel, and some people just don’t like it when other people succeed. That’s my take any way because I actually really loved it.

Yes, it read more Young-Adult than Adult fiction and there were words/phrases that I didn’t think suited the tone of the book, but otherwise, I was totally convinced of the story, the chemistry, the pain, all of it. For a debut, I think it was pretty good and I hope Haley continues writing and am excited to see what comes next for her.

11. Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy

In her first novel for over a decade, Claire Kilroy takes us deep into the early days of motherhood. Exploring the clash of fierce love for a new life with a seismic change in identity, she vividly realises the raw, tumultuous emotions of a new mother, as her marriage strains and she struggles with questions of love, autonomy and creativity.

As she smiles at her baby, Sailor, while mentally composing her own suicide note, an old friend makes a welcome return, but can he really offer a lifeline to the woman she used to be?

My Rating: ★★★★★

What is it about Irish writers that is just so fantastic? There’s no other word for it. There’s either something in the water or the air, and I’d like to breathe it in every time I open a book.

Something about Soldier Sailor was almost poetic in its telling. I’m not a mother myself, but this letter to a son was so raw and real, while also being laugh-out-loud funny. It was eye-opening and simply brilliant.

12. The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of.

After agreeing they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realize they’re each other’s perfect wing-person in their searches for The One.

Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they both struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Hook Lynn Painter’s writing to my veins at this point, honestly. No one writes romantic comedies like her and I don’t think I’ve come across an author who writes genuine banter and great chemistry consistently across all of her books.

If Lynn Painter has no fans then I am deceased because I will read anything she writes at this point and will happily continue making my way through her entire catalogue.