Hello May 2024, best reading month of the year so far!
I managed to read nine books in May. Nine. I would assume it’s mostly to do with the large amount of travelling I did during the month of May.
Think ferries, buses, trains and long car journeys. I definitely got my money’s worth out of my Kindle this month and was even able to add in a physical book that I picked up in Koh Phangan, Thailand.
I read some great books, some not-so-great books and a few that have been on my TBR list for the longest time.
As always, you can keep up with my reading in realtime over on Instagram, Goodreads or on Twitter and Threads we’re I’ll also be adding my reviews this year.
Reviews of the Books I Read in May 2024
1. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once? Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.
My rating: ★★★★★
This was a little guilty pleasure read for me. I’ve seen the movie already so knew how the book would play out, but wanted to read it all the same. It doesn’t stray from the movie at all, and if you want a light-hearted, cute rom-com that’s going to make you smile while reading it, then this book is for you.
2. Never Lie by Freida McFadden
Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams. But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate… with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end. In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.
My rating: ★★★★★
I would read anything by Freida McFadden at this rate and have made my way through a few of her books already. I’ll be writing a blog post featuring them all soon since I have another in my Kindle library waiting to be read. This was one of my favourites by Freida McFadden – full of her signature twists and turns that you feel stupid not noticing. So good!
3. Slammed by Colleen Hoover
Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbour with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humour. Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.
My rating: ★★★★
I spotted this in our hotel in Koh Phangan, Thailand and since we’d be spending three days here, grabbed it to read. Plus, I hadn’t held a physical book in months so that was partly the reason too. I’ve read quite a few Colleen Hoover books by now (I’ve got a blog post here with all of the reviews) but was very excited to discover this was her debut novel. It wasn’t her best work and lacking in characters, but still enjoyable.
4. Flawless by Elsie Silver
The rules were simple… Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble. But now I’m stuck with her. There’s only one bed. And, well, rules are made to be broken. I’m the golden boy of professional bull riding. Or at least I was until it all blew up in my face. Now, my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.” But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running…
My rating: ★★★★
I’d seen this book quite a few times on BookTube and heard it was a cowboy romance. If you know about my love for Nashville, then you’ll know why I picked this up. It was a good romance novel and made me interested to look into bull-riding as a sport. There are more books in the series that I’m looking forward to reading.
5. Funny Story by Emily Henry
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
My rating: ★★★
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. But, unfortunately it didn’t live up to what I’d heard online. I had seen so many five-star reviews for this book from my favourite book creators but I just couldn’t get into it. It was a weird trope from the outset, seemed a little unrealistic and didn’t grip me at all. Not my favourite from Emily Henry. You can also read my reviews of every Emily Henry book here.
6. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend.
It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.
My rating: ★★★★★
This is a book I’ve had on my ‘to read’ list for a very long time after seeing it on BookTube. I was never a fantasy reader until around six months ago. But since reading Fourth Wing, I’ve been converted. I really enjoyed this and the escapism it creates. This is the first book in the series, so I’m excited to read more.
7. The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day.
Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways. How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames?
My rating: ★★★★
Yet another book I’d seen across BookTube, Lynn Painter is a popular rom-com author that I hadn’t yet gotten around to reading. Although this was a groundhog day type of book, I found it quite enjoyable. It was predictable towards the end, but the main character and love interest had great chemistry which made the book an easy to read romance.
8. Close to Home by Michael Magee
Sean is back. Back in Belfast and back into old habits. Back on the mad all-nighters, the borrowed tenners and missing rent, the casual jobs that always fall through. In these scarred streets, where the promised prosperity of peacetime has never arrived. Back among his brothers, his ma, and all the things they never talk about. Until one night Sean finds himself at a party – dog-tired, surrounded by jeering strangers, his back against the wall – and he makes a big mistake.
My rating: ★★★★
I love reading books about Ireland, especially books about Northern Ireland (where I’m from). In fact, I wrote a blog post all about books set in Northern Ireland which you can find here. I had spotted Close to Home in Waterstones months ago when I was still living in London, but it was too expensive for me to buy before going travelling. When I spotted it for 99p on the Kindle deals, I jumped on it and read it immediately. I fully enjoyed the references to places in Belfast that I had heard of and forgotten about.
It was a very realistic story, but maybe too realistic in the fact that it was lacking in hope. Something I feel is a theme across Northern Ireland in general.
9. Too Late by Colleen Hoover
Sloan will go through hell and back for those she loves. And she does so, every single day. Caught up with the alluring Asa Jackson, a notorious drug trafficker, Sloan has finally found a lifeline to cling to, even if it’s meant compromising her morals. She was in dire straits trying to pay for her brother’s care until she met Asa. But as Sloan became emotionally and economically reliant on him, he in turn developed a disturbing obsession with her—one that becomes increasingly dangerous every day.
When undercover DEA agent Carter enters the picture, Sloan’s surprised to feel an immediate attraction between them, despite knowing that if Asa finds out, he will kill him. And Asa has always been a step ahead of everyone in his life, including Sloan. No one has ever gotten in his way. No one except Carter. Together, Sloan and Carter must find a way out before it’s too late…
My rating: ★★★
Two books by Colleen Hoover this month?! This was another 99p Kindle deal that I jumped at. I was expecting a dark thriller, similar to Verity but that’s not what I got. Instead, it was the plot to 22 Jump Street. Undercover cops in a college trying to find the source of drug dealings on campus. It felt a little unrealistic and the book was set in the drug dealer’s home for 95% of the book.
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