This is the first reading roundup that I’ve done all month. Here’s a peak at what I read in April!
A boy goes missing in a small Minnesota town and the investigation threatens to expose some of the secrets of local residents.
I read this book on the way to Montana and finished it while I was there. A huge draw for me was that it takes place in Minnesota. I always enjoy books that take place in settings that are familiar! And I really enjoyed reading about a small town. The mystery was engaging and I was trying to solve it the entire way through. I felt it was a little long sometimes; the reader gets a lot of details about a large number of characters and I felt it was a little much at times. I had a few select characters that I really enjoyed reading about, but I didn’t need to know so much about everyone else. Things really picked up towards the end and I read late into the night to finish it. I didn’t realize that it’s a duology, so the mystery wasn’t fully solved by the end. It found the conclusion to be satisfying enough, but I”ll still pick up the second book sometime soon to finish the story.
BLAZE (OR LOVE IN THE TIME OF SUPERVILLAINS) BY LAURIE BOYLE CROMPTON
When Blaze is dumped by a boy in her class, she creates a comic book which paints him as the villain and her as the superhero.
This has been on my to-read list for a LONG time so I finally read it while I was on the train. I really liked the premise of this book and thought that Crompton did well with the details. Blaze’s personality came out immediately and I really enjoyed seeing the different facets of her life play out. There were also some moments that had me cringing, because I knew how things would play out. I loved many of the supporting characters and they had shining moments as well. This was a quick read; I read it in a couple of hours on the train on the way home from Montana and it was a great way to pass the time.
ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER BY STEPHANIE PERKINS
In the final installment of a companion series (Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door), Isla returns to a boarding school in Paris for her final year of high school. Things start off well when she realizes that her long-time crush might actually be interested in her, but do they have a happily ever after in store?
I bought this as soon as it was released, but was holding off on reading it because I had heard really mixed reviews of this book, with most reviews being a little disappointed with it. I didn’t think it was the best book of the trilogy; it was definitely my least favorite. But I didn’t think it was bad. I had some issues with it–mostly from the source of a lot of the conflict in the book. Overall, though, it was a cute ending to the companion series and definitely worth the read if you’ve read the other books, or if you want to read the other books. The characters from Anna and Lola make an appearance (one of my favorite parts of the novel) and it was a satisfying conclusion.
DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR BY DARYNDA JONES
Lorelei is smitten by the new student who joins her class and at the same time is being stalked by a classmate.
I don’t really know where to begin with this one. I listened to the audiobook and it just didn’t hold me attention at the beginning. I thought the narrator was fantastic and she’s one that I’ve listened to and liked before. So I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the mood for an audiobook, or if the book wasn’t catching my attention at the beginning. About halfway through it really started to pick up for me and I enjoyed the ending.
PS – I asked Juliana Romano (First There was Forever) and Bryan Reardon (Finding Jake) a few questions!
// Voting for May’s book club pick is open through Thursday!
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