April Book Round Up

Welcome to my monthly book round up!

April has been an incredibly successful reading month. Honestly, I’m still buzzing with excitement over the books I read and this book round up! This month delivered what are probably the three best books I’ve picked up all year. I was completely enthralled, emotionally wrecked, and fully immersed. I laughed, I cried, and I felt it all. Coming off a book slump, I hadn’t set my expectations too high, but April turned out to be absolutely sensational!

I read quite a few books this month! If you’ve been keeping up with my monthly book updates (on my homepage), you’ll know that as I write this, I’ve finished 15 books across six genres, with three of them earning a solid five stars (my rating is based on how I felt while reading not an in. depth analysis of the book). It’s been an eventful month. While I can’t go into detail about every single one, I’ve put together a list of what I read below. With a few days left in April, I still have three books remaining on my TBR that I set.

Finished (in chronological order) – my favourite ones are in italics.

1. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
2. Yellowface by RF Kuang
3. Next of Kin by Hannah Bonam Young
4. Blood over Bright Haven by ML Wang
5. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. Tomorrow, I Become a Woman by Aiwanose Odafen
7. Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo
8. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandana
9. Seven Minutes in Heaven (Part 1) by Elle Kayson
10. Seven Minutes in Heaven (Part 2) by Elle Kayson
11. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
12. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (review coming soon)
13. Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah
14. We Were Girls Once by Aiwanose Odafen (Book 2)
15. One In a Million by Beverley Kendall
16. Always You & Me by Dani Atkins

Currently Reading

1. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr by Crystal Smith Paul  
2. Falling Overboard by Sariah Wilson
3. Spousal Privilege by Charity Shane
4. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yaros (it’s been 3 months)
5. When I Think of You by Myah Ariel ( this is boring and I’ve been fighting myself to finish it for months)

There are far too many books to cover them all, even briefly, so I’ll highlight the most notable ones.

Blood over Bright Haven was my top read of the month. My friend had messaged me on a Saturday night saying she was reading this book, and it stressed her the hell out, and she needed someone to talk about it with. As the dedicated friend that I am, I picked it up that minute (bear in mind it was like 11 pm) and finished it the next day. Wow, what a ride. By the time I got to the halfway point, the big reveal happened, and from there, I had an intense ethical dilemma and was questioning just how the book would end. I loved every second of it despite the stress-inducing factor. I highly recommend it. 

I don’t tend to read satire or obvious meta books, so I delved into Yellowface this month and was so enthralled I had to write a review. Please make sure you go ahead and read that to get my full thoughts and feelings. This was the first book I read post-slump that activated me. I listened to it via audiobook, which was a brilliant decision as I was able to run through it on journeys and at work. It lifted me right out of my slump.

After I Do was on my TBR post (I started reading it before that post went up), and I had completely forgotten about it until that point. I listened to this via audiobook on an hour-and-a-half journey home and simply had to finish it THAT night! I loved it! This might be the book that rekindles my love for second-chance romances. I appreciated the balanced timeline, just enough of the past to ground their story without lingering too long. The self-discovery arc was powerful, and the ending brought me to tears. I won’t spoil whether they reconcile, but the way it unfolded was truly beautiful.

I also dove into some Nigerian stories in preparation for a post I’m working on, and was, of course, traumatised and stressed in that uniquely Nigerian way. Tomorrow, I Become a Woman and Stay with Me stirred up all kinds of frustration, but both were truly great reads.

An American Marriage was probably the big disappointment of the month. I had such high hopes for the plot, but it had such horrendous execution. A well-written book by an author who is most definitely great with her words, but it was the most frustrating melodrama and a waste of time. I will not be discussing it any further. 

The Secret Society of Irregular Witches was a very pleasant book – a beautiful story that was low stakes and heart-warming. I really enjoyed it.

The last book I read this month was Always You & Me, which I stumbled upon in a whim. If you have a kindle, it often has recommendations on the lock page and I decided to give it a go. It had a slow start but omg what a love story. It was a second chance romance and I now think I am a firm follower of the trope. So many beautiful moments and I even teared up at the end.

I have a review for The Housemaid coming up, so I won’t say too much, but this was an interesting read. I’m not quite sure if it’s worth the hype, but I definitely enjoyed it.

All the other books were okay too except for Before the Coffee Gets Cold – this was BORING!!! it was technically a soft DNF as I have almost finished it but it was a struggle especially considering I started reading it very early this year. I tried the audiobook which I usually use when I’m finding it difficult to get through a book and it did not help AT ALL. Very disappointing as I had high hopes.

IIn other news, ‘m fully in my thriller bag now! I also read Next of Kin, which I thoroughly enjoyed, omg what a twist at the end. I highly recommend.

I’m currently in Nigeria, writing this, and my reading has not slowed down at all. I’ve had a good month, and I’m very excited for the books I’m currently reading and the ones I have planned for next month.

Overall, this was a successful month of reading, and I hope it continues into May. I uploaded a post on my April TBR, and I have decided to have regular TBR updates so you all know what I plan to read and what I’ve managed to complete, this will come after my monthly round up and will start in June.

I have also started posting preview reviews on my GoodReads and Fable, so be sure to follow me there to get updates!

Thank you all for sticking around for another month, and see you on Friday with my next post!