Y’all, I read 11 books in May. What in the world?? This has been the first May that I haven’t been teaching, so I took full advantage of the extra reading time. Some of these 11 books were rereads, which added to the amount of reading I did, but I’m excited about each and every book I read last month. Let’s jump right in!
Meant to Be by Emily Giffin
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of Emily Giffin’s new book, Meant to Be. This is a reimagined retelling of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. I have always been so fascinated by these two people, so my hopes for this fictionalized story were sky high. I’m happy to report that I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t put this one down. It was captivating and so atmospheric. The ending was perfection. I highly recommend!
We Were Liars and Family of Liars by E. Lockhart
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
Family of Liars, the long awaited prequel to We Were Liars, came out in May and since it had been years since I read We Were Liars, I decided to reread. I will say, reading this one and knowing the shocking twist made it considerably less enjoyable. I still highly recommend reading We Were Liars though. Never has a book’s ending shocked me more than this one.
Be warned! You absolutely must read We Were Liars first. The ending is spoiled in the first chapter of Family of Liars.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Our Little World by Karen Winn
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
Our Little World landed on my radar after I read and loved Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance last month. This sounded similar so I picked it up. I really enjoyed this one. Yes, it’s similar to NOYSD, but not entirely. I enjoyed Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance a lot more, but this one was very good. This focused much more on the relationship between the two sisters whereas NOYSD focused on the sisters’ relationship and then how the remaining sister dealt with the aftermath of her sister’s death.
Rating: 4 stars
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
It’s not summer without a new Elin Hilderbrand novel to take us to Nantucket! When I started reading The Hotel Nantucket, I’m not going to lie, I was worried. There are a ton of characters. I mean a lot. I was having trouble keeping track of who was who and following along to all the different stories. But once you get into the story, you’ll begin to fall in love with every character and their storyline. I could not put this one down. My advice would be to make a little character list at the beginning of the book to help you keep track of everyone. Once you get into the book you won’t need it but it would definitely help you keep track of everyone!
Rating: 4.75 stars
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
Sally Hepworth’s newest domestic thriller was our April pick for LaLa Life Book Club and I absolutely loved it. Sally Hepworth is one of my favorites. If you like Lisa Jewell, you would like this author. I wouldn’t call her books thrillers, but more general fiction with a mystery to it. This one was one of my favorites! It kept me guessing until the very end. I also loved how there was a little romance with one of the characters.
Rating: 4 stars
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
I absolutely cannot wait for The Summer I Turned Pretty series on Amazon. Since it has been years since I read this YA series I decided to reread it before the show comes out. I love Jenny Han’s writing and these books are no exception. Do I like them more than her To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series? No, but it’s still good. I actually think the show may be better than the books in this case though?? The third book is by far my favorite. Belly is an immature character for the majority of the series but you have to keep in mind she’s 15. It’s a good series for teens!
Rating: 4.5 stars
The Wild One by Colleen McKeegan
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
The Wild One was sent to me a few months ago and when I filmed a Reel and wrote a post featuring it, it immediately shot to the top of my summer TBR. I read this one in May and really enjoyed it. It’s about three girls who meet at summer camp in 2003. Something happens that summer and they leave camp, promising never to tell anyone about their dark secret. 11 years later, one of the girls has the ideal life in New York City but worries she’s made a mistake when she tells her boyfriend what happened. I thought this was a thriller, but it’s more general fiction. It reminded me of Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld meets Mean Girls.
Rating: 4 stars
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Purchase on Amazon/Add to Goodreads
After reading and falling in love with Every Summer After last month, I decided to reread Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. This is my favorite CL book by far and reading it a second time didn’t change my opinion in the slightest. This is the sweetest story of friends to lovers. If you love this one, definitely read Every Summer After by Carley Fortune or vice versa.
Rating: 5 stars
Check out my past month’s book reviews here:
Remember to follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m shelving and my IG for daily (or almost daily) reading updates!
