Hello Readers! I’m a few days late on my wrap-up and haul post for April. We were able to get out of town for a few days with my in-laws now that we’re all fully vaccinated. We rented a house near the beach in Galveston and enjoyed being all together again. Even though the water was a little chilly this early in the year, it was worth it to avoid a crowded beach. 🙂

I had a VERY light reading month. It tends to happen after I’ve spent a month participating in a readathon, like I did in March. But I’m still ahead on my ARCs so I’m not going to worry about it just yet. 😉 Looking back at My April TBR, I ended up reading four out of the seven books I’d hoped to read, for a total of 1,472 pages. My reading might have been down, but I still ended up with a fairly nice haul.

Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

April Wrap-Up

I started the month reading Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield. I had a lot of mixed thoughts on this YA set in Jamaica, but no mixed feelings about the cover!


My Rating ⭐⭐⭐.50
My Review
Available 5/4/21

Next, I was happy to get lost in Project Hail Mary, the next novel by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. This Sci-Fi set in space was unexpected and totally engrossing. I highly recommend it!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.50
My Review
Available 5/4/21

Actress Julianna Margulies’ memoir Sunshine Girl was a last-minute request on Netgalley for me. I couldn’t resist all the glowing reviews I was seeing. I enjoyed the part of the book about her unconventional childhood and adolescence, but was a little disappointed she didn’t write more about her acting roles.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review
Available 5/4/21

My only non-ARC of the month was The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. I read this one while on vacation—some of it even while relaxing on the beach. 😉 It was the New York Times T Magazine’s Book Club choice for the month, although I missed the discussion since we were heading out of town, but I’m planning on watching the recording asap. (By the way, it’s free to watch the virtual discussion. I don’t subscribe to the magazine. You just have to create an account!) I’ve always enjoyed the film and I enjoyed the book, as well. Ripley is a multi-faceted character.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

April Book Haul

I added a few ARCs to my TBR, as well as some physical books to my shelves thanks to paperbackswap.com and some giveaways!

My ARCs

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• Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking A Life From Scratch by Erin French – This was an unsolicited ARC and it wasn’t on my radar, but hopefully I can find some time to fit it in. It sounds like an emotional memoir. Available 4/6/21
• Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler – I won a physical copy of this one through Goodreads. I’m excited to read this YA about best friends and a coin toss that changes their lives. Available 7/6/21
• Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn – This is an eARC I picked up through Netgalley. There seems to be a lot of early buzz around this YA about first loves and growing up. Available 9/7/21

My Paperbackswap books

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• It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
• Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
• A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
• Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno
• Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

Instagram Giveaway

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Author Amy Mason Doan—an auto-read author for me—is counting down the release of her next book Lady Sunshine on Instagram with multiple giveaways until the release date on 6/29/21, and I was lucky enough to win a copy of Debbie Harry’s memoir Face It, a gorgeous book full of color photos and art. Doan’s novel is set in the summer of 1979, so all her giveaways have been ’70s themed. I’ve already been approved for Lady Sunshine on Netgalley and it’s at the top of my TBR!

Free Digital Book

I also picked up a free copy of Opposites Attract by Camilla Isley, a rom-com about a divorce lawyer and a couple’s therapist. This one currently has a four-star rating on Goodreads, and it may still be available for free.

Amazon First Reads

I couldn’t decide on the Amazon First Reads book at the start of the month so I put it off to decide later and then forgot to do it. Oops.

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How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!