Hello Readers! I had a good reading month in April. You can see what I read in My April Wrap-Up. Today I’m sharing the books I added to my physical and digital shelves in April. I picked up 4 ARCs, and while that would normally cause me a little stress since I’m trying to limit what I accept, I’ve already read one of them and the other three are later in the year. 😅 I’ve done quite well limiting my ARCs so far. Hopefully I can keep it up! I picked up one physical book on Indie Bookstore Day, one physical book through Pangobooks, and added a few more free ebooks, as well.

Let’s see what I added!

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

My eARCs

If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook was a last minute invite by the publisher, and after reading an excerpt, I happily accepted. I love a good dysfunctional family story. I’ve already read and reviewed this one! (My Review)

Synopsis:

For fans of We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange and All Adults Here by Emma Straub, Cat Shook’s debut novel If We’re Being Honest is the snappy, smart, heartwarming story of the Williams family, and the sweltering summer that rewrote their history.

When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected. The cousins, left reeling and confused, cope with their fresh grief and various private dramas. Delia, recently heartbroken, refuses to shut up about her ex. Her sister Alice, usually confident, flusters when she spots her high school sweetheart, hiding a secret that will change both of their lives. Outspoken, affable Grant is preening in the afterglow of his recent appearance on The Bachelorette and looking to reignite an old flame with the least available person in town. Meanwhile, his younger brother Red, unsure of himself and easily embarrassed, desperately searches for a place in the boisterous family.

The cousins’ eccentric parents are in tow, too, and equally lost—in love and in life. Watching over them all is Ellen, Gerry’s sweet and proper widow, who does her best to keep her composure in front of the leering small town.

Clever and completely original, If We’re Being Honest reminds you that while no one can break your heart like your family can, there’s really no one better to put you back together.

Published April 18, 2023

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I could not resist the invitation to read The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley! And the early reviews are glowing so far. I haven’t read any of her previous books, but a few are on my TBR.

Synopsis:

All of the fun, none of the heartache…as long as they stick to the agreement.

The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits. Maybe it’s the wine, but in the moment, Claire figures the pact is a safe-enough deal, considering she hasn’t had much luck in love and he’s in no rush to settle down. Like, at all. Besides, there’s no way she could ever really fall for Graham and his thrill-seeking ways. Not after what happened to her father…

Just as things begin to heat up way before the proposed deadline, Graham’s injured in a serious rock-climbing accident—and he needs Claire’s help to heal. She’ll do whatever it takes to nurse him back to health…even if it means moving into Graham’s bed and putting up with his little dog who hates her. But with this no-strings arrangement taking a complicated turn, keeping “for now” from turning into “forever” isn’t as easy as they’d planned.

Expected August 1, 2023

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Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings is an ARC I grabbed when it was free to read for 48 hours on Netgalley. I love a good travel romance, and this one sounds fun for the summer!

Synopsis:

Tilly in Technicolor is Mazey Eddings’s sparkling YA debut about two neurodivergent teens who form a connection over the course of a summer.

Tilly Twomley is desperate for change. White-knuckling her way through high school with flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out and ready to start fresh. Working as an intern for her perfect older sister’s start up isn’t exactly how Tilly wants to spend her summer, but the required travel around Europe promises a much-needed change of scenery as she plans for her future. The problem is, Tilly has no idea what she wants.

Oliver Clark knows exactly what he wants. His autism has often made it hard for him to form relationships with others, but his love of color theory and design allows him to feel deeply connected to the world around him. Plus, he has everything he needs: a best friend that gets him, placement into a prestigious design program, and a summer internship to build his resume. Everything is going as planned. That is, of course, until he suffers through the most disastrous international flight of his life, all turmoil stemming from lively and exasperating Tilly. Oliver is forced to spend the summer with a girl that couldn’t be more his opposite—feeling things for her he can’t quite name—and starts to wonder if maybe he doesn’t have everything figured out after all.

As the duo’s neurodiverse connection grows, they learn that some of the best parts of life can’t be planned, and are forced to figure out what that means as their disastrously wonderful summer comes to an end.

Expected August 15, 2023

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Last year when I read Ava Glass’s debut Alias Emma (My Review), I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. So I was very happy when the invite for The Traitor showed up. I believe Alias Emma is also being adapted, which is fun! AND because the UK and American publishers like to keep us confused, these books are also known as The Chase and Game of Spies, respectively.

Synopsis:

Tension, danger and pace, pace, pace … Emma Makepeace is being tracked by a deadly traitor in the second novel in the Alias Emma series.

LONDON. EARLY MORNING.

A body is found in a padlocked suitcase.

Investigator Emma Makepeace knows it’s murder. And it’s personal.

She quickly establishes that the dead man had been shadowing two oligarchs suspected of procuring illegal weapons in the UK. And it seems likely that an insider working deep within the British government is helping them.

To find out who the traitor is, Emma goes deep undercover on a superyacht owned by one of the oligarchs.

But the glamorous veneer of the rich hides dark secrets. Out at sea, Emma is both hunter and prey, and no one can protect her.

Never has the turquoise sea and golden sands of the Rivera seemed so dangerous.

As the hunt intensifies, Emma knows that she is in mortal danger. And that she needs to find the traitor before they find her …

Expected September 14, 2023

Indie Bookstore Day Purchase

I intended to pick up Happy Place by Emily Henry when I popped into my local Half Price Books on Indie Bookstore Day, but when I discovered they were sold out, I grabbed the second book in the King of Scars duology by Leigh Bardugo, Rule of Wolves. Now I just need to read the first book! 😉

PangoBooks Purchase

I also picked up a copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins through Pangobooks. Despite being purchased as a used book, it looks brand new! I’m eager to reread The Hunger Games trilogy then dive into this one before I see the adaptation in November. The trailer that was just released looks amazing!

Free eBooks

• Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend by Penny Reid
• Keepsake (True North, #3) by Sarina Bowen
• Lucas (Preston Brothers, #1) by Jay McLean
• Blood and Feathers by Beth Revis

Amazon First Reads Selection

My April pick was Worlds Apart, a debut by Jane Crittenden. This second chance romance has some mixed reviews, but I’m intrigued by the storyline. It’s also set in New Zealand, which is rare.

Published on May 1, 2023

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

Happy Wandering!