Hello Readers! I had a great reading month in May with the release of two of my most anticipated reads for the year (which also added to my haul), and as I try to stay ahead on my ARCs. And if you forced me to choose a favorite, I would struggle with making a choice.

If you look back at my May TBR, you’ll see I managed to read all but one of the books, and added a couple of extras, bringing my total to 9 books read or 3,275 pages. Hopefully I can keep up the pace as I go into June!

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.)

May Wrap-Up

I started the month finishing up my reading of Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu. I’ve had this book on my ereader for a few years and the release of the adaptation on Netflix finally forced me to pick it up. I enjoyed the book and movie!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

I was impressed and surprised by my next read, A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery. This debut was the perfect escape!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
My Review

I used the release of Emily Henry’s latest romance, People We Meet on Vacation, as the perfect excuse to step foot into a physical bookstore again. I adored this one, and didn’t want it to end!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

I’m a fan of Yoon’s writing style, and I jumped at the chance to read his latest adult release, Version Zero. A slow building story led up to a non-stop action ending.

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My Review

One of the books I hadn’t planned on reading in May was the novella collection Summer in the City. I enjoyed Priscilla Oliveras latest release Anchored Hearts, so I jumped at the chance to read this fun anthology of connected stories.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐.50
My Review

I also hadn’t planned on rereading Call Down the Hawk, the first book in the Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater, before I picked up the second book, but when I started reading Mister Impossible, I quickly realized I’d forgotten too many important details. And it’s never too much of a hardship to reread a Stiefvater book.

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My Review

I immediately picked up Mister Impossible after I finished rereading Call Down the Hawk, and while I enjoyed most of the book, it was the ending that left me gobsmacked.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.50
My Review

It seemed like I would never get to Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was approved for the ARC back in February but I wanted to save it for as close to summer as I could get. It’s the perfect beach read, and I’m sure it’ll be one of the summer’s hottest books.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

I was thrilled when an ARC of The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris arrived in the mail. There has been so much buzz around this one. It’s not for everyone, but if you like dark, twisty thrillers reminiscent of Get Out, then you’ll devour this one like I did.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review to come
Available 6/1/21

May Book Haul

I added a few books to my shelves thanks to purchases, paperbackswap.com, and some giveaways!

My Paperbackswap books

• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – Wow, the cover on this one is gorgeous with lots of gold sprinkled in!
• The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
• Sala’s Gift: My Mother’s Holocaust Story by Ann Kirschner

My Purchases

• The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
• Mister Impossible (Dreamer Trilogy, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Giveaway

I was super excited to win a giveaway hosted by Lisa @ Lisa Loves Literature. It’s such a genius idea, I may have to borrow it one day. She shares a stack of her ARCs and lets the winner choose three. These are the books I chose! If you’ve read any of them, let me know your thoughts. All three have 4+ stars on Goodreads.

• One More for Christmas by Sarah Morgan
• The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
• Muted by Tami Charles

My eARC

I added and read one ARC this month, Summer in the City, a collection of connecting novellas set during a blackout in NYC by Lori Wilde, Priscilla Oliveras, and Sarah Skilton.

Amazon First Reads

My Amazon First Reads choice this month was The Checklist by Addie Woolridge. This rom-com is about a corporate consultant who reluctantly gets sent to her hometown of Seattle where chaos ensues.

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!