April Book Review
IT’S FRIDAY!!!! And Cinco de Mayo, at that! On this lovely 5/5, I’m reviewing my FIVE April reads for you, friends! Once again, last month proved that 2023 will far outshine the last couple years of my reading life. I’m crying, I’m laughing, I’m teetering on the edge of my airplane seat! The book bar is creeping higher with each passing week, and I’m giddy about it!
I don’t have any major observations except for that Kristin Hannah is brilliant, and Freida McFadden is my new favorite. Also that I might as well not make monthly TBR lists, because my moods and whims win, every time! I finished exactly one of the books I planned to read this month… and it was a book I was already reading. Oops.
But you know what?
I think this is fantastic, and probably key to a healthy reading life.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
Read what you want!!!!
WHEN YOU WANT!
Shall we dive in?
I’m starting here AT THE TOP, guys. Insert trophy emoji! Probably since its release in 2015, people have been dropping their jaws, either raving about The Nightingale, insisting I read The Nightingale, or inquiring vehemently as to how—as a self-proclaimed reader (heck, human!)—have I never read THE NIGHTINGALE?!!!!??? What’s wrong with you?!
Okay, okay. Here’s where I’d usually interject to say NO book can live up to such holy expectations. Calm down! It’s only a book! It can’t possibly be that spectacular!
Instead, I’m here to proclaim that, why, yes, it is that spectacular. That I can’t believe it took me so long to read it, and, yes, fine, that the book is just about as perfect (to me) as a book can be—which is saying a LOT if you know how much I (don’t) love historical fiction.
What to even say?! This book is everything. Wartime, humanity, sisterhood, love, agony, betrayal, courage, death, and redemption. Honestly, I’m glad I read it now so that it could shine as its very own as a beacon of World War II brilliance. There are just so many books in this genre, that admittedly I find them all comingling inside my memory. But, nope, not The Nightingale, experienced distinctly, now shelved in a league all its own!
Though I did shortly follow it with another World War II heart-punch (see more below), this novel will forever stand out as the one I inhaled on most of an airplane ride to NYC and finished in my Plaza hotel robe, tears streaming down my face!
I loved it, you guys. You were RIGHT, and then you were RIGHTER! Also, I was prepared for the sister storyline, but I cried the most in that epic father-daughter moment, from which my heart may never heal. You know the one!
Go. Go read this book now. What’s wrong with you?! ;) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audible told me I’d love this book. Spoiler: Five Stars of Pure Spot On-ness!!!! Wow!!!!! I gobble down psychological thrillers like this, so it’s increasingly hard to feel psyched or surprised by them, truthfully. This one got me good! And I’m thrilled by how many of you have already picked it up on my recommendation and felt the same love! I devoured it in a couple of days and can’t WAIT to read the sequel this month! (One book I can say with 100% confidence that I will be reading ASAP.)
Recently paroled Millie takes a live-in maid job with the fancy Winchester family. As her boss Nina’s behavior grows increasingly erratic, Millie finds herself drawn more every day to man-of-the-house Andrew and his handsome brown eyes. The romance seems like an AWFUL idea, but Nina is just getting WEIRD. How is this going to end?! Tensions spike in the wildest twist, and you just need to read this book, friends! Five stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Exiles was a Newark airport purchase for me! I inhaled most of it on our flight home from NYC, which is a strong indication of how much I loved the novel and Jane Harper’s style! I’ve been wanting to read her forever and this was the perfect time. I love buying books at total random simply because they speak to me in the moment. And this one has SPOKEN!
While The Housemaid dazzles as a zippy thriller, Exiles delights as the kind of slow-burn, local cop, character-driven mystery that I absolutely adore. Aaron Falk, federal investigator, visits a small Australian town for the christening of a dear friend’s baby. His time there marks the one-year anniversary since mom Kim Gillespie disappeared from a local festival, her baby snuggled up safely inside her stroller under the Ferris wheel. Where did Kim go? What haunting small-town secrets might Falk unearth? Wow, I loved this book and its multiple layers. I did not see the ending coming. The build is a bit on the slow side, but overall, masterfully crafted.
I should note that Exiles is technically the third in a series, but a quick Amazon-review-scan-in-the-airport-store confirmed that it wouldn’t matter. And it did not. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything or confused in the least. I surely would’ve had more context of character personalities and relationships if I’d read the books in order, but it wasn’t essential at all. 4.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Normally I wouldn’t subject my heart to two World War II books in the same month. But The Nightingale was burning a hole in my Kindle and my book club chose The Escape Artist, so what’s a girl going to do?! Grab the tissues, that’s what.
This book is insane, friends. In 1944, a little-known hero and Jewish man achieved the unthinkable. Through scrupulous planning, close comrades, and profound courage, Rudolf Vrba escaped the walls of Auschwitz to warn the world. That’s right. He escaped Auschwitz to warn the world! This is Vrba’s story, as told by journalist Jonathan Freedland. It is incredible, heartbreaking, and astonishing. I highly recommend it to anyone for a greater understanding of the atrocities that occurred during World War II and particularly within Germany’s largest concentration camp and extermination center, about which frankly I knew very little. I did not know enough. The levels of massacre, deception, and cover-up—some of this book’s passages will stay with me forever. I was really struck by it all.
While hard to put down, be warned that this book is also hard to read at times. The language is vivid, the facts laid bare. It’s both a triumph and a smack in the face! I loved it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ultra-buzzy new release Adelaide was an interesting ride for me. At certain points, it was a 2. Others, a solid 4! Sooooo, I’m going to say 3.5! I will say, it was SUPER addicting. Past-my-bedtime addicting. The story follows Adelaide’s toxic relationship with movie-star hot—and evasive, ghosting, emotionally abusive—Rory Hughes, all around charming London over a span of years. The novel falls squarely in the vein of a certain kind of book: exploration of a trainwreck, emotionally fraught relationship that makes you so mad, teaches key lessons, and inevitably pulls at your heartstrings. I bet (and hope!) twenty-something girls hung up on BAD guys are devouring this book, seeing themselves in Adelaide, and cutting ties with their narcissist boyfriends who won’t even give them that title! Tell Me Lies is a similar read, but I loved Tell Me Lies more. Adelaide as a character simply grated on me for so much of the book. I just wanted to shake her! While I had compassion for her situation, Rory drove me straight INSANE.
My favorite part of the novel actually came toward the end, when the author does a really tender and beautiful job of describing mental illness in detail. I became most invested in Adelaide at that point and really, REALLY loved the ending. I do wish we got more of that medical narrative woven throughout the story, so it didn’t feel like such a big info dump, but that’s just my personal take.
Has anyone else read this book?! I’m dying to discuss it, for real! I enjoyed the novel for sure, despite all the ups and downs! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
What should I read next?!
Based in Orange County, California, Stephanie Mack is a longtime writer, wife to one, and mom of three little girls. She has been blogging at MOMentary Insanity® since 2014. Her work has also been featured on Scary Mommy, Faithit, Coffee + Crumbs, and more. She holds a Master of Professional Writing degree from USC. When We Blinked is her debut novel.
FEATURED ON
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
In 2024, one specific piece of writing advice has persisted in reaching my ears. Through the Booked Solid podcast, landing my dream agent, and my ever-trustworthy author friends, the message echoes: Get out of the slush pile.