Every Book I Read in March, April, & May 2021

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

You might have seen this one in my last recap…but I actually read it in March…I can’t even remember how I found it, but I tend to scroll through reading lists and Goodreads when I can’t sleep and pick out books I might want to read. It was such a current thriller, but that could just be me. The social media talk and influencer talk was a little jarring for me, and sometimes that will take me out of a story. But I really enjoyed it with this story, and it certainly was a big part of it. There was one chapter ending that I remember getting an actual chill. It wasn’t as intense as a lot of thrillers, so if you’re unsure about reading thrillers, this might be a good book for you.

RATING: ★★★★☆

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Here’s what happened in March: I found out that the final book in the Miss Peregrine series was released. Then I decided I would re-read the fifth book in the series, so I grabbed it off the bookshelf. Once I got almost halfway, I realized I was reading the fourth book on accident (I said something to my husband and he goes “yeah, I wondered why you went back two books.”) So, I re-read this one and enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it.

RATING: ★★★★☆

The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs

This was the book that I actually meant to read before I started the new one. I read it really quickly when it came out and wanted a refresher on where the story stood. If I remember correctly, this is my least favorite of the series, but it’s still enjoyable if you’re a fan of the series.

RATING: ★★★☆☆

The Desolations of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs

I accidentally came across this book on the shelf at Target one day, having had no idea that there was another book in the series. I really enjoyed this one, and it was fun to come back to these characters after a break from their stories. I found this one to be a fitting ending to the whole series. The story could have probably been told in five books instead of six, but this one was necessary to complete the series (and I liked it better than the fifth book.)

RATING: ★★★★☆

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

I was really excited to get into this story when I found the book. The cover is beautifully designed (yes, sometimes I grab books because of the cover) and the description of the book seems like it would make a great story. I was honestly really bored with at least 85% of the book. The last bit is so much better than the majority of the book, but all-in-all I was disappointed in it.

RATING: ★★☆☆☆

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I think we all know I love a thriller, and this one didn’t disappoint. To be honest, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did in the end—probably because it is written about a high school age detective. But it’s got some good twists in it and you’ll probably see a sequel in an upcoming reading recap.

RATING: ★★★★☆

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I generally enjoy Ruth Ware’s novels. I was late to the game and only read my frist of hers last year, so I’m playing catch-up on her books. (There was definitely at least one of her books on my last reading list.) This one is solidly entertaining, with a modern gothic suspense to it. I did figure out some of the ending pretty easily, but I still enjoyed reading it.

RATING: ★★★☆☆

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Wow, this book. It was so intense, with some really disturbing moments and really heartbreaking moments. I couldn’t put it down—especially when the chapter ended with such a feeling of dread that I had to know what was going to happen next. And the ending will really stick with you.

RATING: ★★★★☆

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

I remember being really unsure about this one when I started it. A friend recommended it, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it at all. When I read the synopsis, that it is about a plus-size fashion blogger who goes on a Bachelorette-style tv show, I was really hesitant. Mostly because I truly dislike The Bachelor/The Bachelorette in every way. In the end, I enjoyed it, and ended up giving it a 3.5-4 star rating!

RATING: ★★★☆☆

The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers

This is another book that I was drawn to because of the cover, and when I read the book jacket, I got a little bit of a The Night Circus vibe and I love that book. This one actually turned out very different from The Night Circus, but it was a unique, magical, and slightly dark story and not at all what I was expecting.

RATING: ★★★★☆

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This is another re-read that I grabbed after I noticed that it suddenly got really popular on “BookTok.” I’ll be honest, I liked this book more the first time I read it. But that makes sense because there is a bit of a twist ending and since I already knew what happened, it wasn’t so shocking this time around.

RATING: ★★★☆☆

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

And again, a re-read, because I wanted a refresher on the story before I watched the movie when it came out. Even having read this book before, it still is such a top-notch thriller. I liked it just as much this time around (the movie, not so much.) I would probably put this down as one of my favorite thrillers I’ve ever read.

RATING: ★★★★☆

Heartless by Marissa Myers

“These things do not happen in dreams, dear girl,” he said, vanishing up to his neck. “They happen only in nightmares.”

This is a YA fantasy novel, and an origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a favorite of mine, so I ordered this book immediately. I was not disappointed. It is very clearly a YA novel, but it’s another one I couldn’t put down.

RATING: ★★★★☆

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This book came highly recommended for such a long time, and I finally read it. I have to be honest, I did not love this book as much as everyone else did. I found it a little tedious to read, but I still wanted to find out what happened to the characters. I really enjoyed the ending, it made the rest of the story better for me!

RATING: ★★★☆☆

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I added a retelling of Rebecca to my TBR list, then I realized that it has been way too long since I had actually read it. So, I grabbed a copy from our local bookstore and dove in ASAP. I think I was too young to really appreciate Rebecca the first time I read it, but it is just a really good book…and probably one of the reasons for my love of thrillers and suspense novels.

RATING: ★★★★☆

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian

I enjoyed this story for the most part. It wasn’t something that I couldn’t put down, but I really wanted to know how the story ended. There is a lot of magical realism in the story, so make sure you go into the story with that in mind. I think it would be shocking and maybe even ruin the story for you if you’re not expecting it. All in all this one was enjoyable enough and the writing is really good.

RATING: ★★★☆☆

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

I don’t have a lot to say about this book, nor did I give it a rating. While it has really good reviews and I wanted to know the ending, there are things in this story that really made me dislike it.

RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Another YA novel that drew me in because the cover is really beautiful. This one was really unique and I enjoyed it in the end, but I do think I was a little old for it. However, there are some pretty graphic scenes in this one for a YA novel. There was a sort-of twist in the story that I wasn’t expecting and I ended up enjoying this one!

RATING: ★★★☆☆

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

This is another recommendation that someone gave me, knowing that I love thrillers. I really enjoyed The Mother-in-Law, but I wouldn’t really classify it as a thriller. To me, it falls more in a family drama/suspense category. There’s a lot about family dynamics in the story and in the end it is quite an emotional story.

RATING: ★★★★☆

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

This book has been sitting on my TBR list for the longest time, and it was available with no wait on Libby, so I had to finally check it off. There is so much packed into this novel, and Kiley Reid’s writing fully immerses you into the story. I’ll admit that it wasn’t one that I expected to read so quickly, but I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend reading this one if you haven’t!

RATING: ★★★★☆

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

I absolutely loved reading Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic, so of course I was going to read Magic Lessons. This was my least favorite of her books, sadly. It has rave reviews, but I struggled to get through some of it. When I finally finished it, I was glad that I read it and enjoyed having more backstory for the Owens women. There is another book coming out in the series this fall and I’m sure I’ll be reading it as well!

RATING: ★★★☆☆

One by One by Ruth Ware

One more Ruth Ware novel for this list, and this one was just ok for me. I enjoyed it more than The Woman in Cabin 10, but it wasn’t quite what I had hoped for from Ruth Ware. It’s a good enough quick read but it lacks something that her other books have.

RATING: ★★☆☆☆