Phew, what a month! I’m not sure how much sun we saw in March, but if April does shower, I sure hope I can live to see the May flowers… One of the bright sides to the rain was the extra hours for reading! March was a record reading month for me, and I was surprised to find that I enjoyed nearly everything I picked up.
The Measure – 5 Stars! (5 Hearts)
One day, the world wakes up to find a small wooden box on their doorstep with a string that measures the exact number of years left of their life. Where did the boxes come from? Do people want to know how long they have left to live? What will they do with this knowledge?
Becca brought this book to my attention last fall, and oh boy this would be a fantastic book club selection! Lots to dissect and questions to ponder.
I loved the dystopian vibe, it’s been a long time since I’ve read one. There was an extensive cast of characters and points of view (7), but she introduces them slowly and I loved how their stories came full circle and intertwined.
The Measure was bingeable, compelling, endearing, and incredibly thought provoking. It made me wonder, would I look at my string? Would it hold me back? Or would it encourage me to let go of the things that don’t matter? Would it give me the courage to truly live, or would I end up living in fear?
This was a fantastic debut novel that I would recommend to all readers, but especially college graduates. It’s just enough far-fetched that allows you to think “what if,” without being (too) angry at the world.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It – 4 Stars! (3 Hearts)
Opening line: “It’s a widely known fact that most moms are ready to kill someone by eight thirty A.M. on any given morning.” AMEN. When Finlay Donovan meets her editor at Panera to discuss her upcoming book idea, an eavesdropping woman mistakes her for a contract killer and hires her to dispose of her husband.
This book was so much fun! I loved the idea of a misunderstood conversation turning into a hired contract hit by a single mom. It reminded me of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels in some ways, but this had a fresh taste and Finlay and Vero had a way of making me laugh. Vero made the best sidekick, and Finlay found herself with two hunky love interests (yes, I wanted her to have both).
It had predictable, that-would-never-happen-in-real-life moments, but it was a fun, light-hearted murder mystery that made me smile and laugh out loud on occasion.
If you’re looking for a fun change of pace, give this one a try!
The Sea of Tranquility – 4 Stars! (4 Hearts)
Two Truths and a Lie:
“My name is Nastya Kashnikov.
I was a piano-playing prodigy who doesn’t belong anywhere near an Intro to Music class.
I was murdered two and a half years ago.”
This book sat on my bookshelf for EIGHT years! It was my most desired read, but I avoided reading it because I was so afraid that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. It’s funny to me, because I’m quite confident that it would have been a 6-star favorite if I had read it 5-10 years ago. I’m a different person now and I missed the connection with Nastya.
There’s not a lot more that I can say without spoiling the book, but I hope I can be better about reading books in the future as they come into my life.
Running Wild – 5 Stars! (5 Hearts)
Here’s another one that I had been hesitant to read for fear it wouldn’t be as good as The Simple Wild, but boy was I wrong! I was not a fan of Marie in the previous books. She was the rough best friend of Jonah and she was an immediate threat to Calla. But in Running Wild, I truly felt for her and her unrequited love. What The Simple Wild did for a rugged Alaskan bush pilot, Running Wild did with an elusive, strongheaded Iditarod musher.
I never knew I wanted to learn about the Iditarod race, but I really enjoyed it. A number of one-liners had me laughing out loud, a dysfunctional family, an uber sexy hero (that I loved, hated & ultimately loved again), and characters in their late 30’s led me to love this one! Highly recommend for romance readers, but you’ll definitely want to read The Simple Wild first.
One Italian Summer – 4 Stars (4 Hearts)
One Italian Summer was introduced to me on the Get Lit(erate) Podcast on Books that Bend Time and Hearts and I was very intrigued! I also included it on my Travel and Summer book lists.
Katy lost her mom weeks before they were scheduled to take a trip to Positano, a place that was beloved to Katy’s mom – a place she wanted to share with Katy. Reeling from the loss and struggling with her marriage and job, Katy decides to take the trip alone in hope she’ll find some answers to her life questions. When she arrives, she finds her mom there, but not the one who passed, the one who lived their 30 years prior, the one that doesn’t know Katy even exists.
Oh boy this book transported me to Positano, Italy and the Amalfi Coast and I immediately added it to my Travel List! The food, the scenery, it all sounds so “other worldly” and I can’t wait to visit someday.
Although the magical element is abrupt and unexplained, I enjoyed it and didn’t need to question the validity of it. I enjoyed the vacation piece of the story, but found her real-life timeline less desirable. I struggled to connect with her and her husband’s marriage and didn’t really want them to succeed.
In the end this story helped me to think about many things in life… Do we have the right to judge or criticize our parents’ choices and decisions? Aren’t we all just doing the best we can at the time with the information we’re given? Our years are numbered, try not to fight about things that don’t matter in the end.
Two Wrongs Make a Right – 4 Stars! (3 Hearts)
This was a fun and refreshing take on enemies-to-lovers and fake-dating that starts off with a meet-disaster. We have neurodiverse characters – an autistic heroine and a hero with lifelong anxiety. We also have inclusion and representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Jamie and Bea had great communication and discussed things that were important to who they were. I will admit that it took WAY too long to get to our first action scene and they talked a lot during it, which was a bit of a letdown. While I loved the majority of the story, I struggled with the quarrel and the reason for reuniting. Jamie made a fantastic book beau – “I don’t see you differently. I see you better.”
Lucky Broken Girl – 4 Stars! (4 Hearts)
I also discovered this one from Get Lit(erate) podcast episode on 5 Heart Books and read it aloud to my 11 year old daughter.
Poor Ruthie was in a terrible car accident that left her in a body cast for a year. She barely speaks English, just immigrated with her family from Cuba, and just wants to play outside with the other kids in her neighborhood. I felt so incredibly sad for Ruthie and her mom. I wanted to crawl into the book and save her. I loved the variety of diverse characters that Ruthie meets while she’s stuck in bed and the lessons they helped teach her. I was excited that this was a Own Voices story set in the 1960’s.
Slow – 4 Stars! (3 Hearts)
This was my second Brooke McAlary book, and I really enjoyed it. I was able to find a digital copy through my library, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had a physical copy.
The most meaningful takeaway I had actually came from the beginning of the book… What would your eulogy say if you were to write it today? Now, what would you WANT it to say? Is that how you’re living your life?
It definitely got me thinking about mine!
Looking for more book recommendations? Check out all of my book posts here!
What was your last 5 star book?
Becca @ Life’s A Pearl
Look at all those books and all 4+ stars!!! Wow 🤩 You had a great reading month! I’m so glad you loved The Measure and Running Wild and even Slow. My last 5 star read was The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell.