April 2017 Wrap Up: The Month In Books

Hello Everyone!

It is May and so many aspects of my life feel a little unstable and I am strangely anxious. But before we delve into all that (this Sunday), happy Wednesday and let’s do a quick recap of the month in books, April 2017.

Last month I read six books, four mysteries, one fantasy and a literary fiction. I will share in order of when I read the book and give a mini review.

Fairytale: The Novel by Hope Pennington

I read Fairytale with my friends in the Writerly Yours Book Bloggers Club. This is a fun easy read. The reading was slow for me because I was doing a readalong with the group and so I managed to stretch reading this short book over the course of three weeks.

This was a fantasy novel, where Sean Williams a ‘happy-go-lazy’ teenager is into an epic fairytale. 3 stars.

Dangerous To Know (Natalie King Forensic Psychiatrist #2) by Anne Buist

I loved this one. So many twists and turns with interesting and disturbed characters.  This is book two in a series, and I must confess, I did not realise this when I requested the book on NetGalley. But for a book two, Dangerous To Know   was fantastic.

Here’s why, unlike other writers, Anne Buist did not fill her book two with constant reminders of what  happened in book one. The reader is shown that Natalie King, our troubled heroine is recovering from a mental breakdown, and is being treated for her bipolar following a severe depressive episode. The details of why isn’t immediately forced and constantly rehashed. But instead the focus of book two is so separated from whatever was in book one (I didn’t read book one)  it felt so fresh, so fast paced and chilling.

I gave this a solid 4 stars. And I hope there is a book three soon, after book three I will read the first book.

The Lost Children (Detective Lucy Harwin #1) by Helen Phifer

After riding high off reading Dangerous To Know, I jumped right into another mystery. This one police procedural mystery and sadly this one was bad. I cannot recommend.  I gave it 2 stars because one the premise of interesting, the writing was decent and I finished the book. But the mystery itself was too predictable.

This is a new series and I am willing to give Helen Phifer a second try. I was drawn to the fact that it was a new series and that the lead was woman.

Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica

Mary Kubica books are always hyped up and Every Last Lie is no exception. On Goodreads the blurb reads:

New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL, Mary Kubica is back with another exhilarating thriller as a widow’s pursuit of the truth leads her to the darkest corners of the psyche. 

Now this wasn’t thrilling and after reading all of the other Mary Kubica novels, her novels are never thrilling.  Mary Kubica writes novels that are suspenseful and creepy and always a slow burn. And she is able to delve into and really bring to life to little hard to describe and often ignored feelings of insecurity and uncertainties that can fester and lead us to believe the worst.

Every Last Lie is the story is of Clara Solberg’s grieving her husband’s death and all the pain, anguish and scariness left in the wake of his passing. A good twisty slow burn suspense mystery, I gave it 3.5 stars.

The One by John Marrs

Now this was an exhilarating thriller. The One by John Marrs was amazing. 4 stars. The novel is a republication of the book, A Thousand Small Explosions. The publication date is this week, May 4, 2017. This book has fun sci-fi elements that were so interesting.

Here is the premise: 

A quick DNA test to find your perfect partner – the one you’re genetically made for.  A decade after scientists discover everyone has a gene they share with just one other person, millions have taken the test, desperate to find true love. Now, five more people meet their Match. But even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking – and deadlier – than others…

Told in very short chapters the narrative follows five persons, Nick, Christopher, Jade, Ellie, Mandy, as they explore their new found DNA proven perfect partner. They have been DNA matched and no spoliers but this was so amazing. I devoured this book, 416 pages long in one sitting. I could not put it down.

There is no way of guessing the ending, this was a truly satisfying psychological thriller.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

The Mothers was my favourite book for April 2017.  And it was a wish come true. Let me explain. On NetGalley, there are books marked read now, where you select the book and receive it immediately, then, there are those that are available for request and a publisher can say yes or no to that request, and there is also a third option of make a wish.

I wished for The Mothers in late 2016 and to be completely honest I thought I was never going to get it.

Thank you, Riverhead Books for granting me my wish. I will now get my own hard copy. The Mothers so good. Another solid 4 stars.  The story structure, narration and characters reminded me of a Toni Morrison novel, however, the writing and the voice was distinct and cannot wait to read more from Brit Bennett. I am going do a full review and attempt to be spoiler free next week.

Overall for 2017, I have read 27 of the 80 books I pledged to read this year. April 2017 was a great reading month for the quality of the books I read, I enjoyed all the books. It was below average in terms of number of novels I read. But somehow I find that I am reading slower these days.

What about you guys? What was your favourite book in April 2017?