Hi everybody, happy May and welcome to my April wrap up!
My April was a bit skewed reading wise because I got sick and since I couldn’t focus enough on books, I actually watched a lot more TV than I read. Which is fine actually, I’m feeling better now and back to reading 🙂 So without further ado, let’s dive into my wrap-up!
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
I finally read my first full-length Abby Jimenez novel! And I finished it in 2 days, which is definitely already telling you how much I enjoyed it. I did have a few nitpicks, but overall I found this was an amazing balance of romance and depth, of swoons and introspection and all the emotions.
Rating: 4 stars | Read full review
Powerless by Lauren Roberts (The Powerless Trilogy #1)
Was this the most original read ever? No.
Was the worldbuilding the best? Also not really.
But OH BOY THE ROMANCE!! The banter! The swoons! The things Kai says and thinks *heart eyes*
And there was hardly even a kiss in here…
So am I beyond excited to read book 2 when it releases? YES PLEASE!
Rating: 4 stars
Always Practice Safe Hex (Stay A Spell #4)
While I am loving this paranormal romance series, I have to admit this has been my least favorite installment so far. I just didn’t connect with Livvy and Gareth as much as I did the other couples. I’m guessing because it was very lusty/steamy from the very beginning and I usually prefer a bit more slow burn romance first, steam afterwards.
Rating: 3,5 stars
Resting Witch Face by Juliette Cross (Stay A Spell #5)
Still continuing my read of the Stay A Spell series and this fifth installment finally focused on Jules and Ruben, whose story I’ve been anticipating since book one. I really enjoyed this second chance romance. Honestly, I already can’t remember much about the side plot, but the romance plot was *chef’s kiss*.
Rating: 4 stars
Top Ten Tuesday
April Showers: Rainy Day Reads
The 10 Latest Books Added To My TBR
Characters I’d Like To Go On Vacation With
Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon
Can’t Wait Wednesday
Play Along by Liz Tomforde {Can’t Wait Wednesday}
WWW Wednesday
WWW Wednesday: 3 April 2024
WWW Wednesday: 24 April 2024
Taylor Swift – I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
If I said I listened to anything other than The Tortured Poets Department this month, I’d mostly be lying. That said, I haven’t even dived into The Anthology yet, so I still have a lot of songs to discover, but here’s one of my (many) faves from TTPD. Others are Fortnight, TTPD, Down Bad, But Daddy I Love Him, Guilty as Sin, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me and The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. What are your faves?
Since I was sick this month, I spent my time watching A LOT of TV and movies. Here’s a quick summary and one sentence reviews:
Irish Wish: A fun rom-com with Lindsay Lohan that was enjoyable, predictable and cheesy fun.
Fabbricante de Lacrime / The Tearsmith: Teenage me would have loved this and to be fair, adult me was also swooning with the forbidden romance.
Love at First Sight: Never read the book but highly enjoyed the movie, loved the romance and the emotional depth.
My Happy Marriage: I loved the romance part, but when the second half became more fantasy-filled I lost interest a bit.
Nimona: MY NEW FAVORITE, OKAY? I JUST LOVED THIS SO MUCH!
Rebel Moon Part Two: Scargiver: Too many ‘epic’ slow-motion scenes and super cringey lines, but oh well I am invested and will watch any future parts.
Love and Monsters: Such a fun adventure movie that reminded me how much I miss Dylan O’Brien’s era.
Romance is a Bonus Book: This was maybe my FIFTH rewatch and this remains the SHOW OF MY HEART AND SOUL. For more, check my review.
As I mentioned above, I got sick with an infection to my airways (symptoms very similar to COVID, but I tested negative to that, so just something similar) early April and I stayed home from work for a week. It was the first time I missed work due to sickness in about 7 years so that already says something about how badly I felt. But while I went back to work a week later, my full recuperation dragged on – it took about 3 weeks before I felt back to normal and all symptoms were gone.
So my month was definitely impacted by that, but despite that there were still some good highlights too!
THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY THIS MONTH:
- I went on a weekend trip with my BFF to Maastricht in the Netherlands (and yes, of course we visited the Dominicanen bookstore inside of a church!). Despite me still not feeling 100%, we made the best of it and had a great time.
- I found back my wedding ring! I lost it in November and was devastated. But when we were cutting down some big grasses in our front garden (next to our driveway), all of a sudden my ring was lying there! I guess it slipped of my finger when I got out of the car, probably while taking off my gloves. Either way, I’m beyond happy I have it back!
- Listening to The Tortured Poets Department non-stop.
- My husband and I went to a fancy restaurant to celebrate our dating anniversary and it was delicious.
- I dyed my hair back to brown, so no more red. I’ve been dying my hair red since I was about 17 (with a short interlude during lockdown) and all of a sudden it just didn’t feel right anymore. So I went back to brown and so far I’m very happy with it!
THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:
- Next week, I’m going to Disneyland Paris with my family-in-law. Honestly, I may be more excited than the kids 😉
- Bridgerton Season 3 is almost here!
- The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren is almost here too!
- A few long weekends spread throughout the month of May due to some public holidays.
How was your April? What did you read? What did you listen to and what did you watch? What are you looking forward to in May?
So glad you’re feeling better! I also don’t take a lot of sick days from work (it had been years before since I took one this March), but sometimes we really need it! Hooray for finding your wedding ring – what good luck! I can’t wait to hear about Disneyland Paris – I’m so jealous!!
Thanks! So true, sometimes we do need the sick days and then it’s best to just take them and recuperate. Thanks, I just got back from Disneyland and had a blast!
Ooh, thanks for the honest review on Powerless! I’ve been attracted to it every time I see it, but I care a lot more for worldbuilding than romance plots. I might be skipping it–or putting it off to a time when I just want to zone out! Glad you’re feeling better!
Thanks! My full review for Powerless is scheduled for Friday, but I would indeed not recommend it if you’re in it more for the worldbuilding than the romance. It’s a fun read, but the worldbuilding was rather unclear and all over the place.
I haven’t read any of these but got both Powerless and Abby’s books on my TBR.
I haven’t seen any of those shows/movies except for Love and Monsters and I agree with you 100%
Yat that you found your wedding ring.. yay for Disneyland Paris as well.
Thanks so much, hope you’ll love Powerless and Abby’s books!
Not being able to read while sick is like a double whammy. So unfair. I get knocked down hard with respiratory viruses and it takes me ages to fully recover. Hope you have a fantastic time at Disneyland Paris!
It’s indeed such a double whammy! Thanks, I just got back from Disney and had a blast 🙂
Glad you’ve recovered! I only read four books last month and have been listening to TTPD non-stop too 😊.
Thanks! Looks like we had similar months reading and music-wise then 🙂