Ready, Set, Read!: May Wrap Up!

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! Today I'll be wrapping up May. May was half busy and half relaxed for me, and overall a good month personally, professionally, and reading-wise!

Without further ado, here are the 9 books I read in May!

The Play by Karina Halle

Goodreads

The Play was a big old "oof." Unfortunately, I didn't like this one at all. I had high hopes, considering that this was from the same series as The Pact and The Offer, both of which I enjoyed, and the same author as Smut, which I read a couple years back and really liked. For me, The Play was about 200 pages too long, clocking in at 568 pages. Personally, that's way too long for a contemporary romance, and most of it was just angst and the same conflict happening again and again. By the end of the novel, I was tired of reading about these characters, and even started to talk back to the audiobook. The performances of the narrators weren't amazing either, with the Scottish accent all over the place.

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

Goodreads

I had my eye on Meet Cute for quite some time, and was glad when I finally picked it up this May! Meet Cute wasn't my favorite romance ever, but it was a solid foray, and I'll be reading more of Helena Hunting in the future. The novel read more like general fiction with a heavy romance sub-plot, though. Don't get me wrong, it was written well, it just wasn't what I was expecting, and I wish the promotion and the synopsis more accurately represented the novel.

Mr. President by Katy Evans

Goodreads

Mr. President was my second audiobook of the month, and I quite enjoyed it! I haven't picked up the sequel, though I do plan to. It had been a couple months since I finished the TV show Scandal, and I had no clue that I was hankering for some entertainment about a forbidden romance with the president, or in this case, a presidential hopeful. Like, I really want to go back and watch Scandal again, but just for Fitz and Olivia. Mr. President gave me those same vibes, and I look forward to continuing with the series.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Goodreads

The Bride Test is Helen Hoang's follow up to her knock-out novel, The Kiss Quotient. It's always hard to follow up on what is undoubtedly many people's favorite romance of last year. Though I didn't enjoy The Bride Test as much as The Kiss Quotient, and that may have been in part because I was reading via audiobook and it took me a bit longer to read, The Bride Test is a solid romance novel. I just didn't connect with it as much as I was hoping.

Rush by Maya Banks

Goodreads

I'm going to have to do a whole discussion post of this, because Rush was one big hot mess. I don't think it's okay to romanticize a clearly emotionally abusive relationship, and one that teeters on physical and sexual abuse as well. There is literally a scene in which the male protagonist describes a sexual encounter with Mia, the female protagonist, as "rape." After that, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, one that never went away when combined with all the other disconcerting behaviors, actions, and directions this novel goes.

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

Goodreads

After the mess that was Rush, I decided to hop into a more light-hearted romance novel that I received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Fix Her Up was the first novel I've read from Tessa Bailey, and it certainly won't be my last. Fix Her Up had a great message about standing up and believing in your skills, intelligence, and your dreams. It was exactly what I wanted to read, and the wonderful romance didn't hurt either!

Right Swipe by Alisa Rai

Goodreads

I also got an e-arc of The Right Swipe via Netgalley. Much like Fix Her Up, I really enjoyed The Right Swipe! The chemistry between the two leads, Rhiannon and Samson, was on point. I also loved the diversity and focus on woman empowerment. While it did take more a bit longer than usual to warm up to the protagonists, I eventually was hard-core rooting for them.

Unexpected by Kelly Rimmer

Goodreads

Unexpected was also an arc I read this month! I read a lot of arcs at the end of the month, y'all. Unexpected is a friend to lovers romance that starts of with the protagonist learning that she has to get pregnant ASAP if she wants kids. The book was pretty fun and the chemistry was definitely there, but I do think the two main characters acted juvenile at times, making me scratch my head if they were mature enough to have a child.

Twice in A Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

Goodreads

Twice in A Blue Moon is the upcoming release from Christina Lauren. Christina Lauren is one of my favorite authors, and they didn't disappoint in their upcoming release. The plot and writing were amazing, but I do have a little issue with the structure of the novel, which I'll get into more when I write my full review, which should be up closer to the October publication date.

Life Update!

Summer is now in full swing for me! I have started working at a local Harris Teeter. I wouldn't say the job is great by any means, but it's nice to get some money over the summer, and the professional experience is a plus. I also interviewed at an indie bookstore, and that went really well. I got the impression that the bookstore has wonderful opportunities, and a space that I could really thrive in. Hopefully they feel the same! I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm just going to keep my mouth shut until I hear back from them.

Besides that, not much is happening! I'm about to start cleaning out my room and making more plans with friends for a more productive and socially active June!