How is it already April? It’s the busiest time of year for me in normal years, but add in dance competition season and my son’s upcoming high school graduation, and I’m a mess! I have goals to get caught up on my review writing in the coming weeks so we’ll see what that actually looks like. Wish me luck.
Weather is getting warm, days are longer and beach reads are hitting the shelves just in time for the summer season. This month sees a lot of books from some of our favorite beach read authors.
I’m excited to head to Vegas at the end of the month for a work trip. I may actually get a little reading time in while I’m there!
Alright, well let’s dive in. Here are my top ten most anticipated books releases for April! Don’t forget to check out my honorable mention list at the end and leave a comment letting me know what you are looking forward to the most!
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (April 2)
I’ve only read Yours Truly, but I really enjoyed it, so I’m excited to see a new book coming out by her. Her rom-com came across a little differently than the others, and I wasn’t as annoyed by it as I am with some. I’m always looking for some type of good summer time reading. This year it looks like I’ll have two. BLURB: Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (April 2)
I already have a bunch of her books on my TBR list, so in the grand scheme of things, what’s one more? BLURB: Lights. Camera. Lies. Eighteen-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on. But the case is dredged up from the past when the Price family agrees to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again. Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn’t sure it’s real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And—could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . .
Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer (April 2)
There are a few words and phrases that pique my interest when I see them referenced in a book description, and one of them is “post-apocalyptic.” Do tell me more….BLURB: Seventeen-year-old Mara is dead—mostly. Infected with a virus that brought the dead back to life and the world to its knees, she wakes up in a facility to learn a treatment for the disease has been found. No longer a Tick, Mara is placed in an experimental resettlement program. But her recovery is complicated by her destination: she’s sent to live with the best friend she hasn’t seen since the world ended—and since their first and only kiss. Seventeen-year-old Rory is alive—barely. With impaired mobility from an injury and a dead sister, Rory’s nightmares are just as monstrous as the Ticks that turned her former best friend. Even after the Island—one of a handful of surviving communities—rebuilds itself, Rory is prepared for the Ticks to return at any time. She never expected them to come in the form of the only girl she’s ever loved. As the girls struggle with their pasts and the people they’ve become, and with the Island’s fragile peace in the balance, Rory and Mara must lean on each other to survive—or risk losing the girl they love all over again.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (April 9)
This book has been on my radar since I went to an author event with Leigh Bardugo last year. I’m literally sitting on an audible credit so I can get it when it’s released! There is a historical fiction aspect, clearly, to the plot, but it’s a time period and a culture that I’m intrigued by. I really hope that it lives up to my expectations. BLURB: In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen―and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive―even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr (April 9)
Honestly, I don’t really know how I stumbled across this book, but many and I so interested in learning more about it, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s just that it’s so different from everything I’ve been reading lately. Regardless, definitely on my top list for April. BLURB: Clayton Stumper might be in his twenties, but he dresses like your grandpa and fusses like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists and now finds himself among the last survivors of a fading institution. When the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in Clayton’s life, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle on him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for life beyond the walls of the commune. So begins Clay’s quest to uncover the secrets surrounding his birth, secrets that will change Clay—and the Fellowship—forever.
Ghost Station by SA Barnes (April 9)
I’m a secret sci-fi fan. I’m proud to admit it. I don’t read a lot, and I’m basically a snob about what I do read, but this one really caught my eye. I haven’t read a good space book lately, so this may be exactly what I’ve been looking for. BLURB: An abandoned plant. A hidden past. A deadly danger. Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS―the most famous case of which resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. It's personal to her, and when she's assigned to a small exploration crew who recently suffered the tragic death of a colleague, she wants to help. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something. And Ophelia's crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizers' hasty departure than opening up to her. That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting―a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something even more sinister? Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by…and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.
The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams (April 9)
I’ll admit that The Reading List still sits on my shelf unread as part of my reading list, but I’m loving the synopsis of this new book. I don’t have a green thumb myself, but there is something amazing and magical about gardens. BLURB: In a small pocket of London, between the houses of No.77 and No.79 Eastbourne Road, lies a neglected community garden. It was a beautiful thing once, a little oasis in a bustling city for neighbors by day and the local foxes at twilight. Now it’s overgrown and neglected, an empty patch of greenery lost to time. Once a sanctuary, the garden’s gate is now firmly closed. And that’s exactly how Winston at No.79 likes it – anything to avoid Bernice, who has moved in next door with her young son. Their houses may share the garden, but they’re not exactly neighborly. But then a mysterious parcel drops on Winston’s doormat. It contains no note, only a bundle of photographs of the garden in bloom many years ago—vibrant with flowers, filled with people from every corner of the community. Is someone trying to tell them something? The seed of an idea is planted…
The One that Got Away with Murder by Trish Lundy (April 16)
Ok, so this one I read back in August or September. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. CLICK HERE to read my full review of it. BLURB: Robbie and Trevor Cresmont have a body count―the killer kind. Handsome and privileged, the Crestmont brothers have enough wealth to ensure they’ll never be found guilty of any wrongdoing, even if all of Happy Valley believes they're behind the deaths of their ex-girlfriends. First there was soccer star Victoria Moreno, Robbie’s ex, who mysteriously drowned at the family lake house. Then, a year later, Trevor’s girlfriend died of a suspicious overdose. But the Crestmonts aren’t the only ones with secrets. Lauren O'Brian might be the new girl at school, but she's never been a good girl. With a dark past of her own, she's desperate for a fresh start. Except when she starts a no-strings-attached relationship with Robbie, her chance is put in jeopardy. During what’s meant to be their last weekend together, Lauren stumbles across shocking evidence that just might implicate Robbie. With danger closing in, Lauren doesn't know who to trust. And after a third death rocks the town, she must decide whether to end things with Robbie or risk becoming another cautionary tale.
Funny Story by Emily Henry (April 23)
This is the second of my beach reads coming on this month. I have read 3 of Henry’s books and we are currently at a 66% approval rate. Hopefully with this one, it’ll move up to 75%. BLURB: Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads —Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them? But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (April 23)
It’s set in the 1980s! It’s about food! That should really be all I need to say to validate my placement of this book on my list! BLURB: Stella reached for an oyster, tipped her head, and tossed it back. It was cool and slippery, the flavor so briny it was like diving into the ocean. Oysters, she thought. Where have they been all my life? When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes. Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and for the first time in her life Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress—and embarks on an adventure. Her first stop: the iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces Stella to a veritable who’s who of the Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, she begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life. As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed” at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home.
I’m super excited about my top ten this month. Don’t forget to check out these amazing honorable mentions.
Husbands by Holly Gram (April 2)
Old Flames, New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle (April 2)
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez (April 2)
The Garden by Clare Beams (April 9)
While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi (April 16)
Dark Parts of the Universe by Samuel Miller (April 23)
Ocean’s Godori by Elaine Cho (April 23)
The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson (April 30)
Real Americans by Rachel Kong (April 30)
Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!
Website for book lovers: www.azdesertbookworm.com It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small businesses and more! I update it at least once a week! I also have a lot of content on my Instagram! Check it out - @azdesert_bookworm
Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!
If you are really bored, you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers, commentating on professional wrestling shows and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.