All of the Books I Read in May

If April was a month of reading ruts and new releases, May was definitely a month of making a dent in my reading list and getting back into a reading rhythm.

In all, I finished seven books.

I really enjoyed all of the books I read this month. I finished books in a few different categories from contemporary to fantasy and historical fiction (which I’m dying to read more of).

June is a busy month but I’m hoping to finish up a few series, some books on creativity and read some short stories in the midst of it all.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling

Are you tired of seeing HP pop up on these lists each month? I’m two books away from finishing my reread of this season and I’m loving it. I will say, book 5 is not my favorite in the series. (HP fans –tell me your favorite book and movie in the comments!)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This book has been on the New York Times best sellers list since it released and for good reason. Everyone of every age needs to read this book. The writing is wonderful, you will fall madly in love with the characters and their hardships and find yourself beyond emotionally attached to the story. Based on events within the Black Lives Matter movement, I couldn’t imagine a more timely fictional novel. I also cannot believe this is a debut novel?!

I will add —trigger warnings for murder, violence and police brutality.

Alex & Eliza by Melissa De La Cruz

Anyone else still obsessively playing the Hamilton soundtrack and mixtape on the regular? Anyone who hands me anything remotely Hamilton related, I’ll read. This was an adorably charming story of the romance between Alexander and Eliza Hamilton. If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted read with boss female characters (given the times), pick up Alex & Eliza.

Startup by Doree Shafir

Talk about timely books! Startup takes a raw (and somewhat satirical) look into millennial and start up culture. Where offices are more about green juice and meditation workshops than corporate titles and office structure. The plot of this book is good, but the characters are what kept me reading. The open, honest look into not only millennial career culture, but of complex women is spot on. These characters are real people, I feel like I know them and I’m craving more from them daily.

Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han

I’ve loved every book in this series and was so excited when I found out there would be a third! While this wasn’t my favorite of the books in this trilogy, I thought the ending was perfect for these characters. Everyone got a fair, resolute ending and that’s truly all I ask for with series. I read this in one day so grab this book on a rainy day or flight where you’re looking for something sweet and charming.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Rene Ahdieh

I’ve been wanting to get into this series for a while, especially with this author releasing the first book in a new series last month. For the first 50-75 pages, I wasn’t sure I was going to love this book. It’s a retelling of 1001 Nights, so you have to suspend a bit of disbelief. Once I was over that hump, I was hooked. HOOKED hard, guys! And the ending…let’s just say I have never ordered a sequel faster in my life. I can’t wait to finish this series out.

The Takedown by Corrie Wang

Ended this month with a contemporary read set in NYC where technology is everything and life is lived almost completely in the cloud. It’s scary how hard it wasn’t for me to picture a society controlled completely by technology. In this read, our main character is framed in a fake sex tape which has been edited to make it look like she hooked up with her teacher. It’s a great exploration of how far reaching our relationships with tech go, high school friendships and the impact that growing up online has on teens. The writing was a bit hard for me to get into but I did enjoy this book and gave it 3.75 stars.

Tell me what you’re currently reading or what books you finished last month in the comments.

As always, you can follow me on Goodreads to check on what I’m reading, want to read or wrapping up before it hits the blog.