Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

Over the past two months, I have read some phenomenal books! Most of the books I’ve read thus far are new releases that I was highly anticipating, and most of them did not disappoint!

The first book I read in May was PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry. I was a HUGE fan of Emily Henry’s 2020 release, BEACH READ, so I had very high expectations for her most recent book. While I enjoyed PWMOV, it wasn’t quite as fantastic as her previous book. Although, it was still an incredibly fun and sweet summer read! You can check out my full review for this book here. I rated this book 4.25/5 stars!

The second book I read in May was THE HUNTING WIVES by May Cobb. I participated in a blog tour for this book, and I’m so glad I did, or else I probably would have never picked it up! You can read my full review for this book here. I rated this book 4/5 stars! Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing me with an eARC.

The third book I read in May was SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE by Tia Williams. Currently, this is my top favourite book of 2021! This book was unbelievably good, everything from the writing to the characters and plot was absolutely fantastic. You can read my full review for this book here. Obviously, I rated this book 5/5 stars! Thanks to HBG Canada for sending me a finished copy of this beautiful book!

The first book I read in the month of June was THE KIND WORTH KILLING by Peter Swanson. I had such high expectations for this thriller, as I had heard so many fantastic opinions on it. However, I really didn’t enjoy this one. I was expecting a very wild and twisty ending, and while there are some crazy twists, the ending was kind of “blah” for me. I rated this novel 2/5 stars.

The second book I read in June was ONE LAST STOP by Casey McQuiston. Similarly to the previous book I shared, this book was another very disappointing read. I loved McQuiston’s 2019 release, RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE, so I was anticipating another very fun and diverse romance. However, I found this book to be very dull and long. You can check out my full review for this book here. I rated it 2/5 stars.

The third book I read in June was LAST SUMMER AT THE GOLDEN HOTEL by Elyssa Friedland. This book blew all of my expectations away! I loved it so much, and I truly I had no idea that I was going to love it so much. This book revolves around the catskills in New York, which my parents enjoyed when they were very young. I had never read a book that took place in the catskills, so I had such a fun time reading and discussing this book with my parents. I rated this book 5/5 stars, and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for a great summer read full of fun and family drama!

The final book I read in June was THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides. Michaelides’ debut novel, THE SILENT PATIENT, was one of my favourite books of 2020. While I didn’t love this one as much as his first novel, I still really enjoyed it! The twists and turns (especially the final twist at the end) were truly shocking and crazy. All of the plot twists were very unpredictable, so the shock value was very high. I rated this book 4/5 stars!

Those are all of the books I read during the months of May and June! What is the best book you’ve read recently?

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

Every year, I find that January is always the longest month of the entire year. Even though we have been stuck in our houses since last March, it still feels like this January was the longest month of all. I got quite a bit of reading completed for the first-half of the month, however, I probably could have read double the amount if I had read consistently during the last two-weeks of January (you can blame George Springer for that!).

The first book I read this year was SHOCKINGLY a 5-star read! The title of the book is MILK FED, written by Melissa Broder. Every year for the past three years, I have managed to read my least favourite book of the year as my first book of the year. Thankfully, that curse has now been broken by this wonderful book. My review will be going up tomorrow, so I am going to save my opinions for tomorrow’s post. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

The second book I read in January was EVERY LAST FEAR by Alex Finlay. I feel like this book is getting a lot of pre-release hype – similarly to THE SILENT PATIENT (one of my absoulte favourite books) – but, I do feel like it is earned! My review for this book will be up on it’s release date, but I will say that I really enjoyed it! Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

The third book I read this month was A GOOD MARRIAGE by Kimberly McCreight. I have been wanting to read this book ever sense it released last year, but I am currently on a small book-buying ban, which entails only buying/pre-ordering new releases I am excited to read. For any backlists books that I am interested in, I will be getting them from the library for the foreseeable future, because if I really wanted to purchase them, I would have done so already. Anywho, back to this book! I really, really loved it! I am a huge domestic mystery/thriller fan, and this book was absolutely perfect for me! I loved the characters, the plot, and the twists and turns. I did not see the end twist coming, which made for a 4.5 star rating for me!

The fourth book I read this month was ALBATROSS by Terry Fallis. This one was recommended in a recent Ariel Bissett video, and since I typically love her book recommendations, I decided to try this one out. While I am glad I read it, I wouldn’t recommend it to everybody. I really enjoyed the beginning of this novel, where the main character begins his adventures in golf, but by the end, I thought that it was dragging on. Overall, I gave this book a 3-star rating.

The fifth book I read this month was INDIAN HORSE by Richard Wagamese. I read this book for my “Education Re-Imagined” course, and I am SO glad I read it. This book broke my heart in some sections, and lifted me up in others. I had a lot of previous knowledge about Residential Schooling in Canada, but this book shared much more graphic details about the horrible abuse and trauma children experienced, and how it changed their lives as they grew up and out of the schools. This book should be required reading, especially if you live in Canada.

The final book I read this month was SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut. I read this book for my mandatory “Intro to English Literature” course, and unfortunately, it was not for me. I found the story structure a bit too confusing and complex for me, especially because I am very used to reading linear stories in prose narrative. However, I am still glad I read it, since this book was quite the adventure! Overall, I rated it 2.25/5-stars.

In January, I read about half of one of my favourite books of all-time, BASEBALL LIFE ADVICE by Stacey May Fowles. If you aren’t already aware, along with reading, Baseball is my second passion/hobby. I am a huge baseball “nut”, and look forward to watching and attending games every season. Fowles is a passionate Toronto Blue Jays fan (like myself), and is one of my biggest writing inspirations. BASEBALL LIFE ADVICE is a collection of essays about the Blue Jays, and about baseball in general. From writing about the Bat Flip, to how Baseball gets women-fans all wrong, this book is always a pleasure to read. I have read this book in chunks several times before, but I am currently slowly making my way through the entire thing. I hope to finish it by the end of February, right around the time Spring Training begins (hopefully…)!

Those are all of the books I read in January! Overall, I am happy with my reading this month, and hope to continue on a steady pace going into the next several months! Did you read anything fastastic this month?

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

I am so sorry for the lack of posting on my blog recently! I have been SO busy with school work, and since I am only in my first year, I have still been adjusting from high school to the stress-level that is University (LOL… but really…). I did not post a reading wrap-up for last month, as I only read three books. However, I have managed to read a bit more this month, and am really happy with my reading progress for my first two months of university! Plus, I am only three books away from my Goodreads goal!

The first book I completed in September was TEAMMATE by David Ross. I started this memoir right at the end of August, and completed it during the first week of September. As you may know, I am a huge baseball fan, and was a huge fan of David Ross during the 2016 World Series. I thought that this was a great memoir, and I really enjoyed all of the stories that were shared in this book. If you’re a baseball lover, I would highly recommend picking this one up (and take a look at this)!

The second book I read in September was DON’T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker. I had never read a Walker book prior to this novel, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect before I started reading this book. Little did I know, this book greatly surprised me! You can read my full review for it here!

The third and final book I read in September was THE MOTHERS by Brit Bennett. Words cannot describe how much I adored this novel, and as of right now I believe it is my #1 book of 2020! Everything about this story moved me to tears, including the beautifully developed characters and very interesting storyline. Of course, I rated it 5/5 stars.

The first book I read in October was OTHELLO by Shakespeare. A lot of the books I have been reading for school have been short stories or specific segments of different novels. Therefore, in my wrap-ups, I am only going to be sharing the books I read completely from front to back. Believe it or not, this is the first time I had to read a Shakespeare play completely on my own. Since I am doing school completely virtually this year, I had very little guidance when reading this novel, however, I absolutely loved it! This was the best reading experience I have ever had when reading a Shakespeare play, and am really looking forward to reading Hamlet in November! Overall, I rated it 5/5 stars!

The second book I read in October was THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett. Similarly to THE MOTHERS, I loved this novel, even though I enjoyed that one a tad more. This story is not typically something I would have picked up, as I am not a huge fan of following a family over several generations. However, Bennett’s writing is possibly my favourite writing style out of any author… ever?! So, it was not surprising that I loved this novel as much as I did! Of course, I gave it 5/5 stars.

The third book I read this month was THE END OF HER by Shari Lapena. I had read two of Lapena’s previously novels before this one, but this newest novels was by far my favourite one of hers thus far. I read this novel in under 24-hours, which was especially significant, as I have been reading at quite a slow pace recently. This thriller was really, really great, and I really enjoyed every second of it. I would highly recommend it if you enjoy domestic thrillers! You can read my full review for this book here!

The fourth book I read this month was HARLEM DUET by Djanet Sears. This was another play I read for school, and it was actually an interesting adaptation of OTHELLO. I loved the first-half of the novel, but the second half was way too strange for me. Overall, I gave it 2.25/5 stars.

The second last novel I read was MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite. I had heard a lot of great things about this novel, and similarly to them, I really enjoyed it! This novel is quite short, and reads very quickly because of the format. The characters were very well-developed, and very memorable. Overall, I gave it 4/5 stars.

The final book I read this month was DEAR CHILD by Romy Hausmann. I received this ARC from Raincoast Books, and since it sounded so intriguing, I decided to read it right away! This novel was originally written in German, and was translated to English and published in North America just a few weeks ago! My review will be coming out in just a few days, so keep a look out for that review!

Those are all of the books I read over the past two months! It may not be as many books as I have been reading per month recently, but I am really proud of how much I was able to read while starting University! What was the best book you read this month?

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

August went and came very quickly, and while it was probably my least favourite month of the year, I read some phenomenal books this month!

The first book I read this month was Playing Nice by JP Delaney. I had read one Delaney books before this newest publications, and even though I gave her previous book 5-stars, I enjoyed this one even more! This book encaptured every single trope I love to read in thrillers, and I absolutely loved the plot and characters. This book is worth every star, so I obviously gave it 5/5 stars! To read my full review, click here!

The second book I read this month was The Swap by Robyn Harding. I had high expectations going into this novel, however, it did not live up to my hopes. Initially after completing this novel, I was so conflicted with my rating. I really enjoyed the writing, but I found the characters so difficult to read about. Overall, I gave this book a 2.25/5 stars.

The third book I read this month was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I think that I am the last person on earth to read this book, but nonetheless, I think that it is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. It was such an emotional and heartbreaking story, and one that I will never forget. Of course, I rated this novel 5/5 stars.

The fourth book I read this month was The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon. I received a finished copy of this book from HBG Canada in May, but didn’t have a chance to get around to it until this month. I wish I would have gotten to it sooner, as I loved it! It was such a fun and heartwarming contemporary romance, filled with so many great characters and a unique plot line. To read my full review, click here! I rated this book 5/5 stars!

The fifth book I read this month was The Switch by Beth O’Leary. Last summer, I read The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, which was one of my favourite books in 2020! To say I had high expectations for this book is an understatement, yet somehow, this book blew me away! I loved every aspect of this contemporary novel, from the heartwarming setting and plot, to the outstanding characters and writing. To read my full review of this lovely novel, click here! I rated this book 5/5 stars, and at this moment it is in my Top 3 books of 2020!

The sixth book I completed this month was The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. This was the first novel I completed on my new Kindle Paperwhite (and a review of the device will be coming next month)! I was not really sure what to expect from this novel, as I had never read a Ruth Ware thriller before, but I knew that she was a highly exclaimed thriller author. However, this book really disappointed me. To read my full review, click here. Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for the eARC!

The seventh book I read this month was The First To Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan. This was another eARC I received from Netgalley and TOR! A full review of this novel will be coming very soon!

The eighth and final book I read this month was The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey. I rarely read books very far in advance from their official release date, but this was one of my most anticipated 2021 novels, so when I got approved for it on Netgalley, I read it immediately! I don’t want to spoil my review, but I will say that if this book interests you even in the slightest, do yourself a favour and pick it up as soon as it hits shelves!

Those are all of the books I read in August! I can’t believe I read so many fantastic books this month, and I bet a lot of them will show up on my favourite books of the year list! Hopefully I will be able to continue to read so many great books over the last four months of 2020! What did you read this month?

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

In the month of July, I read THIRTEEN BOOKS! Which, I believe, is the best reading month I have ever had since starting this blog in 2013! My high reading amount is due to several factors, including the fact that we are in a pandemic – meaning I have no school work to do or summer job to go to – and therefore I am reading all the time. This month, Ariel and Raeleen hosted the annual Reading Rush Readathon, which I took part in and contributed to a lot of this months reading success!

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Before I share all of the books I read this month, I want to share my thoughts on some of the issues surrounding The Reading Rush that occurred just last week. While these issues due not impact me, I still feel that I have a responsibility to talk about them since I have a voice in the online book community. If you are unaware, The Reading Rush decided to include a group book pick (which I had not heard about until the actual readathon began) for participants to read and later discuss in the live show that was set to take place on The Reading Rush YouTube channel on the last day of the readathon (July 26). The book they chose was Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid, a book featuring a lot of important topics on race and society. In today’s day and age, it is important to amplify and cheer on black voices, and since the TRR book pick is written by a female black author, people were looking forward to promoting and discussing it. However, the hosts of The Reading Rush chose not to read the book, and instead of discussing it on their live show, they decided to laugh it off and interact with their viewers by creating a Q+A. People were very disappointed with this, as they were not only looking forward to discussing it with the hosts, but also the fact that the hosts were making money off of this event, and prioritized other books ahead of their own book club pick! I think that this was a very bad move on their behalf, and although they have since shared some apologizing remarks, I am not sure how genuine they were. When the next Reading Rush readathon occurs next year, I will be evaluating how they are planning on running it and if any changes have been implemented from the feedback they have been given recently. If not, I will not be participating in it again.

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The first book that I read this month was The Guest List by Lucy Foley. This was my first Foley novel, and I enjoyed it! It was not the best mystery/thriller novel I have ever read, but it was a solid, enjoyable read. I found the beginning of the novel very intriguing and interesting, but by the end I was ready for it to be over. I thought that the middle of the novel was very rambly and long, but I did enjoy the very unexpected plot twists at the end! I gave this book 3.75/5 stars.

The second book that I completed this month was Beach Read by Emily Henry. This book blew me away, and will definitely be featured in my favourite books of 2020 list! I wrote a full review on this phenomenal novel, which you can read here. I gave this book 5/5 stars and cannot recommend it enough!

The third book I read this month was Girl Made Of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake. I have been interested in reading this book since it was released in 2018, and am so happy I was able to read it this month. While I had high exceptions for this book, it mostly lived up to them! I thought that the story was very emotional and well thought out, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more character development. I rated this one 4/5 stars.

The fourth book I read this month was The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. This was one of the BEST books I read this month, and deserved all of the hype it has received ever since it came out. I knew quite a bit about this novel, but it still blew me away! You can read my full review for this novel here. Of course, I gave this book 5/5 stars!

The fifth book I read this month was Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon. As you will notice, I was in quite the mystery/thriller mood this month, but funny enough, I would not realize consider this novel a mystery. If anything, it was a thrilling literary fiction/women’s fiction novel. While the last 70 pages really picked this book up, I found the pacing very slow, and the overall story very boring. I also really disliked the characters and did not find the main characters’ comments on body dysmorphia necessary for the flow of the plot. I rated this novel 2/5 stars.

The sixth book I read was One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London. As a very proud member of Bachelor nation, I was incredibly excited to read a book based off of the hit reality show, featuring a plus size main character! Luckily enough, this book did not disappoint! This was such a cute story and exceeded my expectations! I will admit that this book took me a little while to really get into, but as the story went along, I started to enjoy it more and more! I was really impressed by some of the important conversations that took place in this novel, and I also enjoyed the diverse cast of characters. Overall, I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars!

The seventh book I read this month was All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. This was the first book I read for The Reading Rush Readathon, and by reading it, I completed the challenge of reading a book that inspired a movie you have already seen. I watched the movie adaptation of this novel on Netflix right when it came out, because I didn’t have time to read the book before I watched it. However, this challenge pushed me to read it and I am so glad I did! Truthfully, I think by watching the movie before reading the book, it hindered my reading experience a tad. Events in this novel seemed to be paced differently in the book compared to the movie, and I think I liked the adaptations pacing better. I rated this book 3.5/5 stars, nonetheless, these characters and this story will continue to stay with me for a long, long time.

The eighth book I read this month and the second book I read during The Reading Rush was Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. This book completed the challenge of reading a novel that takes place on a different continent then the one you live on. I had been seeing this book pop up a lot on Bookstagram, so I had high expectations for it. Unfortunately, it did not really live up to them. Overall, I thought that this book was WAY TOO LONG. I could not emphasize that enough. Just so many events that were not necessary for the story. I also got some weird The Catcher In The Rye vibes from some of the conversations that main character had with some of the side characters, which was… interesting. However, I really enjoyed the main character and the love interest, which made me continue reading it even when there was a chance that I might DNF it. Overall, I rated this book 2.75/5 stars.

The ninth book I read this month and the third book I read for the Reading Rush was The Passengers by John Marrs. This book completed the challenge of reading a book that starts with the word “The”. This book was PERFECT. Honestly one of the best books I have EVER READ. John Marrs continues to amaze me with his phenomenal plot twist and effortless writing. You can click here to read my full review of this novel. Obviously, I gave it 5/5 stars, and you will definitely be seeing this one in my Top Books of 2020 post come December 31!

The tenth book I read this month and the fourth book I read for the Reading Rush was I’m Thinking Of Ending Things by Iain Reid. This book completed the challenge of reading a novel completely outside. While I had issues with this challenge, I decided to safely read this book outside in my enclosed backyard on a nice sunny afternoon. This book is barely 200 pages, so I read it very quickly. Since I had heard some fantastic reviews for this book from reviewers whom I typically share the same opinion with, I was saddened that I did not enjoy this novel. The writing was great, but the ending of the novel was not for me. I rated this book 2/5 stars.

The eleventh book I read this month was Hamartia by Raquel Rich. While I am not usually an SFF (Science-Fiction/Fantasy) fan, I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel! You can read my full review of it here. Thanks to Raquel Rich for sending me a copy of your book to read and review! I gave this book a 4/5 star rating.

The twelfth book I read this month was A Woman Alone by Nina Laurin. Laurin’s 2019 release, The Starter Wife, was my favourite book of last year, so I was incredibly excited to read her 2020 release! Unfortunately, this book fell short for me. I was LOVING after the first half, but as the story continued (and continued to get more complicated), I found myself enjoying it less and less. The ending was definitely unexpected, but the steps it took to get there were not very effective in my opinion. Regardless, I still enjoyed it and gave it 4/5 stars.

The thirteenth and final book I read this month was The Other People by C.J. Tudor. Truth be told, as of the time I am writing this post, I have not yet finished the novel, but definitely will be 11:59 PM on July 31 (the day when this post is going live)! So far I am REALLY enjoying it! It is just the amount of suspense and weirdness I love to read in thriller novels!

Those are all of the books I read this month! I am SO proud of myself for using my time well and reading so many fantastic books! I hope you all had a great reading month, as well!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

I apologize for posting this wrap up so late. I have been super busy with getting ready to go back to school, so I have put all things bookish on the back burner. As a result of that, I only read two books this month, but I thought I’d share them with you regardless!

The first book I read this month was THE PERFECT WIFE by J.P. Delaney. I read this one at the very beginning of the month, and I really enjoyed it! You can read my full review here. Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC!

The second book I read this month was WHEN YOU ASK ME WHERE I’M GOING by Jasmin Kaur. I received this ARC at the recent HCC Frenzy Presents event, where I got to meet and listen to Jasmin reading from her book. Plus, she signed and personalized it for me! I don’t want to give anything away, so stay tuned for my review in October! Thanks again to HCC Frenzy for the ARC!

Those are the two books I read this month. How many books did you read in August?

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

July was a very interesting month for me, as I had the first two-weeks off from any usual responsibilities (school and work), and then these last two weeks I have worked from 9am-6pm practically everyday! I didn’t have as much reading time as I would have expected, but I still got to read six full books!

The first book I read this month was THE BEAUTY OF THE MOMENT by Tanaz Bhathena. I am currently lending this book out to a friend – that’s why this picture has a different background than the rest of them! I really, really enjoyed this sweet YA contemporary with a bit more meaning than your average contemporary/romance! You can read my full review of this book by clicking here. I would highly recommending this one if you liked LOVE FROM A TO Z, which I wrote an entire review on that you can read here! Overall, I gave this book 4/5 stars!

The second book I read this month was THE CHALK MAN by C.J. Tudor. I featured this book in my July Library Book Haul, which you can read here. I haven’t read a lot of thrillers lately, and I cannot remember the last mystery novel I read that wasn’t part of the “domestic thriller” sub-genre. Needless to say, I liked this different book. The story was really cool, and I loved all of the characters. The writing was also excellent, and it kept me on the edge of my seat! At times, I found the plot a bit slow and then much too fast. Overall, I gave this one 3.75/5 stars!

The third book I read this month was JOSH AND HAZEL’S GUIDE TO NOT DATING by Christina Lauren. This one was also featured in my July Library Book Haul. I LOVED this fantastic adult romance! I enjoyed THE UNHONEYMOONERS (their 2019 release) more – read my full review here – but I still loved this one! The characters were great, and even though the ending was a bit predictable, I still really enjoyed this story. Overall, I gave it 4.75/5 stars!

I then read THE ONE by John Marrs (finally!). This book was one of the most interesting books I have ever read! I will say, I completed the first half of this novel in just one day, but the second half took me almost a week to complete. At times, I found the story very invigorating, but sometimes I found the stories and perspectives boring. However, I loved the writing and thought that all of the stories were written very “smart-ly”! Overall, I gave this novel 4/5 stars.

After receiving my Chapters Indigo order in the mail, I couldn’t resist the urge to pick up THE FLATSHARE by Beth O’Leary. I wrote a mini-review of this book on my instagram account, so I encourage you to click here to read it! Overall, I loved the story and characters, and gave it 5/5 stars! Such a phenomenal adult contemporary!

The final book I completed this month was I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal. I was part of the blog tour for this one, so you can read my full review for this book here. Overall, I gave it 3/5 stars. Thanks to Raincoast Books for the ARC and inviting me to participate in the blog tour!

Those are all of the books I read this month! How many books did you read this month and which one was your favourite?!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading,  Reading, Reading!

Believe it or not, this is actually the start of daily posts for the entire summer (July and August)! While I may miss a couple of days here and there, I have big plans for my blog for the summer, and I can’t wait to share them with you over the next two months!

The month of June is always a busy one for me, as I have final exams and projects to hand-in, as well as a full week of training for my summer job. I still managed to read a nice amount of books, and really enjoyed most of them!

The first book I read this month was SAVE THE DATE by Morgan Matson. I read the first quarter of this one at the end of May, but read the majority of it this month. I wanted to love this one, but so many unrealistic things happened in it that just ended up making the book drag on. I also didn’t really love any of the characters, which was really unfortunate. Overall, I gave this book 2/5 stars.

The next book I read was UNWRITTEN by Danny Knobler. This was the June book selection for my MLB Book Club, and I LOVED this one! I tend to always enjoy baseball non-fiction, but this one blew me out of the park (aren’t I so punny?!)! Thanks to IBG Books for sponsoring MLBBC this month!

I then read and finished SCREEN QUEENS by Lori Goldstein. This was my most anticipated release of 2019, and I was so thankful to have received an ARC from Penguin Teen Canada! However, this one didn’t live up to my high expectations. You can read my full review here.

After reading quite a few contemporaries, I decided to pick up THE STARTER WIFE by Nina Laurin. Thanks to HBG Canada for sending me an ARC! I didn’t know much going into this book, and I had never read anything from this author before. Nonetheless, I absolutely loved this book, and plan on reading Nina’s previous books in the near future! To read my full review, click here.

By this point of the month, I was deep in studying for my exams, so I didn’t want to start a new full-length novel. On a whim, I decided to pick up THE GROWNUP by Gillian Flynn on Libby. This short story didn’t even take my a full hour, but I still really enjoyed it! The characters were great and developed so much throughout this under 80 page story. However, the ending killed it for me. Overall, I rated it 3.5/5 stars.

Throughout the majority of the month, I listened to the audiobook of THIS TEAM IS RUINING MY LIFE by Steve “Dangle” Glynn. I received a finished copy of this book from ECW Press a while ago, but I ended up listening to and loving the audiobook! Steve narrates this one himself, and you can easily here his passion and emotions when listening to the audiobook. I loved this autobiography, and rated it 5/5 stars!

The last book I read was LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager. At the time of writing this post (June 28), I have yet to finish this one, but I plan on posting my full review for it on June 2, so keep your eyes open for it! Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced finished copy!

And those are all of the books I read this June! How many books did you read this month and which one was your favourite?

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

May was definitely one of my most successful reading month so far this year! Not only did I read seven books, but I read quite a books that I rated 4-5 stars! This month was also my birthday month, and I attended Penguin Teen Social 2019!

The first book I read this month was LOVE FROM A TO Z by S.K. Ali. This book features a lovely YA romance, as well as an important discussion about racism. You can read my full review for this book here. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

The second book I read this month was TESTIMONY FROM YOUR PERFECT GIRL by Kaui Hart Hemmings. This book was really interesting, because the more I think about my initial 2.25 stars, I feel like I should have rated it a bit higher, since I really did enjoy most of the story. You can read my full review here. Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada for the ARC!

The third book I read this month was RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE by Casey McQuiston. This book is currently in contention with another book in this months wrap up (read below) for potentially being my number one book of 2019! I loved this book with my entire heart and soul, and am currently in the process of forcing everyone I know to read it! You can read my full review here. Thanks to Raincoast Books for sending me a finished copy!

The fourth book I read this month was BRIGHT BURNING STARS by A.K. Small. This book was so much darker than I anticipated, but I still ended up enjoying it! I participated in the blog tour for this one, and you can read my full review here. Thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with an eARC and selecting me to participate in the blog tour!

The fifth book I read this month was BIRTHDAY by Meredith Russo. According to my Goodreads, I read Meredith’s first book and gave it 5 stars, so it is not much of a surprise that I ended up really enjoying this one, too! You can read my full review here. Thanks to Raincoast Books for the ARC!

The sixth book I read this month was AMELIA WESTLAKE WAS NEVER HERE by Erin Gough. This was my second favourite book that I read this month! You can read my full review here. Thanks to HBG Canada for sending me the ARC!

The last book I read this month was THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez. This may or may not be my favourite book of the entire year… but, you’ll have to wait until next week to read my full review! Thanks to HBG Canada for sending me a finished copy!

And those were all of the books that I read in May! How many books did you read this month? Which one was your favourite?

Good Night Book Owls!