Hi friends! ☀️ Happy April!
Let’s just not talk about this month, let’s not just talk about the world and the mess and my terrible mental health, okay.
I’m sorry, I’m just going to skip this part altogether, I just don’t want to think or talk about anything but books, okay. Thank you for understanding.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, friends.
It’s been an okay reading month, I’d say. I definitely focused on new releases a little more, because I had way too much to read, but I discovered some incredible reads so I’m really happy about that and hope you’ll pick them up as soon as you can!!
? Books I read
CLIQUE BAIT ☂️ This is exactly the kind of contemporary, drama filled read I get addicted to. I loved the twists and turns, loved the Gossip Girl/PLL vibes I got from this. Definitely a promising debut!
TIME OF OUR LIVES ☂️I remain forever in love with Austin & Emily’s books and Time of Our Lives might be my favorite yet. LOVED the dual POV, the complex feelings of going off to college, following your dreams and moving on from your family, expectations and duty and I have SO MANY FEELS READ THIS ASAP.
THE PERFECT ESCAPE ☂️ This is the fun, endearing, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud kind of book you need every now and then. I found The Perfect Escape SO entertaining and definitely recommend it to fans of YA contemporary romances.
GIRL SERPENT THORN ☂️I loved the author’s debut, Girls Made of Snow and Glass and found that whimsical, almost fairy-tale kind of storytelling in this book, too. I liked the first half better than the second half, but still loved the Persian mythology and characters so much!
CHASING LUCKY ☂️ I’m always here for Jenn Bennett and her incredible books. Chasing Lucky had it all, my favorite childhood friends trope, complex family relationships, small towns and bookshops and I LOVED IT.
WE UNLEASH THE MERCILESS STORM ☂️ I loved this duology so, so much. If I found this book to have a bit of a slow start, I adored Carmen’s POV and the writing and story and everything is stunning. I recommend this HIGHLY.
- Goodreads Challenge: 17/60 books ? Still a little ahead of it all, YAY!
- Year of The Asian Reading Challenge: 1/10 books, yaaay!
? Currently reading
I guess the only positive thing about the current situation is that I am taking time to continue editing my WIP… almost every single day ever since mid-March, so… I’ve made quite a lot more progress than I did back in February and I’m happy about that.
I am still aiming to finish this WIP before summer starts, you know, in order not to give myself too much pressure, but hoping to finish sooner rather than later.
I am happy and excited to, hopefully, have made this round of edits a little better than everything I wrote before and, to have a story that could be something. Ah, hope.
- Words written: 23 236
I think the biggest bookish news of the month is that : I created a bookstagram account! After years of watching my favorite bookstagrammers with their sense of aesthetic and talent and thinking about taking the leap… I finally did. I’m a little shook by the very, very warm welcome I’ve received and incredibly grateful and humbled by the people following me already. I can’t thank you enough.
You can find my bookstagram right here!
What does this mean, for the blog? Well… NOTHING AT ALL. I still intend on keeping my book blog my main platform, I still intend on writing many blog posts and screaming about books and interacting a lot through blogs, too. I just want to branch out and see what all the bookstagram frenzy is about!
Otherwise, it’s been an okay blogging month so far. I’ve been feeling pretty inspired for the most part and happy with what I put out, I only hope you are enjoying it all, as well!
? Book reviews
Click on the book covers to be redirected to my reviews.
? Book blogging
? Book discussions & tags
Here’s my little selection of blog posts of the month!
? Books & Reading
- Janina wrote a really unique blog post I loved reading about inspiring book plots!
- I loved this post from Veronika SO much about books having an expiration date.
- Louise talked about being intimidated by large books and, aerm, same.
- I loved Chana’s post talking about the very often used and sometimes a little complicated sentence, I’ve Been Meaning to Read that…
- Sophie talked about the Perfect Female Character in such a great post!
? Book Blogging
- Melina talked about bloggers being the only ones reading blog posts and this was such an interesting read!
? Writing, Lifestyle & Other Posts I Loved
- Madeline shares ways to keep on being motivated while writing when you’re tired and uninspired and this post definitely is important and so great.
- My friend Mathieu wrote an amazing post about the fear of missing out that I could really, well, feel.
- Melina talked about influencers and whether or not they actually have influence and I loved this post!
Is there a blog post you are particularily proud of this month? Feel free to send it along with your comment!
How was your March? I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves, sending you tons of love.
What were your favorite books this month? Tell me everything in comments!
Twitter ☂️ Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin’ ☂️ Support the blog
Looks like an okay reading month! I hope April is even better!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Thank you so much! 🙂
I get that you skipped the life section and think that’s totally valid! You are doing the best you can and I love you and hope you stay safe <3
Also, super proud of you for working on your book some more! You are doing great and I totally believe that you can make this round before summer 😀
Thank you Kat, your love and support always means everything ❤
Thank you, I hope so!! 🙂
Easily RED WHITE & ROYAL BLUE as well as OVER THE TOP were my faves of March!
AHHH yes I loved Red, White and Royal Blue SO much! 😀
New books to read, i always look forward to this post because i know I’m going to add new books on my tbr and discover new blogposts as well
Happy New Month Marie ❤
Awww thank you Debbie, this means so much! <3 Have a lovely month <3
I loved reading this post so much, Marie! But I sincerely hope that you’re doing well, and that your mental health gets better <3 sending so many hugs right now!
ah, I'm glad that you at least read some pretty great books this month! I swear, I'm a broken record by now, but I need to read something by Wibbroka ? and I'm so happy that We Unleash the Merciless Storm didn't disappoint you! I'm so excited to get to it once I'm able!
AHHH, congrats on starting a bookstagram account too <3 sadly, i don't have an account of my own to follow you with, but i did check out your feed, and it's BEAUTIFUL, wow <3 congrats on having a professional-looking feed with just three posts ? I'm in AWE
I hope that April treats you better, Marie <3
Thank you so, so much Caitlin, deeply appreciated ❤
I can’t WAIT for you to read Wibbroka’s books, they’re so wonderful, I really hope you’ll love them as much as I do!
Thank you!! ahh I’m so happy you like my feed so far ❤
I hope you’ll have a good month <3
I’m glad you loved Chasing Lucky. It’s nice to have good, heartwarming books at times like this.
Agree! It was such a lovely read <3
Congrats on getting some editing done and creating a Bookstagram. It’s been really hard to focus on anything. I hope you have a good April!
Thank you so much! 🙂 I hope you’ll have a lovely April <3
i totally get not wanting to talk about real life right now. Living in this weird middle point? Kind of in this dream-like state. Like I almost can’t believe that this is our life right now. I hope April is better for the both of us. Seems like you got a lot of reading done too in March! Same, I’m already 35% done with my good reads goal, which is honestly crazy! While I’m a quick reader, i would have never expected to read 28 book in 3 months! wishing you well and hope you stay safe and healthy xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Thank you so much love, I hope April will slowly get better <3
WOW! I am amazed by how much you've read already, this is amazing! 🙂
I hope April will be kind to you, stay safe <3
Your month in reading looks great. I also have Verona Comics in my kindle. I plan to read it this month. I hope you are enjoying it. I would love to read your views and maybe we can discuss it once I finished the book. Wish you great April and happy reading!
Ahh thank you! I’m really enjoying it so far, I hope you will too!! 😀
Have a lovely month 🙂
I just followed your bookstagram! (@readingladies_book_club)
Ahhh thank you Carol! 🙂
Yay for starting a bookstagram account! Heading over to follow you!
Thank you so, so much Angela! 🙂
You had a good reading month! I haven’t read Chasing Lucky yet, but I hope I’ll get to it soon! Your current read sounds interesting! I hope you love it! My favorite book of the month is The Simple Wild By K.A. Tucker.
Hope you have a wonderful April!
Stay safe and Happy reading! 🙂
Thank you so much Raven! I hope you can read Chasing Lucky soon, it was such a great read 😀
Have a lovely month and stay safe! <3
Following you on IG now! And yes, let’s just skip this month.
Ahh thank you Sophie! Take care <3
Thank you so much for highlighting my post, I’m so glad you loved it! ? I seriously need to read something by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka, I’ve heard incredible things about them, and I’ve been slowly getting back into Contemporary YA. I’m excited for the Verona Comics, so I’m looking forward to seeing what you thought of it. 😀 I’m glad you’re doing well with your WIP, and hope you can progress even more in the coming months. ? Here’s to hoping April will be a better month, although, I have many doubts about that.. *sighs*
You’re so welcome, it was a wonderful post <3
Ahh I hope you can read their books soon, they're all INCREDIBLE, I love them so much 🙂
Thank you so much, Veronika <3 Take care of yourself!
I’m so glad you enjoyed We Unleash the Merciless Storm! I love that duology and it made my Latinx heart so happy. I really need to read one of Austin & Emily’s books because I keep hearing great things. If I’m being Honest is the one that I have heard the best things about, so I think I’ll start there.
Ahh thank you Sofia! This duology was incredible, really one of the best I’ve read in a while <3
I hope you'll love Austin & Emily's books! 🙂
Have a lovely month!
I’m perfectly content with just talking books ❤️. I still need to read everything you mentioned, especialllly Time of Our Lives! That’s awesome that you’re still ahead of your Goodreads challenge ✊? and that you’ve been able make a lot of progress on your WIP! Hopefully, you can finish it by summer ??. Also, your bookstagram is so cute!! I haven’t been on instagram in a loooong time now to detox lol, but otherwise I would totally follow you ?!
Stay safe and well, Marie ??! And Nyx too!
Thank you so, so much Belle! I hope so, fingers crossed! 🙂
And thank you, I’m so happy you like it! I get the detox need though, haha, we all need that every now and then <3
Stay safe, too! Sending you all the love <3 <3
Looks like you had a great reading month Marie! Girl, Serpent, Thorn is on my tbr and im curious to see if I’ll love it or not! Time of our lives, Chasing Lucky, and The Perfect Escape all look so cute i want them! Great wrap up 🙂
Thank you so much!! I hope you’ll get to read all of these books 🙂
I really want to read Time of Our Lives and Chasing Lucky–glad you enjoyed 🙂
Ahh yay! I hope you’ll love these 🙂
i’m so sorry that your mental health wasn’t great this past month, Marie!! sending my love <3 <3 <3 and yes, the entire pandemic situation was so scary and overwhelming, i really hope it gets better soon.
but on the brighter side, that's so awesome that you're ahead of your reading challenge!! 😉 all the books you read sound really great as well, i've got to pick them up. and i love how you took more time to work on your WIP this month, good luck with it (i know it's going to be great)! congrats on starting a bookstagram!! ✨✨ i'm not on Instagram at the moment, but i'll definitely make sure to follow you if i do join the platform.
i really hope you have a beautiful April, Marie! <3 xx
Thank you so, so much Ash, this means so much <3 <3
I hope so! and thank you so, so much for your support, this means so much <3
I hope April will be kind to you! 🙂
So excited that you’ve joined bookstagram!!! It’s so much fun!!! Hope you’re well <3
Thank you so, so much Holly!! <3 I hope you're doing okay <3
It looks like you read so many awesome sounding books! I love the font on “The Perfect Escape” cover. I need to read more Jenn Bennett ASAP, especially Chasing Lucky. I hope April is a better month for everyone. <3
Same, it’s such a lovely cover 🙂
I hope you’ll have a lovely april <3
i’m sending all my love to you and your mental health, marie!! i know it’s been a hard month for many, and i hope april is a lot better for you ??
but it makes me so happy to hear about all the progress you’re making with your wip — you’re doing AMAZING!!! and so many wonderful books this month — i’m really glad to hear you loved girl, serpent, thorn and we unleash the merciless storm since i’m looking forward to reading them as well! and i’m of course very happy to see you loved time of our lives since i know how much you were anticipating it ?
love you so much, and your bookstagram is looking amazing ?? happy april!!
Thank you so, so much May, I hope so <3
Ahhh thank you! I still feel like I could do more, but my mind is being terrible ahah. I'm doing my best I guess <3
I hope your month will be lovely,and thank you so much for all of your support, it means so much <3
Hello Marie!
It’s a tough world out there but reading, writing and blogging help us get through it right? 🙂 That’s so awesome that you’re making progress with editing your WIP. I’m always excited to hear more news about it. Are you doing Camp Nano this April by any chance?
Happy reading and writing! Stay safe and healthy! Sending good vibes your way 🙂
Hi Sophie! <3 Yes, all these little things help a little more every day <3
I am not officially doing Camp NaNo, but I'm trying to write almost every day to finish my edits 🙂 Are you participating? Best of luck if you are! 🙂
Have a lovely April <3
Yes I am participating in Camp Nano and working on revisions as well. Camp Nano is usually low pressure since goals are flexible (and I can change them any time hahaha) 🙂 Best of luck to both of us with our revisions! Stay healthy and well this April!
Ahh that’s so good to hear! Best of luck for revisions!! 🙂
*sends you a virtual hug* This is a stressful time and I’m sending you lots of positive thoughts!! I hope you, Nyx and your family are staying safe !! <3
It looks like you've read some good books, Time of Our Lives sounds really good and I would love to check it out one day!! I hope so soon, I need to check out all of their books !!! I also need to pick We Set The Dark On Fire so I'm glad you love this duology so much!!
I'm also interested in Girl, Serpent, Thorn as the mythology sounds really intriguing!!
I'm glad the editing for your WIP is going well and I hope it continues to do so!! I didn't do too much writing this month, I don't enjoy the prep so much and my procrastination skills are shining at the minute!!
Yay bookstagram, I really enjoy it and although I haven't been very active lately I love your posts and I hope you enjoy Instagram as well!!
Thank you for sharing my post that means so much and I'm glad you enjoyed it!! <3
I wish you a wonderful April and I hope you read lots of good books!! <3
Thank you so, so much Sophie, sending you all the love, positive and healthy vibes as well <3 <3
I hope you can read some of these books, they were really so good, I can't recommend both Time of Our Lives and We Set The Dark on Fire enough, they are incredible. <3
Thank you so, so much, I hope April will be kind to you <3
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF MARIE!!! sending you so much love and good thoughts during these times!! ????
‘the perfect escape’ LOOKS SO CUTEEEEE, i’m so obsessed with these illustrated covers and when i hear they’re heartwarming, endearing and hilarious IM ABSOLUTELY SOLDDDD!! i’m so glad ‘Chasing Lucky’ was a great read for you, i’m relieved and also dying to get my hands on it!!
you’re making some awesome progress on your WIP (and that makes me SO HAPPY AAAAAAAA) i can’t wait for the day when it gets published hehe ????
hope you’re having a great month, friend!! ❤️❤️
thank you so, so much, you too <3 <3
Right here with you, I LOVE illustrated covers so so very much and this one looks so lovely <3
Thank you for your support, it means the world. <3 I hope you're having a lovely April <3
Marie, I love your wrap-ups! I’m about to look into Veronika’s post about book expiration dates right now, lol. I’ve always wondered the same thing… How far back can backlist books go, you know? I’m glad to see you’re healthy and doing well. I hope your loved ones are alright, too! Happy April 🙂
Oh thank you so much, so happy you liked it <3 I agree, it was such an interesting post, I loved it so much 🙂
Have a lovely month!
Great wrap up, it looks like you read some great books this month. I hope you and your family are staying safe ??
Thank you so much! <3 I hope April will be kind to you <3
You’re welcome and thank you ??
That is a very appropriate gif. I’m glad your writing has been going well, and I hope you are well. Thanks for the links, I will check some of them out!
Thank you so much! 🙂 I hope you’ll have a lovely april <3
I’m sending lots of hugs on your way, Marie! Hopefully April will be better ?
Thank you so, so much. Let’s hope so <3
March felt like two different months smashed together ?? I’m glad you were able to read, write, and enjoy yourself! Here’s to a much better April ??
Thank you so, so much, you’re too sweet <3 have a lovely month! <3
I hope you’re safe and I’m sending you all the good vibes ?? I’m happy to hear that you could turn to write. Are you also participating in Camp NaNo? I’m finally continuing my revision after months of pausing it for my thesis. At first, it was hard but now I’m really loving it again, which is a nice surprise ? I also just finished reading It Sounded Better in my Head and it was amazing! I went into it with no expectations but ended up loving it ?
Thank you so much Caro, I hope you are too and doing okay <3 <3
I am not participating… officially, I'm still trying to write and continue my edits, but not keeping myself to the camp nano schedule, more like to a 5/7 days of writing schedule haha 🙂
I'm SO happy you loved It Sounded Better in my Head, it's such a fantastic read!! <3
Happy April, Caro! <3
I hope things have been improving for you, Marie 🙁 I’ve been thinking of you because I know this must be hard <3 I'm so happy you've joined bookstagram!! And yay for working on your WIP! Well done being so productive. I've had a bit of kerfuffle balancing school, home, and creative things during these first three weeks of quarantine, but I'm looking forward to smoothing all of that out as I go into Easter break this coming week! Wishing you a far better April xxx
Taking it day by day, thank you so much, Macey <3 <3
I hope that April will be kind to you, sending you all the love! <3
aaaaaaa im back and i missed your blog so much!!!!! ?✨
i’m usually not drawn to the whole high school mean girls drama plot but the cover of clique bait is SO ENTICING I CANNOT RESIST IT.
time of our lives has been on my tbr for so long that i had nearly forgotten about it until you described the plot and i realized why i wanted to read it in the first place. i crave stories set in college or about people going through the transition because same ?
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR ANOTHER JENN BENNETT BOOK AND CAN’T WAIT TO READ CHASING LUCKY,,,, she really out there making me love every trope that she writes, huh :’)
ive kind of been on the edge about reading we set the dark on fire, what’d you recommend??
i’m sorry to hear you’ve not been doing so good. i understand how taxing this period can be to one’s mental health. pls take care, bb.?
AHHHH HELLO it’s so good to hear from you!! I hope you’ve been doing okay <3 <3
I hope you'll check out Clique Bait, it was such a good, addictive kind of read, I had so! much! fun! with it! 😀 and time of our lives aaaaaaaaaaaaaah this book is my everything, I hope you'll love it <3 <3
I'd recommend reading we set the dark on fire SO MUCH. I personally loved it: the strong world-building, eerily similar to the real world yet different, too, the strong, incredibly badass main characters, the f/f romance, the writing is STUNNING too. I hope you can give it a try <3
Thank you so much <3 take care of yourself! <3 <3
I love you! <3 I hope you're doing okay amidst everything and I'm thinking about you and yours!! Also, SO PROUD OF YOU on your writing progress!!!
Thank you so much Nicole, I hope you’ve been doing okay as well <3
I love you tons ahh, thank you <3 <3
<3 <3 <3
I’m so glad you liked Clique Bait, it looks so good!
Sending you heaps of love during this tough time!
My favourite book this month was An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson.
– Emma 🙂
It it so so good, I hope you’ll get a chance to read it! 🙂
Thank you so much Emma <3 I need to read an Enchantment of Ravens, it sounds so good 🙂
It looks like you had a pretty solid month of reading! I’m always looking for more YA contemporaries to add to my TBR, and you always showcase some really great ones. The Perfect Escape sounds like just what we all need right about now. And after reading Starry Eyes, I’d love to read some of her other books. Chasing Lucky definitely must go on the TBR. Also, congratulations on starting your first bookstagram!
Thank you so much! I’m so, so happy to feed your needs in contemporary books ahah, they’re always my favorite to read <3
I hope you'll love Jenn Bennett's books, they're all really amazing! 🙂
Thank you so much <3 I hope April will be kind to you!
*hugs you tight* I am so sorry you had a rough month, it’s such a hard time right now, especially for those already suffering from MH. I am glad to see that you were able to get some reading in – Clique Bait sounds like exactly the kind of book I need right now, and I am so happy you enjoyed Girl, Serpent, Thorn as I have that ARC! I hope April is kinder to you, my dear friend.
Thank you so, so much Kal, this is so appreciated <3
I hope you'll love Clique Bait, it was such an entertaining read overall 🙂
Thank you so, so much, I hope April has been and will keep on being kind to you, love <3
Bookstragram, progress on the WIP? Ahhh, so many projects, so many things for which I’m proud of you and so happy ? You’re doing awesome Marie and I couldn’t honestly be more happy about that!
Oh and that’s a detail, but I’m always loving the friends gifs in your posts so much ??
Thank you so much for sharing my post Marie, it means so much to me ?
Ahhhh thank you, thank you for all of your support, it means SO much <3 <3
And ahh this makes me happy, I'm way too obsessed with Friends ahah <3
Aaah, I can’t believe it took me so long to read this post!! My life is going at the rate where I’m reading a March wrap-up in May ?? But I am super impressed with your reading from March! You’ve read so many books that I’m looking forward to reading. I hope you’re doing better now! Things are still absolutely insane, and I hope that you’re staying safe ??
Thank you for sharing my post, Marie! I’m so happy you liked it! ?
Ahah don’t worry about it!! Thank you for reading, it means a lot <3 <3 Not doing better, but not worse I guess, so…. hanging in there ahah 🙂
Thank you! <3 <3