April Wrap Up

I actually read some books in April, yay! In total I finished 4 books, which is more than I’ve read in a long time. I think I actually enjoyed every single book that I read as well, which is so rare!

Here are all the books I finished in April…

---

The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

So I kind of already knew that I was going to enjoy this book when I read the synopsis. But I didn’t know just how much I would love it. At the moment I don’t really have any words for it because it was just so good. Quite a few elements of the book reminded me of the Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison, which I adored when I was younger, so I really loved that aspect of the novel. It was so funny, but at the same time it focused on such an important topic. I don’t really have anything else to say except I loved this book!

Izzy O’Neill is an aspiring comic, an impoverished orphan, and a Slut Extraordinaire. Or at least, that’s what the malicious website flying round the school says. Izzy can try all she wants to laugh it off – after all, her sex life, her terms – but when pictures emerge of her doing the dirty with a politician’s son, her life suddenly becomes the centre of a national scandal. Izzy’s never been ashamed of herself before, and she’s not going to start now. But keeping her head up will take everything she has…

---

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

I finally managed to finish this book in April which I’m so happy about. I read the first few chapters and got hooked back in February I think, but I had to put it down because I was working on my dissertation. As soon as I handed that in, I picked this book up again and became obsessed again. I featured this book in my Friday Favourites for April, so for more of my thoughts on the book, click here. I just bought the sequel for this book a couple of days ago, so I’m going to be reading that pretty soon, which I’m really looking forward to.

Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

---

Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk

I received this book in the February Illumicrate box, and it wasn’t one that I’d heard a lot about so I didn’t really know what to expect. Fortunately, I really enjoyed this book, there were a few elements that I had some problems with, but the majority of it was really good. I feel like the book ended so quickly though! I flew through the last 50 pages and then it was all over even though I have so many questions. I have no idea when the next book in this series will be out, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.

Roma Victrix. The Republic of Rome is on a relentless march to create an empire―an empire built on the backs of the conquered, brought back to Rome as slaves.

Attia was once destined to rule as the queen and swordmaiden of Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world had seen since Sparta. Now she is a slave, given to Xanthus, the Champion of Rome, as a sign of his master’s favor. Enslaved as a child, Xanthus is the preeminent gladiator of his generation.

Against all odds, Attia and Xanthus form a tentative bond. A bond that will spark a rebellion. A rebellion that threatens to bring the Roman Republic to its end―and gives rise to the legend of Spartacus…

---

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

It feels like I read this book months ago, but I finished it in the first week of April. Again, this was another book that I really enjoyed. This was the perfect book to read when I was trying to unwind from all the stress of deadlines and essay writings etc. It was so easy to get into and it was such a quick read, it’s really made me want to read more by Julie Buxbaum, so I’ll be searching for more of her work at some point in the future. I did do a review for this book, so if you’re interested in that click here!

Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

---

What were some books you read in April?