April 2026 Reads
It was a GREAT month of reads over here.
I’ve gotta get the little one to the museum before this house is turned upside down. So, I’m just gonna jump right into the reviews!
Happy MAY!
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter:
Okay this was why darker than I was expecting. Please be prepared for some really descriptive, aggressive, sexual, violent acts against women. I don’t think I really expected it and had to dissociate from my body a little bit while reading some of these scenes. Gah.
Still, it was a thriller that had me turning the pages to get to the bottom of it all.
Want to Know A Secret by Freida McFadden:
Frieda McFadden books are engaging, hook me in, keep me coming back for more.
Downside – there are always plot holes and this book is no different. In this particular case, the internal monologue of a character at the beginning of the book doesn’t quite align with what we find out later and I can’t quite say what it is without giving things away. BUT I know that this ain’t the first Freida book where I’m flipping through pages being like, um. MA’AM, this doesn’t add up.
That being said, I know Freida now and I don’t expect things to be tied up neatly. I was pulled in to the story with all the SAHM and PTA drama. I finished it off being a little disappointed in it all.
Still, I love the feeling of always wanting my earbuds in to hear what happens next.
This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page:
A few months after Tilly’s husband passes away, she gets a call from her local bookshop. There’s a birthday gift waiting for her…from him.
Confusing. AND the start of something really special.
Twelve books. One for every month of the year. Tilly, once an avid reader, is skeptical at first. But as the months go on, her love for reading slowly returns. She travels, she cooks, she lives again. It’s exactly what Joe, her late husband, wanted for her.
Such a thoughtful gift. Such a moving story. I cried all the tears.
A reminder that there is so much life to be lived.
Oh my gosh, just one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.
A book I’ll want to pick up again when my children are older to truly understand the evolution of mothering small toddlers to young adults.
“Maybe a bubblegum eyeball falls off onto the beach and they cry a little, but they actually get over it now instead of needing you to bury the eyeball in the sand and build a seashell monument where people can come to weep.”
I basically highlighted the entire book. And I found that the closer I got to the end, the more I had to put the book down. Not because it was too much, but because I wanted to preserve it all. I didn’t want it to end.
“But what I wouldn’t have given to plant a flag on myself—to claim a single square inch of my own flesh.”
“Maybe grief is love imploding. Or maybe it’s love expanding. I don’t know. I just know you can’t create loss to preempt loss because it doesn’t work that way. So you might as well love as much as you can. And as recklessly. Like it’s your last resort, because it is.”
And re-reading my highlights now has me in tears again. What a beautiful book. I will recommend this to everyone.
Okay, when I first started reading this, all of the improv stuff and sci-fi tv show plot threw me. It’s a world I don’t understand, so part of me had a hard time investing in the story because I was just like, WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?
I kept reading and thank God I did because it was easily one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever read.
The SLOWEST burn.
The most heart-wrenching scenes.
The yearning, the angst.
The storytelling.
It’s all so good.
So don’t let the other stuff dissuade you from finishing this one. It’s a love story at its core. AND OH MY GOSH SUCH A GOOD ONE.
Once and Again by Rebecca Serle:
Once and Again is a generational story following three women – a grandmother, mother, and daughter – each gifted with the ability to turn back time just once in their lives. Through their individual journeys, the novel explores how our choices, timing, and life’s hardest moments shape who we become.
At the center is Lauren, who is navigating infertility and a growing distance in her marriage. After multiple failed treatments and mounting exhaustion, she returns to her parents’ beach house while her husband works across the country. Her return sets everything in motion.
I really loved the premise of this book, and there’s no denying it’s beautifully written. It’s the kind of book that makes you reflect on timing, regret, and wanting to rewrite parts of your life.
That SAID, I struggled with the direction the plot took, especially in the second half. The story became increasingly heavy, and some of the characters’ choices felt frustrating in a way that pulled me out of it. By the end, I was left feeling a little more disappointed rather than moved.
Even so, it’s still a heartfelt, fast-paced read with meaningful takeaways, and I can absolutely see why others would love it. While this one didn’t fully land for me, I love Rebecca Serle and she continues to be a must-read author for me!
That’s all I got!
Let me know in the comments whether you’ve read any of these and what you’re currently reading!
