I've been putting off writing this wrap up for weeks cause I just haven't been in the mindset to do it but I really wanted to keep up with these monthly posts. Even if it's just for me, I like going back and reading my thoughts on past reads. I'm gonna keep these short and sweet cause my memory isn't the best and I read most of these over a month a go!
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I have owned this book for so freaking long, probably since like 2011 and it's taken me 15 years to get to it. This just proves I'm a book hoarder cause any normal person would've unhauled it a long time ago. Anyway, this is a YA mystery/thriller set in Germany about a serial killer murdering young girls and after their roommate is killed, two teens decide to investigate.
I wasn't overly impressed by this one, I don't know if the writing suffered from being translated but it just didn't flow very well for me. I did like that we got the POV of the killer interspersed with the others as it added some tension. Not a book I'd rush to recommend as it feels a little dated now.
Also, it's apparently a 7/8 book series but the first one is the only book that was translated into english so I couldn't continue even if I wanted to!
Her Secret Service by Claire Hubbard-Hall
I'm really on a non-fiction kick this year, more than I've read previously and my favourite topic tends to be World War II as it's a period of history that fascinates me. This book focuses on the women who worked in British intelligence during both wars and beyond.
It's a really interesting subject and I loved learning about these incredible women and their roles. It's amazing how much they sacrificed in their personal lives and the secrets they had to keep and take to their graves. I did think there was a lot of focus on one particular woman and I found that the author became very repetitive when talking about her. There were too many James Bond references, too much focus on the male figures of British spywork and I would've liked deeper dives into these women's lives as well rather than the short paragraphs we got.
I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
I was a big fan of Gayle Forman as a teenager and so grabbed this when I spotted it in a charity shop a while ago. I wanted a YA contemporary to keep my reading momentum going and hoped this would hit the spot.
Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy this. I liked the diversity of the characters but didn't feel much attachment to them throughout the book. The story just didn't feel genuine to me, everything felt too unnatural. It was extremely fast paced so whilst I got through it quickly, it ended up losing some of that emotional impact.
Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Why, oh why didn't I grab the other volumes of this whilst in the library?? Such a stupid decision on my part! I had major FOMO when it came to this series as I feel like everyone's read it but me and I have watched the first season of the show.
This was such an adorable graphic novel, it's so lovely and sweet. I loved seeing Nick and Charlie's relationship grow and Alice Oseman's art style has a really comforting feel to it. You best believe I'll be getting the other volumes when I head back to the library!
The Names by Florence Knapp
This was a highly anticipated 2025 release for me so obviously it took me a year to get to it! This premise intrigued me straight away, the idea of your life going in different directions depending on the name you were given at birth. How much power does a name really have over you and the decisions you make?
Knapp has a perfect literary writing style that kept me engaged as we follow the three timelines. I think my favourite is probably the Julian storyline, I really connected with his story and voice. A really thought provoking read that has some really emotional moments but ultimately had such strong themes of hope and strength running through it.
Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker
I had far too many two star reads this month... I initially really liked how this book started but it just lost me somewhere along the way.
This is a novel written as an oral history that explores a "true crime" that happened and the experiences of the people involved. It was a really interesting way of exploring the fascination around true crime and the media circus that surrounds these cases. I also was very shocked at the plot twist so I have to give credit for that.
I think the second half of the book was a lot weaker though. It had a lot of cringey dialogue and characters that were just unnecessary overall, and it starting veering into overkill.
Persephone's Curse by Katrina Leno
I just adore Katrina Leno's writing, so atmospheric and magical. Her latest is a story about four sisters and their family's connection with the goddess Persephone, there's also ghosts and magical abilities and it's wonderful. I was so swept up in the Farthing family drama, I loved each of the sisters individually as well as their relationships with each other. It's very reminiscent of the March sisters from Little Women.
This is a slow build fantasy but I loved living in their world and the combination of witchcraft and mythology was perfect for my reading tastes. I would've liked to have explored the idea of the underworld and that side of the story a little bit more but Katrina Leno is firmly placing herself on my auto-buy author list.
Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Look at me, finishing a series for once. I'm really trying to be better about getting to those series that I've started and then just keep putting off reading the next one. This series was one that I was adamant was going to be five stars across the board and whilst things didn't turn out like that I still had a good time.
I really like the mixed media format of these books although they can get a little tedious after a while cause they are super long books. I do also find the cast of characters and the names of the ships/colonies really confusing at times especially when it's been a while since I read the first and second books cause there are so. many. names. I liked the overall story of this one and it really ramped up the pace as we headed towards the conclusion although I think introducing two new characters this late in the game was a strange choice. I also think they chickened out with the deaths for me, you're telling me they all survived that battle?
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
I've been desperate to watch the film adaptation since it came out in January but I've been holding off until I read the book and I'm so glad I did cause I loved this! Considering I've only read Funny Story so far and it's a lot of people's favourite EmHen, but I think this one far surpassed it for me. I adored Poppy and Alex and their dynamic, their relationship was funny and sweet. Their love confession got an actual physical reaction out of me which is so rare when I'm reading!
The film was fun but doesn't compare to the book at all. I loved the whole multiple trips/flashback scenes interspersed with the present day chapters, it was lovely getting to watch their friendship grow and see their feelings emerging. I'm excited to read more Emily Henry but will any of them knock this from the top spot?!
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