May 2022 Reading Wrap-Up

May was so good to me. So good in fact that I wanted to devour everything I could! I was able to squeeze in 10 books this month thanks to a couple of audiobooks, a lot of time in my car, and a few really quick and easy reads. So let’s just dive right in, shall we?!

Here’s a quick wrap-up of each book I read in May (click on the links for a more detailed review of each book).

The most uncomfortable, truly disturbing book I read this month was Tampa by Alissa Nutting. I don’t even know how to classify this one. So incredibly graphic and sexually explicit and while you might not think that sounds awful, when those scenes involve an adult and minor it’s truly gag worthy. I felt like I needed to bathe myself in sanitizer when I finally made it to the end. This one is just, well, WOW. Definitely a polarizing read. I can’t even rate this, LOL.

I pretty much enjoyed everything else I read…some a lot more than others.

My least favorite book is a toss-up between The Night She Went Missing and The Maidens, both for different reasons.

The Night She Went Missing, by Kristen Bird was really promising. It started strong, but didn’t finish the same. It fell a little flat and dragged out in parts where it wasn’t necessary. I had a hard time following the multiple POVs (I listened to this one on audible) and couldn’t understand why some of the characters did the things they did. Overall interesting and enjoyable, but paled in comparison to the others I read this month. 3.5/5 stars.

The Maidens, by Alex Michaelides did not live up to the hype for me. It had the potential to be so much more, but for me it was one dimensional and predictable and felt a bit rushed. That said, I wanted to keep reading so I definitely thought it was entertaining enough. It just failed to check all the boxes for me. 3.7/5 stars.

The smartest, wittiest book I’ve read in a while was Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus. Oh how I LOVED this book! The main character, Elizabeth Zott, is definitely one of my favorite characters ever. This one reminds me of The Marvelous Ms. Maisel. So incredibly charming in all the witty and quirky ways possible. 5/5 stars.

The most adorable book I read this month was To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne. This little rom com was so lighthearted and charming. A modern day remake of the late 90’s classic, You’ve Got Mail. Like every good rom com, this one was full of witty banter, predictable moments, and a little cheesiness. I finished this one in a day & a half…I couldn’t put it down. 5/5 stars.

The book that made me cry the most was In Five Years, by Rebecca Serle. Another quick and easy read, but I didn’t want it to end. I devoured every page. This is a book about love, but not in the way you’d expect. I really liked the characters and the relationships between them. I love the way the story unfolded…totally different than how I thought it would. It wrecked me in the best ways possible. 5/5 stars.

The most honest and heartbreaking book I read this month was Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This one had me in my feels. So well written and thoughtful. I enjoyed the dialogue and the dual timeline in which the story was told. So realistic. This one will stay with me for a long time. 5/5 stars.

No Exit, by Taylor Adams was the book that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. Full of tension and drama. This one starts quick and doesn’t slow down until the last couple of pages. It was a fun read chock full of suspense. My only complaint was that a few incredibly unbelievable things happened that could’ve been written differently or left out altogether. That said, I really enjoyed this one start to finish. 4/5 stars.

My favorite psychological thriller of the month was Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier. This one sucked me in on page one and didn’t spit me back out until the last page. Oh my word, was this a wild ride. A fast paced page turner. Unputdownable. I read this one in a day and a half. I love the way the story was told. Dark, creepy, and layered. I loved this one so much and can’t wait to read more by this author. 4/5 stars.

My favorite book of the month was Every Summer After, by Carley Fortune. Such a beautifully written debut novel. If you love the friends to lovers/2nd chance at love trope(s), you don’t want to miss this one. I laughed. I cried. I felt all the feels. I loved every single page and I refuse to hear any criticism about this one, LOL. This is the perfect summer read. I can’t say enough about it. This one (in my very humble opinion) definitely lives up to the hype and then some. 5/5 stars.