This month, I have read a few 5 star books so far and I’m excited to share them with you here. Since the month isn’t over, there’s a chance I will still read more 5 star books before it ends. You can see the first half of my May reading here and I will share the rest of my May reads next week. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
Title: Set On You
Author: Amy Lea
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 5/10/22
Source: Publisher via Net Galley
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I have seen some mixed reactions to this book, but I really enjoyed this debut featuring Crystal, a fitness influencer – who is not a size 2! – and Scott, her gym nemesis turned love interest.
“Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym – her place of power and positivity. Enter firefighter Scott Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as these ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination. But after a series of escalating jabs, the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their grandparents’ engagement party. In the lead up to their grandparents’ wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness, and cheesy pick-up lines, they just might have found her swolemate. But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet trolls put their budding relationship to the ultimate test of strength.”
The author and main character in this book are Asian and in a recent post, the author talks about choosing to read books featuring Asian characters that are written by Asian authors. As she says “books featuring diverse characters don’t always have to center struggle or teach a lesson. There is space for all books featuring all experiences, including pure romantic fun.” That’s what Set On You was, and it’s perfect for Asian Heritage Month (Canada) and AAPI Heritage Month (US) as well as for every month! This book also addresses body positivity, gym culture, feeling secure in your body, self acceptance, etc.
Title: The Science of Being Angry
Author: Nicole Melleby
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers, 5/10/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This book moved me. It’s about Joey, an 11 year old who is a triplet. She has two moms, an older half brother, and her triplet brothers, but she seems to be the only one who gets angry. She is easily frustrated and overwhelmed and sometimes lashes out with violence. Because she feels different from her other family members, she wants to learn more about her DNA and where she comes from. I felt so sad for Joey and she reminded me a bit of my middle child. I also felt for her moms, who just didn’t know how to help her with her very big emotions.
“Eleven-year-old Joey is angry. All the time. And she doesn’t understand why. She has two loving moms, a supportive older half brother, and, as a triplet, she’s never without company. Her life is good. But sometimes she loses her temper and lashes out, like the time she threw a soccer ball—hard—at a boy in gym class and bruised his collarbone. Or when jealousy made her push her (former) best friend (and crush), Layla, a little bit too roughly. After a meltdown at Joey’s apartment building leads to her family’s eviction, Joey is desperate to figure out why she’s so mad. A new unit in science class makes her wonder if the reason is genetics. Does she lose control because of something she inherited from the donor her mothers chose?”
I want to include this list of reasons to read this book from the email from Shae at Algonquin books because I agree!
* An itty bitty baby gay with very big emotions who you’ll want so badly to hug and protect
* Adults who are just Trying Their Best ™
* Realistic, relatable conflict that will resonate with readers
* Family structures and dynamics that reflect real lives
* STE(A)M hooks through discussions of nature vs. nurture and the role of genetics in identity
* Sympathetic, grounded depictions of mental health
* This book made me legitimately cry, tears streaming down my face, but the kind of crying that comes from getting the best hug from the person you most want to see
* It took me three hours, tops, to read (a bonus in 2022, Year of Broken Reading Brain)
(I didn’t write that, but yes, I cried too, and finished it in a day.)
Title: The Wedding Season
Author: Katy Birchall
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 5/3/22
Source: Publisher Audio via Net Galley
Why I Read It: Loved her previous book
My Rating: 5 Stars
Last year I loved reading The Secret Bridesmaid and The Wedding Season was just as great. Although one may expect these books to be rom coms, they are actually more of contemporary fiction with some romance included. In this one, Freya is dumped in a broom closet by her fiancé the day before their wedding. Since theirs was meant to be the first of 8 weddings Freya would be attending, her best friends Ruby and Leo come up with fun and silly things for her to do at each wedding in order to distract her. At one she has to be the last one on the dance floor, at one she has to kiss someone goodnight, etc. I found Freya’s inner thoughts to be funny and amusing, while the audio narrator did annoy me a bit – when saying someone sighed or laughed, she would also sigh, or laugh or whatever.
“Freya Scott is getting married. Her wedding to Matthew, her long-term boyfriend, is the first of eight in her calendar this year, and as someone who prides herself on being meticulously organized, Freya is intent on making it the perfect day to remember. But when Matthew calls things off hours before they walk down the aisle, Freya’s entire life plan goes up in smoke. Humiliated and heartbroken, the last thing she wants is to attend a summer of other peoples’ nuptials on her own. Fortunately, her friends have an idea: together they devise a series of outrageous challenges for Freya to complete at each event, designed to distract her from Matthew and what might have been. From getting stuck in an old church bathroom and needing to be rescued by the vicar to making out with a barman at a French chateau, Freya realizes that despite herself, she might just be having fun. By the time the final wedding arrives, she will discover that the road to a happy ending sometimes has unexpected detours, that “I do” is only the beginning––and that perhaps her own love story isn’t over just yet.”
Freya’s ex was awful but her friends were great! “I actually do know someone who was so stunned when his boyfriend proposed that he punched him in the face.” Why did this line make me laugh so much?
Title: The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
Author: Jen Ferguson
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Heartdrum, 5/10/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I have no record of requesting or signing up to review this book, but I loved it so I am thrilled that it was sent to me. Lou is a biracial Métis girl living on the Canadian prairie. Her summer plans involve working at her family’s ice cream shack but suddenly she has a lot more to deal with. Her mother left to sell her beadwork leaving Lou in care of her uncles. Her biological father is white and has just been released from jail. She isn’t interested in hooking up with her boyfriend so they break up. Plus, her former best friend has returned to town and they have complicated issues to work through.
“Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word. But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists. While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.”
In the author’s content warnings, she says that the book is about real traumas that teens face, specifically by Indigenous and Black teens. There are discussions about and instances of violence and assault as well as racism. This book is also about friendships, love, family, and ice cream. This book demonstrates the importance of seeing yourself in the books you read. The author relates that when reading books without space for queer or questioning teens and that were very white, she learned to feel that something was wrong with her. That is why she wrote Lou’s story.
Title: Fight + Flight
Author: Jules Machias
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Quill Tree Books, 5/24/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was a lovely book about two girls with different sets of worries and how they support one another. Avery has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and as this effects her joints, she is in a lot of pain, must go to physical therapy, and worries that she will lose her independence. Avery has two moms – one who is trans – and she is pansexual herself. Sarah’s aunt recently passed away and then her cousin and best friend moved. Now she worries about losing people she cares about and has panic attacks. She draws and journals and her parts of the book are illustrated as if they are pages from her journal. Sarah’s family is religious and her older brother is gay, which causes for some conflict in her house. The two become friends after an active shooting drill at school that was more real than kids should experience. Along with their friend Mason, who is biracial and has ADHD, they come up with plans to stop this type of live action drill from happening again. They have different ideas on how to achieve this goal – whether by resistance or by revenge.
“Avery Hart lives for the thrill and speed of her dirt bike and the pounding thump of her drum kit. But after she’s diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disease that affects her joints, Avery splits her time between endless physical therapy and worrying that her fun and independence are over for good. Sarah Bell is familiar with worry, too. For months, she’s been having intense panic attacks. No matter how much she pours her anxiety into making art, she can’t seem to get a grip on it, and she’s starting to wonder if she’ll be this way forever. Just as both girls are reaching peak fear about what their futures hold, their present takes a terrifying turn when their school is seemingly attacked by gunmen. Though they later learn it was an active shooter drill, the traumatic experience bonds the girls together in a friendship that will change the way they view their perceived weaknesses—and help them find strength, and more, in each other.”
Although the kids in this book were young, in some ways they seemed quite mature, especially Sarah, who found ways to deal with her panic on her own, rather than by getting help. The representation and themes in this book were great and it was a perfect read for Mental Health Awareness month. The author shared themself through Avery and has a post on how they are similar – I definitely recommend the author’s IG for more on Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, as well as on anxiety and panic.
Title: She Gets The Girl
Author: Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio, 4/5/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Buddy Read
My Rating: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed listening to this book and it was able to distract me from the real world and make me smile. It is about Alex, who leaves her alcoholic mother to attend college, and Molly, who is socially awkward and very close to her mother but wants a new start in college.
“Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand…not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just…hasn’t actually talked to her yet. Alex and Molly don’t belong on the same planet, let alone the same college campus. But when Alex, fresh off a bad (but hopefully not permanent) breakup, discovers Molly’s hidden crush as their paths cross the night before classes start, they realize they might have a common interest after all. Because maybe if Alex volunteers to help Molly learn how to get her dream girl to fall for her, she can prove to her ex that she’s not a selfish flirt. That she’s ready for an actual commitment. And while Alex is the last person Molly would ever think she could trust, she can’t deny Alex knows what she’s doing with girls, unlike her. As the two embark on their five-step plans to get their girls to fall for them, though, they both begin to wonder if maybe they’re the ones falling…for each other.”
Alex’s ex girlfriend Natalie was not my favorite at all. She gaslighted Alex and this had me rooting for them not to get back together. Molly’s love interest Cora was okay, but it turned out that they didn’t have very much in common. Both Alex and Molly had issues to work through regarding their mothers, and their ability to share with one another showed me that they were meant to be! My favorite side character was definitely Jim from the food truck. This was such a sweet read!
Come back next week for the rest of my May reads – and possibly more favorites!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?
