Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in April 2025. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. 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. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Take My Hand
Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Berkley, 4/12/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This historical fiction book is about Civil, who works at a family planning clinic and is shocked by the treatment of young and poor Black teens who are being prescribed birth control shots. She becomes overly attached to a family and her involvement with them has lasting consequences.
“Montgomery, Alabama, 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend intends to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she hopes to help women shape their destinies, to make their own choices for their lives and bodies. But when her first week on the job takes her along a dusty country road to a worn-down one-room cabin, Civil is shocked to learn that her new patients, Erica and India, are children—just eleven and thirteen years old. Neither of the Williams sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling the family’s welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have the girls on birth control. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica, and their family into her heart. Until one day she arrives at their door to learn the unthinkable has happened, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them. Decades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace, and to leave the past behind. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. That must not be forgotten. Because history repeats what we don’t remember.”
The look at reproductive rights and poverty, classism, racism, and more made for an interesting and informative read. Based on a true story, what happened in the past is relevant and important 50 years later as well.
Title: Love and Other Paradoxes
Author: Catriona Silvey
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: William Morrow, 3/11/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
When I requested Love and Other Paradoxes, I didn’t realize that I had previously read a book by Catriona Silvey that turned too sci fi for my tastes and disappointed me. Luckily this one was an easier read. It is about Joe, who in the future becomes a famous poet. Tour groups from the future come to see him living his pre fame life. Esi is on one of the tour groups, although she is looking for her mother. Joe finds out that in the future he is with Diana, but instead he is falling for Esi. This brings to question fate and whether a future is set or not.
“Cambridge University, 2005: Student Joe Greene scribbles verses in the margins of his notebook, dreaming of a future where his words will echo through the ages, all while doubting it could ever happen. Then, the future quite literally finds him—in the form of Esi. She’s part of a time-traveling tour, a trip for people in the future to witness history’s greatest moments firsthand. The star of this tour? Joe Greene. In Esi’s era, Joe is as renowned as Shakespeare. And he’s about to meet Diana, a fellow student and aspiring actress, who will become his muse and the subject of his famous love poems. But Esi is harboring a secret. She’s not here because she idolizes Joe—actually, she thinks his poetry is overrated. Something will happen at Cambridge this year that will wreck Esi’s life, and she’s hell-bent on changing it. When Esi goes rogue from her tour, she bumps into Joe and sends his destiny into a tailspin. To save both their futures, Esi becomes Joe’s dating coach, helping him win over Diana. But when Joe’s romantic endeavors go off-script—and worse, he starts falling for Esi instead—they both face a crucial question: Is the future set in stone, or can we pen our own fates?”
While I generally enjoy time travel stories, this one was more of a romance involving a love triangle, which I don’t enjoy. So it was a book that kept me entertained, but not a favorite.
Title: Four Red Sweaters
Author: Lucy Adlington
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 3/18/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4 Stars
Four Red Sweaters was an interesting way to trace the history of four women connected to red sweaters from a fashion historian.
“Jock Heidenstein, Anita Lasker, Chana Zumerkorn, and Regina Feldman all faced the Holocaust in different ways. While they did not know each other—in fact had never met—each had a red sweater that would play a major part in their lives. In this absorbing and deeply moving account, award-winning clothes historian Lucy Adlington documents their stories, knitting together the experiences that fragmented their families and their lives. Adlington immortalizes these young women whose resilience, skills, strength, and kindness accompanied them through the darkest events in human history. A powerful reminder of the suffering they endured and a celebration of courage, love, and tenacity, this moving and original work illuminates moments long lost to history, now pieced back together by a simple garment.”
I had not previously known the history of knitting in concentration camps and this was an interesting history, though it did read a bit slow for me.
Title: To Sicily With Love
Author: Jennifer Probst
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Berkley, 2/18/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
I’m not sure what it was about this book but I just didn’t like it very much. It was about Aurora, who is dating a controlling boyfriend and working as a life coach. When she loses her mother, she realizes she isn’t happy. When she finds out she has relatives she never knew about, she travels to Sicily to meet them.
“Aurora York had it all together: loving parents, a steady relationship, and a promising career. But after she loses both parents unexpectedly, she can’t seem to stay on track any longer. Lonely and lost after a public meltdown that threatens her professional credibility, she’s shocked when DNA test results show a blood relative in Sicily. When her cousin reaches out online and begs her to come to Italy to meet everyone in person, Aurora makes the leap. Aurora arrives in Sicily for a month, and there she meets a colorful, dynamic family steeped in tradition. The younger generation is fascinated by her social media fame in America, and even though her grandparents have more traditional viewpoints, Aurora begins to heal from her grief…and enjoys the attention of a kind and handsome Italian man. But when the summer ends, a new opportunity calls her back to the States and her old habits threaten to reemerge. Will Aurora leave everything in Sicily she loves behind, or take the chance on a whole new future?”
Aurora has an unhealthy relationship with food and Sicily definitely helps her with that. She also finds insta love. Either the writing style or the story itself (or both) just didn’t work for me here.
Title: The Coworker
Author: Frieda McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 8/29/23
Source: Borrowed
Why I Read It: Needed something to read
My Rating: 4 Stars
When I was out of town, I had the feeling that I was going to be one book short for the trip home. We were staying with friends and their 15 year old is a big Frieda McFadden fan. She let me read her copy of The Coworker. This one is about Natalie, who works next to turtle obsessed Dawn. When Dawn doesn’t show up for work, Natalie realizes something isn’t right. Dawn is a bit quirky and in emails to her friend we get her point of view. She describes Natalie as a bully, while Natalie depicts herself as kind.
“Dawn Schiff is strange. At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m. So when Dawn doesn’t show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell―beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running―is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…It turns out Dawn wasn’t just an awkward outsider―she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who’s the real victim? But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.”
Being a seasoned thriller reader, I was able to guess some of what was going on in this book. However, I always find McFadden’s books fun, and this was no exception.
Title: Return To The Place I Never Left
Author: Tobias Schiff, translated by Dani James
Genre: Memoir in Verse
Publisher: Wayne State University Press, 1/14/25
Source: Translator
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Return to the Place I Never Left is a memoir in verse from a Belgian Jew who was in Auschwitz and other camps as a teen.
“In this harrowing firsthand account of the Holocaust, survivor Tobias Schiff displays the depths of human suffering, the capacity for hope and renewal, and the impact of starvation on the human mind. Schiff was a teenager when Nazis deported his family to Auschwitz from Antwerp, Belgium, and he spent the next thirty-three agonizing months in numerous concentration camps. This deeply personal memoir-in-verse explores personal faith, identity, memory, and trauma across a lifetime interrupted by suffering. Through his eyes, readers witness the atrocities and struggles that defined his daily existence, feel his tenacity while beaten and starved, and learn what enabled him and others to cling to life while surrounded by death. Schiff’s verse challenges dehumanizing narratives and provides an intimate view of the realities of life in Nazi death camps and the long-lasting impact of trauma.”
The writer’s musings on survival, the ways he was lucky, hunger, and God were moving.
Title: Second First Impressions
Author: Sally Thorne
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Harper Audio, 4/13/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
From my 25 in ’25 list, I listened to Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne. This is about Ruthie, who works at a retirement villa as a manager. She surrounds herself with the elderly residents and takes care of the endangered tortoises who live there as well. When she meets Teddy, she is attracted to him, but because he is only there temporarily, she tries to stay far from him. She tries to get rid of him by getting the Parloni sisters to hire him – none of their assistants last very long!
“Position Vacant: Two ancient old women residing at Providence Retirement Villa seek male assistant for casual exploitation and good-natured humiliation. Duties include boutique shopping, fast-food fetching, and sincerely rendered flattery. Good looks a bonus—but we aren’t picky. An advertisement has been placed (again!) by the wealthy and eccentric Parloni Sisters. The salary is generous and the employers are 90 years old, so how hard could the job be? Well, none have lasted longer than a week. Most boys leave in tears. Ruthie Midona will work in Providence’s front office, and be at the Parloni’s beck and call, forever. That’s sort of her life plan. If Ruthie can run the place in her almost-retired bosses’ absence, with no hijinks/hiccups, she has a shot at becoming the new manager. She might also be able to defend her safe little world from Prescott Development, the new buyer of the prime site. Maybe after all that, she can find a cute guy to date. All she needs to do is stay serious—and that’s what she does best. Until, one day, someone dazzling blows into town. Teddy Prescott devotes his life to sleeping, tattooing, and avoiding seriousness. When Teddy needs a place to crash, he makes a deal with his developer dad. Teddy can stay in one of Providence’s on-site maintenance cottages—right next door to an unimpressed Ruthie—but only if he works there and starts to grow up. Ruthie knows how this sweetly selfish rich boy can earn his keep—and be out of her hair in under a week. After all, there is a position vacant…”
This opposites attract story was kind of sweet. I didn’t really feel the attraction between the main characters and I was more interested in the story of the villas and their residents!
Title: Wild Dark Shore
Author: Charlotte McConaghy
Genre: Literary (Climate Thriller)
Publisher: Flatiron Books, 3/4/25
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: Book of the Month pick
My Rating: 4 Stars
I had not previously read Charlotte McConaghy’s books although I heard great things. Keeping in mind that I don’t love literary, character driven stories, I still decided to give this one a try. It is about Dominic and his family, who are the caretakers of a remote island called Shearwater. They take care of the animals there as well as a seed vault, but climate change is making the island uninhabitable and the family is getting ready to leave, when a woman washes up on their shore and changes their lives.
“A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late―and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.”
There were some surprises along the way, and I liked getting to know the characters, especially Dom’s three kids. I’ve seen many people say they loved the ending, but I felt disappointed by it. The theme of impossible choices seemed to run through this story and it would certainly make a great book for discussion.
Title: Parents Weekend
Author: Alex Finlay
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 5/6/25
Source: Audio Publisher
Why I Read It: I enjoy his books
My Rating: 4 Stars
Alex Finlay writes some entertaining thrillers and this one was narrated well by Brittany Pressley. It brings back his character Sarah Keller, FBI agent, and she was the star of this book which is about five college students who go missing while their parents are on campus for parents weekend.
“In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids―five residents of Campisi Hall―never show up at dinner. At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise. Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella―The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them―come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?”
I liked learning the background stories of each of these families – all of whom had issues – and seeing how many suspects there were that could have been involved in the students’ disappearance. In the end, what ultimately occurred felt a little too obvious. I did enjoy this listen and its short chapters and good narration made it a quick read.
Title: The Secret Stealers
Author: Jane Healy
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union, 4/1/21
Source: PR for author
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
From my 25 in ’25 list, I read The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey. This was about a spy network in Nazi occupied France, featuring Anna, who recently lost her husband and wants to make a difference. She starts her work in the D.C. office and then is sent overseas. There were many characters who she met and got to know, including multiple love interests.
“Anna Cavanaugh is a restless young widow and brilliant French teacher at a private school in Washington, DC. Everything changes when she’s recruited into the Office of Strategic Services by family friend and legendary WWI hero Major General William Donovan. Donovan has faith in her―and in all his ‘glorious amateurs’ who are becoming Anna’s fast friends: Maggie, Anna’s down-to-earth mentor; Irene, who’s struggling to find support from her husband for her clandestine life; and Julia, a cheerful OSS liaison. But the more Anna learns about the organization’s secret missions, the more she longs to be stationed abroad. Then comes the opportunity: go undercover as a spy in the French Resistance to help steal critical intelligence that could ultimately turn the tide of the war. Dispatched behind enemy lines and in constant danger, Anna is filled with adrenaline, passion, and fear. She’s driven to make a difference―for her country and for herself. Whatever the risk, she’s willing to take it to help liberate France from the shadows of occupation and to free herself from the shadows of her former life.”
I thought this book was too long and some parts were more quickly paced than others. I thought it was interesting that real people were in the story, including Julia Childs! I always like reading about strong women in history.
Title: I Am Rebel
Author: Ross Montgomery
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 5/27/25
Source: PR for author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
While this book is already out outside of the US, its US publication is later this month. I enjoyed reading Rebel’s story, as this sweet and loyal dog is the narrator of his own story. Rebel’s boy Tom joins the Reds, an army rising up against a cruel king. Rebel goes after him and has his own adventure along the way.
“Rebel is a good dog. He loves his simple, perfect life on the farm with his owner, Tom—until one day, when the war comes too close. Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the king’s men, but Rebel knows that war is dangerous, and he will stop at nothing to save his beloved human. How can he bring Tom home before it’s too late? A heartwarming adventure told from a dog’s perspective as he travels across a pseudo-Civil War Britain on his loyal mission, I Am Rebel holds sure appeal for fans of I, Cosmo; When the Sky Falls; and War Horse.”
I assumed this was historical fiction, though I am not sure where or when in time it took place. If it was set in real history, it would have been even more interesting! As it was, this book was sweet and I enjoyed all the animals Rebel met on his journey.
There you have it, the rest of my April reading! This post included 11 of the books I read in April. Nine of these books were in print and 2 were audio. Genres included historical fiction, rom com, non fiction, contemporary, thriller, memoir, and literary. Ten were adult reads and 1 was middle grade.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
