Welcome to my April 2026 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. You can see the first half of my April reading here and I will share the rest of my April reads next week, on Thursday for the Share Your Shelf link up. 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: The Paris Match
Author: Kate Clayborn
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 4/7/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn is about Layla, who attends her former sister-in-law’s wedding in Paris, where she meets Griffin, the groom’s best friend. When the bride has doubts about the wedding, Griffin blames Layla and then recruits her to help him fix it.
“Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she’s moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone. The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding…. But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens. Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple’s doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.”
While Layla and Griffin got to know each other quickly, I thought their intimacy developed slowly enough to feel real. I felt for both of them and really enjoyed them together. I liked the way the book seemed to retell both Beauty and the Beast and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Title: The Book Witch
Author: Meg Shaffer
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 4/7/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I love Meg Shaffer’s books so much and this one was no exception! It was about Rainy, who is a book witch and travels into stories to save characters from threats like burners, who are out to destroy books. She meets the fictional detective Duke and although there are rules around their relationship, they fall in love.
“Rainy March is a proud, third-generation Book Witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps in and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes like a modern-day magical Nancy Drew. Book Witches live by a strict code: Real people belong in the real world; fictional characters belong in works of fiction. Do not eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world, lest you become part of the story. Falling in love with a fictional character? Don’t even think about it. Which is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series. If she’s ever caught with him again, she’ll be expelled from her book coven—and forced to give up the magical gifts that are as much a part of her as her own name. But when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, there’s only one person she trusts to help her solve the case: the Duke. Their quest takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.”
I loved how the sections of this book represented different genres, from romance to mystery to horror. Many familiar books are described and Nancy Drew plays a role in the story. This was such a fun escape and I agree with the first sentence of the book – “all stories are love stories if you love stories”!
Title: All Afternoon
Author: Susan Kleinman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Volume 36 Books, 4/21/26
Source: Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I loved All Afternoon by Susan Kleinman, which is about Marilyn, a Jewish, modern orthodox housewife in 1978 NJ, whose husband Jerry sadly takes her for granted. Marilyn went to college and wanted to be a writer, but set aside her career to take care of her 4 daughters. When she connects with published author Henry, she can’t ignore her desire for more happiness in her life.
“As feminism takes root in this tight-knit Modern Orthodox community, women are starting businesses, rethinking their marriages, and challenging their synagogue’s long-standing rules. Not Marilyn Weisfeld. Once a promising writer, Marilyn gave up her literary dreams twenty years ago when she married Jerry, a self-important professor of economics. Now, she’s too busy raising children, braiding challahs, and entertaining her husband’s insufferable colleagues to think about what else her life might have held… until the night an old friend comes to dinner. When bestselling author Henry Goldfarb asks for Marilyn’s feedback on his new novel, something long buried inside her stirs back to life. And when he encourages her to write again, she starts sneaking into Manhattan every week to see him. In long afternoons of shared stories, easy laughter, and soul-baring conversations, Marilyn catches glimpses of a more fulfilling life she could be living – if only she can find the courage to reach for it. But change always comes at a cost. And as Marilyn’s feelings for Henry begin to blur boundaries and test loyalties, the tidy existence she has woven so carefully in River Ridge begins to unravel. Caught between the comfort of old rhythms and the thrill of new possibilities, she will have to decide exactly what price she’s willing to pay to live bravely, authentically, and without regret.”
I loved how Marilyn’s personal wish to be more than a wife and mother mirrored the time period, as the bat mitzvah (girls’ coming of age celebration) was coming into fashion and many of the women in the community were starting their own businesses (with names that were so smart and amusing!). As Marilyn began to spend her time with Henry and return to her own writing, I couldn’t help but cheer for her. I loved her sister and her daughters, the funny along with the serious, and I was especially a fan of the book’s ending!
Title: First-Time Caller
Author: BK Borison
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 2/11/25
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: BOTM Book of the Year Choice
My Rating: 5 Stars
I am admittedly late to the First-Time Caller party, but after hearing so many great things about it, I chose this book by BK Borison as my Book of the Year pick from Book of the Month. I’m happy to say I agree with the great reviews and I really enjoyed this homage to Sleepless in Seattle about single mom Lucie whose daughter calls into Aiden’s radio show hoping to help out Lucie’s love life.
“Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight. Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she believed. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending…even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final decision between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.”
The love story was a slow burn, the grumpy sunshine and found family tropes were great, and the snippets from the radio show and other included bits were a lot of fun. I will say this was a bit long, but it was sweet and an overall lovely read.
Title: This Story Might Save Your Life
Author: Tiffany Crum
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Flatiron Press – Pine & Cedar, 3/10/26
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: BOTM for March
My Rating: 5 Stars
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum was a highly anticipated read for me just because of how good it sounded! It is about best friends Joy and Benny who are podcast hosts talking about various survival stories. Joy’s husband Xander is their producer. When Benny discovers that both Joy and Xander have gone missing, secrets begin to come out and are revealed to the reader through Joy’s memoir in progress and Benny’s present day experiences.
“Benny Abbott and Joy Moore host one of the most beloved podcasts in the world. Each week, they delight listeners with a different ‘against all odds’ survival story, gleefully finding the weird, life-affirming humor in near-death experiences. Since their first episode on Joy’s experience with severe narcolepsy, they’ve been the best friends everyone wants to befriend―and thanks to the meticulous management of Joy’s husband, Xander, they’ve built a lucrative empire. The problem is, their next survival story may be their own. When Benny arrives at Joy and Xander’s one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house. The one clue shedding light on the couple’s disappearance is the incomplete, previously unseen first draft of Joy’s memoir. Benny is desperate to find them, even when the police soon zero in on him as their prime suspect. Millions of devoted listeners think they know the ‘real’ Benny and Joy. But as the hours tick by, and the odds seem increasingly stacked against Joy and Xander being found alive, not even the most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets their favorite famous BFFs have hidden from the world―and from each other.”
I loved how this was a part mystery and part romance and I loved the way the story was revealed. Every time I had a question about something that happened, it was eventually explained. Joy having narcolepsy was an interesting addition to the story as well. I couldn’t put this one down!
Title: Another Shore
Author: Sarah Ansbacher
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Casa Mocha Books, 2/17/26
Source: Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
When I finished reading Wave After Wave by Sarah Ansbacher, I immediately wanted to know what would happen next. The author assured me that I’d read the first in a trilogy and would get to follow the characters for two more books! This second in the trilogy is about Lilly, Hannah, and their friends as their ship of Jewish refugees arrives in Haifa and get closer to their freedom in the land of Israel.
“After a three-month journey fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe, Lilly and 1,800 Jewish refugees arrive in Haifa Bay aboard the SS Atlantic. For Lilly, widowed and haunted by loss, it means reuniting with her brother who has built a new life on a kibbutz. For her cousin Hannah, it means rejoining the fiancé who travelled on another ship. Safety and a new life in the Promised Land are finally within reach. But hours pass with no explanation. Instead of permission to disembark, the British announce the refugees will be transferred to the SS Patria for temporary quarantine. Hannah is eager to go, certain her fiancé is already aboard. Lilly suspects something is wrong. Is it really quarantine – or is this deception? And then disaster strikes. In the chaos that follows, Lilly must hold onto hope when promises are broken. Even as all seems lost, she discovers that the bonds of friendship and love may offer the only path forward.”
Having been to the refugee detention center in Atlit, I thought I knew this story. As it turns out, I was quite unaware and perhaps confused about the timelines involved in this story, as it happened during World War II rather than after, and I learned a lot from this book about the British and the way they treated Jewish refugees at the time. I continued to enjoy reading about the friend group and am already excited to find out what happens in their next chapter.
Come back next week for the rest of my April reads and the Share Your Shelf link up!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?
