Hey, everyone! Today I am sharing all the books I read in April and it was such a fantastic month for me! I read 16 books in total and while it was a bit up and down in terms of my enjoyment, I am still super happy with what I read. So let’s get into it:
Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle: I would have liked this more if it wasn’t for Robyn. Actually, the whole cast of characters aren’t very likeable but Robyn was so annoying. She constantly reminds you that she did a journalism degree but she never actually did anything with it and instead became a bartender. But she can suddenly solve a murder despite having no experience whatsoever beyond a journalism degree. Also, she accused her boyfriend of murdering someone without any proof but then got annoyed when someone did the same to her. So it’s ok for her to point the finger but they can’t do the same to her? It’s fair game at this point. Lastly, she has this fear of water but it added nothing to the story so I’m not sure why it was necessary to include this. This story had a lot of promise but I found myself getting more and more irritated as it progressed. Sadly, it wasn’t for me.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I enjoyed this standalone but the characters didn’t really grab me. I didn’t gravitate towards any of them and thought they were all a bit meh but I loved that the story takes place over the course of eight hours. It really heightened the tension and I constantly felt like the story was moving fowards. Also, having the setting in an RV was interesting and definitely makes the book stand out. It’s really fast paced and a great YA mystery/thriller!
Jackdaw by Daniel Cole: Looks like Daniel Cole has started a new series and I am here for it! I loved the characters in this one and enjoyed the banter that was peppered throughout. It was a nice balance between a serious story and humorous moments. I’m looking forward to continuing this series!
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley: I don’t think Lucy Foley is for me honestly. I didn’t like The Hunting Party and while this one was marginally better, it didn’t grab my attention. The story felt very meh; there was too many characters and none of them were interesting. The book is far too long and wastes so much time on the main character being completely clueless about her brother’s whereabouts. I was bored for most of it and had to use the audiobook to get me through it. I gave this author a second chance and I don’t think I’ll be giving her another one.
Signed Sealed Dead by Cynthia Murphy: I was so looking forward to this but I ended up being disappointed with it. It felt very juvenile to me. It also kept pointing out the differences between the UK and the US but they felt so exaggerated. For context, the main character was born in the UK and moves to the US with her parents. She’s speaking to her new friend and she doesn’t know what bangs are and says it’s called a fringe in the UK. I found that one so stupid and I feel like everyone knows what bangs are now with social media, especially teenagers! Another thing that annoyed me was she kept getting these anonymous notes in her mailbox and she kept finding an excuse not to tell her parents about them. When the big reveal happened it felt so silly involving her in the first place. I’m so sad I didn’t like this one as it sounded right up my street.
Gin Palace by Tracy Whitwell: This is definitely the worst book I read this month. I didn’t plan on continuing this series but my friend lent me her copy and I can say with certainty that I am not reading the third book. This was one of the most pointless books I’ve ever read as Tanz does bugger all besides acting and talking rubbish. She doesn’t actually help a ghost until page 230 and it only takes her ten pages. I wish I didn’t bother reading this and sadly I won’t be recommending it to anyone.
Mimic by Daniel Cole: I am all caught up with Daniel Cole’s books now. I kept putting this one off because it didn’t have great reviews but I really enjoyed it. The only thing is that I felt the initial case with DS Benjamin Chambers and DC Adam Winter went cold quickly but I suppose it would have made the book really long. Anyway, it was a good read and gruesome as always.
Better Left Buried by Emma Haughton: I’ve had this on my kindle for years but never made any move to pick it up. It’s been calling to me recently for some reason but I’m not sure it was worth picking up. At least it’s finally moved from my TBR pile. It started out good but it didn’t feel very realistic to me as the main character is only 17 but she’s going all over without her parents’ knowledge and it did get a bit boring. It was very long-winded and I didn’t really care for the characters.
Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 and 2 by Stephenie Meyer: I recently discovered that these graphic novels exist and you know I had to get my hands on them because my love for Twilight will never die. While it’s not as good as the book, the artwork is cute and I loved the pops of colour throughout. I’m so glad I managed to find these and will absolutely be reading them again!
Death Note Volume 1-6 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata: I love this series! The first two volumes are definitely my favourite and after that it goes a bit downhill (volume 3 is meh) but the ending was crazy. I will neve stop recommending this to everyone I know and think it’s a great series to pick up, especially if you’re new to manga.
These are all the books I read this month! Have you read any of these? Did you enjoy them? I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you so much for reading!
Divine World of Books 
I read The Paris Apartment for my local book club and I felt the same way about it! The book was boring and it left me in a bit of a reading slump to be honest. I’ve just finished reading “Demon Copperfield” which was much better but it was heavy going and I got a bit bored with it half way through. My next book is called “The Serial Killer’s Son Takes a Wife.” Let’s hope this one gets me out of my slump!