
May seems to have lasted a lifetime and I’ve read quite a few books. Throughout May, I have read a total of 11 books, which I am proud of!
So, I am back with another what I’ve read this month post! I have some thoughts that I wanted to share on the books I read throughout May. Here is a post that is full of mini reviews for the books I read in May!

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up
— she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
I picked up a copy of this book because I had heard about it and the author for a long time now. I never really saw anything bad about this book or authors so I had high expectations going into it. I was extremely let down by this book. I had issues with the way that the book was written and the way that it tackled issues throughout. It has put me off reading other books by this author at least for now. I can see how some people love this book but it just was not for me.
★★
Cool for the Summer by Dahila Adler

Lara’s had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He’s tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he’s talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe…flirting, even? No, wait, he’s definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara’s wanted out of life.
Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers.
Lara has everything she ever wanted: a tight-knit group of friends, a job that borders on cool, and Chase, the boy of her literal dreams. But if she’s finally got the guy, why can’t she stop thinking about the girl?
I’d seen so many excellent reviews for this book that I had to give it a read myself. It is such a wonderful and quick read that I throughly enjoyed. It is the perfect book to read in the upcoming summer months. I loved the fact that the chapters alternate between past and present because it really kept my attention hooked. It also has excellent LGBTQ+ representation and themes throughout. I have written a full review which you can find here.
★★★★
Snapshot Books!
Here is a little snapshot of 6 of the books that I’ve read this month along with the rating I gave them. I enjoyed them all and definitely recommend them!
- House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland – ★★★★
- The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman – ★★★★
- You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes – ★★★★
- Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman – ★★★★★
- Pumpkin by Julie Murphy – ★★★★
- Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Graphic Novel) – ★★★★★






Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud,” to all the boys she’d like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing…
An anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn’t know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett—the last known person to have her journal—in a race against time to track down the blackmailer.
Together, they journey through everything Quinn’s been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love.
This book has been on my radar for a long time so I read it as soon as my pre-ordered copy arrived. It is the perfect book to read if you want to see someone learn to love who they are and grow into themselves. It has heart-break, humour and lots of love. I would highly recommend this book. I cannot wait to see what Joya Goffnet releases next!
★★★★
Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan

Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.
Karina is my girlfriend.
Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade. Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back.
T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normal—but what if Karina no longer wants it to?
I have wanted to read this book since it was announced and had a copy ordered as soon as possible. I loved this book and its use of the ‘I hate everyone but you’ trope. It simple in the best kind of way and it easy to read. But, it still tackles some difficult topics throughout. I will certainly be buying more books by Tashie Bhuiyan but for now I highly recommend this one!
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.
As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything–including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he’s only just met.
Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it’s that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?
This is the first book to make me cry whilst reading in a long time. It is heart-breaking, beautiful and hopeful. If you have read previous books by Nicola Yoon, then I’m sure you will love this one. If you have not read Nicola yoon’s books, then this is a great place to start. I’ll be writing a full review of this book very soon. But, for now I highly recommend it!
Statistics
Books read this month: 11
Pages read this month: 3,807
Books read this year: 48
Pages read this year: 16,491

There you have it, that is everything I read in May! What have you read in May and what are you looking forward to reading in June? Let me know in the comments!
