HELLO EVERYONE! and welcome back to another installment of my 2019 Reads, mini review series! I am so excited to be able to share with you the next set of 7 books I’ve read so far this year. I kind of can’t believe that I’ve hit 50 books by the end of May! Reading has been a bit of a struggle for me over the last 8 months or so just because of work being really draining for me and just not feeling like I could devote time to reading, or anything honestly. My anxiety and depression really ramped up there for a bit and I had to focus on myself, once I did that I was really able to fall back into reading like the old friend it is.
So, with these 7 books I have officially hit my Goodreads goal of 50 books for 2019, my unofficial goal is to make it to 100 books, which I haven’t reached in any of the years I’ve tracked my reading. I’ve gotten pretty damn close though. I really want to crush my TBR and get books that have been on my shelf for way too long off and read. Anyways, without further ado, here are the books and my thoughts!
Reality Boy by A.S. King
I really enjoyed this book’s story. I found Gerald to be a curious character and I liked how the story progressed with his flashbacks and how his childhood has affected him. I really enjoy how easy and realistically King’s stories develop. A.S. King’s books continue to impress me with how unique and captivating they are. This is the 3rd book I’ve read by King and I’m really digging their writing style. I hope to get my hands on more of their books so I can see how their writing grows with more stories.
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Darius was such a relatable character for me. His struggles with depression really hit home for me as I’ve been struggling myself this year. I really appreciated how this story normalized mental illness. I also really loved the Persian culture aspect and how it contrasts against American culture. Darius’ growth as a character and how that affects his relationships was really interesting to read. I loved the progression of the story.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
AH! I am adoring this series and I am SO mad I didn’t just give into the hype when they first came out! While I still think Cinder is my favorite so far I really enjoyed the expansion of this world and the new characters we are meeting. I am super excited to get to Cress soon, and then Winter and the novellas! I am so invested in seeing how this whole story pans out.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
I finally decided to give this story a go, and I wasn’t disappointed but I also didn’t get blown away either. I really enjoyed Mia’s perspective and the “what if” of the story. I am definitely going to read the sequel to see what happens and I’m definitely interested in reading more Gayle Foreman after reading this one.
Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
I’ve had this book on my shelf since BookCon of 2016 -facepalm- My mom got in the signing line and picked up the book for me. Flash forward and I’ve now finally read it, and it was good! I appreciated the friendship aspect of the story but it just didn’t wow me, I feel like so much more could have been done with the plot. It was a pretty basic story and did everything it set out to do with it’s plot.
The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
This was a solid follow up to the first book in the series The Nameless City! The first book set up a great friendship, some interesting politics, and an air of mystery. All of these things continue to develop through this second installment and I just loved it! I’m so excited to read the final book in the trilogy soon to find out what happens with the main characters and the city!
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I am SO happy to have more books coming from these authors! I loved Illuminae and Gemina (yeah, I haven’t read Obsidio yet, sue me.) and man Aurora Rising did not disappoint! This book took me a bit to read just because I was dreading finishing it and not having the next book to follow up right away. I finished it though and wow, I’m going to be in agony to find out what happens next until the next book comes out! All of the characters are fantastic though I relate to Zila on a cellular level, her chapters make me crack up all the time. I am so excited to see what happens next!
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Thank you for reading through my reviews! Have you read any of these books? Tell me what you thought down in the comments below!
The Bookish Hollow 