What I read in April 2022!
My Favorite Washington Bookstores
My favorite indie bookstores in Washington State
Everything I Read in April
Review // My Killer Vacation
The newest release from one of my all-time favorite auto-buy authors, Tessa Bailey, My Killer Vacation is a rom-com and murder mystery rolled into one.
Review // Set on You
Set on You, Amy Lea’s debut, is a steamy, witty, and emotionally resonant enemies-to-lovers rom-com that became an instant favorite as soon as I finished it.
Everything I Read in March
What I read in March 2022 (that I’m finally posting about in May 2022)!
Review // Dating Dr. Dil
Dating Dr. Dil was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and so part of me wonders if I hyped it up too much in my head, if I came in with too high of expectations, because this book just did not work for me.
Everything I Read in February
What I read in February 2022 (that I’m finally posting about in May 2022)!
Review // The Long Game
I don’t know how I could ever write a review that does The Long Game justice, that sufficiently conveys just how dear this story and its characters are, but here goes. After waiting (rather impatiently) for this sequel for years, I was absolutely blown away by how special it was.
Review // Birds of California
With a very strong start, excellent banter, and deeply flawed but lovable characters, Birds of California was primed to be one of my favorite reads of this year. Unfortunately, a lackluster third-act and dissatisfying conclusion left me feeling bittersweet.
Review // Funny You Should Ask
Quick, witty, and impossible to put down, Funny You Should Ask is the perfect feel-good novel that doesn’t sacrifice depth and quality for escapist fun.
Review // The Verifiers
Jane Pek’s debut, The Verifiers, is well-written and starts with so much potential, but ultimately tries to accomplish too much and weave together too many storylines to make any one storyline that effective or satisfying.
![SET ON YOU — ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
“[T]his book explores the nuance—the ‘in-between’—that ‘self-love’ is not a tangible thing you achieve and hold on to forever. Loving oneself all day, every day is an individual journey, with vastly different outcomes for everyone.”
As soon as I read that in @amyleabooks’s author’s note, I knew I was reading something special. And SET ON YOU was, in fact, incredibly special and I already know will be one of my favorites of 2022.
This book meant so much to me as someone who shared so many of the same characteristics (including the same mix of ethnicities) as Crystal, and so much of this book spoke to me on a level that I certainly never expected to find in a book. I never, in a thousand years, would've thought I'd one day get to read about someone like myself in a rom-com; see someone like myself as the main romantic interest and lead character.
And representation aside, this is just such a fantastic rom-com and romance. Amy managed to perfectly capture all the best parts about falling in love with someone who becomes your best friend—she perfectly captured that butterfly-inducing feeling of knowing a person and simultaneously thinking they’re the absolute best and funniest person and also being wildly attracted to them. The tenderness, the earnestness, but also the chemistry and fun—it’s all there. And if you’re wondering if it delivers in terms of steam? YUP. 🛁🛁🛁
Please do yourself a favor and pick up SET ON YOU immediately. I really can’t begin to articulate just how much this book meant to me and all of the ways that it was so fantastic, so I encourage all of you to read it and see for yourself.
Thank you @berkleyromance @berkeypub for the eARC!
[ID: Sarah holds up a paperback of Set On You, her arm resting on her jean-clad leg. In the background, you can see part of a grey couch, a cluttered, round coffee table, a pink floral living room rug, and some house plants, as well as a big living room window. The cover features the two main characters—Crystal and Scott—on either side of the cover in a cute illustration on a pink background]](https://thehireader.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)