Hi everyone! Can you believe it’s already June? I feel like this year has gone by so quickly, yet also really slow at the same time!! May was such a fun book month for me! This month, I read 6 books; one was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, one was on my spring TBR list, and two of them were part of a series that I have quickly become obsessed with! I thoroughly enjoyed every book I read this month! I’m going to review four of the books I read! I hope you enjoy my May Mini Review!

Synopsis: “Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them? But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?” (goodreads.com)

This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024! I am a huge Emily Henry fan and this book did not disappoint! I loved Daphne and Miles so much! Someone had said Miles was Nick Miller coded (from New Girl) and I absolutely knew I would love the book even more! Miles definitely reminds me of Nick Miller, but he is so much more than that. If you’re looking for a small town, friends to lovers romance this is the book for you! After reading this book I think my rating of Emily Henry’s books is 1. Happy Place, 2. Funny Story, 3. Book Lovers, 4. Beach Read, 5. People We Meet on Vacation. I haven’t read the other books in a few years, so this rating is solely based on my gut instincts, plus my bad memory haha! What is your Emily Henry book rating?

Playlist listened to on Spotify: funny story by emily henry

Synopsis: “Pack up your Ouija board, wine bra, and squirt guns full of holy water … we’re going on a road trip! From the hit podcast And That’s Why We Drink, this is your interactive travel guide to the hosts’ favorite spooky and sinister sights. The world is a scary place … and that’s why we drink! Jam-packed with illustrations, fun facts, travel tips, and beverage recs, this guide includes some of the country’s most notorious crime scenes, hauntings, and supernatural sightings. You’ll also find Christine and Em’s personal recommendations to the best local bars and ice cream parlors, oddity museums, curiosity shoppes, and more. Explore some of the most bizarre cases you’ve heard on the show, as well as exclusive new content from bayous, basements, and bars!” (goodreads.com)

And That’s Why We Drink is one of my favorite podcasts, so I had a feeling I would enjoy this! This actually came out in 2022 and sat partially read on my coffee table since then. However, they recently announced that they are releasing another road atlas, so I thought now is a great time to finish this one! This is such a great road atlas if you are a fan of paranormal and true crime, and finding fun, unique things to do when traveling! If you’re a fan of this podcast or unique road atlases, this is the one for you!

I didn’t end up listening to a playlist with this book.

Synopsis: “Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.” (goodreads.com)

I still don’t know how to feel about this book. I definitely understand why this is such a popular book and why people are already predicting that this will become a classic. Obviously, I rated it five stars, and the storyline is going to stay with me for a while, but to be honest, I disliked almost every character. I just didn’t find myself rooting for any of them! However, the storyline kept me reading. I wanted to know how everything turned out, and I audibly gasped at the ending! The storyline centers around these six students in a coveted Greek course. Throughout the book, there are lots of Greek and Latin dialogue with no translations, so I enjoyed translating while I was reading. I also enjoyed that it was set in Vermont, and even though the college is fictional, there were real places mentioned, that I knew, which was exciting! If you’re looking for a dark academia mystery, I would give it a read! Stick with it though, it took me a little to get into, and the font was very small, but it was worth it!

Playlist listened to on Spotify: The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Synopsis: “The book opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house with deadly results. The lives of those who survive, including sorority president and key witness, Pamela Schumacher, are forever changed. Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the man papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer—and that he’s struck again. Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation.” (barnesandnoble.com) “Bright Young Women is the story about two women from opposite sides of the country who become sisters in their fervent pursuit of the truth. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.” (goodreads.com)

This was such an interesting story! I enjoyed how this story was about giving a voice to the women whose lives were cut short, not about the “charismatic” serial killer. His name is never mentioned, but this is about the victims of Ted Bundy. I really liked how the author described him because he wasn’t this “innocent, brilliant” guy. He was just a despicably average guy, who got away with a lot more than should have been allowed because of ridiculous bureaucracy. So many lives could have been saved, if pride wasn’t a part of police reports. This is historical fiction, but the events of what happened to the victims are truthful. The book is slightly graphic regarding what happens, so read with caution. The author did a good job of respecting the real victims, which made me appreciate the book more. However, at times I felt like the story was disjointed. I mostly listened to this book on audio (narrated by Sutton Foster, which was so good!), so it may have been easier to follow if I had read the physical book. I would recommend this book to fans of true crime, who enjoy historical fiction!

Mostly listened to this book on audio, so there is no playlist recommendation.

I hope you enjoyed my May Mini Review! Leave me a comment below if you’ve read any of these books! What did you read in May? I’m going to review the A Court of Thorns and Roses series in a later post when I’ve finished reading the series, but omg I’m obsessed!

Check out the Books category on my home page for more book reviews and recommendations. Please give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated about when I post! I’ve been making a lot of fun reels on Instagram, so check it out! As always, thank you for your continued support!

Take care and stay safe,

Renée