April 2025 reading round up

March was a hell of a reading month for me, and April hasn't been too bad either - I never really know what to say in the intro for these posts, so here are all the books I've read in April 2025 and what I thought of them!

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary

I am a big fan of Beth O'Leary's writing - I really didn't get on with The Flatshare, but all of her other books have been a win for me and this one was no exception! It's a gorgeous enemies to lovers kind of romance, set in a lovely family-friendly British hotel in the countryside, and touches on some themes around grief and loneliness. I love the found family element and the two main characters, Izzy and Lucas, were so much fun. Highly recommend! 5 stars from me.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

I've not read many Em Hen books, but I absolutely fell in love with this one. I was instantly transported to every location, from the haunted flat in New York to the gorgeous cottage in Maine (I want to go to Maine sooooo badly now), and the cast of characters were simply lovely. Again, a nice found family element and a breathtaking, heartbreaking second chance romance plot. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Could definitely see this as a film! Another 5 stars from me.

Nobody Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah

(arc) Since I was about 12, Sophie Hannah has been my favourite author - and it's still a pinch me moment if I ever get an ARC for one of her new books, as I did with this one. It was *very* different to her usual style, and honestly left me feeling kind of mindblown. It's a thriller told through a manuscript left for a policeman to find, and said manuscript switches between an at-first-unknown POV and that of the Mum of the family the story centers on. The story itself is actually about a dog-obsessed family, and their actions/reaction when their dog is accused of biting someone. Honestly the whole thing is nuts and I was left with a lot of questions, but I did find it an enjoyable read which really made me think. 4 stars!

Dead To Me by Gytha Lodge

(arc) The majority of this book is told in the form of an email from a journalist to her ex - said journalist is trying to infiltrate a group at Cambridge to get to the bottom of some suspicious deaths. I love anything that examines the elite and the way they work, and this did so brilliantly while remaining self-aware and just an all-round enjoyable read. Another 4 star read for me.

The Island Escape by Jess Ryder

(arc) Labelled as 'Mamma Mia with murder', that pretty much is what it is - told through dual POVs (mother in the past, her adult daughter now) we follow the hedonistic life of backpackers on a sunny Greek island, and all the trouble and drama that comes with that. Namely secrets, lies and a dead body... This was okay, and I enjoyed the descriptions of Greece of course, but overall it fell a bit flat. 3 stars from me.

The Marriage Rule by Helen Monks Takhar

(arc) I didn't enjoy this book at all - I found the characters all just awful, even the "good" ones, and the plot was really horrible as well as just a bit triggering. Honestly such a drag to read. I gave it 1.5 stars because the writing wasn't bad, but the story itself was. Ugh.

Do You Ship It by Beth Reekles

(arc) This book was like a balm for the soul after my previous read - I absolutely adored it. YA is usually a hit for me, but this one was just gorgeous. It's a romance, but the characters are all really into a particular fantasy series, so it almost feels like you're reading a bit of fantasy too. The storyline was simply lovely, and the characters were lush. I did figure out pretty early on what the sort-of twist would be, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable. An easy 5 stars!

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey

I'm getting married in October, so I've been adding in a few books featuring weddings, marriage, brides etc into my TBR this year - and I love Tessa Bailey, so I was excited to read this and it didn't let me down. A marriage of convenience romance between an ex-SEAL and a disgraced Wall Street finance whizz, set in Napa Valley, he falls first, spicy without being too much... I simply loved it. 4.5 stars!!

The Highland Kiss by Amy McGavin

I took advantage of a recent 'stuff your kindle day' to get some free books off Amazon, all written by indie authors - this was one of them. I really enjoy romance set in Scotland, and the setting off this one really didn't disappoint; the story was good, too, but I found the writing incredibly awkward and almost jarring to read. Overall I gave this 3 stars, because it wasn't bad, it just felt unedited...

So that's everything I read in April 2025 including arcs, indie published romances and more! Let me know if you've read any of these or plan to pick them up...