What I Read in April 2025

Hi, friends! The first full month of Q2 went by fast, and per usual, it feels like I’m barely keeping up with how quickly time flies after January. I will say that I recently implemented “hibernation” weekends where I don’t make any plans and allow myself to do as much or as little as I want, and I hope that will be the trick for me to stay sane as a social introvert. Also thinking “hibernation” weekends will make for good reading time… anyways, here’s everything I read in April!

THE BOYFRIEND BY Freida McFadden

I’ve been on a Freida McFadden train recently which I think I’m going to come off, not because I don’t like her books but because I can’t do this many thrillers back to back! I’m being a little bit dramatic though since The Boyfriend was only my second Freida McFadden book after The Teacher. The premise and the cast were completely different (honestly, I think I preferred The Boyfriend because it’s less creepy in a sexual way) but Freida had me on my toes again and second guessing the whole time… and of course, there was a twist (or two).

WHERE THE DARK STANDS STILL by A. B. Poranek

A recommendation from Stephanie at Spellbound, Where the Dark Stands Still is a YA fantasy based Polish folklore. Desperate to get rid of her magic, which makes her different and dangerous in people’s eyes, Liska enters the magical forest to make a wish upon a mythical flower and finds herself making a bargain with The Leszy, the demon warden of the woods. The Leszy offers a year-long contract for Liska’s service in exchange for her wish, during which Liska gets to know The Leszy well. 👀 Where the Dark Stands Still reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, and lots of reviews compare it to Howl’s Moving Castle if that sounds like it’s up your alley!

SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins

I had been patiently waiting for my library hold on Sunrise on the Reading, the latest Hunger Games book but Rex got me a copy while we were in Steamboat Springs earlier this month and I read it in 48 hours!!! Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 25 years ahead of the original trilogy and tells the story of Haymitch, the perpetually drunken mentor for District 12 who won the fiftieth Hunger Games. Compared to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Sunrise on the Reaping reads more like a continuation of the original trilogy partially because it’s closer in timeline, and Haymitch’s Hunger Games resembles those in the Katniss’s timeline more so than the tenth Hunger Games for which President Snow was a student mentor.

Naturally, I’ve been telling everyone to read Sunrise on the Reaping since I finished it a few weeks ago. I personally really enjoyed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes but Coriolanus Snow’s story is a bit more removed and Collin’s storytelling itself feels a bit distant from the original trilogy. On the other hand, Sunrise on the Reaping provides a meaningful backdrop to the original trilogy, and you see a lot of familiar names and realize the connections and history between the characters which adds a lot more context to the Hunger Games world. I also think it’s somehow even sadder than the original trilogy, and I did cry…

JAMES by Percival Everett

I love a good retelling, and James was is an exceptional one. James is Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reimagined from the point of view of James, or Jim, an enslaved man who joins Huck as he runs away to avoid being sold. James is intelligent, observant, and mature, and he takes charge of his own story. I had read Huckleberry Finn at some point and decided to not re-read it before starting James. While I didn’t remember many things from the original story, I don’t believe it detracted from the reading experience. I listened to the audiobook of James, and the narrator took it to another level for me.

FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES by Min Jin Lee

I had been meaning to read Min Jin Lee’s Free Food for Millionaires since I read Pachinko (I think back in 2018?) and it finally has happened! Free Food for Millionaires primarily follows Casey Han, a young Korean American who grew up in Queens, NY and is freshly graduated from Princeton. She somewhat struggles with the pressure of her parents’ expectations, especially since her little sister seems to be doing all the right things, going off to medical school and dating a nice Korean boy. Casey has come to love the easy and lavish life of her extended social network at Princeton, which is out of grasp for an unemployed daughter of Korean immigrants who work in a dry cleaner. As Casey navigates the post-grad life, we get to meet her college sweetheart, the perfect girl from her childhood church she never liked, and more.

I will say I did like Pachinko a lot more (which remains one of my favorite books of all time, even after I re-read it). I wish there was a bit more of an overarching story or structure ,but I appreciate Min Jin Lee’s ability to create complex and flawed characters who feel very real as do the relationships between the characters. Active reading of it was very much enjoyable.

ROUGE by Mona Awad

My third book by Mona Awad, Rouge was as weird and grappling as I expected. I always have hard time describing Mona Awad’s books but let me attempt! Rouge follows Belle, short for Mirabelle, who has always had a complicated relationship with beauty and her mother Noelle. Following the passing of her mother in mysterious circumstances, Belle is back in Southern California to deal with what Noelle has left behind. During her stay, she learns about Rouge, an exclusive lavish spa in a mansion off of a cliff nearby. As a skincare fanatic, Belle is intrigued by this spa to which her mother frequented herself, and her visits to the Rouge reveal secrets, both her mother’s and her own.

FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston

I found this mystery thriller just okay. In fact, I almost DNF’ed with 2 hours left on the audiobook but I pushed through..! The premise is interesting–Evie Porter seems to have a picture perfect life except for that she is not really Evie Porter; it’s simply one of the identities she has assumed for a job under Mr. Smith. First Lie Wins lost me in the second half. I could tell the author was really building up to a twist in the story but both the reveal and the leading chapters felt a bit forced and too neat.

P.S. Photo from Durham’s newest bookstore Daughters Coffee and Books.