May Wrap-Up 2019

May is behind us now. I didn’t realise until now that summarising posts like Monthly Wrap-ups and State of the ARCs could be exciting to write. This month I finished 4 books, all except one, from the Guangzhou library. I DNF-ed two(also library picks). None of them were ARCs 😂 I may have DNF-ed an ARC though…I can’t remember if it was this month.

Anyway, let’s see which ones captured my heart and which ones got the boot, shall we?

 

Books I read in May

The Defining Decade was a wake-up call. My sister had borrowed it and I didn’t expect it to be as impactful as it was. The author emphasizes that the twenties is not the time to monkey around, not committing to anything and all that YOLO stuff, and that it’s precisely when we should be aligning our endeavours with our goals. Filled with plenty of client cases that she’s handled, Meg Jay shows us painfully relateable examples ranging from our love life to our careers and to our selves, this book is one that I absolutely recommend people around their 20s to read(though those in their teens or above their 20s can find it eye-opening, too).

It was fortunate that I thought to check out May’s free reads on Riveted Lit because they had a wonderful road trip romance called Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour. It dealt with grief, family bonds, loneliness and opening up to people who care about you. I was (pleasantly) surprised by how long the story took and still didn’t want it to end! It gave me warm, tingly feelings and the romance was slow, which is just how I like them! Morgan Matson has crafted a realistic story with a responsible hand. She has become one of my auto-read authors!

Otherworld had a bunch of things I liked but it fell short of its potential. It’s reminiscent of Ready Player One, minus the heavy nostalgia but plus a little humor. To find out more about it, you can check out my review for it 😊

And as for Defy the Stars, oh my gosh, it was AMAZING! I have to write a review for it even if it’s not an ARC because I want more people to discover it ❤ In brief terms, it’s an intergalactic journey with a resourceful female protagonist(POC, too) and a slightly arrogant(unintentionally) but noble male character who also happens to be a robot. Throw in a rebellion, great character growth, a study of what it means to be human, and you’ve got a zing of a book! There’s so much more in it but I’ll save it for my review or this post will take too long!

Books I DNF-ed

I found Renegades not that captivating as there wasn’t much mystery. So I’ve put it off for the time-being. The City of Brass was slow-paced and the Muslim representation did not sit right with me. I’m assuming the MC is supposed to be Muslim(from the scarf and abaya-clad figure on the cover) but she does nothing to indicate that she is one. The love-interest didn’t come off as too nice either. Apparently, this book has polarizing reviews so you may find yourself in the group that loves this book(most of them gush about the lush world-building and exotic-ness).

And that’s a wrap! It’s going to be a busy month ahead with quite a bit of books scheduled for reading and two book tours in July. Ahhhhh! So much to do!

I want to know from you guys, have you read any book that WOWED you this month?