Everything I read in May

ft my favorite book of the year... so far!

Jun 04, 2025

Alright y'all, buckle up because we’ve got a short and sweet round-up featuring some of my favorite books I’ve read all year.

Since actively slowing my reading down in March I’ve noticed a clear shift in my reading. I’m being more selective with the books I pick up, and that has resulted in more quality reads overall. I’ve enjoyed slowing down in my reading and savoring every single page.

Get your favorite bevvy ☕️ and let’s dive into the booktalk.

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Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine | RomCom | Really enjoyed

A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot instead.

This book is for lovers of the romance genre. It’s topical, satirical, swoon-worthy with plenty of spice. The Alaska setting was so much fun, the writing was funny and dare I say EmHen-esque? It also went meta with so many favorite tropes scattered throughout. And as always, I adored the sister relationship in this book.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry | Contemporary fiction | Really enjoyed

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping tale.

The book world is torn on Em Hen’s ‘departure’ from her typical romcom box, and so are the reviews. I sit somewhere in the middle. Did I love it as much as Book Lovers (her best writing IMO)? No. But I did enjoy and appreciate seeing more authors branch out into new avenues.

So what worked for me? In classic Em Hen fashion she nailed the summery setting, a clear sense of place, characters you can root for, and lots of banter. I loved Alice’s unwavering optimism and how that rubbed off on Hayden, slowing chipping away at his stony exterior. I also enjoyed Margaret’s story, but it often took me out of the present day storyline resulting in a lot of fits and starts. Just as I got absorbed in Margaret’s story we switched to Hayden and Alice, etc.

Which brings me too why this was just a like—Alice & Hayden’s relationship went from 0-180, the ending felt rushed, and I didn’t get the satisfying emotional closer like in past Henry books. I’ll continue to read anything Emily Henry writes while begging publishers to stop miss-marketing books!! This was NOT a mystery. LOL!

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett | Contemporary fiction | LOVED!

A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man, PJ, on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death.

I know I claimed Wild Dark Shore was my favorite book of the year in last month’s reading round-up, only for this gem of a book to knock it out of the park. Tender Hearts is my ideal book in a nutshell: found-family, quirky endearing characters, adventure, animal sidekicks, and hilarity infused in every single page. Not only will it make you laugh it will have you rooting for our ragtag bunch of characters, too. Each of them is on their own personal journey, overcoming pain and trauma. Never in my life did I think an alcoholic sixty-three year-old man would become one of my favorite literary characters.

Hartnett’s acknowledgment at the end helps set the stage to the sometimes baffling amount of sorrow and strife throughout the book. It encourage you to read it before getting to far in.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige | Mystery | I liked it okay

Heartwood takes you on a journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

Told from multiple POVs with call-ins from a tip hotline, it will keep you guessing on what happened until the end. The writing was gorgeous and atmospheric with similar vibes to God of the Woods. As the search for Valerie becomes more dire the plot picks up and you won’t be able to stop listening/reading. However, I found it difficult to connect with the characters and for that reason it didn’t hit as hard.