I did a lot of reading in May including many popular new releases. I had multiple five-star reads this month and that never happens! From my reviews below I hope you find a book to start your summer reading off right.

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This Summer Will Be Different

This book completely redeemed the author after her less than stellar second book though her first (Every Summer After) is still my favorite. This Summer Will Be Different is a great read to bring along if you are traveling anytime soon. It certainly made me want to book a trip to Prince Edward Island immediately.

A woman in her later 20s, Lucy, owns a successful flower shop but is a workaholic. Her best friend is getting married in a week but calls Lucy in complete crisis mode insisting she fly out to PEI but won’t say what exactly the problem is.

The book takes the reader back five years to when Lucy first visits the island and accidentally sleeps with her best friend’s younger brother. They have been keeping their mutual attraction and hookups secret ever since.

Will they eventually become a couple? Will the best friend/sister find out and freak out? Is Lucy’s job worth the stress anymore or should she take a major risk with her career? Is the wedding still on?

The story is very predictable. I correctly guessed the best friend’s major problem immediately. It’s still enjoyable and makes me want to eat seafood so much.

Sylvia’s Second Act

Sylvia’s Second Act was a pure joy to read from the very beginning to the end. This is not a book to be taken seriously. I smiled throughout and even had an occasional chuckle. I love a sassy, independent broad.

Sylvia leaves her worthless excuse of a husband and their Florida retirement village to restart her life in New York City with no money, home, or higher education.

She is a woman who says exactly what comes to her mind and often gets into awkward situations. Sylvia ends up rooming in NYC with a friend she made in Florida who is even older than she is.

Sylvia gets a job as a wedding planner and deals with all the drama that comes along with high-end weddings. So fun!

Divine Rivals

I had butterflies while reading Divine Rivals. This sweet, adorable fantasy has very little spice and only at the end. It’s a great intro into the fantasy genre and reads like historical fiction.

A war between gods who have recently woken after being asleep for a long time is currently happening and mortals are being affected. Some humans are being called to fight by siren music. Towns are devastated and the end isn’t in sight.

Forest, Iris’s big brother, goes off to be a soldier to fight for the god Enva. Iris starts working as a journalist for the local newspaper. She competes for a promotion against a wealthy boy who has had all life’s advantages when she wasn’t even able to graduate high school.

While writing letters to her brother, Iris’s grandmother’s magical typewriter delivers the correspondence to someone else. The two strangers (or are they?) begin a correspondence that becomes a lifeline as their lives are turned upside down.

Iris becomes a war correspondent and travels to the front lines. There she lives at a B&B with the innkeeper and another journalist who becomes her best friend.

It’s the sweetest love story – You’ve Got Mail vibes. It’s the first book in a duology.

Just for the Summer

Just for the Summer is not a must-read in my opinion. It is quick, enjoyable, and cute but the premise is ridiculous. Also, there’s not a ton of spice if that is something you are looking for.

A woman and a man are both considered “good luck charms”. After dating them a person goes on to marry the very next person they get into a relationship with. Wanting to break the curse, Emma and Justin decided to date each other. Together they set specific guidelines so they can each finally find their own perfect person after the breakup.

If you can get past the beginning it turns into a story of travel nurses, a too-good-to-be-true guy (but he is that good), and lots of mama drama/past trauma.

There are a lot of Minnesota references. I thought based on the cover art the book would feel more summery than it was.

For more book reviews check out my April Book Reviews!