Books to Check Out: What I Read in April 2022

April turned out to be a month filled with some interesting character driven fiction. These novels are a little quieter in their drama, and more focused on the emotional turmoil of their characters. They were all super engaging, however, and I’m excited to share a bit about this dynamite batch of books.

Lurkers by Sandi Tan

Lurkers is one of those books that centers around a cast of different characters and how they come together in the end. There are two Korean American sisters, a mother/daughter duo, and a horror novelist all living on the same block in the suburbs of California. Each of them experiences their own trials and issues, and you can’t help but feel for them all.

The young sisters, Rosemary and Mira, in particular were compelling. Rosemary’s arc was the one I was most invested in out of all the characters. That being said, I enjoyed reading each different perspective. They all had very distinct personalities, quirks, and characteristics. I love reading characters with completely different backgrounds from myself, and I think this book really offered that experience as well. This was probably my favorite book I read this month, and a unique one as well.

Siracusa by Delia Ephron

This was a tense book to get through, and I enjoyed every second of it. The story centers around two couples vacationing together in Siracusa, Italy. I loved this read so much. It switches between the perspective of each of the four characters, and to be honest, none of them were too likeable. It made for a fascinating read, seeing these characters that I didn’t care much for make terrible decisions and keep damning secrets from each other. The tension was high from page one, and I got through this book in less than a week.

This book has been on my list for years, (yes, my TBR is extensive and wild and I’ll never finish it, I know) and I was happy to finally get around to it. The writing is great and unapologetic with how it dives into the awfulness in each of these characters. It makes the story a building psychological thriller, and when it comes to an unavoidable head, it’s like an ugly car crash you can’t look away from.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars is a young adult book about a group of four friends, and the secrets they keep on their summer vacations. What was fun about this book was discovering the tangled web of darkness that lies within the friendships of the four friends. Even better, our main character Cadence has some memory loss as a result of a mysterious accident, leaving us to piece together everything at the same time she does. I love a good mystery, and the mix of some coming of age elements made this a very engaging read. It kept me guessing until the end, and every time I thought there was no more to uncover, another bomb was dropped on my head.

The last revelation in particular was like a knife to the gut, and you have toe read it to experience it. I’d also recommend listening to this one as an audiobook. It really dialed the emotional impact up to eleven for me.

As a suspenseful, relatively quick read, this is a book that's easy to get into and leave a strong impact.

If you’re looking for a few low-key books to read, these are your picks. The conflicts are emotional and tense, the characters are fascinating, and they all seem to go by in a heartbeat. Happy reading!

Check out March’s recommendations here.