I had a rough Spring season with the loss of my beloved cat. With that loss I sought out a little more escapism than usual. I read 5 books over the last season. Some of them were good, some of them were bad, and I want to share my thoughts on them with you. The reviews below do not contain spoilers.

Me: Elton John Official Biography by Elton John

To be honest with you, I would not consider myself a fan of Elton John’s music. Aside from Tiny Dancer (which I only love because it’s on the soundtrack of Almost Famous which is one of my favorite movies) I really don’t like his music. However, he is an interesting person and he’s got a great sense of humor. I love how raw and honest this book is. This book did feel like it dragged on at times and I found myself struggling to maintain interest at times. I think this was due to the book being much longer than it should have been. I would really only recommend this if you are a fan of Elton John.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

I absolutely loved this book. There were so many wholesome moments in it and I loved the characters. This was the type of book that I could have easily read in a day but I savored it over the course of a week and I looked forward to reading it every day. This book felt like a romcom feel good movie.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved that it was a page turner and I HAD to find out how things ended. I hated it because the characters were all horrendous in some way, whether it was from just being a horrible person or from making irresponsible and blatantly bad decisions. The characters discussed money, class, and status a few times in the book that left a sour taste in my mouth. The way the main character, Lilly, describes a good person as simply someone that donates money seemed really juvenile. There were parts of the book that felt like the author was originally trying to write a YA but because of the darker content of the book it is adult. I find it mildly concerning that this book gets romanticized by it’s fans.

Verity by Colleen Hoover

This book was written by the same author as It Ends With Us. Much like the previous book, I also have a love/hate relationship with this book. This author really knows how to captivate you. She also really knows how to create characters that make horrible decisions. This one did actually feel like an adult book so by default I enjoyed it more than the one above.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Tsujimura Mizuki

This is one of the most heartwarming and beautifully written books I’ve read. It was incredibly moving. I loved the storyline and the author had me really rooting for the characters. This is the type of book I wish I could read again for the first time.