What I Read Last Month (April 2025)

Writers are readers.

One of the great cliches of publishing is that writers were readers first. Perhaps that is why, even on a first draft deadline as I was in April, I still found myself reaching for a good book.

April was an excellent reading month for me, with a few real standouts.

The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues #1) by Alwyn Hamilton

I would not normally classify myself as a fantasy reader, but maybe I need to revise that because I just so happen to have read every novel Alwyn Hamilton has published. After reading her Rebel of the Sands trilogy, I eagerly awaited her next book, The Notorious Virtues, because it was pitched as something like a Germanic-esque 1920s fantasy world featuring a Hunger Games-like set of trials to name an heir to a family fortune.¹ Needless to say, I was excited when my preorder showed up, and the book did not disappoint! Apparently I have a new niche favorite genre and it is heiresses competing in a fantasy world for their fortune. Who knew?

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

I’ve been mixing more and more thrillers into my reading recently, and Beautiful Ugly is an interesting, atmospheric take on the genre. I don’t want to say too much because I think it’s worth letting the story unfold for you. Just know that if you like your thrillers set on isolated Scottish islands with a dose of, “Something is very much not right about this place,” this could be the book for you.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

I loved this book. That could really be the entire blurb, if I’m being honest. It’s a beautiful dual timeline story about Beth, the wife of a farmer, whose world is shaken up by the return of her first love. The book is beautifully written and deeply emotional. It’s a strong contender for my favorite of the year.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Finally, after seeing this book in every Waterstones in the UK, I read Remarkably Bright Creatures (aka That Octopus Book). It was not at all what I expected. I found it touching, funny, and comforting in equal measure.

Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold

Ah to write history like Hallie Rubenhold. What a thing that would be! I read The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, which I thought was a fabulous bit of historical research. When I learned that the Crippen case would be her next book, I was intrigued to see how she would re-center this famous case on the women around Crippen including his victims and his mistress. I was not at all disappointed, and I found myself again wrapped up in her writing style and impressed by her research. This is well-worth your time, although fair warning that it is best to have a strong stomach of a few chapters.

What are you reading right now? Leave me a comment to let me know!

1. The story about why this book was announced and delayed many years is truly wild and horrifying and sent me immediately running to backup my drafts. I cannot do it justice, but it is worth finding on Alwyn’s TikTok.