For the Love of Reading: May 2025

I read seven books in the month of May and here are my reviews and thoughts on them:

Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is so many things. It’s an exploration of the way verbal and emotional abuse can slowly erode a person’s identity and sense of self. It’s about the immense courage it takes to escape when you can’t even verbalize what it is you’re escaping from. It’s about navigating a broken system that fails to recognize the importance of dignity and control. It’s about the small acts of courage that build up over time. It’s about reclaiming your voice when it feels like it’s been silenced for too long. It’s a reminder that true strength doesn’t always look the way we expect it to, but it is always there, waiting to be found. It’s about the women whose stories are so often left out of the conversation on domestic violence, those whose abuse is not physical but emotional, and the unique struggles they face in seeking help. Ultimately, the book is a haunting, deeply personal portrait of emotional abuse, resilience, and the journey to reclaim one’s life one small step at a time.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I raced through this psychological thriller in practically one sitting, eager to get to the finish and understand what was happening. However, once I did finish, I felt letdown and duped. The dual storyline is compelling, the atmospheric setting of a remote Scottish island is eerie, and the set up is terrific. However, the characters aren’t really developed and make ridiculous decisions, the twists become more and more implausible and convoluted, and the ending is borderline silly. I think it will appeal to fans of the genre but it didn’t deliver for me.

The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I didn’t hate this new book by Wally Lamb but I also didn’t love it the way I hoped I would and that’s kind of a bummer. Told in the first person, it’s accessible and also heartbreaking, but it gets uncomfortably repetitive in the middle, and there is an unexpected development that really put me off. Lamb delivers his usual style and realistic characters but there was some invisible barrier that prevented me from truly connecting with any of them. I’m not sorry I read it and I still adore Wally Lamb, but this doesn’t measure up to his other works in my opinion.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a truly delightful blend of memoir and a masterclass in Shakespeare, offering readers an intimate look into Dench’s performances in many of his plays. She shares backstage stories that are both profound and playful and sheds light on the timeless and adaptable nature of Shakespeare’s plays. I think it would be most enjoyed by those with a substantial affinity for Shakespeare but even those new to his work will be entertained by this journey through his plays.

Murder Road by Simone St. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a solid entry into the thriller genre and a great blend of supernatural horror and psychological suspense. Set in 1995, it follows newlyweds April and Eddie as they stumble upon a bloodied hitchhiker on a desolate Michigan road, and they find themselves trapped in a town full of unsolved murders and ghost stories. The writing is tight and the story is fast paced and, while it may be somewhat predictable, it still kept me up late at night so that I could finish it.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
While I liked this book, I wanted to love it the way I loved Weyward and that didn’t happen. There was almost a barrier between the reader and the story and I had a difficult time connecting with the characters in both the present timeline and the historical one. Hart did a good job of creating a creepy and eerie atmosphere, making the sea and the cliffs feel mysterious and foreboding, and I appreciated the theme of female resilience. It took a long time for me to really get into it and then I sort of felt like I was just hitting my stride and it was over. Recommended but with reservations.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book about NASA’s 1980s space shuttle program and felt like it truly captured the challenges and triumphs of the program and the people who worked in the field. The main character is complex and likable and the supporting characters are well developed. It’s a heartfelt and moving story with plenty of well researched science for those who want to geek out and plenty of emotional depth for readers looking to connect on that level. Highly recommended. I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hope you find something here you might want to read for yourself and thank you for reading my reviews.