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You’d never know that I’m a die-hard TBR enthusiast by looking at my May 2023 reading wrap-up. This was the month of unintentional mood-reading and here you’ll find the ratings for all 25 of the books I read.
May was such a fun and spontaneous reading month for me. While I typically try to stick to a pretty strict TBR, it seems like Libby had other plans because all of my holds came in at once! That does seem to be the case with libraries though, doesn’t it? I love it. I didn’t mind switching up my books nearly as much as I thought I would. There were two books that I wasn’t able to pick up, but I decided to move There Will Come a Darkness to June and I’ll get to my reread of Fable eventually.
I think the stand-out books this month were Lessons in Chemistry and The Box in the Woods. They were both really unique stories and stuck with me for different reasons. I also did a little bit of book-buying, thanks to the fiction sale on Book Outlet. I was able to snag 6 books that I’ve absolutely loved over the years: Legends & Lattes, In Five Years, Lost in the Never Woods, XOXO, Crumbs (which I read this month), and Girl, Serpent, Thorn. I can’t wait for them to arrive so I can add them to my shelves! It was a good month to be a bookworm.
Keep on scrolling to see my ratings for all 25 books I read during May! You’ll also notice a sweet little calico cameo!
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The 25 Books I Read in May 2023
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May 2023 Reading Stats
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/May-Moods.png)
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/May-Genres.png)
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/May-Pages.png)
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/May-Formats.png)
Books That Got a 5-Star Rating (*rereads)
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1-8.png)
Concrete Rose*
by Angie Thomas
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Crooked-Kingdom-by-Leigh-Bardugo.png)
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)*
by Leigh Bardugo
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Supernova.png)
Supernova (Renegades #3)*
by Marissa Meyer
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Books That Got a 4 or 4.5-Star Rating
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Crumbs.png)
Crumbs
by Danie Stirling
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Stolen-Chapters.png)
The Stolen Chapters (Story Thieves #2)
by James Riley
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Mr-Wrong-Number.png)
Mr. Wrong Number
by Lynn Painter
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Lessons-in-Chemistry.png)
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Solitaire.png)
Solitaire
by Alice Oseman
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/12-Just-My-Type.png)
Just My Type
by Falon Ballard
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Mooncakes.png)
Mooncakes
by Suzanne Walker
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Built-to-Last.png)
Built to Last
by Erin Hahn
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Golden-Spoon.png)
The Golden Spoon
by Jessa Maxwell
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Box-in-the-Woods.png)
The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious #4)
by Maureen Johnson
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Books That Got a 3 or 3.5-Star Rating
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Cheat-Sheet.png)
The Cheat Sheet (The Cheat Sheet #1)
by Sarah Adams
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/If-the-Shoe-Fits.png)
If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1)
by Julie Murphy
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tomorrow-and-Tomorrow-and-Tomorrow.png)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
by Gabrielle Zevin
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Change-of-Plans.png)
Change of Plans
by Dylan Newton
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Fall-of-the-School-for-Good-and-Evil.png)
Fall of the School for Good and Evil (Rise of the School for Good and Evil #2)
by Soman Chainani
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Daughter-of-the-Moon-Goddess.png)
Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom Duology #1)
by Sue Lynn Tan
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sheets.png)
Sheets (Sheets #1)
by Brenna Thummler
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Swift-the-Storm-Fierce-the-Flames.png)
Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame
by Meg Long
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Books That Got a 2 or 2.5-Star Rating
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Only-When-Its-Us.png)
Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1)
by Chloe Liese
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/These-Twisted-Bonds.png)
These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2)
by Lexi Ryan
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Forget-Me-Not.png)
Forget Me Not
by Julie Soto
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
![](http://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Do-Over.png)
The Do Over
by Suzanne Park
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
June 2023 TBR
The Looking-Glass Illusion (The Curious Realities #2) by Sara Ella [ARC]
Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin [ARC]
Someone Just Like You by Meredith Schorr [ARC]
King of Scars (King of Scars #1) by Leigh Bardugo [reread]
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
Painted Devils (Little Thieves #2) by Margaret Owen
There Will Come a Darkness (The Age of Darkness #1) by Katy Rose Pool
By the Book (Meant to Be #2) by Jasmine Guillory
Cherish (Crave #6) by Tracy Wolff
Secret Origins (Story Thieves #3) by James Riley
Nine Liars (Truly Devious #5) by Maureen Johnson
So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens
The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
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coconut wax bookish candle (ESPRESSO10) | single-serve French press | cappuccino mugs & saucers | wooden cake tray | similar birdcage | faux pine cones | sweater | blue light-blocking glasses | similar mirror | cotton sprigs
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I am so deep in the library holds list for LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY it’s not even funny. But that’s ok because I have a lot of other stuff I want/need to read. In fact, I keep pushing holds off to be delivered later, lol. I’m surprised by your star rating for DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS–curious to know what you liked/didn’t like about it?
Haha! I was too! I waited for a good six months before my copy finally came in. I was just glad it was worth it. With all the hype surrounding it, I wasn’t sure I’d love it. But it was really good. It reminded me a lot of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing and storytelling style, which I love!
The short version is basically that DOTMG had a very promising start with beautiful writing, buuut the middle of the book lost me entirely. The FMC seemed to lose her entire personality and the romance aspect was super bizarre. The final third of the book had me on the edge of my seat, but I just did NOT like the middle at all. Also, how is it a duology? Because… the story ends haha. I dunno. I wanted to love it but it just fell flat for the most part.
I really love the graphics. Are they from Storygraph? I love that site! Great this of some excellent reads. Your May reading list looks to have been much more successful than mine!
I use The StoryGraph for all my data tracking, but I create my own graphics using the stats they provide 🙂