Kickin’ It is a feature at The Bucket List where I round-up the whole month in one post, bringing you reviews you may have missed, other awesome bookish things, and even what I’m currently obsessed with in other media besides books. April was such a great month. There was the first nice weather we’ve had in months. I met up with a few friends which is always great to unbury myself from my TBR mountain long enough to make human contact. And I read so many amazing books this month. I was able to say goodbye to my reading slump. The month started out a bit rocky since March’s reading wasn’t that great. However, some fantastic books saved the day and I was able to get back into my reading schedule. Overall, I read a total of 10 books which is probably my average so I’m counting it a success. Here’s the great books I read this month:


Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (3 stars): I was hyped to read this one. I’ve had the series on my shelf for years and finally picked it up. And I probably shouldn’t have waited as long as I did because the plot was a bit younger on the YA scale than I was anticipating. It was a cute and fun retelling of The Princess and the Frog. However, Kontis tried to jam pack the story filled with several other fairytales that it started to get rather messy.

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondo and Yuko Uramoto (4 stars): You know I love Marie Kondo. When the Netflix show came out, I spent the next week folding everything in my house precisely using her instructions. And believe me, it creates so much space! Since I’m still on hold for her other books at my library, behind another 100 people or so, I decided to give the manga a try. It was adorable but still told in such a way that I learned more about her tidying method.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (3 stars): I wanted to love this one; I really did. And I’m still going to try out the TV show and read the sequel. However, The Magicians just wasn’t for me. The story revolves around Quentin who is a bit uninteresting and lethargic. I was waiting for the moment the characters and I would be excited about this hidden magic boarding school and that moment never came.


Bite Club by Rachel Caine (4 stars): I’m slowly working my way through the Morganville Vampire series. Bite Club was super-fast paced; the writing makes it so easy to read. The climax wasn’t as climatic as I wanted it to be. However, I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi (5 stars): This one gets all the love! Choi created such amazing and real characters with real issues. Sam and Penny were so adorable! I wish we get a sequel someday.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (4.5 stars): Should I have read these before Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom? The world may never know. It’s interesting to see more of the Grisha side of Bardugo’s world than we received in the duology. Shadow and Bone had everything I love about fantasy. And hopefully, I’ll get to the next book soon!




All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton (4 stars): This one releases on May 7th and seriously, you do not want to miss it. All Our Broken Pieces is a magnificent romance between two scarred, yet beautiful individuals. It's about believing in true love, and even more importantly, believing in yourself. All Our Broken Pieces will be sure to put a smile on your face (after making you cry, of course).

As Kismet Would Have It by Sandhya Menon (5 stars): This short story started my month off right, kicking my ugly reading slump to the curb. It was so cool to hear what Rishi and Dimple have been up to since When Rishi Met Dimple ended. Side note: this novella is best enjoyed after reading There’s Something About Sweetie which releases this month (I didn’t know this before reading but it spoiled some minor details for me.)

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (4 stars): I’m just here for all of these cute reads this month! The relationship dynamic between a woman with Asperger’s and a male escort was done tremendously well… the chemistry! This one is definitely for an older audience.


Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau (4 stars): Can every graphic novel be this cute? Bloom is the epitome of an amazing, wholesome summer romance.


There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon (5/14/19): The sequel we’ve all been waiting for! I can’t wait to read this! It follows Ashish, Rishi’s brother, who challenges his parents to set him up with someone. Enter Sweetie, who begins her project in hopes of showing the world what she’s really made of. Sweetie and Ashish find that they may have more in common than first realized.

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo (5/7/19): Despite my incapability of talking about this book without breaking into the song by Keane, I can’t wait for this one! It sounds like the perfect summer read! Jack will do anything to impress his paparazzi father. When his paths cross with a famous K-pop star in Hong Kong, sparks ignite and he must decide whether to see where this relationship leads or to make his father proud instead.

Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard (5/7/19): I was hoping for a non-Red Queen book from Victoria Aveyard since I finished reading the series last year. And this may be unpopular opinion, but I was satisfied with how the series ended. Broken Throne is a collection of Red Queen short stories, some we’ve already read and then several new ones. I’m excited to see if Aveyard will tie up the loose ends she left open in War Storm.



My friends got me into Westworld and it is so remarkable. Storytelling at its best. And I’m only a few episodes in the first season. I hear that the story gets even more tangled and mind-blowing the more it continues. Also, I just finished watching every single Marvel movie to date in time for opening weekend of Avengers: Endgame. It was good and I can’t wait to see what comes next in the Marvel universe.