It’s finally spring, and you know what that means: laying out in the sun while reading a good book! Enjoying the nice weather doesn’t mean you have to fall behind on your reading. Here’s a list of carefully selected books I’ve really enjoyed reading these past couple of months and highly recommend!

tokyo ever after

Tokyo Ever After is a book by Emiko Jean that was selected as the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for young adult fiction. Jean creates a modern fairytale in which main character Izumi Tanaka discovers that her father, who she’s never met before, is the Crown Prince of Japan. Raised in California by her single mom and being both Japanese and American, Izumi often finds it hard to fit in and doesn’t feel American enough. So, upon discovering who her father is, she embarks on a journey to Japan. Although, things don’t exactly go as planned, and she ends up feeling too American to fit in with her Japanese family.

Tokyo Ever After is a story about finding yourself, gaining courage, friendship, and of course—romance. Izumi faces many obstacles on her journey, such as dealing with her insufferable personal bodyguard who’s annoyingly attractive, practicing princess etiquette, and learning Japanese. This book is perfect for those who love the “normal-girl-to-princess" trope.

Emiko Jean is a New York Times best-selling author who mainly writes women’s fiction and young adult novels. Tokyo Ever After was published by Macmillan Publishers and is a New York Times best-seller. There’s also a sequel called Tokyo Dreaming that was published a few years ago. If you love books that let you experience a rollercoaster of emotions, you’ll want to check this out!

Source: Wikimedia Commons, Photo by Diliff/ CC BY 3.0

the london seance society

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner is a mystery novel that was an instant New York Times bestseller. The story takes place during the Victorian era and follows main character Lenna Wickes who comes to Paris to learn how to communicate with the dead. Her sister, who was a lover of the occult, was found dead, and Lenna is convinced she was murdered. So, she becomes a student of famous spiritualist Vaudaline D’Allaire, whom her sister used to study under, so she can try to solve her sister’s murder. And as the two women get to know each other, they start to fall for each other. But one of them is keeping secrets. . .

This mystery book is about murder, betrayal, slippery men, and romance. It’s about intelligent women and how they connect with the spiritual world. Penner also includes information throughout the book, such as the steps to complete a seance and a brief bit of Victorian history at the end. This book is perfect for those who enjoy 19th-century literature.

The London Seance Society was named the Most-Anticipated book by publications such as The Washington Post and Readers Digest. This book will take you on a journey with multiple plot twists, secrets, and lots of suspense!

mcmaster’s guide to homicide

Murder Your Employer: McMaster’s Guide to Homicide is a horror and dark comedy novel by Rupert Holmes. The book is a New York Times bestseller. Holmes has written novels, songs, and plays and has won the Edgar Award. The book is about a wicked school called The McMaster’s Conservatory, which teaches students how to murder people whose removal from society would benefit society.

The story follows three main characters in each of their point of views as they create their graduation thesis, which is a detailed plan on how to murder the person they want to murder without getting caught. Those who get caught or fail to complete their thesis are killed by McMaster’s Conservatory, to help protect the school and its students. Cruel bosses, blackmailers, and slippery movie directors—the three main characters are determined to rid the world of those horrible people in their lives.

This book is a very interesting, detailed, and brilliant read! If you’re into novels that have slight horror elements in them, this book is perfect for you!

the woman in the library

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is a mystery novel within a mystery novel. Before chapters, the author includes letters written by an Australian author to a man in America, to fact-check elements of the mystery novel she is writing. The mystery novel is developed through the chapters and follows four strangers sitting at the same table in the library when a murder takes place. The four strangers become friends during the chaos, but there’s a problem—one of them is the murderer.

The Woman in the Library is a thrilling mystery with many plot twists within both stories. The story is about love, friendship, trust, and betrayal. Gentill brilliantly creates a novel within a novel, with the main character being a writer who writes about what she experiences with her three new friends, while also being the main character to the Australian author’s story. This novel is a unique but interesting read!

the ivies

The Ivies by Alexa Donne is a thrilling story about five girls doing anything it takes to ensure they land a spot in an Ivy League university. Deemed The Ivies, these girls sabotage and betray their fellow students to prevent them from stealing their spots in their universities. Each Ivie is given an Ivy League university by head Ivie, Avery, and two Ivies cannot go to the same university.

Tensions arise when two of the Ivies—Emma and the main character, Olivia—apply to Harvard instead of the Ivy League universities Avery had given them. When Avery loses her spot in Harvard and the other two Ivies get in, their friendship starts to crumble. And when Emma is found dead at a party, Avery is a prime suspect and Olivia fears she’s next.

The Ivies is a chilling novel about friendship, betrayal, and secrets. Donne will have you on the edge of your seat, and the book has plot twists you won’t see coming!

conclusion