Birthstone Book Covers: May – Emerald | 2026

The original creator of this book tag is **Leslie @ Books Are The New Black** so go check out her blog!

THE RULES

Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!
Nominate people if you want!

Jealous Rage by. Sav R. Miller

*****

Fallen Stars by. Imani Erriu

*****

A Curse of Ashes by. Sariah Wilson

*****

Mate by. Ali Hazelwood

*****

Poison in Their Hearts by. Laura Sebastian

I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️

Monthly Wrap Up | April 2026

Is April really over? I had a stressful first week of April – the weather was so bad, my hubby’s car died and he had to get a new one, 3 friends who were supposed to go to see Bruno Mars with me cancelled last minute, but things turned around when my kids and I went to Vegas for Bruno and I had to force myself to literally count any and every blessing coming my way. It helped me get over the high stress I was under. 🙏🏽. It forced me to look for positive things and honestly, I made a promise to adopt this positive thinking for the whole year. And when I get stressed I tell myself I can do HARD things. 😅

May is going to be jam-packed! I have the BTS trip to go to, my nephew’s graduation and then a 2 week trips to the Philippines. I don’t know if I’m ready but I have to be right? Again, trying to stay positive!

I read 24 books.

Books I Read – 24 books

The Becket Effect (arc)
Dhampira by. Amy Pennza (arc)
Between Tides & Thunder by. Leeza Kazak
Verity Guild by. Mai Corland (arc)
The Shadows That Listen by. Louisa Carmody
Crown Me Yours by. Liv Zander
Crown Me Dead by. Liv Zander
Change of Plans by. Sarah Dessern (arc)
The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by. Katrina Kwan (audiobook)
Us Dark Few by. Alexis Patton (arc)
A Merry Life by. Sarah Branson (audiobook)
Miracles in Mercy by. Briony J. Shutt
Double Happiness by. Heather Eng (arc)
Soon By You by. Dahlia Adler (arc)
The Last Page by. Katie Holt (arc)
Malachite by. Ashley Andersen (arc)
I Could Give You the Moon by. Ann Liang (alc)
The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey (arc)
Bloody Black by. Rhiannon Hargadon
Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego
Starside by. Alex Aster
Turncloak by. L.K. Steven
Weavingshaw by. Heba Al-Wasity
The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther

Reviews I Posted On My Blog: 27 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Crown Me Dead & Crown Me Yours by. Liz Zander | Mini Book Reviews

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Weavingshaw by. Heba Al-Wasity | Book Review

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: April – Diamond | 2026

Blog Tours:

Other:

How was your month?

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The Beckett Effect by. Nashae Jones | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Beckett Effect

Author: Nashae Jones

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/5/26

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Simon Pulse for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

There’s no one teenage filmmaker Wren hates more than notorious playboy Beckett Lane. Girls love him because of his famous dad, and Beckett revels in the unearned attention. It seems like everyone is under his spell but Wren—including Wren’s sweet, naive sister Kennedy, who has a huge crush on him.

When Beckett humiliates Kennedy in front of the entire school, Wren swears to bring him down once and for all by teaming up with her BFF Chelsie to make a documentary showing everybody exactly who he really is. They launch an investigation meant to expose him, which includes Wren cozying up to Beckett to get inside information—because she’s the only one in school not susceptible to the Beckett Effect.

Only, as she gets closer to Beckett, Wren wonders if the line between love and hate is as obvious as she thought it was. Could there be more to the school’s biggest playboy than she realized?

Content Warning: divorce

+~ Wren wants to make movies, so she’s always thinking of life in scenes, which made this an interesting but fun story to read. She’s also over protective over her sister Kennedy and despises school heartthrob Beckett Lane (who her sister has a crush on). I loved Wren, but yes there were times she did a little too much when it came to her sister or Beckett and it leads her to some disastrous situations. I think some readers will not Wren as much as I did, she is so stubborn.

+ This story reminded me of my favorite teen rom-coms that dominated the early 2000’s. II kept thinking they should make this into a movie on Netflix because I’d totally watch it for all the shenanigans Wren and her bestie was up to while doing this school project that revolved around Beckett Lane. You already know it’s a bad a idea but Wren was on a revenge kick. And though things blow up in Wren’s face, I loved seeing her trying to fix everything and acknowledge that she was in the wrong. I loved the humor throughout the story and it made for such a quick read.

+ The romance is so cute – Wren hates Beckett, but Becket is a heartthrob for a reason – he’s gorgeous but such a charmer too! I can see why he was so hard to resist. So as much as Wren is using Beckett, he eventually gets under his skin when she learns the real him.

Final Thoughts:

I had a fun time reading this one because it reminded me of early 2000’s teenage rom-coms, and would love to see this made into a movie. Wren is a stubborn FMC who has a lot to learn but the main thing is she does learn in the end. I thought the romance was super cute because Beckett is such a charmer – how could Wren resist? Overall, I enjoyed this one.

Read if you like: