April was a month of varied stories, though family seemed to be the over arching theme. Some of the books had characters and storylines that grabbed my attention, and one that, well… I just couldn’t get through. As part of my Year of Me journey, reading continues to be one of the ways I care for my mind and soul. This month’s book stack brought a mix of genres, characters to love (and loathe), and a few unexpected surprises. In this post, I’m sharing my thoughts on the books I read in April—what I enjoyed, what fell flat, and which ones I’d recommend curling up with next. I’ll admit—Wicked (our book club pick) lost me by Chapter 1, so there is no review of that book. Not every book is a good fit, and that’s okay too!

The Butterfly Room by Julie Cantrell

Summary:

The Butterfly Room is a beautifully layered generational family drama that spans decades, beginning in the 1940s with a young girl named Posey and unfolding all the way to her 70th birthday celebration. Told through a dual timeline, the novel weaves together the innocence of Posey’s early years with the complexities of her present-day life, revealing how the past continues to shape the present.

The story is rich with vivid characters—some you’ll love, others you’ll love to loathe—all of whom are connected to Posey in meaningful, sometimes painful ways. Secrets, lies, and long-held resentments simmer beneath the surface, gradually coming to light in ways that alter the family’s future. Riley skillfully shows how the choices we make—and the truths we hide—can echo through future generations.

Review:

This is another novel written by the Irish author Lucinda Riley where she develops characters with depth. Simply put, I fell in love with Posey, and her character is what kept me engaged. She is a vibrant 70-year-old woman who embraces the world as it is today.  She genuinely cares for people and is willing to hold family members accountable when they are wrong.  What I didn’t care for was were what I found to be unnecessary secrets. All the main characters in the book had secrets, and I felt that some of them were just pointless, especially as it related to her youngest son Nick.

Audible

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Christian Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Perennials, by Julie Cantrell

Summary:

Lovey and Bitsey Sutherland once shared that deep connection that only sisters can share, but something caused that love to turn to hostility. Despite her love for her family, Lovey leaves Mississippi at 18 for Arizona, where she develops a successful career and life but feels something is missing. On her 45 birthday, her father, Chief, calls and demands that she return home to Oxford, Mississippi, three weeks early to prepare for her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

Reluctantly, Lovey returns home early to be met with love from her parents and open hostility from Bitsey. Lovey must discover why her dad wanted her home early and what drives Bitsey’s anger. Can she find the answers she needs in her beloved home state of Mississippi?

Review:

Growing up in Texas and raised by a southern mother who loves growing beautiful flowers, I could relate to how Cantrell uses flowers and gardening to tell this story. I did not inherit my mother’s green thumb, so you do not have to know anything about flowers to like this book. Perennials is, at heart, a story about family, relationships, endings, and new beginnings. 

Julie Cantrell writes beautifully about family love, facing hardships, and finding peace. The characters in the story are well-developed, and her descriptive writing made me feel like I was visiting the memory garden. I must note that this is labeled a Christian Book and that is not genre I normally read.

Audible

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Christian Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction

The Night We Lost Him, by Laura Dave

Summary:

 Two estranged half-siblings are reluctantly brought together when their father unexpectedly dies in a freak accident. Sam believes that his father, Liam’s, death was not an accident, so he enlists the help of his reluctant half-sister Nora to conduct their own investigation into what happened that night on the cliffs. Together, they uncover many family secrets and are surprised by what they uncover as they search for the truth.

Review:

This book is labeled as a fictional mystery and a thriller. It is undoubtedly a fiction book with a dose of mystery, but I would not classify it as a thriller, which is what I wanted to read. I would label it a family drama with a smidge of mystery, so I was disappointed. This is a very short book, so if you need a quick read, this might be what you are looking for.

Audible

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense