How do you start a wrap-up without going for the “I can’t believe it’s already Month X” cliche, guys? Teach me, because I’m honestly at a loss here! Time is always passing me by so quickly I feel like I can’t catch up, and I’m always — always — taken by surprise every time it’s the start of a new month. D:

Anyway, this is what I did in May:

• I watched X-Men: Apocalypse. Michael Fassbender was good in it, though Erik you’re so dumb omg why. I also really enjoyed that Quiksilver scene (BF found him annoying but I love how adorable and useful he is), and that James McAvoy is bald. This movie is hilarious, though it probably wasn’t intended to be. 😛
• I discovered that the new Shapes no longer taste like the Shapes that I love. Why, Arnott’s, why? Why fix what isn’t broken?
• I played Pokemon Platinum for the first time! I like how dimensional and awesome the world-building is but gameplay-wise I still love the classics more, especially FireRed because Charizard is my blood and soul. Also, Lapras. #nerdlife

And as for the blog:

Book Reviews

• The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick | ★★★★☆ | Realistic and raw. Quite mature, with some emotional issue. Lots of character growth. A teenage couple that communicates.
• The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choksi | ★★★☆☆ | Hades and Persephone in what feels like Indian mythology. A bit of insta-love, which is off-set by really great writing.
• Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw | ★★☆☆☆ | Full of really unlikeable characters and an entitled, immature protagonist. Has some funny moments, but overall really disappointing.
• The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson |  ★★★★☆ | 100% a summer read. Overall really enjoyable, though a bit long. Has some focus on family relationships and friendship.
• The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh | ★★★★☆ | A good sequel to The Wrath and the Dawn, though not without flaws. Focuses more on independent character growth rather than relationship growth.
• A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab | ★★★★☆ | Had me filled with ~shippy~ feels, which doesn’t often happen. Starts a bit slow, but IMMENSELY enjoyable.
• If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo | ★★☆☆☆ | A pretty weak LGBT book that has a bit of insta-love and lacks emotion and tension.

Book Looks

• The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
• If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
• Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Miscellaneous Posts

•  Around the World in YA Book Tag | In which I take you to Rome, China, Germany, India, Pakistan, South Korea, and Iran… through YA books. 🙂
• Top Ten Non-Bookish Blogs I Love | What else do I do with my time on the internet? Well… quite a few things, as it turns out.
• Let’s Talk: Reading Multiple Books at a Time | Do you read cover to cover, or do you pick up many books at once?

Around the Blogosphere

• Nuzaifa @ Word Contessa talks about Muslim representation in YA fiction. This isn’t a May post, but I think you’ll forgive me for that because this is such an important issue. 🙂
• Ari @ The Daydreaming Book Worm discusses why she reads New Adult and asks: should we be shamed for reading smut?
• Amy @ Read. Dream. Live. shares the downsides of being a book blogger in the UK.
• Ashley @ Fictional Living tells us why she blogs.
• Maha @ Younicorn Reads talks about why it’s totally okay to DNF a popular book.
• Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Reads has a new feature called Souvenirs from Across the World, where you can exchange trinkets and things with other book bloggers around the globe!
• Sara @ Freadom Library discusses dystopian fiction and how it should affect us as readers.
• Katherine @ Fabled Haven shares with us some of her favourite fictional foods.
• Jess @ Paper Utopia recommends some books about mental health for the Mental Health Awareness Week.
• Jenna @ Fictional Neverland discusses all you need to know about spoilers.
• Sushmita @ Fervently Curious shares 28 blog post ideas for book bloggers. Great for inspiration!
• Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts gives reason #19 why he’d be a terrible protagonist.
• Regina @ The Bibliotheque shares her ultimate discussion about bad boys.
• Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much shares her guide to new OTPs.
• Ashley @ Fictional Living speaks out about online and IRL drama.
• Jesse @ Books at Dawn talks about the hate going on in the book blogging community.
• Hollie @ The Hollieblog discusses the pressure to enjoy books.
• Josephine @ Josie’s Book Corner talks about the recent #fakereadergirls drama/explosion on BookTube.
• Aentee @ Read at Midnight tells us why shipping is important to her.
• Melanie @ Books Are My Children shares some blogging tips.
• Windie @ Geek Apprentice tells us how to get the most money when buying ebooks.

Most Anticipated Reads

The Way I Used to Be – Amber Smith

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year.

I actually don’t read a lot of books that deal with sexual assault — in fact this might be the first one that has it as the main theme — so I’m kind of curious about this one. Plus that cover. ❤

I’ll Meet You There – Heather Demetrios

If Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing separating Skylar from art school is three months of summer…until Skylar’s mother loses her job, and Skylar realizes her dreams may be slipping out of reach.

Josh had a different escape route: the Marines. But after losing his leg in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be.

What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and, soon, something deeper.

This book has been on my TBR for a while but I just never got into it. I don’t really like the cover, but I’ve been hearing such amazing things about it, so here’s hoping I like it!

Breathing Under Water – Sophie Hardcastle (ARC)

Nineteen minutes and eleven seconds separated us at birth. On the official documentation, he is older… Although it really has nothing to do with age. What it really means is that I am, and have always been, second.

Ben and Grace Walker are twins. Growing up in a sleepy coastal town it was inevitable they’d surf. Always close, they hung out more than most brothers and sisters, surfing together for hours as the sun melted into the sea. At seventeen, Ben is a rising surf star, the golden son and the boy all the girls fall in love with. Beside him, Grace feels like she is a mere reflection of his light. In their last year of school, the world beckons, full of possibility. For Grace, finishing exams and kissing Harley Matthews is just the beginning.

Then, one day, the unthinkable. The sun sets at noon and suddenly everything that was safe and predictable is lost. And everything unravels.

A book by an Aussie author! I’ve started this ARC a couple of days ago and am having trouble prioritising it because I’m catching up with other recent releases, but it’s been pretty good so far (OK, I’m like ten pages in).

How was your May, people? Let me know in the comments or link me to your monthly wrap-up!