Book Reviews: April

I finished Erin's Challenge!  I have never finished a reading challenge before so I am super excited!  I would do the Semi-charmed challenges a few years ago, and I came close but never ended up finishing.  I also knocked out a few States for my 50 States Challenge.

When I picked this book for both the 50 States Challenge and Erin's Challenge, I really didn't think I'd like it that much.  However, not many books are set in Iowa so it stayed on my list.  I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  I really loved how much the two main characters developed throughout the book, and I love that Darla was the resourceful one.  She grew up on a farm so I feel like that's much more realistic.  The only thing I had a hard time with was the graphic descriptions of butchering animals.  I understand they did it to survive but I really didn't need details.  I'm vegetarian for a reason.  There were some points where the story got a bit slow, but overall I think it was well developed and well written.
 4/5
Read for 50 States Challenge (Iowa)
Read for Erin's Challenge

There were a lot of things I didn't like about this book, but it kept me interested and I never would have guessed the ending.   I really hated the format of the book - the whole no chapters thing really throws me off.   I do like that she kept throwing in twists that made it impossible to figure out who took Daisy.  Overall, I'd say this was just OK.  If you like thrillers and procedural dramas, maybe check it out, otherwise I'd skip this one.
 3/5
Read for Erin's Challenge

This book was a big deal when I was in middle school, but for some reason I never got around to reading it.  The 50 States Challenge gave me a reason to check it out.   I went into this with the mindset that it was meant for a younger audience and I'm glad I did because I ended up really enjoying this book.  It has a great message, quirky characters, and childhood innocence all of which made this book great.  Although I felt a bit silly reading this as an adult, I'm glad I finally got around to reading Stargirl.
4/5
Read for 50 States Challenge (Arizona) 

This was one of those books that was enjoyable and entertaining, but not anything super amazing.  I liked that D.J is a likeable and believable character.   The plot was enjoyable, even if it did get a little repetitive.  I found myself actually caring what happened to the characters.  Just an enjoyable, quick read, but nothing life changing.  I liked it enough that I'll probably read the next two books.   *I did find out, after looking at the authors page, that the author is Liz Gilbert's (Eat, Pray, Love) sister.  
3/5
Read for 50 States Challenge (Wisconsin)  

This is the second book I've read by Kody Kelplinger, and I don't know what it is about her writing that sucks me in!  I read this book in one afternoon, so clearly I really liked it.  I thought the sex strike was pretty genius, and I liked how the book explored some of Lissa's new friendships, not just her relationships.  I can definitely see why some people may not like this book, and there were things that could have made this book better, but I enjoyed it anyway.
4/5
Read for 50 States Challenge (Michigan)
BookCon Author 

I enjoyed reading some of these stories.  Military life is hard, and it was nice to read some uplifting stories, but also some stories that made me feel like it was OK to not always like the Army.  I'm not going to rate this, because how can you rate people's life stories?

 Well, the good news is my gag reflexes still work.  It took a lot for me to get through this book!  It was super repetitive, way too gushy and angsty, and just blah.  I can get into a romance but this one was just not for me. 
2.5
Read for 50 States Challenge (Montana)