Mini Book Reviews – May 2025
Mini Book Reviews – May 2025: What To Read & What To Skip
Welcome to my regular round up of mini book reviews of what I’ve read this past month! Included this month are my favorite fantasy of 2025 so far plus a new book from a popular author that I cannot recommend.
In my list of mini book reviews, I include everything I’ve read recently that I finished. I like to share both my five star reads and any misses to help you get a better idea of what you should read or might want to skip.
As always, I love to hear if you agree or disagree with my ratings! Let me know in the comments what you thought of my May 2025 mini book reviews.
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Mini Book Reviews – May 2025
Physical Books:
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
I DEVOURED this 500 page fantasy book in 27 hours because I couldn’t put it down once I started! The story focuses on a princess who is married off to a neighboring kingdom to fulfill a peace treaty. Except Odessa was never meant to be the Sparrow, her younger sister had trained her whole life for that role. The night before she left, Odessa discovers her father needs her to spy on the people of Turah and discover the location of their secret capital where they may be hiding knowledge.
Odessa is left reeling, with no skills or training to help her with this assignment. Her new husband, Zavier, barely speaks to her and his right hand man, the legendary Guardian, won’t stop pestering her. Over time, though, Odessa learns more about Turah and the people that are plagued by the atrocious beasts that roam the land, some of which are infected with a poison that makes them stronger and more ruthless than normal.
I love so many things about this book! First of all – Odessa isn’t our normal fantasy heroine. She’s literally terrible at everything, from fighting to running to playing politics. It was so refreshing and relatable to read about her initial attempts to train with weapons and develop stamina! And though she gets marginally better, she doesn’t magically become this amazing fighter.
Also the slow burn between her and the Guardian was incredible!! He always seemed to pop up and annoy her with his teasing and she constantly peppered him with questions he probably shouldn’t be answering. There were a few twists that literally made me gasp out loud too! This is probably going to be my favorite fantasy of 2025!! 5 Stars | Buy Deluxe Edition From Amazon | Buy From Target
The Striker by Ana Huang
When I first noticed there were over 500 pages in this romance book, I almost put it right back down. But! I’m a huge Ana Huang fan and I desperately wanted to read her first sports romance. As it turns out, I made the right choice! Normally I’d say no romance needs to be over 400 pages but this book kept me engaged the whole way through!
It’s a classic sports romance between a Premier League soccer star and a ballerina who’s been assigned to train with him. Asher Donovan is one of the biggest stars of the league, but his rivalry with fellow teammate, Vincent, has caused a rift in the team. As punishment, the two are being forced to endure training together over the summer with none other than Vincent’s sister, Scarlett. Scarlett is obviously off limits for so many reasons but Asher is instantly smitten. When Vincent gets pulled away for a family crisis, Scarlett and Asher are left trying to keep things professional with just the two of them alone.
There’s nothing revolutionary about this romance but it was well-written, full of great tension, and a slew of side characters and supporting plot that made it worthwhile! 4.5 Stars | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target
AudioBooks:
As always, I recommend using Libro.fm if you’re an audiobook listener!! Libro.fm directly supports indie bookstores, but costs the same as Amazon’s Audible! You can get TWO audiobooks for only $15 with my link and code CHOOSEINDIE.
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
A new Abby Jimenez is always one of the most anticipated books of the entire year and I’m thrilled to share it delivered! The two narrators added so much depth to this story – truly bringing these characters to life. It felt like I was living out both sides of this story! Xavier and Samantha get off on the wrong foot after their first conversation in his veterinary office, but when she returns months later, she agrees to a fresh start.
They end up on the best (and longest) first date they’ve ever experienced, realizing their connection is something special. But Samantha is leaving the next day…for good. She’s moving to California to help take care of her mother. She begs Xavier to forget everything that happened. He tries, but eventually convinces her to attempt a long distance relationship. They both know they’re meant to be together, but life keeps throwing obstacles in their way.
I’ve heard from other readers who didn’t enjoy this book because it was really tough to read at times – there’s a lot of struggle and circumstances out of their control that keep Xavier and Samantha apart. However, I absolutely adored how much they fought for each other and did everything they could to show up, make an effort, and find solutions as a team! 4.5 Stars | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Broken Country was Reese’s Book Club pick for March, so I finally picked it up after hearing rave reviews. I’m not normally a general fiction reader, it’s got a little bit of everything: family drama, a love triangle and an unsolved murder that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed listening to this, and despite the jumps back and forth in time it was still easy to keep track of where we were in the story thanks to the incredible narrator.
Beth and her calm, steady husband Frank are happily married, but the return of Beth’s childhood lover upends the entire life they’ve built. Gabriel is back in town with his son, who seems shockingly familiar to the child Beth and Frank lost in a tragic accident years ago. Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, and their town and everyone around them starts to unravel as the secrets and jealousies of the past are brought forward again. And now the consequences are deadly.| 4 Stars | Buy From Amazon
eBooks:
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
Camilla wakes up one morning to find her husband gone and a cryptic note in his place. She’s supposed to be dropping her daughter off at daycare for the first time and returning to her job as a literary agent. However, her world is upended when she gets a call about an ongoing hostage situation. As we all would assume, her first thought is that her husband is one of the hostages. But no, he’s the gunman.
Now, his note takes on a whole different meaning and she has to decide what to do next. It sounds like we as readers are going to feel like we’re right in this situation ourselves, making impossible choices and facing an unimaginable situation.
s. 5 Stars | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
I’ve been a long time Katherine Center fan, so I’m always excited for her newest release! However, this one was a bit chaotic and threw too many random romance tropes in one book. I know other readers loved the summer vibes and wild series of events, but it wasn’t for me.
Katie is fighting to keep her job as a video editor, so she takes an assignment to create a recruitment video for the Coast Guard…despite not knowing how to swim. Her manager sends her down to interview their local hero in his place…since it’s his brother and they don’t exactly get along. Katie arrives and realizes Hutch is not only absolutely gorgeous but also a really great guy. The more time she spends in Florida, the more she realizes it might be time to let go of a painful past and face her fears. 2.5 Stars | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target
For more mini book reviews, check out What I Read in April 2025!