April Wrap-Up

Hiya! Today I’ll be talking about the books I read in April! I’m actually quite happy with this month’s results. I read more books in this month than I have ever read in any month before! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Novels I Read

Rogue Princess by B. R. Myers: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 out of 5 stars) This was a gripping Cinderella retelling that also had a lot of sci-fi elements. Read my full review here!

(ARC) Made In Korea by Sarah Suk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5 out of 5 stars) I adored this!! Made In Korea is essentially a book about rival high school businesses but make it K-Beauty, and it was so much fun. 😆 I buddy read this one with Rania and Ritz. Do check out their blogs as well! Read my review here, and my interview with the author here!

Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.25 out of 5 stars) I read this one in two days! It was so intriguing! Yesterday Is History is a touching and quick read on time travel and love. Read my review here!

A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5 stars) This was my first middle grade read of the year, and it did not disappoint! The premise is incredibly unique too. Review to come!

(ARC) The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.75 out of 5 stars) This was a sweet coming of age about dance and musicals. Check out my review here, and my interview with the author here!

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5 stars) This was a chilling middle grade novel about a ghost that follows a girl home. Review to come!

Graphic Novels and Manga read

Blue Lock Volumes 1-11 by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yuusuke Nomura: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5 stars) I may or may not have binged this series. It was THAT good. I don’t think I’ve ever read something so interesting! I can’t recommend it enough.

Shortcake Cake Volumes 3-6 by Suu Morishita: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5 stars) This was just okay. The art is incredibly stunning, but I have major issues with a lot of things in the series.

Ao Haru Ride Volumes 12-13 by Io Sakisaka: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.75 out of 5 stars) Only one more volume left! It feels so bittersweet, but I’m glad I enjoyed the series.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5 stars) I didn’t like the Prince much, but it was still a cute story nonetheless.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5 stars) This was just okay. I didn’t love the art style, and the ending felt rushed.

(ARC) Star⇄Crossed!! Volume 1 by Junko: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 out of 5 stars) This was a fun and light hearted manga on switching bodies with a J-Pop idol.

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5 out of 5 stars) This was so adorable!! I loved it! You can read my full review here!

Total Number Of Books Read: 30 (A new record!)

Total Number Of Posts Published: 7

Average Rating: 7.2/10 or 3.7 out of 5 stars

• April @ Booked Till Midnight gives us some summer book recs! And she also celebrates her birthday! Happy Birthday April!!
• Ahaana @ Windows to Worlds reviews A Sky Blues!
• Amanda @ Bookish Brews reviews The Donut Trap and makes a lovely moodboard too.
• Joanna @ The Geekish Brunette talks a bit about Battle Royale, a book that’s coming out soon.
• Amani @ Amani Reviews participates in a very cool readathon called The Ramadan Readathon!!
• Tiffany @ Read by Tiffany reviews XOXO by Axie Oh!
• Cherry @ Letters to the Lost convinces us to read their favorite books through aesthetics!
• The Crab Chronicles gives us some perfect YA beach reads!
• Tsai @ Books With Tsai reviews The Helm of Midnight.
• Sereadipity reviews Witches Steeped in Gold!
• Jiyoon @ Insomniac Reviews gives us a heart felt review of Crying In H Mart.
• SushiiiWithSoysauce goes self hosted. Congrats Sushi!!!!
• Althea @ Althea is Reading gives us some queer non-fiction recs! They also celebrated their birthday! Happy Birthday Althea!!
• Phoenix @ Books with Wings interviews the author Maggie Tokuda!
• Mehsi @ Twirling Book Princess hosts the cutest blog tour stop for the book Fred Gets Dressed.
• The Wordy Whimsical tells us about the podcasts they’ve listened to recently.
• Prutha @ Moonchild Lexicons writes an incredibly informative post on ARCs!
• Aanya @ Sugar, Spice, and Stories interviews a book cover designer! How cool is that?
• Kate @ Your Tita Kate talks about the ARMYdathon, which is a BTS-Themed readathon!!

First, let’s recap! Last month I said I’d read three novels and post some of the things I was tagged to try. Luckily, I read five novels!! However, I only posted one tag. I don’t mind though. 🙂

Some of my goals for May include…

• Finish all netgalley ARCs
• Read five novels
• Drink lots of water

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed reading about my April in books, I’d love to read about yours too! Have a lovely day!

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Three Bookish Things Tag!

Hiya! It’s been a while since I’ve done a tag, so I thought why not do the three bookish things tag! I was tagged by the lovely Isha @ Paperbacktomes. Do check out their blog as well. 😀

Three Read Once and Loved

I absolutely adored Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier! It was the perfect cozy mystery. I can’t wait to read more books by them. Made In Korea by Sarah Suk was such a great book too, I loved it so much! History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera had very gripping writing, I couldn’t put it down.

Three Titles I’ve Watched but Not Read

I have watched The Hunger Games, Moxie, and Shadow and Bone. I’ve never read them though. I’m absolutely loving Shadow and Bone so far!

Three Characters I Love

I adored Bao from “A Pho Love Story.” He was kind and genuine. Valarie from “Made In Korea” and Zayneb from “Love From A to Z” were both goal driven and compassionate people. I loved reading about them!

Three Current Favorite Book Covers

I absolutely love the cover of Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan has a stunning cover too. Thanks A Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas has such a cute cover. I really love it.

Three Favorite Authors

Deborah Ellis is a middle grade favorite of mine. I adore SK Ali‘s writing style and characters. Yoshitoki Ōima creates such heart-wrenching and emotional stories, I love their work.

I hope you enjoyed the tag. 😄 Have you read or watched Shadow and Bone? If so, what are your thoughts on it? I’d love to know. Have a great day everyone!

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Book Blog Newbie Tag

Wow Saniya, are you actually doing the book blog tag you’ve been putting off for a month because you thought you weren’t interesting enough to talk about….y e s . I am!

Hiya everyone! It’s me Saniya here to do the Book Blog Newbie Tag. This is my first tag, so apologies if I don’t do it properly. Anyways, let’s get into it!

Why did you want to start a book blog?

In August 2020, I was telling my mom about the most recent book I had read; Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe. At exactly 2:35 PM on a Sunday afternoon, my mom said, ‘Why don’t you just start a book blog?’ I’m sitting there thinking…A what. I had never heard of a book blog, and always associated blogging with ‘highly professional blogging connoisseurs.’ Which, by any standards, I was none of. However, I figured that since we’re in quarantine, I would have more time to spend on it. And thus, sunnysidereviews was born! (Well actually not really, I ended up officially publishing my website in December.) Fun fact, I didn’t know my blog was published until late December. So when I was going to publish it, I realized it was already out in the world….oops.

Where did the name ‘sunnysidereviews’ come from?

My blog name originated from my nickname. My real name is Saniya (pronounced san-ee-ya). Sunny is my nickname, so I decided to make that my whole aesthetic 😂. The reviews portion is pretty self explanatory. It comes from the fact that I review books! Or rather, am planning to.

This GIF remidns me too much of my blog pls not the Teletubbies I-

What can we expect from your blog in the future?

Wow, fabulous question! You can expect….

• Reviews
• Lists and Wrap Ups
• Discussion Posts
• Tips
• Challenges and read-a-thons
• and a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff!

P.S: Expect an author interview coming sometime this year. 😏 

Why do you love reading? Did you always enjoy reading?

I love reading because….

• It’s a great way to get off screens
• I love imagining stories in my head more than watching movies
• It’s fun!
• Yes this is a shallow answer please don’t come for me but, I would literally read the worst book ever if it had a pretty cover. (Okay maybe not the worst book, but you get the point.)

I’ve always enjoyed reading. As a kid I would join my local’s library’s book club during the summer. Reading allows me feel productive, and it makes me feel refreshed. So yeah I’ve always enjoyed reading, it’s a wonderful way to spend free time!

What are some fun and unique things you can bring to book blogging?

This is such a hard question to answer. I bring my opinions, and my personality. I might not be the most unique person out there, but I believe that no two people are the same. Therefore, no two book bloggers are the same. I guess I can also bring some fun and interesting content as well! I really cannot wait to bring some exciting stuff to all of you in the future!

Did any of you guys watch Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse as a kid 💀💀 

When and where do you read?

I will typically only read at night. I usually read in my bed, or on a sofa. It’s just so much better then reading in the morning. Mainly because I’m comfy, and I can read for a long time at night, *cue the all-nighters*.

What kinds of books do you like to read?

I enjoy reading anything contemporary related. I prefer character driven stories, and contemporary has a lot of those. Psychology, self help, and classical books are always nice to read from time to time as well.

What is your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is probably Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. It’s philosophical, character driven, and a contemporary, so it pretty much hits all the marks for me! 

Who is your favorite author?

To tell you the truth, I don’t really have a favorite author. Mainly because I don’t read too many series, so I don’t really read multiple books from authors. However, I am getting into Adam Silvera’s books. I hope to read his novel ‘They Both Die In The End’ soon!

What’s one pet-peeve you have?

A pet peeve of mine is when authors make a second book where the main couple break up, or where they break up at the end of the first book. WHAT WAS THE REASON?! I spent a good 5 hours of my life reading this book, for a sad ending?! (However, if the story was meant to be sad from the beginning, then I’m not upset.)

What is one book that has been on your TBR for ages?

This Train Is Being Held has been on my TBR since September. I really cannot wait to read it! I also want to read The Little Princess! It seems like such an adorable classic. (Not @ me buying six classical novels because they looked pretty. At least they were on sale though 😅)

How could you not want these beautiful books? (The photo isn’t mine by the way.)

What is your favorite show?

Ever since I was younger, I’ve always loved The Legend of Korra! It will always hold a special place in my heart. I also enjoy watching British dramas such as Bletchley Circle and The Crown. I’ve been meaning to watch The Bridgerton as well.

What’s a non-bookish fact about you?

Some non-bookish facts about me include….

• My hair has never past three inches below my shoulders (I honestly don’t know why. Every time I want to grow it long, I end up cutting it even shorter. 😅)
• I’ve been bullet journaling every month of my life since 2017.
• I’m super short. (No seriously, take your height, then deduct 6 inches and that’s my height.)

Alrighty, that is it for today! I hope you enjoyed this little tag I did. I tag anyone who wants to do this tag! If you end up doing this, let me know, I’d love to see it! Have a fabulous day everyone! 💛💙

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