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april showers | lately with lila april 2025

Hey, friends, it’s me again! I hope you all are well, and if not then I hope brighter days head your way soon! I’ll be honest, friends: April was kinda rocky for me. On the downside, April was a bit of a rough month for me emotionally. On the plus side, though, I did read a lot—waaaaaay more than I’ve read in a single month in recent years! I also watched an entire season of a new TV series! So, uuuuuh…peaks and valleys, I guess? Let’s check out how the month went down…

what i posted

here on hardcover haven

on substack

what i read

I somehow managed to totally forget in February that I read Fangs by Sarah Anderson! *facepalm* It’s probably because this bind-up of Anderson’s comic about a vampire and a werewolf who are dating was painfully unmemorable, in my opinion. I thought that Fangs would tell a cohesive story, but it turns out it’s just a collection of Anderson’s comics, some of which related to each other, but most of which didn’t. The characters also lacked development and any semblance of personality beyond the basics, which is understandable seeing as there was no story, but it also didn’t help. Overall, I ended up leaving this book with a very bland impression.

Rating:

At the beginning of April I just absolutely devoured Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven. I found it so compulsively readable…and yet…the book somehow ultimately managed to leave me with mixed feelings. First up, I will say that on a purely entertainment level, this book is really good. Each time I set this book down I continued thinking about it and felt pulled back to it. The characters were endearing and the story—at least for the first two thirds—was intriguing. What ultimately brought my rating down was the last third of the book, including the big twist that readers were let in on at that point. It just felt oddly hollow? I guess I was just hoping for something more meaningful. And it didn’t help that all of the chapters following said big twist felt like Steven had written herself into a corner that she didn’t know how to get out of. Also, the themes of the book just felt so surface level. I get that it’s a YA book, but that doesn’t mean it inherently has to lack depth, nuance, or meaning…but it did. So, yeah, I enjoyed Our Infinite Fates for the most part, but I doubt it’ll have too much of a memorable impact on me and my reading life, which leaves me a tad disappointed…

Rating:

I also managed to finish another book (please applaud, haha)! I received an e-ARC of A Song for You & I by K. O’Neill and in April I finished up reading it. It was such a sweet little Middle Grade graphic novel! I’ve read and loved O’Neill’s work The Tea Dragon Society before, so it was nice to see what O’Neill’s work is like outside of that universe! Overall, I think A Song for You & I was a really lovely read and is a great pick for Middle Grade readers! It’s got lovely art, a genuinely sweet story, and very gently explores themes of being true to yourself, not needing to prove yourself to the people who love you, and even discovering trans identity at a young age. If you are a parent or teacher of kids in the Middle Grade age demographic, I highly recommend adding A Song for You & I to your library!

Rating:

What’s this? A third book I read?! I’m on a roll, friends, as I completed my e-ARC copy of Brielle and Bear: Once Upon A Time by Salomey Doku in April as well! This book is a cute YA graphic novel with beautiful, fun art. I will admit that the story was a tad bland for what I was expecting, but it wasn’t bad. Brielle and Bear: Once Upon A Time is a contemporary romance and I had thought it was gonna be magical realism or contemporary fantasy, so it left me a little disappointed in that way, especially as I don’t usually read much contemporary romance. That said, I think for the right audience, this book will definitely hit! The characters are adorable and lovable, and I think for the right readers they’ll be endearing. The art is also colorful and beautiful, and definitely fits the fairytale aesthetic that Doku was clearly going for. So, while not for me, Brielle and Bear: Once Upon A Time wasn’t awful and I think the right readers will enjoy this book!

Rating:

Turns out I had one more read in me to squeeze in on the last day of April—how unexpectedly delightful to be able to have read so much this past month! On the last day of April, I had a sleep study, so while I was waiting for the nurse I finished up reading Heartstopper Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman. If it wasn’t clear that I love this adorable graphic novel series/webcomic from the fact that I’ve devoured the first four bind-ups: I do! Charlie and Nick’s romance is so cute, and leaves me with all the feels! Plus, I love seeing snippets of Charlie and Nick’s friends in between their story—I love how Oseman really stresses how community and friendship are equally as important as romance! This volume was adorable as usual, but some darker themes did show up in the form of Charlie’s struggles with his own mental health. I loved how Oseman handled the topic and also how she showed how someone can support a partner who has a mental health disorder—it was very touching and I think teens might find it helpful. All in all, Heartstopper Vol. 4 was a great read and has me wanting more!

Rating:

magical readathon spring equinox update

This past April I took part in G’s Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox, and I’m so happy and proud to say that I managed to complete two out of four of the challenges towards my character’s goal of becoming a Story Weaver! I will be trying to complete the other two challenges in the months leading up to the Magical Readathon: Orilium Autumn Equinox, so I have plenty of time!

✖ Inscription: The Hook: First Sentence Challenge (Choose One of Three) → Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid

✔ Art of Illusion: Distance Manipulation: A Book You Already Planned on Reading In April → Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

✖ Psionics & Divination: Psychokinesis: A Book About Witches or The Occult → Heartless Hunter by Kristin Cicarelli

✔ Lore: The Song of Ages: Musical Term in Title → A Song for You & I by K. O’Neill

what i plan on reading

readathin

Readathin is happening once again this May, so I’d like to participate in it and try to at least get one row/column/diagonal bingo. I think I’m going to try to knock out the first row, so here’s my possibility pile and planned activities for that…

readathin may 2025 possibility pile

A Book That Has Invisible Disability Representation

  • My first option for this prompt is This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede, which is a YA romantasy that has #ownvoices ADHD representation. It’s also the sequel to a book that I loved, and I’ve been putting off reading it. Maybe now it’s time to finally get to it!
  • My other option is Unseelie by Ivelisse Hausman, which is a YA fae fantasy featuring #ownvoices autism representation. This book is apparently based off the Irish folk belief that autistic children were faerie changelings, which is so incredibly cool!

A Book Without “The,” “Of,” or “And” In The Title

  • I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to read Sea Serpent by Maiya Ibrahim, and it seems like the time may have finally come! I adored Spice Road, which is an #ownvoices Lebanese inspired YA fantasy, and Sea Serpent is the sequel—so I honestly don’t know what I’m waiting for when it comes to reading Sea Serpent!
  • Just in case, my backup option is Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse. This book happens to be the finale to the Indigenous American inspired Adult fantasy trilogy that has my entire heart in its grasp. Hopefully it lives up to my hopes if I get around to reading it for this Readathin round!

A Book In A Series

  • I am yet again putting Lightbringer by Claire Legrand on a TBR in an attempt to finish one of my favorite series. Is The Empirium Trilogy once of my favorite series? Yes. Is it so difficult to part with the world that I don’t want to finish the series? …Also yes. Will I be trying nonetheless? Absolutely!
  • I received an ALC of The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig through Libro.fm’s May Influencer Program ALC selection, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic! This book is the start of a new series from Gillig, and it looks so good!!
readathin may 2025 activity ideas

For the Self Care Day challenge, I’m planning on spending a day with my best friend and going pottery painting with her! I’m an extrovert, so I always feel incredibly rejuvenated by social interaction plus putting my energy into that while doing something artsy should be extra energizing and fun! I’ve already planned it out with my bestie, so I’m looking forward to that day!

The Dust Your Bookshelves challenge seems fairly obvious, but I might add a spin to it by also decorating my shelves. I have tons of trinkets plus I might get some fake vines and fairy lights and hang them on my shelves. I should also probably reorganize and go through my shelves first as well, seeing as they’re currently A Mess™!

alc tbr

I managed to snag three ALCs from Netgalley that release this May, so I intend to listen to all of the ASAP! The ALCs were Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang, Love in Focus by Lyla Lee, and Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli. All of the authors are new-to-me authors whose previous works I’ve heard high praise of, so I’m really excited to check the out myself!

what i watched

I breezed through binge watching the entirety of season one of Netflix’s Ransom Canyon, which just dropped in the middle of April. Apparently it’s an adaptation of a book series? Have any of y’all read it? And if so, would you recommend it?? Reason I’m asking is because I have fallen firmly in love with the TV series! It’s a contemporary Western drama with a real good and heavy helping of romance sprinkled on top and even a hint of mystery mixed in there. I found Ransom Canyon‘s various plotlines so intriguing and compelling—I was hanging on every moment of every episode! And the characters!! They were all so complex and interesting!!! I loved getting to see how the dynamics of their relationships entwined and unraveled and played out! The production was wonderful and—save for maybe, like, three or four woodenly delivered lines by secondary characters—the acting was great. I really hope Ransom Canyon is picked up for more seasons, cause I think this series has what it takes to be a new obsession of mine!

Rating:

what i listened to

This month I tried something new with my monthly playlist, which was separating it into two playlists: one with all the new music I discovered in the past month (“April 2025 Discoveries”) and one with music that reflects my mood this past month (“April Mood 2025”). I actually really like this format, and I think I’ll be keeping it from now on.

what i bookmarked

for readers

for fun

what happened in april 2025

Honestly, April was pretty uneventful. I spent half the month feeling a tad gloomy out of the blue, which kinda brought the month down, but I’m trying to focus on the good. I spent most of the month rehearsing for my two upcoming choral concerts and working on a paper about Black folklore and its connection to African folklore and mythology for my Cultural Geography course—both activities which gave me little glimmers of joy and satisfaction. But aside from that, nothing big happened and I didn’t manage to do any activities outside of my home or get together with friends or anything.

what i hope for in may 2025

I’m really hoping I start feeling a bit more hopeful and happier in May. Since the semester will be over after the first two weeks of the month, I’m also hoping to be able to get together with friends once or twice. So far, I’ve made plans to do a museum day and picnic with some of my friends from my physics course and also made plans with one of my besties to do pottery painting at the end of the month to celebrate my graduation from community college.

Speaking of which, I guess I should mention—May 2025 is when I graduate the community college I attend! I’m planning on transferring to university to finish my bachelors degree and I should be starting that journey in Spring 2026 (I’m taking the Fall 2025 semester off as, to be honest, I’m a little burnt out). I’m really excited and proud to have completed not one but two whole associates degrees (AA Science and AA Social Science). I’ll miss the people I met at my community college and the familiarity of the school, but I’m excited for what’s ahead!

Other than spending time with friends and finishing up at my community college, I’d also like to pick up working on my crochet projects again, since I set them down to focus on the heavy end-of-semester coursework that always comes at the end of April/beginning of May time period. I recently started making a retro daisy granny square, even though I’m a beginner and it’s apparently an advanced pattern. It actually hasn’t been too difficult to work on, and I’m enjoying the process of crocheting it and seeing how it comes together!

In addition, I’d like to do more journaling too! My new therapist asked me to keep a journal, so I’ve been trying to keep up with journaling just a bit more often. So far, I’ve had so much fun customizing all my pages for my “everything journal,” which is a blend of a bullet journal, scrapbook, and diary!

spill the beans, friends!

How was your April 2025? Did you read anything memorable? Do you have anything you’re looking forward to in May 2025? What’s on your TBR?

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven
Lila is a 30 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.

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6 Comments

  1. love the layout of this post! your description of Unseelie was so compelling I went to mark it as ‘want to read’ on Storygraph… and I’d already done it, so clearly I need to get round to it! congratulations on finishing your college course! what an amazing achievement, you should be so proud!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Sophie! 💖 I totally relate to your experience with adding Unseelie—the number of times I’ve read a blogger gushing over a book and went to add it on Goodreads/Storygraph only to find I’ve already added it 😂😂😂

      Reply

  2. Congratulations on graduating!! Also you’ve linked so many cool posts haha I opened so many to check them out. Thanks for the shoutout to my post 🙂

    Reply

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