I have just started to go back into immersing myself in books since last month. Considering I only read one book during the entire four weeks of February, I decided to do a book-wrap-up by the end of March.

1. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

This was the first book I read in March and honestly, I wish it wasn't my first read because it left me in awe and pure heartbreak that until now, after reading five books, I still think about it. This book has set the standard for prose writing for me.

The story is written in the most raw and heart breaking way possible. I rated this 4.5 stars but honestly, thinking about it now, I should just rate it a perfect 5. I would definitely reread this over and over - just difficult to do so because this grapples with sensitive topics and reality to pain, trauma, relationships, identity, racism, and more.

2. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This was the fifth book that I read and to be honest, I didn't expect much from it, and I was wrong for that. Underestimating this book's potential and emotional capacity to affect me was a mistake.

I wouldn't say this is a sad book but it made me cry - of comfort and of grief for the characters and the plot in general. I rate this a 4 out of 5. Well, most of the ratings are just stuck in 4 out of 5 but the reason why this is in second place is because it's a short read and although it's not entirely realistic, it does have a fictional touch to it.

I'm a sucker for great prose and poetic pieces but this novel, although simple and direct, is something that I will truly treasure.

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was the last book that I read, literally just finished reading it before I started writing this article. Due to the hype, I expected much from this book and now I understand why everyone's talking about it (and by everyone, I mean every reader/bibliophile).

I rate this a 4 out of 5 too but it's in third place because come on, I started with a super sad book, I need to atleast have a less sad book as a follow up. I almost dropped this book because I wasn't feeling very well in the past days but I forced myself to finish this earlier and I'm glad I did. Considering the plot of this story and the complexity of the characters, perhaps "glad" isn't the right adjective to define this emotion, but the rating and ranking remains the same.

4. Almond by Sohn Won-pyung

The fifth book of the month - this book is tragic yet hopeful. I rated this another 4 out of 5. The writing style isn't very poetic but it still has some prose every now and then. Oh yeah, this along with Before the Coffee Gets Cold is written in their original language, (the former in Japanese and this in Korean) I just read the official translations.

This also tackles with abuse, coping, adolescence, and what it means to be human. I believe this is one of the few books that I believe could truly change a person. It's definitely worth the read.

5. Verity by Colleen Hoover

This was the third book that I read and this was also my first CoHo novel. I don't read summaries, I just watch recommendations so I really did not know what I was getting myself into when I bought books (I mean, until now, that's what I still do).

I honestly dont think this deserves to be in the first place but I can't place it in any other rank either. This book is a solid 4 out of 5, again. If there's one thing I could say that would best describe how this book affected me, it would be that this book has gaslighted and manipulated me in two days worth of time - okay more than two days cause it had me thinking about what was real and what could be not.

6. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The second book of the month. A solid 2 out of 5 stars - it's well written, the world build up was good but I guess it was the delivery that just didn't appeal much to me. I kind of feel bad for rating it 2 out of 5 but hey, just pure honesty.

This has a good plot twist though but other than that it was just bland for me.

These are all just opinions and personal preference, if you've liked any of these books or share a contrasting opinion, do share.

Anyways, that's all for the monthly book-wrap-up. Hopefully I'll get to read more books this April!