April Essentials

From classics to new voices, this big list of poetry has everything you need for readers of every age.

If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

From your OverDrive DCL: It’s never too early to get young readers interested in poetry, and what better way to do that than through the lens of possibility. If I Could Choose a Best Day presents thirty-one poets exploring the potential of “if.” This is where imagination lets the impossible become possible and explores how much better our world could be. Accompanied by cut-paper and painted-mosaic illustrations, the poems celebrate the freedom of possibility and serve as a starting point for readers to let their own imaginations soar.

250^th Anniversary of the American Revolution

2025-2026 marks the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution, and April kicks things off with Paul Revere’s infamous midnight ride and shots fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. This list has everything you’ll need, both fiction and nonfiction reads, for every audience.

MONTHLY ESSENTIALS

Top Titles of April

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

From your OverDrive DCL: She’s back! Everyone’s favorite meddling sexagenarian sleuth returns with this second book in the Vera Wong mystery series. Ever since Vera found a dead body in her teahouse, things have been looking up for her. She went from feeling lonely and isolated to being surrounded by loved ones, her once quiet shop is now bustling with activity, and best of all, her son Tilly now has a girlfriend! This is proof to Vera that her meddling does pay off, since Tilly’s new girlfriend is Officer Selena Gray, who Vera worked with (perhaps harassed) while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, even with all these great developments, Vera can’t help but find herself feeling a little bored. Maybe even hoping more dead bodies might pop up in her shop to get the excitement rolling again…

When Vera comes across a distressed young woman looking for her missing friend, an enigmatic social media influencer, Vera decides to take the case. Guided by an insatiable curiosity and almost aggressive approach to helping others, Vera is at it again!

Coming Blockbusters of April

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

From the publisher: Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially women), flirt with everyone she sees, wear something not from the business casual section of her closet—all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One problem: Avery doesn’t know where to start. She doesn’t have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn’t have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.

Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley’s biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can’t make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It should keep her busy and stop her from texting people she shouldn’t. And it might take her mind off how inadequate she feels compared to her friends, who all seem much more settled and adult than Taylor.

At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. With Taylor’s help, Avery finally has the life she always wanted. The only issue is: now she wants Taylor. Their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, despite them both insisting to themselves and everyone else that it isn’t serious. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn’t know what to do—and most importantly, if she’s already ruined the best thing she’s ever had.

Great Big Beautiful Rom Coms: Emily Henry Read-Alikes

We all know that Emily’s Henry latest novel, Great Big Beautiful Life, will be the book of the season, but there are plenty of other excellent rom coms your patrons can get their hands on in the meantime! From Tessa Bailey to Helen Hoang, there are more than enough books for them to get their fix without the wait. Check out some great Emily Henry read-alikes that will satisfy all your romance readers waiting for their copy.

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid

From the publisher:

Piper Adams is completely, totally, one hundred percent over Wyatt, the former love of her life. At least, that’s what she tells herself. After he broke her heart, she stopped taking risks and focused instead on building a perfect—and perfectly safe—life. But bumping into Wyatt at the airport on the way to her best friend’s destination wedding wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was a canceled flight nor Wyatt’s offer of a ride on the tiny plane he’s flying to attend the same event. Desperate to make it on time, she accepts his offer, but things go from awkward to full-blown nightmare when their plane crashes in the Caribbean, stranding Piper on a deserted island with the last person she ever wanted to see again.

At first, rule-following Piper clashes with adventure-driven Wyatt, but as the days tick by, she can see the boy she once loved has grown into a man. A man who makes her laugh, knows his way around a fire, and is annoyingly hot shirtless. A man she could love again. As the chemistry still simmering between them boils over, Piper begins wishing Wyatt was more than just a survival partner. But for their love to survive a second chance, she’ll have to not only trust Wyatt again, but also learn to trust herself and find the courage to let go of her carefully curated life for the chance at something far greater—if they can survive the island long enough for rescue.

Top Mystery/Thrillers of April

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang

From your OverDrive DCL: If you’re in the mood for thrills, look no further than Julie Chan Is Dead, a debut novel by Liann Zhang. Julie Chan’s life doesn’t have much going for it. She’s an unhappy supermarket cashier with no real connections in her life and nothing to lose. She has a twin sister named Chloe VanHuusen who is a glamorous, popular influencer. The two were separated at a young age when their parents died – Julie went to live with their cold aunt while Chloe was adopted by a rich white family. The sisters essentially had no relationship after that, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated that pretty much just exploited her twin for views. Despite their rocky relationship, when Chloe calls Julie in a panic and then goes radio silent, Julie goes to her apartment looking for her, only to find her dead body. When the police come and start to ask Julie questions, mistakenly thinking that she is Chloe, Julie decides to seize this opportunity to live the life she’s always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than Julie expected – she adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life with her swanky New York apartment, free skincare items from collaborating brands, and her adoring followers. When Julie meets Chloe’s influencer friends though, a privileged inner circle, Julie starts to realize that Chloe’s life wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. When the group of women, known as the Belladonnas, go on a weeklong island retreat, events start to spiral out of control and Julie uncovers some sinister forces that put her in the crosshairs.

This book takes some turns! It dives straight into a world of beauty, privilege, and secrets, and the satirical critique of social media and influencer culture is very timely, examining real issues without sacrificing the entertainment.

Top Historical Fiction of April

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

From the publisher: Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she’s determined to learn the truth while she still can.

But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.
It sounds like the makings of a fairy tale—royalty among a community of freed people. But the more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she discovers in the woods, the more she realizes how much of her identity and her family’s secrets are wrapped up in these hills. Because this land is their legacy, and it will be up to her to protect it before it, like so much else, is stolen away.

Inspired by true events, Happy Land is a transporting multi-generational novel about the stories that shape us and the dazzling courage it takes to dream.

Top Fantasy of April

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker