She Didn't See It Coming by Shari Lapena Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Published by Penguin on July 29, 2025
Format: Audio/eBook (352 pages) • Source: Libby, Spotify Audiobooks
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An instant New York Times bestseller!
“Stunning. Fiendishly plotted with whiplash twists and turns — Shari Lapena is at the very top of her game here. [She Didn't See It Coming] might be my favorite yet!” —Lucy Foley
The new gripping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene, and the investigation begins: can the detectives find her before it's too late?
Bryden and Sam have it all: thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.
Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden – working from home that day – has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.
Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.
How can she have disappeared from her own home? And did she even leave the building at all?
With every minute that passes – and as questions swirl around their community – Bryden and Sam’s past seems a little less perfect, their condominium less safe, their friends, neighbors and relatives no longer quite so reliable . . .
I went into this thinking that Shari Lapena was the author of another book I read and strongly disliked, so I was hoping to be proven wrong and enjoy more of her books. Turns out I was thinking of Mary Kubica. I have a ton of Lapena’s books on my TBR but this was the first I’ve read – not sure I’ll run to her backlist.
Bryden, a wife and mother living in a high-rise in Albany, goes missing one day without a trace. Her husband Sam and a bunch of other characters are suspects and/or trying to figure out what happened to her. There were a decent amount of POVs here that I thought added to the story, but there were so many characters included as red herrings with no logical connections to the overall plot, and it ended up being kind of stupid by the end. Loose ends galore. Again, I know the point of a red herring, but I thought there’d be at least some loose connection where it would make sense to include the person.
This was super underwhelming and an incredibly stereotypical domestic thriller. I generally didn’t mind the ride but the ending took a lot of wind out of the story. I predicted quite a bit of what happened.
The Sandy Page Bookshop by Hannah McKinnon Genres: Adult, Literary Fiction
Published by Simon and Schuster on July 22, 2025
Also by this author: Mystic Summer
Format: Paperback (384 pages) • Source: Purchased
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USA TODAY BESTSELLER
Sometimes second chances happen in the places we’ve left behind in this heartwarming all-new beach read from the acclaimed author of the “absolute treasure of a novel” (Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author) The Darlings.
After her publishing career and engagement fell apart in Boston, Leah Powell has no choice but to return to her hometown. Feeling lost and discouraged, she stumbles upon a once prominent sea captain’s historic home that now looks as dilapidated as she feels. Suddenly inspired, Leah decides to transform it into a bookstore and café she will call The Sandy Page.
Luke Nickerson, a life-long local and contractor, remembers Leah, even if she doesn’t remember him. Intrigued by her return and her project, he agrees to help her bring the old captain’s house back to life. As they work together, The Sandy Page slowly becomes the town’s go-to gathering spot for locals, tourists, and anyone who is feeling adrift during this long, sweet summer. It’s a home for second chances. But will it be enough for Leah and Luke?
This was exactly what I expected it would be and fit the bill for an end-of-summer predicable beach read. I was really craving a Cape Cod setting and this delivered; the element of the MC starting a bookstore in Chatham was the selling point for my purchase.
Leah returns to her hometown after being pushed out of the publishing industry and decides to open a bookstore that becomes the center of the community. Her brother’s childhood friend, Luke, helps her along the way, in addition to a few other characters we get POVs for. I liked the overall concept and setting more than the characters and how the plot was executed.
I didn’t really enjoy this enough to merit owning a copy but like I said it filled a void for something I’ve been wanting to read all summer. The characters were pretty annoying and often frustrating; it was very obvious what was going on the entire time with a few subplots. Luke and Leah’s back-and-forth (kinda?) was really stupid and I don’t think a lot of the drama was necessary in a book like this. The young character whose sister is going through a tough time (forgot her name lol) was also a rough read, given how obvious everything was.
Overall, the floppy paperback was super enjoyable to read but the story itself was a little bit of a miss.
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