Category: Book Reviews

Recent Reads | The Velvet Knife and Dark Matter

Posted September 24, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve been a huge fan of the TRULY DEVIOUS series since the very beginning, reading every single one the minute they release. The ultimate auto-buy series for me. THE VELVET KNIFE is the sixth (and final???) book in this series and follows Stevie has she heads to NYC during the holiday break from school, along with Nate as he tries to hole up and finish his book. Naturally, a mysterious death occurs and Stevie works to find out what happened to one of their temporary neighbors. I absolutely hate that this book felt like a finale! I wanted to read these books for the next 20 years. I don’t want to spoil what made it feel like the end but it honestly feels kind of clear that it is. David has been on thin ice through most of the series and as usual, I don’t love what transpired between them in this book (and how everything ended). Luckily it wasn’t the MAIN focus but still took up too much page space. It was very frustrating to read. The mystery itself was pretty good and involved a cult, which I tend to enjoy. I enjoyed that, like the other books, there’s a historical mystery to solve along with something happening in present day. I think the mystery in the past was pretty easy to solve, which was fine, because the one in current times was a bit more complex. I’m always down for the “NYC during the holiday season” setting but […]

Recent Reads | First and Forever and The Cinnamon Spice Inn

Posted September 14, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Lynn Painter is an author where I have so many of her books on my TBR but have only actually read one, prior to this. I feel like her YA books are sweeter and maybe more my speed, because sometimes YA authors writing adult romances (or books in general, like Holly Jackson’s adult debut mystery) can make them feel a little too immature. I saw that she had a football-based book out and grabbed it on a whim, even though the last time I read a book about a sport I like it did not go well. I find myself nitpicking about inaccuracies, but can you blame me? I want realistic books about my favorite sports! Unfortunately I had a similar experience where this book just did not do it for me. I wish I just read my physical copy because the audiobook narrators made it even cringier than it already was. Connor was good enough, but for some reason he swore (fuck/fucking) so often, it drove me crazy, and I am a big fan of swearing! If it’s too much for me, you know it’s way too much. I think Painter tried a little too hard to make Connor seem like the perfect thoughtful dude; it was nice obviously to see all the cute gestures but it was giving too-perfect. Duffy, on the other hand, was too “not like other girls” and it annoyed me so much. “Duffy wouldn’t like flowers” and “she’d think it’s cheesy to go to […]

Recent Reads | Book Club Boyfriend and Romantic Hero

Posted September 4, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve been a fan of Jenny Holiday for a while so I was excited to see this premise for her upcoming book. I love books about books, plus this had some Hollywood/movie elements as well. Blair is an ex-child star turned movie producer trying to make a name for herself and Jack is the butthead author who publicly declined her offer to turn his book into a movie. (Jack is a character from INTO THE WOODS, which was fun!) The two strike up an unlikely texting friendship after this and she invites him to work on his next novel from her poolhouse. This was the kind of book that I was rarely in the mood to pick up and read, but I really enjoyed it while I was reading it. If I had a free afternoon I could’ve just read it until I finished. I took a little break in the middle to focus on a new release I was excited about, which didn’t help either. I think the pacing was my biggest issue – Jack was kind of a dickhead through most of the book and didn’t really turn that around right away. I don’t think he ever truly apologized for some of his behavior and the things he said in the media either. It took me a long time to buy into him not being a jerk. I did like the eventual chemistry between the characters. Because the pacing and character work was a little off, it also […]

Recent Reads | How to Solve Your Own Murder and The Secrets We Hide

Posted August 26, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve owned this book for a year or two and thought it sounded like a unique twist on a murder mystery. I don’t think I fully understood that this was more someone else trying to solve a murder of someone else who had a fortune determine how they’d die; I think I was originally thinking it’d be more like Holly Jackson’s latest (which had a great premise but terrible execution for me). Annie is summoned to her Great Aunt Frances’s country estate where she learns that she was killed. In order for her will to be executed and assets divided, Annie and others need to figure out who killed her and why. I liked this but it took me a really long time to settle into the story, which wasn’t great because I started it at the last minute for book club lol. For some reason it felt like an actual historical mystery so it kept taking me out of the story when I couldn’t really place the timeline. My book club wasn’t really a fan of it, as the story was repetitive (especially how many times she said “Great Aunt Frances”) and the characters were overall pretty unlikeable. I thought it was definitely interesting enough to hold my attention and I’m intrigued enough to read additional books in the series. WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE was one of my favorite books of last year, maybe not rating-wise (I think it was a 4.5 star too) but just from how […]

Recent Reads | The Chowder House Murder and The Unknown

Posted August 20, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I saw this book at the library and grabbed it on a whim – a cozy mystery centered around a chowder house set in Coastal Maine? Perfect for me. I almost returned it without reading it like I unfortunately do with a lot of library books, but I decided to just push myself to actually read it… and I’m really glad I did! I think this is a promising start to a new cozy mystery series that I will definitely be continuing. I obviously loved the Maine and chowder restaurant. The mystery itself was interesting too! I didn’t put all the pieces together but did feel like I was coming to the same conclusions along with the characters. There was a fun multi-generational element here with the grandma, mom, and daughter, along with the sons of the grandma character (brothers or uncles for the other two obviously). I found some repetition in spots that could’ve used more editing. For example, on one page it said something about Tom being handsome and charming, “not to mention a real looker,” as if that isn’t the same thing has handsome? And in one paragraph one of the villains says something like “you think you’re real smart, don’t you?” and two seconds later “you think you’re real clever, don’t you?” My other main issue with the book is that there were a ton of characters. I know this is meant to set up some red herrings while also laying groundwork for future characters in […]

Recent Reads | Lies Between Us and The Someday Garden

Posted August 13, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I always read Jessica Goodman‘s books when they come out because they’re typically easy and addicting reads, but overall pretty middle-of-the-road. I don’t know why but she’s an auto-read author for me, despite never giving her books more than 4 stars. This story follows three sisters in the wake of a mysterious death/possible murder of one of the local boys. The youngest, Frankie, decides she’s going to solve the crime, while the others (Lucy and Millie) are hiding secrets of their own. These girls are best friends with the three boys that live next door and that dynamic is heavily featured in the story. I thought some of it was unnecessarily cheesy (the girls last name is Silver and the boys last name is Gold…) but it felt somewhat realistic, with some of them dating each other or having crushes, etc. I liked the small beach town vibes of this one, which made it a good quick summer mystery. Goodman writes in a very accessible way without feeling “young” for a YA book. I know I’m not the audience anymore but I do find them pretty good for adult readers. Nothing groundbreaking happens in this one but I thought the resolution to the mystery was actually interesting and pretty unique. No spoilers obviously but I feel like it was generally something I hadn’t read before. I’m so surprised how Ashley Poston’s have turned into “hit or miss” for me. She’s been one of my favorite authors for years now, back […]

Recent Reads | The Romance Revival and Every Version of You

Posted August 6, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

It’s been far too long since I’ve read a Christina Lauren book and they are absolutely an auto-read/buy author for me. Their last book was a top favorite so I had pretty high expectations for this one, despite not really even reading the synopsis. I am a fan of magical realism (this was not really that) and the science-y books they’ve had in the past (definitely that except heightened) so I was cautiously optimistic. Emery is a scientist in a super secret job with a husband she loves but does not show up for enough. When Luca unexpectedly gets into an accident, Emery acts quickly thanks to her job, but he doesn’t remember anything about his life. She feels like she’s been blessed with a second chance to prioritize her relationship. You definitely have to suspend your disbelief on Emery’s work and what happens with Luca, but the premise was interesting and unique to me. I love romances with a unique concept and Christina Lauren have written quite a few of them. I do prefer when their books are funny with a lot of banter – more like a rom-com – and this was definitely more serious. I liked Luca and Emery and watching them fall for each other again, but there was a little something missing for me. I know a lot of people don’t enjoy second chance romances where the couple already knows each other and has this whole backstory involved, but this is a bit different – […]

Recent Reads | Heather and What Happened to Nina?

Posted July 23, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Do you ever get a book stuck in your head so much that you just need to read it the minute it releases? That happened with HEATHER. I decided I didn’t want to wait for my Libby hold to come in and went to two different local bookstores to see if I could get it. I ended up grabbing it from the second and started pretty soon after for Summerween (which btw was a total fail this year since HEATHER is literally the only book I’ve read). I really loved THE GOD OF THE WOODS and ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, and this book kept getting compared to the first. I feel like any literary, slow-burn mystery is going to. But that’s why I needed to read it ASAP. I like the comparison to Liz Moore but I would absolutely agree that this is more LONG BRIGHT RIVER than THE GOD OF THE WOODS. There’s a heavy focus on sister relationships, drugs and addiction, inappropriate relationships, etc. The book follows a few POVs that generally worked well together to give us the whole picture: Callie (the cop), Annabelle, and Blair. I won’t say who the other two are to avoid spoilers just in case. I’m not a big cop fan but lately I’ve been enjoying more mysteries with detectives trying to solve cold cases like this, so I’ll give it a pass. Callie was a little slow on a few things and I was a bit frustrated with her […]

Recent Reads | Our Perfect Storm and The Season of Sinking

Posted July 9, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Carley Fortune quickly became an auto-buy author for me and I’ve loved all of her books so far. Four books, each rated between 4-5 stars. The premise of this one specifically got me excited because I am a huge fan of the childhood best friends-to-lovers trope. When Frankie’s fiance unexpectedly leaves her the night before their wedding, he encourages her to go on the honeymoon still to take a break and recharge. Her best friend George ends up going with her and planning a week to get over her ex and move on. They quickly realize that maybe they’re something a little more than friends… I loved the descriptions of Tofino (a place I’d never heard of) and learning about Frankie and George’s history intermixed. Both characters had really interesting lives and fully fleshed out family backgrounds that added a lot to the story. Their progression from friends-to-more felt very natural; I loved being in Frankie’s head as she realized her feelings. So much natural chemistry! There is definitely a black moment/third act breakup but I think it was generally logical for the story. It explained some questions that lingered from earlier in the book as well. If I could think of a criticism, the book was a little long. I definitely think this could have been cut to a started 385-ish page romance. Carley Fortune continues to be a favorite of mine; I love seeing different tropical or lake town areas around Canada that I would have otherwise never […]

Recent Reads | Five and By Way of Sorrow

Posted June 18, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Man, this was so underwhelming and I’m bummed! I saw this book gain some steam online and get really favorable reviews, so I decided to pick it as my Aardvark book for the month. I wasn’t initially interested but the hype got to me a little bit. The premise sounds good and thrilling: you know one of the main characters (there are five of them) will die at the train stop, but won’t know who until the end. The book goes between the train platform in present day and character-based chapters that are really summaries of each character’s life. The idea is a psychological thriller (?) with a strong character study element. Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. I saw some reviews praising the deep psychological elements – can you forgive these people for their sins? Were you rooting for one person to die instead of the others? All of the characters have made mistakes and aren’t likable, so the reader is supposed to grapple with the morality of it all. The character chapters were just rundowns of the person’s life and the mistakes they made. Yes, they were all unlikable to various degrees but it didn’t really make me feel anything. I thought their problems were pretty stereotypical and predictable, so nothing really shocked me? Don’t go into this book expecting a tense thriller at all. I definitely enjoyed the chapters on the train platform way more than the character ones because that’s where it actually felt like […]