Format: Audiobook

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 | The Fiancee Farce and My Husband’s Wife

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

I made it a goal to read more books with sapphic romance this year and this has been sitting on my shelves for a few years. It called to me so I went for it, and I’m so glad I did! I need to read more of her books immediately. The story follows Tansy and Gemma as they embark on a fake engagement/marriage to help them both out. Tansy used Gemma, a model on a book cover, as a fake girlfriend when making excuses with her family. When she actually meets Gemma in person, she’s shocked to see that Gemma joins the charade and reveals they’re together and engaged. Gemma needs to be married to inherit her family business and she’s willing to do anything to make it happen. What happens from here is a super cute, sometimes corny, love story. It’s not perfect but honestly exactly what I needed in that moment. I absolutely loved them as a couple and how well they communicated. With a plot this “big” where you know that something bad may happen outside of their control, we don’t also need miscommunication or in-couple issues too. The author did a great job of making the conflict work. The premise was over the top but highly enjoyable. I was rooting for them from the beginning and really loved it. This is the kind of book that will be polarizing – a lot of people have loved it and I’ve started to see some negative reviews trickle […]

Recent Reads | Razorblade Tears and Can You Solve a Murder?

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

I’d heard good things about Cosby’s work but for some reason I assumed he wrote horror novels. It may be the covers or the fact that so many reviews talk about violence and darkness. Either way, we decided to read this one for my mystery/thriller book club and it created a lot of great conversation! Buddy Lee and Ike are two fathers whose sons were married with a young daughter. They’re from the south and of a certain generation/upbringing so they were not supportive of their sons’ relationship with each other. When Derek and Isiah are brutally murdered, Ike and Buddy Lee pair up on a quest for vengeance and to make amends for being bad fathers. I really loved watching Ike and Buddy Lee go on this journey… and I’m not sure what that says about me, rooting for all of the chaos and murder along the way. The book brings Ike and Buddy Lee together – again not only on a quest to avenge their sons deaths and figure out what happened, but also to come to terms with their relationship. The book tackles homophobia, transphobia, and racism. I thought their character arcs were believable and powerful. It was definitely hard to read at times but hard to put down at the same time. This was so brutal but so important. I absolutely loved the ending too. While this is not ~for me~ given all the violence and darkness and male-centered plot, I will be reading all of […]

Recent Reads | The Ghostwriter and Anatomy of an Alibi

Posted January 29, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I realized I forgot to review this one last year for some reason. I really try to keep track of all the full-length novels I read on the blog so here’s my delayed reaction to this one! I was intrigued by the premise of this and luckily it was incredibly addicting to read. The book follows a couple of timelines and POVs. The Taylor family suffers a major loss in 1975 when two siblings are murdered and suspicion surrounds the remaining sibling, Vincent. He turns into a successful horror writer and eventually decides to write a memoir. His daughter Olivia is a ghostwriter and he refuses to work with anyone else. Cue Olivia’s return home to her complicated relationship with her father and a potential reveal that she is his daughter, something she’s kept secret her entire career. I enjoyed seeing some footage – for lack of a better word, you’ll see if you read it – of the 1975 timeline along with Olivia interacting with her father in present day. I thought the book was incredibly interesting while reading it but didn’t really think it would stick with me too much. Looking back, not a ton happens? There were a couple of twists but for some reason I really thought it was going to be full of them. The plot was generally intriguing and I’m glad I picked it up! Our book club overall really enjoyed this one as well, which was nice. I’ll definitely be curious to read […]

Recent Reads | The Berry Pickers and Night Watcher

Posted July 14, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I bought this book on a whim (because of all the positive reviews and hype) at a book event a couple of years ago and it sat on my shelf. I was never sure literary mysteries – especially historical fiction – would be for me. I had a few major success stories with them this year and then my book club picked this for our July meeting, so it was finally time to try it… and it’s really not a mystery honestly. The book follows a Native American family as they come down to Maine from Nova Scotia to pick berries each summer. Their youngest daughter, Ruthie, goes missing one summer and they are never the same. Meanwhile, there’s another POV following Norma – a young girl growing up in Maine. It kind of sounds like a mystery of trying to find this missing girl but it’s painfully obvious what’s happening the entire book. There’s really no actual mystery – it’s more a story of how Norma and Joe (Ruthie’s brother) survive and go through struggles over the years. I really have no idea how the rest of book club will feel about this one. It has such a high rating on Goodreads but honestly I was completely underwhelmed. Yes, some of it is because I was expecting a historical literary mystery – I absolutely loved THE GOD OF THE WOODS and ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK. I was hoping for something similar. Even once I realized the book […]

Recent Reads | Dead of Summer and No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding

Posted July 7, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I fell in love with Maxwell’s debut THE GOLDEN SPOON. Her sophomore novel was similar – kind of a quiet thriller and a little on the cozy side but not really? She has a very distinct style that was further solidified with this novel. We follow a few characters on Hadley Island – Orla (whose best friend went missing years ago, presumed dead), Henry (the man accused of killing her friend Alice), and Faith (joining her rich boyfriend David for the summer at their mansion). Their POVs alternate to give us a full picture of what’s happening on the island, where Orla is returning for the first time since she moved to NYC. This sets a bunch of things in motion and will eventually tie everyone together and solve the mystery of what happened to Alice. I’m a sucker for a coastal New England kind of book and this had it in spades. It was super atmospheric with the small island setting, everyone-knows-everyone. There’s a lot of build up and scene/character-setting through more than half of the book. Nothing really spooky or edge-of-your seat kind of happens until after 60%. I’m okay with this since I’ve come to expect it from Maxwell’s books. Overall this book was pretty good, albeit predictable. I figured out a few things along the way. I was generally interested the entire time while reading but I don’t think it’s an unputdownable thriller, much like her others! I really enjoyed the first installment in this series […]

Five-Star Recent Reads | All the Colors of the Dark and Atmosphere

Posted June 26, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

It’s taken me a really long time to write this review because there’s SO much within this book that could be discussed. I got it a year ago with BOTM and put it off because of the length. I wasn’t sure how another historical literary mystery would go for me. I loved THE GOD OF THE WOODS but surely this isn’t a genre for me, right?! Very wrong. I loved this book! We picked it for my local mystery/thriller book club and there was no shortage of topics to discuss. Everyone gave it 5 stars with a few 4.5 stars sprinkled in. We love the fact that he tackled so many topics without ever feeling like too much, or feeling like the book was too long for a mystery. It’s very much a character study, a story of the time period, and a mystery all rolled into one. The reviewers who didn’t like this book thought the writing was trying too hard or thought it was boring, and I definitely disagree. I read this 600+ page book in two days and literally could not stop reading it. The short chapters coupled with the way he created suspense even within paragraphs because of the writing style made this impossible to put down for me. I will say, my only complaint is that some passages were confusing because of how he wrote them. Sometimes I had to read things more than once. The author was so careful with his language though because […]

Recent Reads | The Fury and What Happens in Amsterdam

Posted May 22, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Unlike everyone else on the planet, I actually haven’t read THE SILENT PATIENT yet. It didn’t stop me from grabbing THE FURY in my BOTM over a year ago though – classic Lauren. I thought the premise sounded pretty good without carrying all the hype of his other book. The story is narrated by one of the characters – Elliot – and breaks the fourth wall a lot, along with a stream of consciousness kind of narrative voice. He and his famous friends (Lana and her husband Jason and son Leo, plus their friend Kate) head to Lana’s private Greek island for a little R&R. The story kind of “unravels” from there when one of them is murdered. The setup and format of the storytelling was interesting, but the idea was better than the execution. I think the structure of the book was meant to create tension but really it ended up being boring. I don’t feel like I can say more about how he narrated it without directly spoiling, but it was basically like “oh I told you all this now let’s go back in time to talk more about what happened first” or “I actually left a few things out that you may find important now, so here’s more details.” I can understand why the format was like this – it’s almost like the author knew he wanted to make a very basic mystery more interested by using this kind of storytelling and then figured out what the […]