Format: eARC

Recent Reads | Stranger Things Have Happened and Tell Me What You Did

Posted May 21, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I loved Kasie West’s YA books back in the day and the new trend of YA romance authors writing adult romance has been amazing. (I seriously need to read Steph Perkins one.) I haven’t read as many YA books at all lately and even missed some of West’s recent releases. I was planning on reading her adult debut before this one but for whatever reason this spoke to me when I was browsing my Kindle for something to read. The story follows Sutton, an LA restauranteur returning to her hometown to help her mom recover from an accident. She reconnects with her newly engaged high school friend Tara, and finds herself involved in a bet. Tara’s fiance Michael doesn’t want to go to couples therapy before their wedding and insists that two strangers could go and the therapist would never realize they weren’t an actual couple. Enter Sutton and Elijah, Michael’s brother. They begin a four-week session with a local therapist to see who wins – does Michael need to go to therapy with Tara or will she win the bet? Sparks fly between Elijah and Sutton while she also navigates complex family dynamics and co-managing her restaurant from afar. Candidly I didn’t love the characters in this one. It took me a while to like Elijah and root for them as a couple. Sutton had some annoying tendencies and her relationship with her mom was tough to read. Her friendship with Tara was underdeveloped, especially as they alluded to […]

Recent Reads | In Case I Go Missing and This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone

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

Young adult mysteries are harder to win me over these days, but there was something about the premise here that got stuck in my head. I don’t like to request books on Netgalley by unfamiliar authors in genres I’m unsure of. I’m so glad I did because this book really impressed me! Fenny and her friend Sam were best friends with Sarah. When she suddenly went missing after acting weird for a while, and the two begin to unravel that Sarah was working on a new case baked into the history of the town. I liked that it was a mystery within a mystery and that the missing girl’s friends had to follow in her footsteps/investigation in order to also figure out what happened to her. I loved watching them come to realizations in the same way Sarah likely did by talking to people around town and learning what Sarah was up to, while also figuring out how her investigation made her a target. Candidly the actual characters were fine and not memorable, but they really didn’t need to be. This was exactly what I hoped it would be when I read the premise. The mystery was layered and not predictable. I liked seeing how the two mysteries (past and present) intertwined. I would definitely read more books by this author because as of now, Maureen Johnson is my only remaining YA mystery author. I’d recommend this if the premise interests you, since it delivered for me! I’ve really enjoyed this […]

Recent Reads | The Ending Writes Itself and Once and Again

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

I was really excited about this one when I saw it was announced – I love when a debut can catch my eye, and hopefully have a lot of interesting books in the future. This was written by V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke so technically it’s also my first book by Schwab? The book follows a group of authors as they’re brought to a private island under the impression a famous mystery author, Arthur Fletch, has invited them there for a salon-type weekend. Instead, Fletch is dead and the publisher is desperate for a ghostwriter. I won’t spoil what happens because the synopsis doesn’t include some of the obvious occurrences, but we’ll just say the ending is a killer. I enjoyed this but I could see others finding it a bit bland. It reminds me a little of THE GOLDEN SPOON, which I loved but I know was polarizing. If you liked that, give it a try. It’s not quite a cozy mystery like THE GOLDEN SPOON feels, but it’s just a quieter kind of mystery maybe? The premise was good and the setting was really cool, like all locked room castle-on-an-island mysteries are. I’ve noticed a lot of books coming out lately with authors going to some retreat and seemingly having a similar premise. I enjoyed the format/POVs and ending, but was somewhat let down overall. I think maybe something twistier and darker would have resonated even more. I’d read more from this author duo for sure. I’ve really […]

Recent Reads | In Your Dreams and The Storm

Posted March 19, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Unsurprisingly, five stars. I may have blinders on when it comes to the writing or characters but there’s something about this Rome, Kentucky series that just works for me every single time. It’s sweet without being too much. This was such a perfect way to wrap up the series, with multiple scenes of former main characters/ siblings/ significant others getting together and finishing with the couple I’ve been waiting for. Madison and James got the perfect story for them and it was worth the wait. We’ve all seen the tension brewing between them – my sister and I were eagerly awaiting their inevitable book! Madison has always been the wild child, the one who moved out of Rome to follow her dreams at culinary school in NYC. She hasn’t told anyone she’s struggling, except Emily in the last book, so she keeps plugging along through graduation. James has been pining over Madison for years so when she accidentally calls him and spills her guts, he has the perfect solution: a farm-to-table restaurant on his farm. He needs the financial boost and she needs a job, especially back at home. Win-win. I loved watching these two spend time together and the feelings develop for Madison, since James has already been in that place. I loved the conversations they had; Jame was such a perfect balance for her. I grew to love him more than I already did from previous books. Aside from the main romance/couple, as I mentioned, we get all […]

Recent Reads | The Fair Weather Friend and Out of the Loop

Posted February 16, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I really enjoyed the twists and overall mystery of THE BUSINESS TRIP and was excited to read more by Jessie Garcia. Her second book also featured a newsroom/weather woman so I was thinking she may turn into a TJ Newman (flight attendant or airplane setting) for me, carving out a specific niche within mysteries. When popular weather girl Faith is found strangled in her car during her dinner break, her superfans, colleagues, and old friends are left reeling in different ways. There were multiple POVs like her previous book and many of the plot lines and characterization were similar. The big twist was good in theory but it was very implausible in practice. I thought the writing was cringey in places and fairly juvenile – the character conversations and inner thoughts were just written in a weird way for me. I definitely enjoyed the ride, as I did with the first book, but it was unsatisfying in many ways – especially the very end. There were certain characters or POVs that got completely lost by the end and we got no closure on. I’m not saying that I had fallen in love with them and wanted to know more about them, but there were a number of loose ends that would have been more satisfying to know about. People weren’t built up enough – especially Faith – for me to care about what happened to her. I’m a sucker for time loop books or what I usually refer to as […]

Blog Tour Review: The Lust Crusade

Posted January 14, 2026 / Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve been a big fan of Segura’s companion series so far. The concept of a romantic adventure story is just too fun to pass up, and all of them have worked really well for me! This one was slightly different in setup with the same bones: an archaeologist falls in love while looking for something historically groundbreaking. In this installment, Theo was presumed dead a year ago when his boat was found capsized in Greece. His best friend’s sister, Dani, is one of the many people left devastated; she’s had feelings for him her entire life and now she can never act on them. She decides to book a trip to Greece to finally get out of the country when suddenly she sees a man who looks like Theo. She learns he’s alive and has been kidnapped, forced to look for the Eye of the Minotaur for an evil man (we’re all familiar with at this point in the series. When Dani gets captured too, she’s able to use her research skills as a librarian to help Theo find the Eye. There were a lot of great tropes in here, like brother’s best friend, fake dating engagement, only one bed… you name it. I love a “second chance romance” as well. Both of the characters had feelings for each other but never acted on them and it was a very believable setup from a romance perspective (maybe not an overall plot perspective… these adventures are always over the top but […]

Holiday Reviews | Good Spirits and A Little Holiday Fling

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

Story I’ve read one other holiday book from BK Borison and thought it was pretty good. I knew this one would be a must-read this Christmas season because it contains one of my favorite premises – A Christmas Carol retelling or reimagining. This one follows a good girl named Harriet getting visited by Nolan, the Ghost of Christmas Past. As the two go into her memories, they struggle to understand why she’s being visited in the first place. She’s not a bad person and doesn’t seem to need to atone for anything. When their visits to the past start changing, they wonder if there’s something else going on. This ended up being super cute! Quite a few elements worked for me, especially the depth of emotion from the characters as they experienced each other’s loneliness. There were some heartbreaking moments without being overtly sad like some other Christmas books I’ve read this year lol. I wish there was less instalove though. Wintery Setting & Holiday Feels The premise obviously surrounds Christmas due to the whole Ghost of Christmas Past thing. The main character is a big fan of Christmas as well. I really expected there to be more Christmas feels but there really wasn’t a lot more than what I just mentioned. Overall I’m intrigued to see what the second book in this series looks like or is about because there’s a whole world of “magical creatures” (for lack of a better word) like reapers who were referenced during the […]

Holiday Reviews | Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon and The Christmas Keepsake

Posted December 15, 2025 / Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Story I was not expecting a five-star Christmas book because unfortunately it’s very rare for me, but I just adored this. The story follows Grace and Henry, two widows (widowers?) who are still freshly grieving losing their spouses but their moms push them together for a little meet cute. They become friends first and bond over holiday movies. Grace has two kids, owns a bar, and recently adopted a crazy puppy. Henry is alone, avoiding the house he owned with his late wife, and on hiatus from work. Wintery Setting & Holiday Feels Grace and Henry have various conversations by phone or in-person watching holiday movies and analyzing them. There are different sections in the books with Christmas movie names so the reader has an idea of what they’ll be discussing or what references will be made, but that was really the most Christmassy part of the movie. It was technically a part of the plot but I certainly wanted more from it. The other “issue” with the holiday feels is that this is a book heavily focused on grief – both the expected deaths from illness and the unexpected deaths from an accident/tragedy. It made for a VERY heavy read at times, which you all know is not my preference… especially for a festive book. Overall As you can tell, I adored this book. I loved Grace and Henry so much – their banter and slow-burn relationship as they realized it was okay to move forward with their lives […]

Recent Reads | Brigands & Breadknives, Mate, and The Academy

Posted November 20, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’m a huge fan of this series and Travis Baldree’s cozy fantasy writing style. I struggle with the world building and magic systems often in fantasy books, so cozy fantasy has been a great way for me to read fantasy without getting overwhelmed. So far, all of the books have been amazing. Unfortunately this one just did not hit as much as the others. I didn’t mind the fact that it had more action vs. the cozy mundane but somehow it didn’t hold my attention at all. There were too many characters and repetitive scenes along the journey that I didn’t follow. It may have been my fault because I read it at night before bed on my Kindle and would always fall asleep in the middle of a page. It took me so long to read because I was making the slowest progress ever, plus the book itself wasn’t holding my attention. I think part of the appeal for these (for me) is the audiobook, so reading an early copy maybe wasn’t the right move. I don’t know if that would have affected my enjoyment but it’s worth noting for myself in the future. I’d definitely continue to read more in this series! For my immediate reaction on socials, I debated copy/pasting my review of BRIDE as my review for MATE because I generally felt the exact same, except I liked this a little more somehow? It took me 200 pages instead of 100 to get into this. The […]

Recent Reads | The Executioners Three and The Killer Question

Posted October 20, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve been wanting to reread TRUTHWITCH and finally finish that series (since I own all the books…) but they’re just intimidating and large. I saw this new release from Susan Dennard and thought it’d be up my alley… a paranormal mystery set in the 90s sounded PERFECT for the fall season. The book follows Freddie, an NSYNC obsessed (same) teen embroiled in a prank war with the private school on the other side of town. When she comes across a body in the woods and doesn’t believe it was a suicide, she finds herself investigating more murders and strange happenings around town. This was really fun and ended up being perfect for fall. I’d recommend it for fans of TRULY DEVIOUS (for the mystery and odd main character sleuth) and THE DEVOURING GRAY (for the YA paranormal vibes and amazing setting). I’ve been in a reading slump and eventually this one really clicked for me, and I couldn’t put it down. Reading this book in my comfy reading chair by the window with rain coming down, the dog in my lap, and a hot coffee to drink was the perfect way to binge read it. A fun YA paranormal mystery set in the 90s with a quirky main character and lots of references to *NSYNC. What more could I ask for? I forgot how much I love Dennard’s writing style. Highly recommend for the season. This has been a not-great reading year for me – I usually finish books in […]