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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 | 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 […]

Recent Reads | The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold and The Other Side of Now

Posted October 8, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

This book had me wondering: am I in a reading slump because it took me forever to read this book, or did it take me forever to read this book because I’m in a reading slump? Ally Carter books are meant to be read in like two sittings so I’m disappointed in myself and possibly the book. I just want to love these adult romantic suspense (?) books of hers so bad. They’re good and generally entertaining but I didn’t find myself caring that much. The first book had a more annoying main character than this one so I think it wins there, but it was a little confusing. There were VERY quick and frequent time jumps that made it hard to follow, especially because there were the same locations as present day. I know that because this book took me a month to read, it was probably even harder to remember what was happening and follow along… again, is that my fault or the book?! I was really looking forward to this one wowing me but unfortunately it was a similar experience to the first book. Would I read a third? Absolutely. I think the premises are fun and Ally’s writing is enjoyable as usual. I hope she keeps writing adult rom-com mystery mashups because I really enjoyed the Christmas one last year. This is a perfect example of me just really knowing my reading tastes. I love books about parallel lives or alternate realities, and this one’s concept […]

Blog Tour: Love at First Sighting

Posted August 18, 2025 / Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Excerpt About the Author Mallory Marlowe is an author and video game writer living in Los Angeles, California. Seriously right-brained since childhood, her love of telling stories began with highly elaborate plots for her Barbie dolls and taking elementary school writing projects too seriously. She studied Writing for Film and TV at Emerson College. When she isn’t writing, she’s likely reading, stuck in LA traffic, or has fallen down a weird internet rabbit hole. Review I was a huge fan of Marlowe’s debut, LOVE AND OTHER CONSPIRACIES, and gave it five stars, so I was really looking forward to her sophomore novel! I love that she writes unique concepts into her novels – her first book involved cryptids and conspiracies, this one had aliens, and her upcoming book features ghosts! El is an influencer in Los Angeles who ends up getting lowkey chased by something that looks like a little UFO. She goes live on Instagram and her followers are baffled by her change in content direction. Of course her video catches the eye of Carter, local PIS agent (think Men in Black lol), and he has to track her down to make sure she doesn’t speak to anyone about what she saw. He has to wear a goofy outfit, including a fedora-like hat, so it was a little hard to picture him and think he was attractive! lol I liked the adventure that these two went on and the fact that there wasn’t a big breakup moment and miscommunication at any point. […]

Recent Reads | It’s a Love Story and Sounds Like Love

Posted August 7, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 1 Comment

I’ve become a huge fan of Annabel Monaghan based on her previous two releases, and I’ve been saving her adult debut for a rainy day. This book is technically my least favorite but honestly it was quite enjoyable regardless! Annabel Monaghan’s books have a way of growing on me as I read. I consider her an auto-buy author but I never get addicted right away. It’s like a slow burn (with the plot, not the romance) where I’m halfway through and realize I’ve fallen in love with everything finally. That moment happened a little later than usual which is why I wasn’t as invested in the characters as I could have been. I didn’t love the MC here but she’s as imperfect as all of Monaghan’s others, so nothing unexpected. Jane and Dan had a lot of logical reasons for why they behaved the way they did, and also why their romance worked; it felt very realistic. I just didn’t connect to them as strongly as expected or as I prefer in a romance. I love that they were visiting his childhood home away from Hollywood – more on that later – for his parents anniversary party. They started the trip as colleagues and ended it as something a little more. The premise was enjoyable and quiet but also had some fun Hollywood stuff that I tend to enjoy. Jane was a former child star known for goofy antics and Dan is a not-super-successful cinematographer. He’s interested in the script […]

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 […]

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 […]

Recent Reads | A Proposal to Die For and The Missing Half

Posted May 16, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I requested this book on a whim to try to get into other mystery authors – it seemed cozy and I loved the premise of a proposal planner going to a fancy spa/resort. Unfortunately this book didn’t really work for me! Jess used to be a wedding planner but after some drama and burnout, she decides to create a new venture in the proposal planning space. She links up with rich dudes who want to spend money on an over-the-top proposal and Jess handles all the logistics. When a frenemy from high school wants to redo her fiance’s proposal, she insists Jess help them and he’ll pay anything to make it happen. Jess needs the money and agrees – they head to a resort to work on the planning… and a dead body or two make an appearance. My biggest issue with this book is that it felt very disjointed – the way the characters interacted with each other and the scenes progressed felt so weird and underdeveloped. It’s very hard to explain but I was glad to see from other reviews that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. The plot wasn’t the issue but the way the author wrote the dialogue, character relationships, and overall scene structure was just very hard to read and sometimes confusing. The romance was the most underdeveloped part; I didn’t believe any of it or see any progression for them throughout the book. All of a sudden they were kissing after a few […]

Recent Reads | Swept Away and Magpie Murders

Posted April 23, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve loved quite a few of O’Leary’s books but actually DNFed her last release – for whatever reason the story just wasn’t clicking for me and I haven’t felt pulled to start it again. I was really hoping to get back on track with her for this novel and I’m happy to report that happened! The story follows Zeke and Lexi as they deal with the aftermath of a one-night stand. They realize when they wake up in the morning that the houseboat they were using has somehow gotten untied and was swept out to see. They don’t have power, they’re running out of food, and – to top it all off – they literally don’t know each other at all. Obviously the premise alludes to a bit of a survival story but for some reason I didn’t realize how intense it would be! I kind of just assumed they’d get rescued in a few days but there was actually a lot of peril and accidents to deal with. Some early reviews had folks unprepared for this and it affected their enjoyment, but I still really enjoyed it. It’s just not a straightforward fluffy romance. The ending had some twists that I didn’t see coming (which makes me feel like an idiot because maybe they were obvious?). It took a little while to get on board with those reveals but I was pretty pleased by the end of the book with how everything turned out. This was a super emotional […]