Source: Purchased

Recent Reads | The Anniversary and Rachel West and the Fallen Starlet

Posted May 27, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Unlike many others, I enjoyed Finlay’s book last year – I know others have read and enjoyed a smattering of books from his backlist but I just kept putting off reading them for whatever reason. As I sometimes do, I requested a review copy last year for PARENTS WEEKEND to motivate me to read it. THE ANNIVERSARY was another great read and I really should prioritize his backlist now! The concept is what got me: the book follows two main characters annually on May 1st in the 1990s as they try to track down a serial killer who only strikes on that day. There are a handful of chapters set on each May 1st and the book goes in order to see what they’re doing and what the case updates are. The characters didn’t wow me but again, the concept was so interesting. I think Finlay did a good job of not making it feel like the book was just jumping ahead in time without any reason. It never felt like I “missed out” on major events from the May 2nd to April 30th in between. I liked seeing where Jules and Quinn were each year and if/when their stories overlapped on that day. I didn’t actually try to solve the mystery in this one at all so I was generally surprised by the outcome. I’m curious to see some other reviews to see if I’m just a dummy for not realizing. I’d definitely recommend this if the concept interested […]

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 | The Night We Met and Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line

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

I’ve read every single Abby Jimenez book before its publication date (thank you to Forever Romance as always!) and this was the first one where I had to actually wait until the book came out! It was a weird experience honestly but it WAS nice to enjoy the audiobook for once. The synopsis implies a love triangle and/or potential cheating, which is such a risky trope for Abby to cover… but honestly I knew she’d kill it. Larissa met Chris and Mike at a concert one night and chose Mike (instead of Chris) to bring her home. Months later, she and Mike are dating and Chris missed his opportunity. Mike asks Chris to help him out one day and bring Larissa and her mom to a surgery appointment, and a friendship blooms between them. They accidentally rescue a dog together and start a lot of buddy reads. They have a ton in common…especially compared to her and Mike. As with all books by Abby Jimenez, there are some touchy or tough subjects covered in this one. The full trigger warnings are described at the beginning of the book. In short, Larissa is barely scraping by financially and Chris is dealing with some complex grief. I really loved the chemistry development and how the “complication” or issue happened throughout the whole book. How could these two ever be together, even if Larissa and Mike broke up? Chris and Mike are childhood best friends. There wasn’t necessarily a third act breakup because […]

Mini Reviews: A Perilous Undertaking, The Plot, and Her Last Breath

Posted April 4, 2026 / Bite-Sized Reviews, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I’m not sure when I’ll finish this long ass series but I’m proud I prioritized the second book fairly quickly! I continue to enjoy Veronica and Stoker’s slow-burn (I’m assuming) romance. I don’t think I paid a ton of attention when reading (so I forgot who characters were) and the mystery was fine. The lower rating is probably due to my reading slump and lack of interest in reading much of anything, but to be fair – other books have managed to keep my attention when this one didn’t as much. Happy to move onto the next within a few months though! This was a good albeit predictable read. I did enjoy the mystery of trying to figure out what the twist in the novel-within-the-novel was going to be, but the bigger reveals toward the end were more obvious afterwards. I read like 95% of this in one day so I didn’t find it slow like other readers (though the book club deadline helped lol). My other friends in book club agreed that it was super predictable but we are all curious enough to read the sequel! I have a feeling it will follow a similar trajectory though, which would be a little annoying and possibly repetitive. Like with most Taylor Adams books, the story seems so closed off and straightforward. I kept asking myself how he was going to find twists within this plot line, or keep the book interesting. I really didn’t think it was possible but I […]

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 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 | 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 | Wild Dark Shore and A Curious Beginning

Posted January 22, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

This is a book I’ve been very intimidated by but was determined to read at some point. I’ve found that I always enjoy literary mysteries more than I expect to, so this was somewhat of a pleasant surprised (but also expected in some ways). The book follows a tight cast of characters in a remote area, which was incredibly atmospheric. I knew I wanted to read this one in the winter given the chilly Antarctica location. Rowan washes ashore the remote island currently inhabited by the Salt family. How did she get there? What or who is she looking for? Dom and his three kids appear to be hiding secrets of their own as well. There were a lot of little mysteries but this was by no means a fast-paced thriller. Emphasis on the “literary” in “literary mystery.” There was a heavy scientific / climate change element to this book that I appreciated. The Salt family are the only remaining people/scientists on this island protecting the seed bank and have only a few weeks left before they move back to a mainland. Each of the kids has a special interest area, whether its whales or biology or penguins, and it was cool to see how their life was on the island. Again, super atmospheric – I felt like I could picture everything (and would love to see this as a movie!). I really loved the writing style and would be eager to read more by McConaghy, if I can pluck […]