Source: Spotify Audiobooks

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 […]

Recent Reads | Change of Plans and Dolly All the Time

Posted June 10, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

It’s well-documented on here how much I love Sarah Dessen. I’ve been reading her books since I was a teenager and was really disappointed when we didn’t get another book after her last release in 2019. I started reading her Substack and was surprised to learn of her publishing struggles after such a storied career. Nonetheless, I absolutely preoredered CHANGE OF PLANS when it was announced and read it right away. This story follows the tried-and-true Dessen formula, and I am not mad about it at all. Finley graduated from high school and is ready to head to college with her longtime boyfriend Colin. When she unexpectedly ends up at her mom’s lake house that summer and her relationship ends, she’s reeling from all the ~changes in plans.~ Does this remind me of old school Dessen and give me the same summery feelings? Yes. Does it lack the depth and oomph you get from most of her older books? Also yes. But I think Dessen is honestly stretching her writing muscle again and upcoming books may get back to what we’re used to? This was like her old stuff but faded a little bit lol. I enjoyed the premise a lot but wanted more from the characters and setting. It was almost like each person and plot point needed to be turned up a few notches on the dial, if that makes sense. A bit more punchiness and feels? I would definitely recommend this in general for Dessen fans but […]

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 | 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 | Nightwatching and This Story Might Save Your Life

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

This book has been on my radar for a while but I wasn’t sure what I’d think of it. Many reviews said the book starts one way and kind of turns into something else for the second half, so I was just on the fence. I saw it at the library and decided I was in the mood for it, then randomly picked it up when we got a blizzard. This book is also set during a snowstorm so I thought the vibes would be perfect. I ended up being really glad I picked this one up! The book starts with a bang – a mother is alone in her house with her two kids when she notices an intruder. They manage to hide while she figures out what to do, and realizes who the man is. I won’t say anything else that happens because yes, the book takes a bit of a turn. It was incredibly suspenseful and creepy from the jump, especially to read at night. I’m glad I didn’t have this on my Kindle to read in bed! The next part of this paragraph is generally/slightly spoiler-y but not in a way that would ruin the book: I was so frustrated in many scenes with the cops (shocker) but really enjoyed the often tense ride. There are some intentional/interesting choices by the author though. I didn’t realize until I finished that she doesn’t include names for literally any characters, I’m fairly positive – I’m assuming this was a […]

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 […]