Tag: Book Reviews

February 2025–Part Two

March 30, 2025

Book #12:

The Undercurrent by Sarah Sawyer (Length: 279 pages).  This is a literary mystery, with the emphasis on literary. This is about Bee and Gus, twins in a Texas town, and when they are 15 years old, a neighborhood girl goes missing. Slow-moving, but beautifully told, this novel features alternating timelines as well as various points of view. Bee is a new mother in the present-day timeline, and the other viewpoints are in the past, including Bee, her mother and Leo (the twins’ best friend’s) mother. This is very well-written, and I enjoyed the resolution. Trigger warning for miscarriage, and there are other tough themes but those are all off the page. A solid 4 stars from me.

Book #13:

The Off Limits Rule by Sarah Adams (Length: 322 pages). This is a cute rom-com (the first in a duology) featuring a single mom who moves back home and stays with her older, very protective brother. And of course, her brother’s best friend is known as a player, so he’s “off limits” to Lucy. But of course Cooper is impossibly hot, and charming, and kind to Lucy’s son, so a secret romance occurs. The chemistry between Lucy and Cooper is believable on the page, the 4 year old son is adorable and the writing is solid. Nothing special but a fun way to spend an afternoon. 3.5 stars.

Book #14:

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak (Length: 352 pages).  I enjoyed this author’s previous mystery Hidden Pictures, so I was excited to pick this one up. The protagonist is a middle-class UPS driver dad who is contacted by his adult daughter, Maggie, after a 3 yearlong estrangement, and Maggie surprises her dad with the news that she’s marrying the uber-wealthy Aidan Gardner, the son of the founder of the mysterious company where Maggie works: Capaciti. So, Frank heads to a palatial private estate in New Hampshire to join the festivities. The foreshadowing is a bit aggressive here and I figured it out way too early for my liking. But it’s an enjoyable, FAST read (I read it in one sitting) and I will remember the central mystery and plot. A solid 4 stars from me.

January 2025–Part Two

February 2, 2025

Book #5:

The North Line by Matt Riordan (Length: 294 pages).  This off the radar book is a very tense, fast-paced fictional account of a few months on a fishing boat in Alaska. Perfect for fans of adventure novels, this shorter book features the protagonist, Adam, who loses his scholarship to a private college just before his senior year and joins the crew of a fishing boat having zero experience, in a last-dash effort to make $26K. This almost reads as narrative non-fiction as it’s very descriptive (and stressful!) and the details are so interesting. The author spent his 20s on fishing boats and you can tell here. The ending is wild!! 4 stars.

Book #6

Scorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (Length: 457 pages). This standalone YA fantasy novel is set in the Great Libraries of a magical world. Featuring a fierce heroine (with perfect tone in her depiction), this almost-perfect novel has excellent world-building (that’s not too complex), decent character development and a propulsive plot. There is a bit of closed-door romance but the focus of the plot is books (or here, grimoires) and magical creatures. I adore this book and I think it’s in my top 3 of fantasy novels for sure! 5 solid stars.

Book #7:

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage (Length: 356 pages).  This is a cowboy romance set in a huge family ranch in Wyoming. The first in a series (of 4), here, barrel racing champion Emmy Ryder abruptly leaves the racing circuit, breaks up with her boyfriend and returns home to Rebel Blue Ranch after years away. Sparks fly when she runs into Luke Brooks, the town Lothario who also happens to be the best friend of Emmy’s protective big brother. This is cheesy but overall, it’s decently written. (There are a few typos and grammatical errors which are super annoying but more common in these types of books I’m noticing.) I enjoyed the details of the ranch and barrel racing and also, meeting the secondary characters who are featured in the remaining books of this series. Also, this is very open door so keep that in mind if those books aren’t for you. 3.5 stars from me.

Book #8:

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Length: 338 pages).  I listened to this uber-popular mystery as I’ve heard that’s the way to go, and I agree–this is PHENOMENAL on audio. The chapters here alternate between the episodes of a popular true crime podcast and the perspective of the protagonist, Lucy, who (suspected of killing her BFF Savvy 5 years earlier) returns to the small Texas town where the murder occurred. This mystery is perfectly paced, very well-written and features some strong side characters (such as Lucy’s grandmother–my favorite). I enjoyed the resolution of the mystery here as well. A full 5 stars from me!

January 2025–Part One

January 14, 2025

Book #1:

Sandwich by Catherine Newman (Length: 236 pages).  As a new member of the sandwich generation, I was very interested in picking up this slim novel. The plot is very simple: a tale of an extended family’s week at the beach in Cape Cod, written from the perspective of the mother, Rocky. The novel switches between Rocky reminiscing about her children (both alive and dead) as well as experiencing the current state of her marriage, the lives and goings-on of her adult children and her aging parents. All of this to say, nothing much happens here, but I’m a fan of Catherine Newman’s writing (and her writing style) so I thoroughly enjoyed this slice of life as portrayed by the offer. This is a slow, quiet read but it’s very insightful and I’m glad I picked it up. 4 stars from me.

Book #2

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (Length: 303 pages). This was the “it” book of the holiday season, so I was excited to see it on a daily Kindle deal. Labelled a “cozy mystery” this is part closed door mystery (with a side of closed-door romance) and the mystery at its heart is a lot of fun. The premise here is two “enemy” best-selling mystery authors receive a last-minute invite to THE Grande dame of mystery author’s huge estate outside of London, over the Christmas holiday. There is a missing person, an attempted murder and the hunt is on for the killer. My one quibble with this is the secondary characters are given short shrift (for example, there is a third best-selling mystery author who isn’t described with much depth here). Overall, however, this is very well-written, the plot is fast paced, the chemistry between the two leads is believable and I had a great time reading this. 5 stars.

Book #3:

Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend (Length: 513 pages).  This is a middle-grade fantasy book (the first of a series of 4) that is in the top 3 of many book bloggers’ top fantasy reads so I’ve been wanting to pick it up. For a book that is targeted for 8 years old and up, I found it a surprisingly great read for adults. I absolutely loved this reading experience! Morrigan Crow is a “cursed child” who lives in Nevermoor with a family who doesn’t like her (a la Harry Potter) and Morrigan is slated to die on her 11th birthday, as are all cursed children. However, the day of her birthday, she is whisked away and invited to join the trials for a magic spell society. The kicker is, if she loses, she’ll still die. This fun book has fantastic writing, snarky dialogue (which is what makes it so entertaining for adults I think) and a fast-moving plot. I enjoyed all of the ancillary characters, and I will definitely be reading further into the series. Although the word on the street is the follow up books aren’t as fun. 5 solid stars.

Book #4:

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (Length: 344 pages).  This is such an odd book that is enjoyable overall, even with a protagonist I truly did not like. Lauren lives in London and one night she discovers she is married to a man she has never met. And when this man heads up to their attic to change a lightbulb, he disappears, and a new husband appears. Rinse and repeat through the entire novel as Lauren finds something she dislikes about each husband/iteration. The plot becomes tiresome and frustrating. I did enjoy the “Twilight Zone” nature of this, and the plot is absolutely memorable, and, unlike other readers, I liked the resolution of this novel. But Lauren, zero stars from me! I’ll give this 3.5 stars because the writing is solid, and the plot is singular.

November 2024–Part Two

December 1, 2024

Book #98:

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra (Length: 368 pages). I listened to this one and recommend doing so as well! This psychological thriller starts off with an intruder in a young mother’s home, and while the intruder is still there, the mother gathers her young children and hides in a secret room while listening to the person move through the house. This is a VERY scary and pulse-pounding thriller with a very propulsive first half. Then it gets even better. There are some surprises here, but it all works. The pacing is absolutely fantastic as it never lets up on the suspense or the mystery, and the tension on the page is very realistic. A 4.5 stars from me!  

Book #99:

Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb (Length: 336 pages). This cute rom-com is set in Tucson, Arizona, amongst an apparently very vibrant and cut-throat birding community. I enjoyed that the romantic leads are in their mid-40s (a middle-school English teacher and a bird enthusiast/woodworker). I adore the setting–the various beautiful parks around Tucson, as well the romance trope the author employs here: fake dating. Tucson is an amazing city, having lived there for 10 years and I honestly enjoyed the setting here the most. This is VERY open door so skip this if not your thing. I’m giving it a solid 4 stars.

Book #100:

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (Length: 368 pages).  Many romance readers list this novel as their all-time favorite and I get the hype! This is a bit of a time travel romance set in a “magic” apartment in New York City. The romantic leads here, Clementine (a publishing company publicist) and Iwan (a chef) are both adorable and very likeable. This is well-written, with deeply-drawn characters and their chemistry is very believable and not too cloying or sweet. FIVE STARS from me! I love this book so much!

Book #101:

Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman (Length: 336 pages).  This thriller is the third by a former flight attendant; I’ve read and reviewed her first two and recommend both of them: Falling and Drowning. The premise is an airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant resulting in almost 300 deaths in the first few pages, so be forewarned if this isn’t your cup of tea. But as far-fetched (or maybe not?) as this scenario is, it’s a lot of fun to read on the page, as the entire town jumps into action to attempt to prevent a worldwide nuclear disaster. This is fast-paced, well-written for what it is and I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Book #102:

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton (Length: 288). One of my favorite Instagram follows (a super-smart attorney who keeps me abreast of all things political–EmilyInYourPhone) is currently reading this series. There are currently 35 books so far and this is book #1 of the Agatha Raisin series. The main character is super interesting–not sure I like her quite yet but given the popularity of this series, I’m hoping she just has more redeeming qualities that have yet to be revealed. This is a cozy mystery set in the Cotswolds, and Agatha is 53 years old, which I appreciate. The mystery here is very obvious but I’m assuming the author is using this novel to introduce the main players and will follow up with some meatier plots and mysteries to solve. I did enjoy a few of the supporting character and most likely will continue reading this series. I’ve ordered the second book in audio format so stay tuned regarding that one. 3.5 stars for me for this book.

November 2024–Part One

November 18, 2024

Book #93:

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore (Length: 384 pages).  This first book in a series of rom-coms went viral on TikTok, and since I was in the mood for a “cozy” rom-com, I picked it up. Set in Dream Harbor, a small town in New England, this novel features Jeanie, the brand-new owner of the Pumpkin Spice Cafe and Logan, a quiet, handsome bearded farmer. One might suspect nothing bad or stressful happens in a cafe with this name, and one would be correct . . . this is cute, charming and nothing too deep or particularly well-written. It’s a great palate-cleanser between meatier reads, however, so it does the trick. 3.5 stars.

Book #94:

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (Length: 320 pages). WHOA. This mystery/thriller is very creepy and unsettling, and downright scary in parts. The premise is a woman answers her door, and a family is standing there. The father talks their way inside, saying he just wants to show his family his former childhood home, and things go downhill from there. There is a bit of an unreliable narrator here (which isn’t my favorite trope) but I enjoyed this novel, overall. There a few “articles” that appear every few chapters which provide some needed background (not sure how these would play out in an audio version, however). There are a few surprise twists, and I definitely found it to be scary. Don’t read this one if you’re home alone at night! 4 stars for this fun read!

Book #95:

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (Length: 400 pages).  This historical fiction novel is based on the lives of haenyo, the female divers who supported their families while the fathers took care of children in Korea in the early 20th century. The main historical event in this book is the horrific Bukchon Massacre which occurred on 4/3/49 where up to 80K Koreans were killed. The sections on diving are absolutely fascinating, and the female friendship at the center is fully drawn. This is dark, sad and very well-written. 4 stars from me.

Book #96:

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand (Length: 272 pages).  I’m a bit burned out on Hilderbrand but I’ve heard this series is her best, and I like that it’s set in the wintertime on Nantucket Island. This is the first in the series and it centers on the Quinn family. The book starts with a bunch of drama right off the bat, with wife #2 leaving the family patriarch, Kelley, and each of Kelley’s adult children (and wife #1) all have their own issues going on. But nothing is super serious, and Hilderbrand’s writing style is top-notch here: smooth, well-written, propulsive plot and fun character interactions. Because it’s the first in a series it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I’m not sure I’ll keep reading any further. 3.5 stars from me.

Book #97:

The Deaf GIrl by Abigail Heringer (Length: 240). This is a memoir written by the first deaf contestant on the Bachelor show, with a cochlear implant. I have a loved one who has recently started wearing such an implant, so I picked this one up with the intention to learn a bit more about the realities of hearing-impaired and deaf people’s lives who choose this device. To that end, this book is worth reading. The writing is (understandably) juvenile given it’s not the author’s job, but I learned quite a bit and would absolutely recommend if you, like me, want a firsthand account of how this device can impact one’s hearing and life.