I've followed Katie Sturino for a long time. Not only am I a MAJOR Megababe fan, I enjoy Katie's open This is a 3.5, but...you know, no halves on GR.
I've followed Katie Sturino for a long time. Not only am I a MAJOR Megababe fan, I enjoy Katie's open and honest dialogue about body acceptance. Sunny Side Up is the natural extension of her career.
Sunny is a successful woman, living in one of the most desirable New York City neighborhoods. She has her own PR firm, dogs that she calls "The Golden Girls", and her own bright and unique sense of style. She's also newly divorced and trying to find her way back to herself.
Sunny's brother is getting married and she is determined to bring a date. Could it be the Irish construction worker who accidentally saw her naked? Her ex? An investor? The mailman? While she dates around, she is also in the middle of creating an inclusive swimsuit line, after a disastrous shopping trip when she found smock-level bathing suits for women of her size. ---- I've said many, many, MANY times that books of this nature are not really my speed. It's fluff! I like dark, deep stories. Sunny Side Up was refreshing in that it brought about a sense of nostalgia, but I did some parts a bit MUCH. Everything just seemed to come to Sunny without much pressure or resistance. I found some of her flirting and hookups a bit....unrealistic, but what do I know? I hate my body so I can't imagine the idea of prancing around naked in front of a construction worker.
I think that this is a great book for younger women still finding their way in life, and understanding the path to their true selves. I feel like Katie has a few more books and a memoir in her, so I'll keep my eyes out for that.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
As a card-carrying member of the Dead Dad Club, I figured I鈥檇 lean into the grief spiral this year and crank the dial to 11 by reading Rachel Joyce鈥檚 As a card-carrying member of the Dead Dad Club, I figured I鈥檇 lean into the grief spiral this year and crank the dial to 11 by reading Rachel Joyce鈥檚 The Homemade God just in time for Father鈥檚 Day. Call it masochism. Call it catharsis. Either way, it hit like a glass of red wine thrown at a family dinner鈥攎essy, emotional, and weirdly satisfying.
Vic Kemp is a world-famous painter, no, not the edgy, avant-garde type, but the sort whose work ends up laminated on placemats and postcards in tourist shops. He鈥檚 recognizable, even if he鈥檚 not exactly revered. Vic raised four kids鈥擭etta, Susan, Goose (short for Gustav, naturally), and Iris鈥攐n his own after his wife died giving birth to the youngest. And somehow, despite the trauma, the egos, and the lingering scent of turpentine, the family has survived. Kind of.
At 76, Vic is still living like a charming, selfish hurricane. When he invites all four children to a dinner with 鈥渂ig news,鈥� they brace for drama. And boy, does he deliver: he鈥檚 in love. She鈥檚 27. They met online. And they鈥檙e getting married. Congrats?
The kids, predictably, spiral. They ghost him. Assume it鈥檒l blow over like his last impulsive stunt or last affair. Except this time, Vic vanishes to the family鈥檚 villa in Italy鈥� and then dies. Found in the reeds of a lake like a Renaissance tragedy... John Everett Millais "Ophelia"....as a 76-year-old man.
Cue the sibling trip to Italy, equal parts grief, suspicion, and passive-aggressive wine-fueled resentment. They're not just recovering Vic鈥檚 body; they鈥檙e confronting Bella-Mae, the mysterious widow. And also? Each other. Because when the homemade god falls, what happens to the fragile altars his kids built around him?
This was my first time reading Rachel Joyce鈥檚 writing, and honestly? I devoured it. Every petty, poignant, hilarious, heartbreaking moment. This isn鈥檛 just a mystery, it鈥檚 a full-on family reckoning wrapped in sun-scorched prose and garnished with grief, bitterness, and a splash of limoncello. The characters are messy. Netta plays the martyr-mother. Susan bristles in her shadow. Goose cracks under the weight of artistic legacy. Iris, forever the baby, drifts through it all like a half-formed memory.
And Vic? The absent-present father, worshipped and resented in equal measure. The man. The myth. The mess.
In the end, The Homemade God painfully and beautifully reminds us that even our gods were just people, messy, flawed, sometimes infuriating people, just like us.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I've been split on Camilla Sten. I loved The Lost Village, but The Resting Place was just okay for me. Sadly, The Bachelorette Party fell into the "juI've been split on Camilla Sten. I loved The Lost Village, but The Resting Place was just okay for me. Sadly, The Bachelorette Party fell into the "just okay" category for me.
Every year, four friends take a weekend trip to a private island off the coast of Sweden. They spend time together, bonding, drinking, and dancing. It keeps them close. Then, in 2012, everything went wrong. They never return home.
Ten years later, a bachelorette party travels to the same private island for a weekend celebrating their friend, Annaliese. Annaliese is one of those women who is surrounded by a variety of people, including her dearest friend Tessa, and Tessa's sister, Lena. The private island is now home to a wellness retreat and owned by Irene, the sister of one of the missing women from 2012.
The retreat promises yoga, meditative walks, and delicious vegan food prepared by the chef, Adam. When the women wake up the next day, they find one of the women has left, called away by an emergency...or was she.
This could be viewed as a 'locked room' mystery, and in general, I enjoy these types. I did enjoy the split timelines, so we learn more about the missing women. Tessa's controvesy/downfall was an interesting plot point, but I don't know that it was necessary. How did that add to the story> She could have just been a weirdo and it would have been fine.
The ages of everyone + the timeline left me a bit puzzled. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best at math, but I'm able to add and subtract 10 years...
There's a twist, and it's a little less obvious than you think it is. The last 20% seemed a bit rushed, and I wish there had been more time spent on some of the women's relationships to each other.
It's a good read but not a "must" for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Bex lives life like a retiree. She inherited a racquetball club from her parents. Her mother passed away two years prior, and Bex is still deep in herBex lives life like a retiree. She inherited a racquetball club from her parents. Her mother passed away two years prior, and Bex is still deep in her grief. She's surrounded by retirees, a member of their book clubs, on their pickleball teams, and that's the way she likes it.
Enter Niko: the hot shot professional tennis player and nephew of one of the club's members. He's working his way back into the professional tour, and using Bex's club to warm up. When he needs some good publicity, he wants to compete in a pickleball tournament, and despite their immediate hatred of each other, he asks Bex to be his partner....which then turns into a fake relationship...for the press!
This is a true enemies-to-lovers story, and of course, there are some steamy moments. Kate Spencer does an excellent job of balancing the fine line between fluff and heart. As with her other books, Kate writes about grief in a deep and personal way that is difficult for so many writers to capture. Emotions and feelings are deeply felt, and the prose is beautiful, even if it's just a conversation about recycled T-shirts.
While I have missed the pickleball fad, I found the background of the competition to be exciting and helped move the story forward in a satisfying way.
As I've said before, I'm a Kate Spencer fan and this book helps continue that fandom.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. Thanks to Kate Spencer for being funny, deep, and the only romance writer that I have on my MUST BUY list.
Ren Taylor never thought she鈥檇 return to her old high school鈥攏ot as a teacher, not after everything. But with nowhere else to turn, she hopes that walRen Taylor never thought she鈥檇 return to her old high school鈥攏ot as a teacher, not after everything. But with nowhere else to turn, she hopes that walking the same halls might bring a sense of closure. Instead, she鈥檚 met with old wounds. Her older sister, Margot, who was murdered years ago, is still revered like a saint. Meanwhile, Ren is the girl who spiraled鈥攖he one everyone whispered about in the aftermath.
Then she meets Bryson Lewis: young, charming, and effortlessly adored by students and staff alike. Ren knows better. She once trusted a teacher like him鈥攕omeone who left her family shattered and may have played a part in her sister鈥檚 death. So when Ren sees Bryson getting a little too close with a student, alarm bells ring. She knows this story too well. And this time, she refuses to stay silent.
Whispers of Dead Girls dives deep into the murky waters of student-teacher relationships, small-town gossip, grief, rage, and the messy bonds of sisterhood. Marlee Bush crafts a haunting narrative that feels both intimate and unsettling鈥攁 dark, necessary exploration of trust, trauma, and the lingering echoes of tragedy.
This isn鈥檛 just a thriller; it鈥檚 a cautionary tale. About power dynamics. About intuition. About the lies adults tell and the ones teens believe.
While I found myself wishing a few threads were tied up more cleanly, the payoff at the end was deeply satisfying鈥攅nough to forgive the lingering questions.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This one lingers....more
Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan are the Oklahoma women I wish I had met while living in Oklahoma. Irreverent, hilarious"Let's Burn" indeed.
Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan are the Oklahoma women I wish I had met while living in Oklahoma. Irreverent, hilarious, politically outspoken - these are my people.
Many were introduced to these two best friends on Bravo's "Sweet Home Oklahoma," where they provided a look at people in Oklahoma who aren't idiot politicians or tornado victims. The ladies now host the extremely popular "I've Had It" podcast, where they laugh, cry, and scream about any and everything they are over.
This book looks at the start of their friendship and how they got to where they are now. Along the way, there are drug, alcohol, and sex addictions. There are thousands of cigarettes smoked on porches. There are marriage problems, growing children, unexpected deaths, and living blue in a red state. Both women expand on their upbringings, families, and marriages. As with the podcast, both are open, honest, and ready to tell it like it is.
I think podcast fans will go wild over this, but this is a fantastic look at the power of friendship and how it can survive anything.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Isabella loves to cook. She loves old cookbooks and reads them like novels. Currently a writer at a digital food magazine, she keeps a low profile, prIsabella loves to cook. She loves old cookbooks and reads them like novels. Currently a writer at a digital food magazine, she keeps a low profile, providing small articles and making baked goods for her co-workers. After being pushed into a live demo and failing spectacularly, Isabella is fired.
Through her roommate, she is hired to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, a celebrity known more for her antics than acting. Molly runs hot and cold. One day, she hugs Isabella; the next day, she growls about Isabella bringing fish into her apartment. It's fairly obvious how this writing project will go.
There's also a little romance, friendship crisis, and mother-daughter drama, as most books do. Where I think this book is the strongest is the descriptions of food, deep with rich details, you can almost taste the herbs on a fish filet. The weakness of Isabella's wet noodle of a backbone kind of drags this on longer than necessary.
However, this was still an enjoyable book. Adam Roberts captured a woman's voice, which is hard. I do feel like women authors are best suited to explore the inner turmoil and body issues. However, Roberts does a fine job.
The end is a bit rushed, and I do worry about Isabella's and her mother's living situations; however, it still ties most things together. I would have LOVED a recipe or two thrown in, just to add a bit more to the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey takes Southern Gothic and adds in Nazis, murder and alligators.
Loyal May is returning to her hometown of Jacknife, Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey takes Southern Gothic and adds in Nazis, murder and alligators.
Loyal May is returning to her hometown of Jacknife, Louisiana. Her mother's health has been getting worse, and she knows she's the only person to do it. Jackknife is not a nice town. It has one diner, a factory, and one family everyone avoids, the Labasques.
When Loyal takes a job at the small local paper, her first assignment is a woman's body found in the bayou. The body is of Cutter Labasque, a backwoods girl from a family of alligator hunters, and Loyal's former friend. The police are insisting it was suicide, but Loyal knows that Cutter never would do that to herself. So she's ready, with her sidekick Sasha, to risk it all to find out the truth.
This book does an excellent job at capturing small towns and the rough and tumble kind of people who sometimes live on the outskirts. The Labasque family is interesting - almost like the Curtis family from The Outsiders, except not....Ponyboy or Soda. They have raised themselves and work the only job they know how to do.
There are strong themes - parents, lost friendships, sexual assault, murder, homosexuality - but it's all woven in a tapestry that's as thick as an alligator's skin.
While the start was slow, the world of Loyal and Sasha expands into a full-fledged murder mystery thriller that's a little different from any other.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Twenty years ago, twelve-year-old Ophelia woke up to find herself utterly alone, left behind by her entire community.
Now, she goes by Lee. She鈥檚 a newTwenty years ago, twelve-year-old Ophelia woke up to find herself utterly alone, left behind by her entire community.
Now, she goes by Lee. She鈥檚 a new mother, married to a rising Philadelphia district attorney, and trying to hold it all together in a modest row house. Her baby is colicky and demanding. Her marriage, already strained by threats from a victim in one of her husband鈥檚 cases, is teetering. And her husband has no idea about her past. As far as he knows, Lee is estranged from her mother and sister, and has a couple of cousins she rarely sees.
Then one day, a woman shows up on her doorstep, claiming to be her long-lost sister, Mona. Lee is stunned. She鈥檚 torn between fear鈥攐f her husband uncovering the truth鈥攁nd overwhelming hope that maybe, just maybe, she has a piece of her family back.
If I鈥檝e said it once, I鈥檝e said it a thousand times: I love stories about cults. The psychology of surrendering logic and identity to a so-called savior is endlessly fascinating鈥攁nd terrifying. Just look at Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, Heaven鈥檚 Gate. We know how those stories end.
But what really sets this novel apart is its focus on what comes next.
This isn鈥檛 about the cult itself鈥攊t鈥檚 about the aftermath. The survivors. The ones who didn鈥檛 ascend. It鈥檚 about trauma, identity, and how you try to build a life on a foundation of secrets. Like Jessica Knoll did in Bright Young Women, Allison Buccola digs deep into that emotional terrain鈥攁nd delivers something gripping, thoughtful, and unforgettable.
Twists? Oh, yes. Several. And the final one? Absolutely chef鈥檚 kiss.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this stunner of a book....more
Kimberly (that's a name you don't hear anymore) is 25 years old and on her own. She's been on her own most of her life, moving from one foster home toKimberly (that's a name you don't hear anymore) is 25 years old and on her own. She's been on her own most of her life, moving from one foster home to the next. She shares a flat with four others while working as a Senior Housekeeper at London's top hotel. She suffers from extreme epilepsy and has her medical support dog, Muffin, with her at all times.
Jennifer Clifton is a severe woman. Her hair, nails, face, and clothing are all done up to perfection. She has a list of demands for her hotel room, and Kimberly manages every single one. Jennifer offers Kimberly a new job, on the spot, at her exclusive hotel in the Scottish Highlands.
The new hotel is immaculate and free of guests. As Kimberly settles in, she learns that invited and exclusive guests only come once a year, for a massive party....with little to no more details. The ONLY rule, do not go to Room 21. --- Wow, wow, wee, wow. This book is a ride. Kimberly is an odd character, a bit naive but very likable. It's hard not to root for her throughout the book. Jennifer is demanding, but does show glimpses of a heart.
The concept of this story is brilliant. We all want a place where we can be free, but I don't think many of us would go to these extremes. There is a lot of violence and gore, so heads up.
Jessica Huntley does an excellent job of walking that fine line between suspense and horror, because there is horror in these pages. Is Room 21 an apt title? I wouldn't necessarily think so, as it's a minor part of the story, but is it a focal point of terror? Yes. 100%
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
My HS English teacher had my class write letters to ourselves to be sent to us a year later. It was startling to see how different my mindset was fromMy HS English teacher had my class write letters to ourselves to be sent to us a year later. It was startling to see how different my mindset was from one September to the next.
Dear Future Me by Deborah O'Connor takes this idea and adds in death, missed potential, suicide, and blackmail. Audrey, who lost both her parents before her last year of high school, runs her own cleaning service. It's not what she dreamed she would do, but she's done her best, given her circumstances. She's still best friends with Miranda, her teenage best friend.
One morning, letters start arriving in mailboxes. The letters were written leading into their last year of school, and their former teacher took the time to search everyone's current locations and mail them 20 years later. Audrey opens her letter and finds a note she had never seen from Ben, a classmate and Miranda's boyfriend. Ben, who later that year died while on a school trip. She texts the note to Miranda, but doesn't hear back. She doesn't hear from her because Miranda opened her letter that morning, got in her car, drove to a cliff overlooking the sea, and jumped. --- This book does a great job of building the mystery surrounding Miranda's and Ben's deaths. The flashback chapters help develop everyone's history, and the present-day chapters, with Audrey seeking out and questioning her former classmates, build the world of Saltburn. I think both mysteries were compelling, and several red herrings were tossed in.
What I didn't particularly care for was the time it took to reach the twists. It was not necessarily a slow burn, but more just... to make side characters. I didn't really need to know about their former classmate who was involved in local politics or the guy working for BP. Their "information" could have been added to anyone else.
Still, this was a fun read and the twists were excellent as they unfolded.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.
Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau took me right back to that sweet spot in my reading life鈥攚hen I was transitioning from YA to more 鈥済rown-up鈥� novels. I鈥�Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau took me right back to that sweet spot in my reading life鈥攚hen I was transitioning from YA to more 鈥済rown-up鈥� novels. I鈥檝e always been a voracious reader, and I owe a lot to the lovely librarian from the county bookmobile who helped guide me with her thoughtful recommendations. Those early adult reads still carried a sense of innocence, but with just enough real-world complexity to feel mature鈥攁nd Shopgirls fits that vibe perfectly.
The story follows 19-year-old Zippy, who鈥檚 just landed a job at a high-end department store in 1980s San Francisco. She鈥檚 the youngest in her department, navigating new friendships and living away from home for her first time. After answering a roommate ad, she moves in with Raquel, who quickly becomes her best friend and biggest support.
Zippy is refreshingly sincere鈥攏aive, yes, but kind and earnest. She works hard, wants to do well, and approaches the world with wide-eyed curiosity. In a literary world full of morally gray antiheroes, it鈥檚 fresh air to follow someone simply trying to figure things out without hurting anyone. The backdrop of the early AIDS crisis adds emotional depth and a sense of urgency to Zippy鈥檚 coming-of-age.
There鈥檚 something so endearing about her journey that I genuinely hope this becomes a series鈥擨鈥檇 love to grow up alongside her.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this gem.
The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus is a haunting and layered exploration of family, legacy, and emotional dFamily trauma begets family trauma.
The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus is a haunting and layered exploration of family, legacy, and emotional debris passed from generation to generation. It follows the story of two sisters, Jayne and Bunny Linden, and the children entangled in their wake.
Jayne is in college when her younger sister, Bunny, vanishes from their troubled childhood home. Years pass in near silence, until Bunny reappears unannounced, with three children in tow, each with a different father from her drifting life across the U.S. and Mexico. Recognizing that she can鈥檛 be the mother her kids need, Bunny abandons them, leaving Jayne and her husband Rodger to step in.
Jayne and Rodger built the kind of home Bunny never could, one filled with warmth, stability, and care. When they have their own daughter, Linden, life feels nearly idyllic. But just as suddenly as she left, Bunny returns a decade later, and her reappearance is the beginning of the end. What follows is a cascade of unraveling: a painful divorce, fractured relationships, and a family splintered beyond repair.
As the children grow into adulthood, the ghosts of their upbringing begin to surface in unexpected ways. What happened in their childhood? What parts were shaped by pain, and what by perception?
Kraus, best known for The Nanny Diaries, delivers something entirely different here鈥攁 dark, immersive narrative about generational trauma and the emotional sleight-of-hand families can play. While stories of inherited pain are nothing new, what sets this novel apart is its masterful pacing and its refusal to offer simple answers. The truth is always out of reach, distorted by time, memory, and denial.
The narrative leaps across time and space precisely, each moment rich with sensory and emotional detail, particularly for those familiar with New York. The opening chapter, with Lin in a Brooklyn shop, is so vivid I could swear I鈥檝e been there, overpaying for sage to cleanse a room that held too much.
This isn鈥檛 a light, wine-and-book-club kind of read. It鈥檚 a spiderweb of hurt and history, showing how every thread connects and entangles each family member.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this poignant novel. ...more
Well, call me a snob, but I hate The Great Gatsby. It's all terrible people doing terrible things.
So, because I wasn't paying attention, it took me aWell, call me a snob, but I hate The Great Gatsby. It's all terrible people doing terrible things.
So, because I wasn't paying attention, it took me a little while to realize this was a 'modern' retelling of the classic story about economics and bad people.
That's about it. Yes, genders are reversed and blah blah. It's still the story of people with too much money looking to prove they have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Steph Nelson has written a tight thriller that was hard to put down. Last One Out deals with some very hard-to-stomach issues, but Nelson does this wiSteph Nelson has written a tight thriller that was hard to put down. Last One Out deals with some very hard-to-stomach issues, but Nelson does this with a delicate hand and reaches the story's real heart.
Everyone assumed Chloe Webster was dead. 25 years ago, she disappeared one night after a secret adventure to a hot spring. Her two friends were found days later, dead. There were no signs that Chloe made it out alive.
So when she shows up at an annual fundraiser in her honor, her beloved cousin, Frankie, is overjoyed. She looks past some of Chloe's questionable comments and is overjoyed to have her cousin again.
Soon, Frankie starts receiving messages, stating that Chloe isn't telling her the truth, and she will go to any length to find out why.
I would suggest avoiding if you are triggered by anything with children, but if you can handle it, I suggest picking this one up.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Brother Richard and over 100 members of the Collective all disappear in an instant. It's the Homegoing that he's been talking about for years. Alice GBrother Richard and over 100 members of the Collective all disappear in an instant. It's the Homegoing that he's been talking about for years. Alice Greene watches as her mother, father and husband vanish in a beam of light.
Alice, who is pregnant with a baby she wasn't supposed to have, quickly learns she's not the only one left behind. Among the remaining is Edwin, Alice's best friend. When Edwin leads the remaining members as instructed by a letter and video left behind from Brother Richard, Alice's plans to escape the Collective are squashed. When she discovers a journal left behind by her mother, Alice learns that everything is not as she was told, and she must escape before it's too late. --- Another cult book...my favorite. Brother Richard is exactly who you think a cult leader would be: Charles Manson minus the murders. Alice, as a character, was smart and someone it was easy to root for.
I DO wish there was some explanation about the disappearance, but also, it's nice not knowing. Sometimes the mystery is better left unsolved.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
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