Jayme's bookshelf: read en-US Fri, 02 May 2025 07:22:32 -0700 60 Jayme's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Final Wife 221210375 Daily Mail 'A deliciously dark tale of revenenge' Woman's Own Till death do us part� Luke Whitney is stabbed to death. His wife Anna confesses after she is found next to his lifeless body. But if she did it, why can’t she confirm any of the details of the crime?

As police dig into the circumstances, they learn that the victim was a liar, a cheat and a narcissist. More than one person had a reason to want him dead; his scorned ex, his neglected mistress and Anna � who knows what happens to Mrs Whitneys when Luke gets bored of them.

Luke Whitney had it coming. But who made sure he got what he deserved?

The latest twisty, propulsive psychological thriller from international bestseller Jenny Blackhurst. Perfect for fans of Adele Parks, Claire Douglas and Shari Lapena.

Praise for The Final Wife �Addictive and very twisty� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review

�An absolute banger of a psychological thriller!� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review

‘Such brilliant writing from a fantastic author� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review

�So tense and suspenseful� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review

�Fast-paced... will keep you up all night� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review

�So many twists and turns. Kept me guessing until the very end� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review

‘I loved the character dynamics and twisting plotlines� an engrossing read� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review

�Queen of the red herring� had me hooked from start to finish!� ⭐⭐⭐⭐� Reader review]]> 256 Jenny Blackhurst 1804365122 Jayme 0 3.56 The Final Wife
author: Jenny Blackhurst
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.56
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read, audible, amazon-original
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Homemaker (Prairie Nightingale)]]> 220664581 When a former friend and devoted mother vanishes, a confident homemaker turned amateur sleuth follows an unexpected trail of scandals and secrets to find her.

Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.

Given her innate talent for vital pattern recognition, Prairie is out to catch a few clues by taking a long, hard look at everyone in Lisa’s life—and uncovering their secrets. Including Lisa’s. Prairie’s dogged curiosity is especially irritating to FBI agent Foster Rosemare, the first interesting man Prairie has met since her divorce. His square jaw and sharp suits don’t hurt.

But even as the investigation begins to wreak havoc on Prairie’s carefully tended homelife, she’s resolved to use her multivalent homemaking skills to solve the mystery of a missing mom—and along the way discover the thrill of her new sleuthing ambitions.]]> 300 Ruthie Knox 1662530900 Jayme 0 to-read, amazon-first 4.50 Homemaker (Prairie Nightingale)
author: Ruthie Knox
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read, amazon-first
review:

]]> All Her Fault 57937453
ONE MISSING BOY.

Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Tudor Grove, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn't a mother she recognises. She isn't the nanny. She doesn't have Milo. And so begins every parent's worst nightmare.

FOUR GUILTY WOMEN.

As news of the disappearance filters through the quiet Dublin suburb and an unexpected suspect is named, whispers start to spread about the women most closely connected to the shocking event. Because only one of them may have taken Milo - but they could all be blamed . . .

IN A COMMUNITY FULL OF SECRETS, WHO IS REALLY AT FAULT?]]> 389 Andrea Mara 1473589444 Jayme 0 to-read 4.14 2021 All Her Fault
author: Andrea Mara
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Theodore The Neighbour's Cat (Theodore: The Neighbour's Cat #1)]]> 55118101
And I have been powerless to stop him because I... am a cat.

Don’t get me wrong, Dean has never been cruel to me. He provides me with shelter, toys, and plenty of affection. But I have seen his dark side, his brutal treatment of women, and I can’t bear to watch anyone else get hurt.

Jane from next door is attractive for a human, not to mention being incredibly kind. That kindness may get her killed. I’ve seen how Dean looks at her, I know what he’s plotting. In his mind, she’s his for the taking. I wasn’t able to save the others, but I’m not ready to give up. One way or another, I have to figure out how to communicate to Jane that she’s in danger.

Can I find a way to warn her in time? Or will she become just another name on his growing list of victims?]]> 190 J.S. Ellis Jayme 0 4.10 Theodore The Neighbour's Cat (Theodore: The Neighbour's Cat #1)
author: J.S. Ellis
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read, novella, psychological-thriller, already-own
review:

]]> Whistle 218671849 “Terrific.”—Stephen King onWhistle

New York Timesbestselling author Linwood Barclay enters new territory with a supernatural chiller in which a woman and her young son move to a small town looking for a fresh start, only to be haunted by disturbing events and strange visions when they find a mysterious train set in a storage shed.

Evil has a one track mind...

Annie Blunt has had an unimaginably terrible year. First, her husband was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident, then one of the children’s books she’s built her writing and illustrating career on ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her son Charlie to a charming small town in upstate New York where they can begin to heal.

But Annie’s year is about to get worse.

Bored and lonely in their isolated new surroundings, Charlie is thrilled when he finds a forgotten train set in a locked shed on their property. Annie is glad to see Charlie happy, but there’s something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night—she could swear she hears a train, but there isn’t an active track for miles—and bizarre things begin happening in the neighborhood. Worse, Annie can’t seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children’s book.

Grief can do strange things to the mind, but Annie is beginning to think she’s walked out of one nightmare straight into another, only this one is far more terrifying…]]> 464 Linwood Barclay 0063436035 Jayme 0 4.12 2025 Whistle
author: Linwood Barclay
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read, horror, mystery-suspense, thriller-tbr, audible, already-own
review:

]]> The Wedding Game 199458707
Sarah sets Lexie one last challenge as part of their summer-long wedding bingo � to kiss the best man, Josh.

But while Lexie is looking for Josh, she meets Chris. Their connection is instant, and they can’t stop talking.

As she runs inside to grab them Champagne, she finally finds Josh at the bar and connects with him too.

Returning to Chris, he tells her in a matter of moments he’s leaving the UK to go home to New York. They’re reluctant to leave things where they are. The laughter, fun and conversation feels so real, so meant to be.

So Chris makes a split-second decision and invites Lexie to go with him to New York, just for the weekend, just for a few days, just to see.

With two men, and one moment to make a life-changing decision, what will Lexie decide?

And what if fate has other ideas?]]> Elle Cook 1804947008 Jayme 0 4.25 The Wedding Game
author: Elle Cook
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read, romance, audible, already-own
review:

]]> Room 706 227796330 Nobody knows she's checked into Room 706.

Caught in the wrong place at precisely the worst time, Kate must face the most confronting situation of her life - and discover what matters most - in this deeply suspenseful and thought-provoking debut novel.

If she knew it would end this way, would it ever have begun?

'Poignant, immersive, and utterly human, I adored Room 706' Sarah Jessica Parker

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kate stretches her legs and turns on the TV while James washes away the traces of their morning. She watches in horror at the unfolding the hotel they are staying in has been taken under siege.

She should be making her way home, working on appearing normal, getting ready to re-enter family life with her loving husband Vic and their two adored children. Instead, she is trapped somewhere she shouldn't be, with a man she definitely doesn't love.

How will she begin to tell Vic what she is doing here? If her body is found, will it give up the secret of what she's been up to? She's been so careful hiding the evidence of her write nothing down, leave no trace. Will he begin to understand why?

For now, Kate can only hide, take a deep breath, and reflect on the series of choices she's made that have brought her to this moment.

What will her marriage and her life look like, if she makes it out?

Discover the most gripping and original novel you'll read this year, from an incredible new talent in fiction.]]> Ellie Levenson 1035423677 Jayme 0 4.57 Room 706
author: Ellie Levenson
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.57
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read, literary-fiction, netgalley
review:

]]> Their Double Lives 232548724
Living a double life always comes with a cost.

A down-on-her-luck waitress at a posh New Jersey country club, Kim Valva couldn’t be living a more different life from the carefree socialites she serves. Her live-in boyfriend recently cheated on her, her social life is in shambles, and her dog needs a life-saving surgery that she can’t afford. Then her luck seems to change when a mysterious figure identifying themself only as The Stranger contacts her with an offer she can’t refuse: Put a pill in the new member’s drink and, when he dies, she’ll have enough money to fix her dog and her life.

Her target turns out to be Tony Fiore—Kim’s bad boy ex-boyfriend from high school. Fifteen years have passed, and he now goes by Anthony Fuller. He’s cleaned up, made tens of millions, and his gorgeous fiancée, twenty-two-year-old PJ Walsh, is on his arm.

PJ had her own agenda from the second she met Anthony. Find him, trick him, marry him, kill him. It was supposed to be easy, but she finds that while living her double life, the lines blur between who she is and who she’s pretending to be.

Stunned to see Tony again, Kim can’t bring herself to go through with spiking his drink. Instead, it is PJ who dies horrifically at the table just as dinner ends. Was someone else at the club—member or worker—tasked with poisoning PJ just as she had been instructed to do to Tony? Who would want both of them dead? With no one to trust and The Stranger to answer to, Kim must peel back the layers of deceit to reveal a deeply buried truth, more shocking than she could ever imagine…]]> Jaime Lynn Hendricks Jayme 0 0.0 Their Double Lives
author: Jaime Lynn Hendricks
name: Jayme
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read, audible, crime, netgalley, thriller-tbr
review:

]]> It's a Love Story 218153839 USA Today bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script, a novel about a former adolescent TV punchline who has left her awkwardness in the rearview mirror thanks to a fake-it-till-you-make-it mantra that has her on the cusp of success, until she tells a lie that sets her on a crash-course with her past, spending a week in Long Island with the last man she thinks might make her believe in love.

Rules for a love story: There are none. It’s all a lie.

Jane Jackson knows that true love is a lie. Laughter is the only truth—you can’t fake a belly laugh. Jane should know, she spent her adolescence as "Poor Janey Jakes," the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punchline on America's fifth-favorite sitcom. Now she’s a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios and she’s living by a new mantra: Fake it till you make it.

Except, she might have faked it too far. Desperate to get her first project greenlit and riled up by pompous cinematographer and one-time crush Dan Finnegan, she opened her mouth and a big fat fib fell out. She claimed that Jack Quinlan, hottest popstar of the moment, has promised to write an original song for the soundtrack. Jack may have been her first kiss—and greatest source of shame—but she hasn’t spoken to him in twenty years.

Now, Jane must turn to the last man she’d ever want to owe: Dan Finnegan. Because Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown on Long Island, and Dan has an in. A week in close quarters with Dan while facing down her past is Jane's idea of hell, but Dan just might surprise her. While covering up her lie, can they find something true?]]> 368 Annabel Monaghan 0593714105 Jayme 5
She has delivered another heartwarming story about a relatable woman in her thirties who is just trying to make it in a World that isn’t always kind!

Jane Jackson was a childhood actress who grew up in front of the camera playing the comedic sidekick to America’s sweetheart, Hailey. The fifth-favorite sitcom of its time, “Pop Rocks� featured 4 Pre-teens in a band, and her role as keyboardist Janey Jakes was to make her famous “Oof� face when things went wrong, bringing on the laughs.

Now she’s a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios, preferring to stay behind the scenes and she loves the newest love story she has optioned-“True Story�. Unfortunately, her studio, and its arrogant cinematographer, Dan Finnegan, don’t agree, thinking the film won’t be commercial enough.

Desperate to get her first project greenlit, she claims that she can get Jack Quinlan, THE hottest popstar of the moment, to write an original song for the soundtrack. Although she and Jack sang once sang a duet on “Pop Rocks� and he was the recipient of her first kiss—she hasn’t actually spoken to him in twenty years.

Oof!

When reaching out on Social Media fails, Dan Finnegan offers up a possible solution. Because Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown on Long Island, and Dan has an in there-they can fly New York to try and plead their case in person.

While trying to track him down, Jane spends time with Dan and his large, lively, loving family who have all gathered together to celebrate his parents 40th wedding anniversary. She may or may not leave with her “song� but she will leave changed, as it turns into a week of soul searching and self reflection.

This author writes “mature� women’s fiction/romance with likable characters and a good dose of humor, and I have loved everything she has written! Earning 5 stars means it had me tearing up at least once! ]]> 4.29 2025 It's a Love Story
author: Annabel Monaghan
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: romance, netgalley, buddy-read, contemporary-fiction
review:
Annabel Monaghan is four for four for me!

She has delivered another heartwarming story about a relatable woman in her thirties who is just trying to make it in a World that isn’t always kind!

Jane Jackson was a childhood actress who grew up in front of the camera playing the comedic sidekick to America’s sweetheart, Hailey. The fifth-favorite sitcom of its time, “Pop Rocks� featured 4 Pre-teens in a band, and her role as keyboardist Janey Jakes was to make her famous “Oof� face when things went wrong, bringing on the laughs.

Now she’s a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios, preferring to stay behind the scenes and she loves the newest love story she has optioned-“True Story�. Unfortunately, her studio, and its arrogant cinematographer, Dan Finnegan, don’t agree, thinking the film won’t be commercial enough.

Desperate to get her first project greenlit, she claims that she can get Jack Quinlan, THE hottest popstar of the moment, to write an original song for the soundtrack. Although she and Jack sang once sang a duet on “Pop Rocks� and he was the recipient of her first kiss—she hasn’t actually spoken to him in twenty years.

Oof!

When reaching out on Social Media fails, Dan Finnegan offers up a possible solution. Because Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown on Long Island, and Dan has an in there-they can fly New York to try and plead their case in person.

While trying to track him down, Jane spends time with Dan and his large, lively, loving family who have all gathered together to celebrate his parents 40th wedding anniversary. She may or may not leave with her “song� but she will leave changed, as it turns into a week of soul searching and self reflection.

This author writes “mature� women’s fiction/romance with likable characters and a good dose of humor, and I have loved everything she has written! Earning 5 stars means it had me tearing up at least once!
]]> Death at the White Hart 212807002 “Layered, human, suspenseful and surprising - this guy knows how to tell a story, that's for sure.� —Lee Child, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

“Fans of Broadchurch are going to LOVE Death at the White Hart! With its compelling pair of detectives and tense, creepy atmosphere, once you start reading, I defy you to stop.� —Shari Lapena

From the internationally award-winning creator of Broadchurch comes a brilliant new detective story following one man’s death and the secrets that unravel in a coastal English village

Nothing keeps a village together like secrets.


The villagers of Fleetcombe like to think of it as one of the most picturesque spots on England’s seaside.

But now, it’s a crime scene.

A man is found dead, tied to a chair in the middle of the road, with a stag’s antler’s on his head. The gruesome scene stuns the town, especially when they learn that it is Jim Tiernan, owner of the White Hart pub, who has been found murdered.

Is it a personal vendetta, or something more macabre? Tierney’s pub is at the center of village life and he knew everyone’s secrets.

Detective Nicola Bridge grew up in Fleetcombe, and has been craving a juicy case ever since she moved back from the big city. DC Harry Ward is ten years younger, and their partnership is somehow stronger, and more satisfying even than her marriage. Together, they are determined to crack the storybook façade to find out just what the people of Fleetcombe have to hide.

And now, in the town she thought she knew so well, Detective Nicola Bridge is asking questions. Is she ready for what she’s about to find?]]> 352 Chris Chibnall 0593831578 Jayme 0 3.97 Death at the White Hart
author: Chris Chibnall
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read, netgalley, police-procedural, publisher-s-invitation, widget-received
review:

]]> Letters from Strangers 220226736 From the creator of the 2017 film All I Wish comes the heartbreaking story of two strangers searching for the truth about their families—and discovering a secret that will change their lives forever.

Jane’s father is far from perfect. But his sudden death brings crushing grief. As Jane grapples with her pain, life delivers another blow ... a stack of letters pointing to a secret life. A life her father shared with another woman…who may have had his child.

Across the country, sixteen-year-old Adam is self-destructing. His adoptive parents never intended to show him the unsigned letters from his birth mother, but he is desperate for answers, even if they hurt.

Jane and Adam are on a collision course, but not for the reasons we might suspect. Because the letters do not tell the whole story. What is true is that Adam and Jane are both looking for a woman who does not want to be found.

A family saga spanning two decades, this emotional story explores how good things can grow from the ashes of old scars.]]> 325 Susan Walter 1662523505 Jayme 0 4.50 Letters from Strangers
author: Susan Walter
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: contemporary-fiction, netgalley, currently-reading
review:

]]> Dead to Me 221397461 You thought he was the one. You broke his heart. But now, he might be the only one who can save your life...
Pre-order the brilliant new standalone thriller from bestselling Gytha Lodge now!



*

Anna and Reid weren't meant to be, apparently. She's a fiery American journalist; he's a stoic British detective - it was nice while it lasted, and then it really wasn't.

And Anna is over it now anyway. She's on the scent of a career-making story - a suspicious death amongst the cloistered elite world of Cambridge University, with a slice of police corruption too.

It's just, the more she investigates, the more there's only one person she wants to talk to about it. She starts writing Reid a long sprawling email - it's not like she's ever planning to send it.

Until suddenly, she's in desperate trouble. The problem with chasing a killer is that sometimes, you run right into them.

And the only detective she can trust with her life, is the one who broke her heart...

**

Praise for Gytha Lodge

'A novel that literally makes you hold your breath then gasp out loud' VAL McDERMID
'Gripped me from the first page and kept me turning the pages long into the night' ERIN KELLY
'Smart, moody, intense and tangled. I loved it' GILLIAN MCALLISTER
'With clues and twists to keep you absolutely hooked from the first page to the last. I can't wait for her next book' JANE CASEY
]]> Gytha Lodge 1405957077 Jayme 0 to-read, maybe 4.00 Dead to Me
author: Gytha Lodge
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read, maybe
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar]]> 220160852 A Chinese American woman spins tragedy into comedy when her life falls apart in a taut, wry debut novel that grapples with grief, motherhood, and myths—perfect for fans of Joan Is Okay and Crying in H Mart.

A man and a woman walk into a restaurant. The woman expects a lovely night filled with endless plates of samosas. Instead, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie.

A short while after, her chest starts to ache. She walks into an examination room, where she finds out the pain in her breast isn’t just heartbreak—it’s cancer. She decides to call the tumor Maggie.

Unfolding in fragments over the course of the ensuing months, Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar follows the narrator as she embarks on a journey of grief, healing, and reclamation. She starts talking to Maggie (the tumor), getting acquainted with her body’s new inhabitant. She overgenerously creates a “Guide to My A User’s Manual� for Maggie (the other woman), hoping to ease the process of discovering her ex-husband’s whims and quirks. She turns her children’s bedtime stories into retellings of Chinese folklore passed down by her own mother, in an attempt to make them fall in love with their shared culture—and to maybe save herself in the process.

In the style of Jenny Offill and the tradition of Nora Ephron’s hilarious and devastating writing on heartbreak and womanhood, Maggie is a master class in transforming personal tragedy into a form of defiant comedy.]]> 208 Katie Yee 166808421X Jayme 0 4.21 2025 Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar
author: Katie Yee
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read, maybe, widget-received
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1)]]> 214208297 From Jess Kidd, the bestselling author of Things in Jars who “is so good it isn’t fair� (Erika Swyler, nationally bestselling author), the first in a cozy mystery series about a former nun who searches for answers in a small seaside town after her pen pal mysteriously disappears.

I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret.

1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent.

A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.]]> 336 Jess Kidd 1668034050 Jayme 0 to-read 4.11 2025 Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1)
author: Jess Kidd
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Murder Runs in the Family 216002723 "Riotous romp of a mystery!" �New York Times bestselling author Leslie Meier

"A knockout series debut from a veteran author…a heartrending tale of how complicated families can be." �Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review




Amber thought she had troubles before her grandma was arrested for murder�

Former PI-in-training Amber Winslow has decided to flee her life in the dead of night, carrying nothing but the clothes on her back. Down on her luck and with no other choice, she heads to the sunny state of Arizona to the luxury accommodations of her grandmother's retirement community. Never mind that Amber's never actually met her estranged and eccentric Grandma Jade.

As soon as she sneaks her things into Seven Ponds (a place she technically doesn't qualify for and definitely can't afford), she's shocked to learn that George Vincent, a.k.a. the Admiral, was found dead the very night of her arrival. What's even more shocking is that no one seems particularly distraught over the news of the Admiral's death or the disappearance of his prize pet tortoise. All anyone can talk about is a missing Vincent family heirloom, and they're quick to blame Jade for both the Admiral's murder and the theft of the priceless ring.

Amber doesn't want to admit the woman she's just met—and who accepted her without question—could be behind the Admiral's death, and she's determined to clear her grandmother's name no matter the cost.]]> 256 Tamara Berry 1464221189 Jayme 0 to-read 4.00 2025 Murder Runs in the Family
author: Tamara Berry
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> It's Not Her 230443142 Two families vacationing at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime and mysterious disappearance in this twisty, unputdownable thriller

A stunning discovery�
Courtney Gray's tranquil family vacation is shattered when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the lakeside cottage next door. There she finds the lifeless bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Her teenage niece Reese is nowhere to be found, while her nephew Wyatt lies asleep upstairs, unharmed.

A shocking investigation�
As the police descend on the quiet resort town, disturbing secrets about Courtney’s family start to emerge. When she learns that the town has secrets of its own, it makes her wonder if Reese is another victim in a brutal crime or if she’s the killer.

A truth no one could have imagined �
As Courtney begins to unravel the terrible mystery, she realizes that everyone around her has something to hide. And the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to see…]]> 368 Mary Kubica 0778387992 Jayme 0 to-read 4.67 2026 It's Not Her
author: Mary Kubica
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Serial Killer Games 216970705 What would you do if you thought your coworker was getting away with murder—literally?

Dolores dela Cruz has been dying to spot one in the wild, and he fits the mold strangler gloves, calculated charm, dashing good looks that give a leg up in any field . . . including fields of unmarked graves.

The new office temp is definitely a serial killer.

Jake Ripper finds a welcome distraction in his combative and enigmatic new coworker. He hasn’t come across anyone as interesting as Dolores in a long time. But when mere curiosity evolves into a darkly romantic flirtation, Jake can’t help but wonder if, finally, he’s found someone who really sees him, skeletons in the closet and all.

Until Dolores asks Jake’s help to dispose of a body . . .

A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry). ]]> 374 Kate Posey 0593818539 Jayme 3
In fact, she thinks the new office temp, Jake Ripper could be a possible suspect.

Some women are attracted to DANGER ‼️

Jake Ripper finds his combative new coworker, Dolores to be quite intriguing. And, it’s not just the fact that she wears all black with a just slash of red lipstick ]]> 4.00 2025 Serial Killer Games
author: Kate Posey
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: contemporary-fiction, netgalley, publisher-s-invitation, widget-received
review:
People have been “falling� off of roof tops all over the city. Suicides or a Serial Killer? Dolores dela Cruz enjoys listening to TRUE CRIME podcasts, and she thinks it’s the latter.

In fact, she thinks the new office temp, Jake Ripper could be a possible suspect.

Some women are attracted to DANGER ‼️

Jake Ripper finds his combative new coworker, Dolores to be quite intriguing. And, it’s not just the fact that she wears all black with a just slash of red lipstick
]]> The Birthday Party 221519936 A party. A nightmare. A child gone without a trace.

It started out as a six little girls gliding and giggling at the ice rink to celebrate Natalie’s daughter’s eighth birthday.

But by Natalie’s next head count, it’s turned into a crime scene. Six children went onto the ice—and now there are just five. Nobody saw her niece, Elle, being taken. Nobody saw the person in a cartoon costume lure her quietly away.

Traumatised by what happened on her watch, Natalie spends the next decade supporting her sister, Jo, as the years since Elle’s abduction tick by. But as the tenth anniversary approaches, Jo becomes convinced that someone is stalking her—someone who knows the truth about that day on the ice.

As long-buried secrets start to surface, the sisters must relive the horror of losing Elle—and watch the world as they know it shatter before their eyes.]]> 260 Shalini Boland 1662529511 Jayme 0 4.35 The Birthday Party
author: Shalini Boland
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read, mystery-suspense, thriller-tbr
review:

]]> My Baby, My Sin 224047605 My boyfriend is dead. The only person I can rely on his other girlfriend.

Young mom Fantasia just got the worst news of her life. Her construction worker boyfriend is dead. Plus all of his cash is gone. Turns out he lied about being faithful and about having a savings account. To make it all worse, the police were after him, so now they’ve turned their ire against her.

But there’s one silver lining. Her dead boyfriend stole expensive artwork from the museum he was helping to rebuild. If Fantasia can find it before the police, she can sell it and make a fortune for her and her kid. Only, her boyfriend had another girlfriend and she wants the paintings too. Fantasia has a work with the cheating woman or try to outsmart her.

May the best girlfriend win.

This heist thriller is perfect for fans of Jeneva Rose and Frieda McFadden.]]> 297 B.E. Fournier Jayme 0 to-read 4.52 My Baby, My Sin
author: B.E. Fournier
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Great Big Beautiful Life 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry Jayme 3
Opening sentence: “There’s an old saying about stories and how there are always three versions of them, yours, mine and the truth.�

Alice Scott is a coffee drinking, “happy go lucky� staff writer for “The Scratch�.

Hayden Anderson is a sullen, Pulitzer-prize winning-Iced Green Tea drinking-music journalist and biographer.

And they are both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason-competing to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years-Margaret Ives.

She is the tragic heiress of one of the most famous (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century, and also the wife to the late rock and roll legend, Cosmo Sinclair.

And, Margaret has invited them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who will win the right to tell her story.

The book will include THEIR VERSION (the Press) and HER VERSION-(Margaret’s) but will it actually include the TRUTH?

We will hear about her story as Alice interviews her.

Many reviewers are comparing this to TJR’s books-and I would agree. And, although I enjoyed TJR’s early work-I am an OUTLIER for the books that put her on the map-the ones that explore messy celebrity lifestyles…they just don’t interest me.

So, if you enjoy her work-you will probably enjoy this book too.

But, since I wasn’t enamored by Margaret’s story-I didn’t find the “reveal� surprising-and I couldn’t buy into the ROMANCE between Alice and Hayden which almost INSTANTLY developed- this was just an AVERAGE read for me.

Had we ALSO been privy to Hayden’s interviews with Margaret, and been able to see the “competition� in play-I might have found this story more unique and compelling.

AVAILABLE NOW

Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan of this copy.]]> 4.19 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: contemporary-fiction, romance, library
review:
OUTLIER REVIEW:

Opening sentence: “There’s an old saying about stories and how there are always three versions of them, yours, mine and the truth.�

Alice Scott is a coffee drinking, “happy go lucky� staff writer for “The Scratch�.

Hayden Anderson is a sullen, Pulitzer-prize winning-Iced Green Tea drinking-music journalist and biographer.

And they are both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason-competing to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years-Margaret Ives.

She is the tragic heiress of one of the most famous (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century, and also the wife to the late rock and roll legend, Cosmo Sinclair.

And, Margaret has invited them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who will win the right to tell her story.

The book will include THEIR VERSION (the Press) and HER VERSION-(Margaret’s) but will it actually include the TRUTH?

We will hear about her story as Alice interviews her.

Many reviewers are comparing this to TJR’s books-and I would agree. And, although I enjoyed TJR’s early work-I am an OUTLIER for the books that put her on the map-the ones that explore messy celebrity lifestyles…they just don’t interest me.

So, if you enjoy her work-you will probably enjoy this book too.

But, since I wasn’t enamored by Margaret’s story-I didn’t find the “reveal� surprising-and I couldn’t buy into the ROMANCE between Alice and Hayden which almost INSTANTLY developed- this was just an AVERAGE read for me.

Had we ALSO been privy to Hayden’s interviews with Margaret, and been able to see the “competition� in play-I might have found this story more unique and compelling.

AVAILABLE NOW

Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan of this copy.
]]> Storybook Ending 218153866 A charming story about romance, friendship, and a love of books, in which two women—a lonely remote worker and a widowed single mom—and a handsome local bookstore clerk find themselves in an unusual love triangle when an anonymous note left in a book finds the wrong recipient.

April, a smart and lonely tech worker, worries work from home has gotten out of hand: She’s left an anonymous note in a book for Westley, the clerk at her Seattle neighborhood bookstore who has a gentle smile and looks great in flannel. But thanks to fate, Laura—a busy single mom who had given up on love—buys the book, finds the note, and thinks Westley has left it for her. A handsome man who loves books seems like just the plot twist she has been looking for.

Meanwhile, Westley—not the most perceptive—is too distracted by the movie filming at the store and the ambition it’s unlocked in him to notice either of the two women. But as April and Laura’s anonymous correspondence continues back and forth, their mundane routines are challenged, sparking a glimmer of hope. Is a happy ending in the cards for them?

A hilarious and intricate web of mistaken identities and serendipitous encounters, Storybook Ending is a playful tribute to romance, friendship, and bookstores, and to the objects—from a forgotten slip of paper to someone’s heart—left between the pages of books we loved.]]> 320 Moira Macdonald 0593851293 Jayme 3
April works from home and although her co-workers love that “perk�-she misses the camaraderie of an office setting and has been feeling quite lonely. She’s left an anonymous note in a book for Westley, the clerk at her local Seattle neighborhood bookstore “Read the Room� hoping to make a connection.

Laura has been widowed for 5 years now, and the busy single mom isn’t sure if she is ready to date, but when she buys a book at “Read the Room� and finds a note inside it-she thinks the clerk with the “movie star good looks� has left it for her.

But the clerk-Westley—has no idea that he is the “object of desire� for either woman because an independent movie is being filmed at the bookstore, and the lead Actor has disappeared-thrusting him-reluctantly-into the role.

April and Laura’s anonymous correspondence continues, with both thinking they are in a “meet cute� with Westley, until one finally has the courage to suggest a coffee date-

With a nod to the Classic movie, “You’ve Got Mail� the story includes SOME use of mixed media including the letters exchanged, and staff emails to propel the story along.

This is a DEBUT novel which suffered from a slow FIRST HALF which spent about 50% character building-and this half was ALL TELL and NO SHOW except when a conversation took place. I wasn’t at all engaged with the story until about the 55% point in the book.

Once the PLOT took precedence over the character building, the pace picked up and the story became quite CHARMING-making me feel invested in the outcome!

If you have patience and enjoy stories about bookstores, books and FOUND FAMILY, this could be a book for you.

A buddy read with DeAnn! Did she agree? Watch for her review! ]]> 3.57 2025 Storybook Ending
author: Moira Macdonald
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: books-about-books, contemporary-fiction, romance, netgalley
review:
A tale of two halves�

April works from home and although her co-workers love that “perk�-she misses the camaraderie of an office setting and has been feeling quite lonely. She’s left an anonymous note in a book for Westley, the clerk at her local Seattle neighborhood bookstore “Read the Room� hoping to make a connection.

Laura has been widowed for 5 years now, and the busy single mom isn’t sure if she is ready to date, but when she buys a book at “Read the Room� and finds a note inside it-she thinks the clerk with the “movie star good looks� has left it for her.

But the clerk-Westley—has no idea that he is the “object of desire� for either woman because an independent movie is being filmed at the bookstore, and the lead Actor has disappeared-thrusting him-reluctantly-into the role.

April and Laura’s anonymous correspondence continues, with both thinking they are in a “meet cute� with Westley, until one finally has the courage to suggest a coffee date-

With a nod to the Classic movie, “You’ve Got Mail� the story includes SOME use of mixed media including the letters exchanged, and staff emails to propel the story along.

This is a DEBUT novel which suffered from a slow FIRST HALF which spent about 50% character building-and this half was ALL TELL and NO SHOW except when a conversation took place. I wasn’t at all engaged with the story until about the 55% point in the book.

Once the PLOT took precedence over the character building, the pace picked up and the story became quite CHARMING-making me feel invested in the outcome!

If you have patience and enjoy stories about bookstores, books and FOUND FAMILY, this could be a book for you.

A buddy read with DeAnn! Did she agree? Watch for her review!
]]> 59 Minutes 212121357 If you knew you had fifty-nine minutes until everything and everyone you love would be lost forever, what would you do with that time?

It's an ordinary evening. People are coming home from work, cooking dinner for their children, cuddling on sofas with their lovers. And then the message arrives, shattering everyone's

Missiles are set to destroy England in fifty-nine minutes. Everyone should seek immediate shelter.

59 minutes follows the journey of three women trying to make it home to and protect their families. The journeys should be simple, but with a lost schoolchild seeking help, a teenage daughter suddenly going missing, and dangerous criminals on the prowl, there is peril at every corner.

59 Minutes is a gripping, thought-provoking and gut-wrenching thriller perfect for fans of WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, THE CHAIN and Lisa Jewell.]]> 0 Holly Seddon 1398709506 Jayme 0 4.45 2025 59 Minutes
author: Holly Seddon
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read, maybe, widget-received
review:

]]> Play Nice 222419303 A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel from the USA Today bestselling author.

Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parent’s messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped Alex of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.

After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, the presence in the house becomes more real, and more sinister, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.]]> 336 Rachel Harrison 0593642570 Jayme 0 to-read 4.52 2025 Play Nice
author: Rachel Harrison
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Her One Regret 223480032 From the author of the book club favorite The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano comes a riveting feminist thriller that tackles an unspeakable regretting motherhood.

When successful Rhode Island real estate agent Lucy Mendoza vanishes, leaving her baby behind in a grocery store parking lot, the news quickly makes national headlines. Lucy’s best friend, Michelle, is devastated, and terrified that Lucy’s life is at stake. But she knows something that could complicate the police investigation. Lucy had confessed something She regretted becoming a mother so much that she’d fantasized about faking her own kidnapping. If the police and media were to find out, Lucy would become a monster in public opinion. Michelle is sure Lucy would never abandon her daughter. But could she be wrong? Could Lucy have been so desperate she chose to escape her life?

Bestselling author Donna Freitas has drawn from ground-breaking research to bring readers this unforgettable novel. Her One Regret is at once a pulse-pounding feminist thriller, a moving depiction of the realities of motherhood, and a rich exploration of a subject our culture and society have rendered nearly verboten—the possibility that for some women, motherhood is an unfixable mistake.]]> Donna Freitas 1641296399 Jayme 0 to-read 0.0 Her One Regret
author: Donna Freitas
name: Jayme
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Town with Half the Lights On]]> 215509879 For readers of J. Ryan Stradal and The Music of Bees (with a dash of FX’s The Bear) comes a quirky and refreshing epistolary novel about family of culture-shocked Brooklynites transplanted to Goodnight, Kansas and their fight for their unexpected lifeline: the legendary May Day Diner.

Welcome to Goodnight, Kansas.

Population: Many Kansans, three New Yorkers, and one chance to save the place they love most

With more wind chimes than residents, folks don't move to Goodnight when their lives are going well. That's why all eyes are on chef Sid Solvang and his family from the moment they turn down Emporia Road to the dilapidated Victorian they inherited.

While Sid searches for work and a way back to Brooklyn, his daughter searches for answers to the cryptic messages her grandfather left behind to save both her family and the town. But then Sid makes an impulsive purchase: the fledgling May Day Diner, an iconic eatery under the threat of the wrecking ball.

As the Solvangs search for their ticket out, they discover the truth of Goodnight: one of heart and tradition, of exploitation and greed, and neighbors you would do anything to save. And the Solvangs must navigate all of it—plus wayward girl named Disco, a host of rambunctious alpacas, and the corrupt factory sustaining the town—in order to find their way back home...wherever that may be.

Told through diary entries, emails, school notes, and an anonymous town paper of the Lady Whistledown variety, A Town with Half the Lights On is a tender testament to the notions that home isn’t just the place you live, family isn’t just your relatives, and it’s almost never easy to find the courage to do what’s right.]]> 384 Page Getz 1464226962 Jayme 0
I thought I would love this epistolary novel about three Brooklynites in need of a fresh start who move to Goodnight, Kansas after inheriting a dilapidated Victorian home (And a few Alpacas). Especially when I read that the family purchases the May Day Diner, an iconic eatery under the threat of the wrecking ball.

Told through diary entries, emails, school notes, an anonymous town paper and a few messages in a bottle, I hoped to find the story to be as charming as just about EVERY other reviewer has, but found that I just can’t relate to the town or its quirky residents.

No book is for every reader, and sadly, this one isn’t for me. BE SURE to read other reviews! There are MANY praising this debut offering!

Now available

Thank You to Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read an early copy provided through NetGalley.]]> 4.10 2025 A Town with Half the Lights On
author: Page Getz
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: epistolary, general-fiction, literary-fiction, netgalley
review:
*DNF at 25%* No Rating on ŷ

I thought I would love this epistolary novel about three Brooklynites in need of a fresh start who move to Goodnight, Kansas after inheriting a dilapidated Victorian home (And a few Alpacas). Especially when I read that the family purchases the May Day Diner, an iconic eatery under the threat of the wrecking ball.

Told through diary entries, emails, school notes, an anonymous town paper and a few messages in a bottle, I hoped to find the story to be as charming as just about EVERY other reviewer has, but found that I just can’t relate to the town or its quirky residents.

No book is for every reader, and sadly, this one isn’t for me. BE SURE to read other reviews! There are MANY praising this debut offering!

Now available

Thank You to Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read an early copy provided through NetGalley.
]]> One Golden Summer 217245639
I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.]]> 400 Carley Fortune 0593638913 Jayme 5
That’s what Alice Everly said when she first met the gorgeous Charlie Florek.

And, it’s what I said when I finished this book!

It’s the kind of Summer Romance that makes you feel DESPERATE to finally reach the HAPPILY EVER AFTER that we are all reading this genre for!

“Good things happen at the lake�.-That’s what Alice’s grandmother Nan has always said.

So when her Octogenarian grandmother falls and breaks a hip while dancing to the Abba song “Dancing Queen�, the now 33 year old Alice comes up with a plan to cheer her up-return to Barry’s Bay for a Summer of rest and rehabilitation.

Alice spent just one summer at a cottage in Barry’s Bay with Nan when she was a shy seventeen year old-hiding behind the lens of her camera. But it happens to be where she took the photo, that started her career as a photographer-the one of three teenagers speeding across the lake in a yellow boat.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar, though she never knew his name. He is still driving the restored yellow speedboat, but he’s all grown up now and against all odds-he happens to be the person who prepared the cottage for their arrival and stay.

The story counts down from Friday, June 27th-their first day at the lake-through their last day there, and we get to see a beautiful friendship unfold between Alice and Charlie.

And, eventually-a deeply emotional love story, though of course it isn’t always smooth sailing.

We first met Charlie Florek in the author’s DEBUT novel, “Every Summer After� which was his brother Sam’s love story-and quite frankly-I didn’t think this character was one we would ever see getting his own book-but I am so glad that we did.

Not only was it fun to catch up with Sam and Percy (yes, SHE is still rocking her break-up bangs!) But, I loved meeting the sometimes “goody two shoes� Alice and her wonderful grandmother Nan.

I MUCH PREFERRED this story to “Every Summer After� which felt too YA for my personal taste.

In fact this is MY FAVORITE book by Carley Fortune to date!

Publication Date: May 6, 2025 just in time for Summer beach bags!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 4.51 2025 One Golden Summer
author: Carley Fortune
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: romance, netgalley, part-of-a-series
review:
WHOA!

That’s what Alice Everly said when she first met the gorgeous Charlie Florek.

And, it’s what I said when I finished this book!

It’s the kind of Summer Romance that makes you feel DESPERATE to finally reach the HAPPILY EVER AFTER that we are all reading this genre for!

“Good things happen at the lake�.-That’s what Alice’s grandmother Nan has always said.

So when her Octogenarian grandmother falls and breaks a hip while dancing to the Abba song “Dancing Queen�, the now 33 year old Alice comes up with a plan to cheer her up-return to Barry’s Bay for a Summer of rest and rehabilitation.

Alice spent just one summer at a cottage in Barry’s Bay with Nan when she was a shy seventeen year old-hiding behind the lens of her camera. But it happens to be where she took the photo, that started her career as a photographer-the one of three teenagers speeding across the lake in a yellow boat.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar, though she never knew his name. He is still driving the restored yellow speedboat, but he’s all grown up now and against all odds-he happens to be the person who prepared the cottage for their arrival and stay.

The story counts down from Friday, June 27th-their first day at the lake-through their last day there, and we get to see a beautiful friendship unfold between Alice and Charlie.

And, eventually-a deeply emotional love story, though of course it isn’t always smooth sailing.

We first met Charlie Florek in the author’s DEBUT novel, “Every Summer After� which was his brother Sam’s love story-and quite frankly-I didn’t think this character was one we would ever see getting his own book-but I am so glad that we did.

Not only was it fun to catch up with Sam and Percy (yes, SHE is still rocking her break-up bangs!) But, I loved meeting the sometimes “goody two shoes� Alice and her wonderful grandmother Nan.

I MUCH PREFERRED this story to “Every Summer After� which felt too YA for my personal taste.

In fact this is MY FAVORITE book by Carley Fortune to date!

Publication Date: May 6, 2025 just in time for Summer beach bags!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> Every Summer After 58014893
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever.

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.]]> 320 Carley Fortune 0593438531 Jayme 4
Publisher’s blurb: Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.

That is actually a great mini synopsis for the book, and it explains my outlier-ish rating!

Six Summers to Fall in Love: Percy meets Sam and his brother Charlie, when her parents buy a lakeside Summer home in Barry’s Bay and her connection with Sam is instantaneous. The majority of the book is “coming of age� as we see the pair grow up and fall in love, and it was too YA for MY personal taste.

One moment to fall apart: Mistakes are made, and while I don’t feel that decisions made at age 18 define you-(people would often make a very different choice at age 28) they CAN completely alter your life’s path, nonetheless.

One Weekend to Get it Right: It’s been over a decade since Percy and Sam last spoke. But, when Charlie calls her to share that their Mom Sue has passed away, Percy will return for the funeral- their Mom was like a second Mom to her when she was growing up.

Could this finally be the weekend for honest conversations and perhaps SECOND CHANCES?

I’m glad that this wasn’t the first book that I read by the author as I may NOT have read another because of the coming of age, YA feel- and I would have missed out! But, since I have an early copy of “One Golden Summer�, which is Charlie’s love story, I wanted to read this one first.

Although my enjoyment level for this debut novel was ONLY three stars, the writing was closer to four stars, so I am giving it 3.5 stars ⭐️ and generously rounding up.

Based on my enjoyment of her other two books, I am fully expecting to enjoy the sequel more-as I believe that Charlie’s story takes place while he is all grown up, and I am reading it next so I will let you know soon! ]]> 4.17 2022 Every Summer After
author: Carley Fortune
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: already-own, romance, backlist
review:
3.5 stars ⭐️

Publisher’s blurb: Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.

That is actually a great mini synopsis for the book, and it explains my outlier-ish rating!

Six Summers to Fall in Love: Percy meets Sam and his brother Charlie, when her parents buy a lakeside Summer home in Barry’s Bay and her connection with Sam is instantaneous. The majority of the book is “coming of age� as we see the pair grow up and fall in love, and it was too YA for MY personal taste.

One moment to fall apart: Mistakes are made, and while I don’t feel that decisions made at age 18 define you-(people would often make a very different choice at age 28) they CAN completely alter your life’s path, nonetheless.

One Weekend to Get it Right: It’s been over a decade since Percy and Sam last spoke. But, when Charlie calls her to share that their Mom Sue has passed away, Percy will return for the funeral- their Mom was like a second Mom to her when she was growing up.

Could this finally be the weekend for honest conversations and perhaps SECOND CHANCES?

I’m glad that this wasn’t the first book that I read by the author as I may NOT have read another because of the coming of age, YA feel- and I would have missed out! But, since I have an early copy of “One Golden Summer�, which is Charlie’s love story, I wanted to read this one first.

Although my enjoyment level for this debut novel was ONLY three stars, the writing was closer to four stars, so I am giving it 3.5 stars ⭐️ and generously rounding up.

Based on my enjoyment of her other two books, I am fully expecting to enjoy the sequel more-as I believe that Charlie’s story takes place while he is all grown up, and I am reading it next so I will let you know soon!
]]> Twisted 40735214 BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THREE THINGS:

1. The police are looking to charge me with murder.
2. No one knows who I am. Or how I did it.
3. If you think you've found me. I'm coming for you next.

After you've read this book, you'll know: the truth is far more twisted...]]> 320 Steve Cavanagh 1409170691 Jayme 3 This will be my last book. I won’t write another. The reason should be clear by the time you come to the end of the story. That’s an interesting word-story. Is this a true story? Is it a memoir? Or fiction? I can’t say� There are only two things you need to know:
1. On my specific instructions my publisher have not edited this text. There have been no editorial notes, structural edits or other outside interference.
It’s just you and me.
2. From here on in, don’t believe a single word you read.
J. T. LeBeau
California, 2018�

Who is author J.T. LeBeau?
And, is this manuscript really going to be his last book?
If so-WHY?

We know that J.T. could be pseudonym for a very reclusive author who ALWAYS writes a KILLER TWIST-and that his murders seem SO real, it’s UNCANNY�.

And, we are told that if he thinks you know who he is -he will be coming for you next.

I was excited to read this ENTICING stand-alone from Steve Cavanagh, who is one of my favorite “legal thriller� writers, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite as good as the Eddie Flynn series.

The book started strong BUT the plot lost steam about halfway, and started to drag, dumping information to try and explain the complicated TWIST.

One POSITIVE however is that we are introduced to a young deputy Melissa Bloch, and we learned about the case that motivated her to move into Private Investigation work, eventually leading her to a job with Eddie Flynn-

It’s always nice to get more background on a character who features in a series you are reading!

The second positive is that my copy of “The Accomplice� (Eddie Flynn #7) is on its way to me from the U.K. So I am completely caught up and ready for what’s next! Can’t wait!

A buddy read with those who are reading the Eddie Flynn series with me! Check out the amazing reviews of Ceecee, Pat, DeAnn, and Mary Beth to see if they were more enamored with J.T. than I was…]]> 3.91 2019 Twisted
author: Steve Cavanagh
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/19
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: backlist, buddy-read, legal-drama
review:
“Author’s Note: (from J.T. LeBeau)
This will be my last book. I won’t write another. The reason should be clear by the time you come to the end of the story. That’s an interesting word-story. Is this a true story? Is it a memoir? Or fiction? I can’t say� There are only two things you need to know:
1. On my specific instructions my publisher have not edited this text. There have been no editorial notes, structural edits or other outside interference.
It’s just you and me.
2. From here on in, don’t believe a single word you read.
J. T. LeBeau
California, 2018�

Who is author J.T. LeBeau?
And, is this manuscript really going to be his last book?
If so-WHY?

We know that J.T. could be pseudonym for a very reclusive author who ALWAYS writes a KILLER TWIST-and that his murders seem SO real, it’s UNCANNY�.

And, we are told that if he thinks you know who he is -he will be coming for you next.

I was excited to read this ENTICING stand-alone from Steve Cavanagh, who is one of my favorite “legal thriller� writers, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite as good as the Eddie Flynn series.

The book started strong BUT the plot lost steam about halfway, and started to drag, dumping information to try and explain the complicated TWIST.

One POSITIVE however is that we are introduced to a young deputy Melissa Bloch, and we learned about the case that motivated her to move into Private Investigation work, eventually leading her to a job with Eddie Flynn-

It’s always nice to get more background on a character who features in a series you are reading!

The second positive is that my copy of “The Accomplice� (Eddie Flynn #7) is on its way to me from the U.K. So I am completely caught up and ready for what’s next! Can’t wait!

A buddy read with those who are reading the Eddie Flynn series with me! Check out the amazing reviews of Ceecee, Pat, DeAnn, and Mary Beth to see if they were more enamored with J.T. than I was�
]]> Fifty-Fifty (Eddie Flynn, #5) 50941152 Alexandra Avellino has just found her father's mutilated body, and needs the police right away. She believes her sister killed him, and that she is still in the house with a knife.

Sofia Avellino has just found her father's mutilated body and needs the police right away. She believes her sister, Alexandra did it, and that she is still in the house, locked in the bathroom.

Both women are to go on trial at the same time. A joint trial in front of one jury.

But one of these women is lying. One of them is a murderer. Sitting in a jail cell, about to go on trial with her sister for murder, you might think that this is the last place she expected to be.

You'd be wrong.

]]> 304 Steve Cavanagh Jayme 4
It could even come down to a coin toss-a Fifty-Fifty.

Three months earlier, two separate 911 calls had been received, a minute apart. Two sisters, Alexandra and Sophia, each calling for help and accusing the other of killing their Dad and fearing that they could be next.

Their father viciously stabbed, and then BITTEN. You could say that one daughter has a TASTE for murder�

But, which one is telling the truth?

Two lawyers, who each believe that they are the one defending the INNOCENT sister. At the moment, the jury likes what they are hearing from Alexandra’s lawyer, Kate, and Eddie knows that whoever tells the BEST story wins�

So his version of it, has got to be BETTER-if he is going to get Sophia acquitted.


The story is divided into Five Parts, and is a bit more complex than past installments, as it unfolds from the alternating perspectives of Eddie, Kate, and SHE (the guilty sister)…with an occasional chapter from the newly retired, Judge Harry, as well.

Steve Cavanagh has sure come a long way as an author since his first book-and this just may be the BEST one in the series to date!

In fact, PART FOUR, called “The Dark Red Night� is one of the most suspenseful, eleven pages, that I have ever read in a book! I was on the edge of my seat, and literally NERVOUS for the characters in the book! ]]> 4.21 2020 Fifty-Fifty (Eddie Flynn, #5)
author: Steve Cavanagh
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: backlist, buddy-read, legal-drama, part-of-a-series
review:
Eddie Flynn is a lawyer, who used to be a Con Artist, so reading clients and reading juries was his thing. But, for the first time, he was waiting on a verdict he couldn’t call. In his mind, the way the case played out seemed to be an even split.

It could even come down to a coin toss-a Fifty-Fifty.

Three months earlier, two separate 911 calls had been received, a minute apart. Two sisters, Alexandra and Sophia, each calling for help and accusing the other of killing their Dad and fearing that they could be next.

Their father viciously stabbed, and then BITTEN. You could say that one daughter has a TASTE for murder�

But, which one is telling the truth?

Two lawyers, who each believe that they are the one defending the INNOCENT sister. At the moment, the jury likes what they are hearing from Alexandra’s lawyer, Kate, and Eddie knows that whoever tells the BEST story wins�

So his version of it, has got to be BETTER-if he is going to get Sophia acquitted.


The story is divided into Five Parts, and is a bit more complex than past installments, as it unfolds from the alternating perspectives of Eddie, Kate, and SHE (the guilty sister)…with an occasional chapter from the newly retired, Judge Harry, as well.

Steve Cavanagh has sure come a long way as an author since his first book-and this just may be the BEST one in the series to date!

In fact, PART FOUR, called “The Dark Red Night� is one of the most suspenseful, eleven pages, that I have ever read in a book! I was on the edge of my seat, and literally NERVOUS for the characters in the book!
]]> <![CDATA[I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin (Kitty Collins, #2)]]> 217417588 My name is Kitty Collins and I’m a serial killer.

I don’t want to kill. It’s just so hard to resist. Some men really, really deserve it.

Men like Blaze Bundy, an anonymous influencer spreading misogyny online. He’s making it very hard for me to control my murderous urges.

Meanwhile I’m in the South of France to watch my mother marry a man I’ve never met. I should be drinking cocktails and focusing on my tan, not plotting a murder.

But a woman’s work is never done. Surely one more teensy little kill wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Fans of How to Kill Your Family and Bad Sisters will love this deliciously dark, hilariously twisted new novel from the author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It and The Murder After the Night Before. ]]> 368 Katy Brent 0008656738 Jayme 0 4.12 2025 I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin (Kitty Collins, #2)
author: Katy Brent
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read, already-own, psychological-thriller, part-of-a-series
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Kill Men and Get Away With It (Kitty Collins, #1)]]> 61833058 Meet Kitty Collins.

FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER.

He was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone.

I hadn’t intended to kill him of course. But I wasn’t displeased when I did and, despite the mess I made, I appeared to get away with it.

That’s where my addiction started�

I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.

A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted story about friendship, love, and murder. Fans of My Sister the Serial Killer, How to Kill Your Family and Killing Eve will love this wickedly clever novel!]]> 384 Katy Brent 0008600481 Jayme 0 3.65 2023 How to Kill Men and Get Away With It (Kitty Collins, #1)
author: Katy Brent
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read, already-own, part-of-a-series, psychological-thriller
review:

]]> The Guilt Pill 212228448
What if women could get rid of their guilt?

Maya Patel has it all—her own start-up, a sexy, doting husband, influencer status, and now, a new baby. Or does she? Because behind closed doors, Maya's drowning. Her newborn's taking a toll on her marriage, her best friend won't return her calls, and her company's hanging on by a thread. The worst part? It's all her fault. If she could just be a better boss, mother, wife, daughter, friend� Maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty all the time.

Enter: #Girlboss Liz Anderson, who introduces her to the "guilt pill," an experimental supplement that erases female guilt. At first, it’s the perfect antidote to Maya’s self-blame and imposter syndrome, and she finally becomes the unapologetic woman she’s always wanted to be. But there's a catch: for Maya to truly "have it all," she needs to be ready to risk it all. And as Maya falls deeper and deeper down the pill's guilt-free rabbit hole, her growing ruthlessness could threaten everything she's built for herself—and the family she's worked so hard to protect.

Electric, taut, and sharply observed, The Guilt Pill is a feminist exploration of motherhood, race, ambition, and how the world treats women who dare to go after everything they want.]]> 384 Saumya Dave 0778368343 Jayme 0 to-read 3.80 2025 The Guilt Pill
author: Saumya Dave
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bone White 37881386 A landscape of frozen darkness.
The scrape of bone on bone . . .

Paul Gallo saw the report on the news: a mass murderer leading police to his victims' graves in remote Dread's Hand, Alaska. It's the same bit of wilderness where his twin brother went missing a year ago. As the bodies are exhumed, Paul travels to Alaska to get closure and put his grief to rest.

But the mystery is only beginning. What Paul finds are superstitious locals who talk of the devil stealing souls, and a line of wooden crosses to keep what's in the woods from coming out. The more he searches for answers, the more he finds himself becoming part of the mystery . . .]]> 412 Ronald Malfi 0786042435 Jayme 0 3.98 2017 Bone White
author: Ronald Malfi
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, already-own, horror, mystery-suspense
review:

]]> The Seven O'Clock Club 216522745 Four strangers are brought together to participate in an experimental treatment designed to heal broken hearts in this surprising and heartfelt debut novel from author Amelia Ireland.

In a perfectly ordinary building, four strangers who couldn't be more different meet for the first time. Their skepticism of this new kind of grief therapy—and the unnervingly perceptive group leader—means they're all wary, but as the weeks go by, they find themselves returning again and again, pulled to work toward healing, even if it means first facing the pain head-on.

A sharp-tongued lawyer who has no intention of letting down her walls, a fragile young woman looking for a place to belong, a musician at the top of his game who's one drink away from losing it all, and an interior designer facing the crumbling of her picture-perfect life—this unlikely group slowly opens up, not only to the possibility of a happier future but to friendship, change, and even romance.

When a shocking revelation reveals the real reason they were chosen for this group, it shakes the very foundation of what they thought they knew. What began as a journey designed to heal turns out to be a much greater test of friendship, strength, and love as they realize happiness is just outside the door...if they're brave enough to seek it.]]> 368 Amelia Ireland 0593952634 Jayme 4
These are the five most recognizable stages of GRIEF, but not everyone shares the same journey toward healing and sometimes a person can get stuck in one of the stages.

Genevieve Dempsey is a therapist who is leading a “first of its kind� experimental treatment designed to heal the broken hearts of those who find themselves in this predicament.

To participate the subjects have to agree to attend at least 4 sessions on 4 consecutive Wednesday nights at 7 O’Clock PM.

Four strangers with seemingly “nothing in common� -Freya-Mischa-Callum and Victoria will be her first patients. The story unfolds from their alternating POV’s as they move through the process in their weekly sessions and become more than just confidants.

But, Genevieve may have to flexible if she hopes to deem this experience a success�.because these four were NOT selected at random.

I have been seeking out unique stories, having grown tired of the endless “locked room� mysteries that dominated last year’s thriller market, and this one definitely DID fit the bill, with short chapters moving the story along at a quick pace.

Because I wasn’t shocked by the reveal, this didn’t score as high for me as it has for some other reviewers- but it is definitely a DEBUT that I was pleased to discover, and it made for a fun buddy read with Master Detective MarilynW! ]]> 3.98 2025 The Seven O'Clock Club
author: Amelia Ireland
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: contemporary-fiction, netgalley, widget-received, publisher-s-invitation
review:
DENIAL-ANGER-BARGAINING-DEPRESSION -ACCEPTANCE

These are the five most recognizable stages of GRIEF, but not everyone shares the same journey toward healing and sometimes a person can get stuck in one of the stages.

Genevieve Dempsey is a therapist who is leading a “first of its kind� experimental treatment designed to heal the broken hearts of those who find themselves in this predicament.

To participate the subjects have to agree to attend at least 4 sessions on 4 consecutive Wednesday nights at 7 O’Clock PM.

Four strangers with seemingly “nothing in common� -Freya-Mischa-Callum and Victoria will be her first patients. The story unfolds from their alternating POV’s as they move through the process in their weekly sessions and become more than just confidants.

But, Genevieve may have to flexible if she hopes to deem this experience a success�.because these four were NOT selected at random.

I have been seeking out unique stories, having grown tired of the endless “locked room� mysteries that dominated last year’s thriller market, and this one definitely DID fit the bill, with short chapters moving the story along at a quick pace.

Because I wasn’t shocked by the reveal, this didn’t score as high for me as it has for some other reviewers- but it is definitely a DEBUT that I was pleased to discover, and it made for a fun buddy read with Master Detective MarilynW!
]]> What If I Never Get Over You 210693963 One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton in this high-drama, escapist wonder of a love story, Paige Toon’s best yet.

Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.

Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while interrailing through Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash. Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection—a bond deep enough for them to scrap their itineraries and plan to meet again in Spain. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found.

Six years later, Ellie has landed her dream job working as a gardener for a viscount and viscountess on their sprawling five-hundred-year-old estate in Wales. She finds peace amongst the towering topiary hedges and colorful gardens, but her idyll is shattered when Ash crashes back into her life. And when it becomes clear why he didn’t show in Madrid, her heart breaks anew—for what the truth means for her, and for his fate.

But they have never been able to resist each another, and when the sparks of their attraction fly, Ellie’s life will catch flame. She will have to make a choice.]]> 416 Paige Toon 1804947873 Jayme 2
I know that Paige Toon started out writing YA, so I had never read her work until she ventured into the Adult market, and I downloaded “Only Love Can Hurt Like This�-which was a 5 ⭐️ read!

I expected this to be another Adult romance since it WASN’T labeled as YA, but this most definitely had a YA feel from start to finish. While there isn’t anything wrong with YA, I am no longer in that demographic, and I wouldn’t have requested this book had it been labeled as such.

And, unfortunately, that wasn’t the only issue that I had�

Ellie was interrailing through Europe, and feeling quite lonely until she met Ash. Three days in Lisbon was all it took for them to fall love and agree to change their itineraries to meet in Spain the following week.

But, Ash DZ’t show.

Fast forward six years- Ellie has landed her dream job working as a gardener on a five-hundred-year-old estate in Wales, which included accommodations in staff cottages. She is warmly welcomed by the other staff members who INSTANTLY treat her like one of the family. These characters were all interchangeable to me-not developed enough to stand out, and a bit “too good to be true�.

And, in the main house are Lords, Ladies, Viscounts and ASH?

She didn’t expect to ever see him again, let alone find him here!

I have read other books, and seen movies where two people traveling meet and agree to reconnect at a later date, because of their strong connection-only to have one person not show because of extenuating circumstances. So, to stand out, this story would have to make me care about these two characters and be rooting for them to find one another again.

It didn’t.

Immaturity, Secrets, Lies, and the constant lack of communication are not the things that build a strong foundation for a lasting relationship.

Nor, did these things make for compelling reading, unfortunately, for this reader. Perhaps it will be more satisfying for those in a younger demographic?

A buddy read with DeAnn. Be sure to watch for her review for additional insight!

Available Now

Thank You to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.]]> 4.16 2025 What If I Never Get Over You
author: Paige Toon
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: romance, netgalley, buddy-read
review:
Well, I feel a bit misled by the tags on this one.

I know that Paige Toon started out writing YA, so I had never read her work until she ventured into the Adult market, and I downloaded “Only Love Can Hurt Like This�-which was a 5 ⭐️ read!

I expected this to be another Adult romance since it WASN’T labeled as YA, but this most definitely had a YA feel from start to finish. While there isn’t anything wrong with YA, I am no longer in that demographic, and I wouldn’t have requested this book had it been labeled as such.

And, unfortunately, that wasn’t the only issue that I had�

Ellie was interrailing through Europe, and feeling quite lonely until she met Ash. Three days in Lisbon was all it took for them to fall love and agree to change their itineraries to meet in Spain the following week.

But, Ash DZ’t show.

Fast forward six years- Ellie has landed her dream job working as a gardener on a five-hundred-year-old estate in Wales, which included accommodations in staff cottages. She is warmly welcomed by the other staff members who INSTANTLY treat her like one of the family. These characters were all interchangeable to me-not developed enough to stand out, and a bit “too good to be true�.

And, in the main house are Lords, Ladies, Viscounts and ASH?

She didn’t expect to ever see him again, let alone find him here!

I have read other books, and seen movies where two people traveling meet and agree to reconnect at a later date, because of their strong connection-only to have one person not show because of extenuating circumstances. So, to stand out, this story would have to make me care about these two characters and be rooting for them to find one another again.

It didn’t.

Immaturity, Secrets, Lies, and the constant lack of communication are not the things that build a strong foundation for a lasting relationship.

Nor, did these things make for compelling reading, unfortunately, for this reader. Perhaps it will be more satisfying for those in a younger demographic?

A buddy read with DeAnn. Be sure to watch for her review for additional insight!

Available Now

Thank You to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
]]> The Memory Collectors 219401075 Four strangers time travel to the past and find themselves stuck on the day all their lives were changed in this stunning speculative mystery from award-winning film and television producer Dete Meserve, perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Wrong Place Wrong Time and The Paradox Hotel.

What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past? Four strangers in the beach town of Ventura, California are about to find out.

Elizabeth aches for one more precious hour with her son who died in a senseless accident. Andy is desperate to find his first love who vanished after a whirlwind romance. Logan craves the rush of surfing and mountain climbing, yearning to reclaim the freedom he lost after a missteplanded him in a wheelchair. Brooke is looking for an hour of relief from the guilt of an unforgivable mistake.

Enter Aeon Expeditions, the groundbreaking time travelinvention of Mark Saunders—which allowssome lucky clients the chanceto spend an hour in their past. Even though Aeon’s technology ensures time travel can’t alter the future, all four clients,including Mark’s ex-wife Elizabeth,yearn to revisit the hour that changed their lives forever.

But when their “hour� extends beyond sixty minutes, they find themselves stranded in the past. As their paths intertwine unexpectedly, they unearth shocking secrets hidden in the shadows of their shared All their lives were shattered the same night on a secluded highway by the beach. As they delve into the hidden truths of that pivotal hour, a startling revelation emerges. They were not alone. Someone else was present, harboring deadly intentions.

The Memory Collectors is a heart-wrenching, genre-bending novel brimming with hope, grief and second chances.

]]> 336 Dete Meserve Jayme 5
The year is 2028:

In Southern California’s arid terrain, lies an unassuming building which looks a lot like an aircraft hangar. It may not look like much from the outside, but inside, extraordinary things are happening. Aeon Expeditions has found a way to send lucky applicants back in time, and if you are one of the .001% selected, you will get to revisit the past for 60 minutes.

The first question on the application asks, “If you could spend an hour in the past, what would you do?�

The majority of applicants don’t choose a joyful moment-they choose to spend one more hour with someone or something that they have lost. And, even though Aeon cannot guarantee to send you back to a certain day, or that your time in the past will be meaningful, millions of people are willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money to try.

Four strangers will be making “The Jump� next-and all will be returned to the same date, despite two applicants initially being rejected because of something on their application that SHOULD have made them ineligible.

Elizabeth -who would give anything to have more time with her son who died in a senseless accident that day, after she spoke words she wish she could take back.

Andy-who is desperate to find a woman who vanished without a trace, or without an explanation after a whirlwind romance.

Logan-an adventurer, who yearns to have the use of his legs for one more day, before returning to life in a wheelchair.

And, Brooke who is looking for answers that might allow her to forgive herself and bring relief from the guilt of an unforgivable decision that she made.

The date they will revisit is August 25, 2025:

Was there a SWISH OF MOVEMENT on that dark night along the Pacific Coast Highway that changed all of their lives? And, if so, what was it?

They may not be able to change the past-but going back will end up ultimately changing each of them.

The Memory Collectors is thought provoking, speculative fiction that explores grief, forgiveness and second chances.

Although the ending DIDN’T have the “punch� that I expected, this IS a story that will linger with me and most likely make my favorites list for 2025 because of some beautiful passages and its original storyline.

4.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up!

Available May 20, 2025

Thank You to Crooked Lane Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 4.20 2025 The Memory Collectors
author: Dete Meserve
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: mystery-suspense, scifi-supernatural, speculative-fiction, time-travel-or-magical-realism
review:
CAN REVISITING THE PAST BE THE CATALYST FOR MOVING FORWARD?

The year is 2028:

In Southern California’s arid terrain, lies an unassuming building which looks a lot like an aircraft hangar. It may not look like much from the outside, but inside, extraordinary things are happening. Aeon Expeditions has found a way to send lucky applicants back in time, and if you are one of the .001% selected, you will get to revisit the past for 60 minutes.

The first question on the application asks, “If you could spend an hour in the past, what would you do?�

The majority of applicants don’t choose a joyful moment-they choose to spend one more hour with someone or something that they have lost. And, even though Aeon cannot guarantee to send you back to a certain day, or that your time in the past will be meaningful, millions of people are willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money to try.

Four strangers will be making “The Jump� next-and all will be returned to the same date, despite two applicants initially being rejected because of something on their application that SHOULD have made them ineligible.

Elizabeth -who would give anything to have more time with her son who died in a senseless accident that day, after she spoke words she wish she could take back.

Andy-who is desperate to find a woman who vanished without a trace, or without an explanation after a whirlwind romance.

Logan-an adventurer, who yearns to have the use of his legs for one more day, before returning to life in a wheelchair.

And, Brooke who is looking for answers that might allow her to forgive herself and bring relief from the guilt of an unforgivable decision that she made.

The date they will revisit is August 25, 2025:

Was there a SWISH OF MOVEMENT on that dark night along the Pacific Coast Highway that changed all of their lives? And, if so, what was it?

They may not be able to change the past-but going back will end up ultimately changing each of them.

The Memory Collectors is thought provoking, speculative fiction that explores grief, forgiveness and second chances.

Although the ending DIDN’T have the “punch� that I expected, this IS a story that will linger with me and most likely make my favorites list for 2025 because of some beautiful passages and its original storyline.

4.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up!

Available May 20, 2025

Thank You to Crooked Lane Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> Promise Me Sunshine 214269328 Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of... a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again� list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.]]> 416 Cara Bastone 0593595734 Jayme 0 to-read, audible, maybe 4.22 2025 Promise Me Sunshine
author: Cara Bastone
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, audible, maybe
review:

]]> Husband and Wife 197483825
The Wife:

My husband and I are fighting for our lives in hospital after a terrible car accident. But despite my pain, all I can think about is what our families will find behind our front door. The scarf that has been all over the news, belonging to a dead young woman with honey-coloured hair. I have to speak to the police before my husband can�

The Husband:

I’m drifting in and out of consciousness, but when I hear my wife talking to the police, accusing me of the murder of an innocent woman, a cold fear grips me. I know I’ve got a temper. That I’ve not always been faithful. Will they think I killed her?

I think of my wife’s jealous streak, of the lies she’s told our loved ones. But if I tell the whole truth, they’ll look into her past. And that will destroy me, too�

Two people fighting for their lives. Two people with secrets to hide. Who will you believe?]]> 350 K.L. Slater 1837907811 Jayme 0 to-read, already-own 3.87 2023 Husband and Wife
author: K.L. Slater
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, already-own
review:

]]> The Last Lifeboat 63212660
Inspired by a remarkable true story, a young teacher evacuates children to safety across perilous waters,in a moving and triumphant new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor.

1940, Kent : Alice King is not brave or daring—she’s happiest finding adventure through the safe pages of books. But times of war demand courage, and as the threat of German invasion looms, a plane crash near her home awakens a strength in Alice she’d long forgotten. Determined to do her part, she finds a role perfectly suited to her experience as a schoolteacher—to help evacuate Britain’s children overseas.

1940, London : Lily Nichols once dreamed of using her mathematical talents for more than tabulating the cost of groceries, but life, and love, charted her a different course. With two lively children and a loving husband, Lily’s humble home is her world, until war tears everything asunder. With her husband gone and bombs raining down, Lily is faced with an impossible keep her son and daughter close, knowing she may not be able to protect them, or enroll them in a risky evacuation scheme, where safety awaits so very far away.

When a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the S. S. Carlisle carrying a ship of children to Canada, a single lifeboat is left adrift in the storm-tossed Atlantic. Alice and Lily, strangers to each other—one on land, the other at sea—will quickly become one another’s very best hopeas their lives are fatefully entwined.]]> 371 Hazel Gaynor 0593440315 Jayme 0 to-read, already-own 4.25 2023 The Last Lifeboat
author: Hazel Gaynor
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, already-own
review:

]]> After the End 199793510 Derrière la haine nous a tous bouleversés. Barbara Abel n'en reste pas là. Que deviennent Tiphaine, Sylvain et Milo, ces trois personnages qui ont vécu l'horreur et qui ont inconsciemment choisi de s'imposer l'enfer quotidien en restant dans une maison qui a abrité tant de drames ? Et juste à côté d'une autre maison qui, dès qu'ils en rouvriront la porte, laissera ressortir tous les fantômes du passé ?]]> 320 Barbara Abel 0063306352 Jayme 0 3.67 2013 After the End
author: Barbara Abel
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, domestic-suspense, part-of-a-series, psychological-thriller
review:

]]> What Happens in the Dark 221739588 Don’t miss the brand-new gripping thriller and courtroom drama full of twists and turns that will keep you up at night!‘One of my ten best reads of the year. Easy five stars� Lisa Jewell

‘Terrific and hugely thought-provoking� Ian Rankin

‘Intelligent, clever, poignant, sharp, and thought-provoking� Andrea Mara

‘Rich in drama and intrigue. Kept me turning the pages long into the night. Bloody superb� Graham Bartlett, author of Bad For Good

* * * *

Lily and Safa were best friends growing up. Now, Lily is the nation’s favourite breakfast TV presenter and Safa, once a renowned journalist, is reeling from a recent fall from grace.

When news breaks about suspicious bruises on Lily’s body, Safa attempts to rekindle their old friendship. But Lily claims the bruises are nothing to worry about.

And then one night the police are called to Lily’s home. Lily is strangely calm � and a body lies dead at her feet.

Lily pleads not guilty, and then says nothing more. Driven by her desire to give a voice to all victims, Safa begins her own investigation into what happened that night.

But Safa is not prepared for what her quest for justice will uncover �

* * * *

Praise for Kia Abdullah

'Abdullah draws out the truth with compassion, charting with notable understanding the ever-changing currents in human relations� The Times

‘Timely and powerful, Abdullah’s fourth novel lets no one off the hook� Guardian

‘G辱Բ� Woman’s Weekly ]]> Kia Abdullah 0008570043 Jayme 0 4.39 What Happens in the Dark
author: Kia Abdullah
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, blackwell-s-purchase, favorite-a-author, legal-drama, mystery-suspense
review:

]]> The Poppy Fields 218431658
What if there were a cure for the broken-hearted?

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.

Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.

On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.

A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?]]> 324 Nikki Erlick 0063349337 Jayme 0 4.11 2025 The Poppy Fields
author: Nikki Erlick
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, speculative-fiction, time-travel-or-magical-realism, magical-realism
review:

]]> Sounds Like Love 219301810 A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from Ashley Poston.

Joni Lark is living the dream. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA…and she can’t seem to write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it.

When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark her inspiration. But when she gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is avoiding her, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing.

How can she think about writing her next song when everything is changing without her?

Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with hangups of his own.

Surely, he’s a figment of her overworked imagination.

But then the very real man attached to the voice shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s aggravating and gruff on the outside—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan:

They’ll finish the song haunting them both, break their connection, and hope they don’t risk their hearts in the process.

Because that song stuck in their heads? Maybe it’s there for a reason.]]> Ashley Poston 0593641019 Jayme 0 4.27 2025 Sounds Like Love
author: Ashley Poston
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, contemporary-fiction, magical-realism, rom_com, romance
review:

]]> The French Honeymoon 215057625
Sometimes, Paris is a terrible idea.

This is not how she imagined it, any of it. Taylor Quinn arrives at her honeymoon suite in the City of Love alone, sans suitcase, but with wads of stolen cash. When she catches a glimpse of newlyweds Cassie and Olivier enjoying their happily ever, she can't tear her eyes away. And Cassie makes their antics easy to follow as she reveals every detail of their picture-perfect trip on social media. Taylor's obsession builds as she tracks their every move. This was the kind of life she was supposed to be living, this was the marriage she should have had, this was the honeymoon she dreamed of.

The illusion is shattered when she overhears a heated argument between Cassie and Olivier, which reveals that they're not the lovestruck couple they pretend to be. But Cassie and Olivier have agendas of their own and Taylor can't see the danger in getting in the middle of this until it's too late. And now, no one will get out of Paris unscathed.]]> 288 Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau 1464229406 Jayme 0 3.36 2025 The French Honeymoon
author: Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, already-own, psychological-thriller, thriller-tbr
review:

]]> Last Christmas in Paris 34150794
New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War.

August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris.

But as history tells us, it all happened so differently�

Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene?

Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…]]> 384 Hazel Gaynor 006256269X Jayme 0 to-read 4.13 2017 Last Christmas in Paris
author: Hazel Gaynor
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Home of the American Circus: A Novel]]> 220212930 The acclaimed author of the �lyrical coming-of-age novel� (Good Morning America) The People We Keep returns with a luminous new story of redemption, breaking generational curses, and the power of family in its truest form.

After an emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old Freya Arnalds bails on her lackluster life as bartender in Maine and returns to her suburban hometown of Somers, New York, to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. Despite attempts to lay low, Freya encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames—as well as her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the derelict home. As they reconnect, Freya and Aubrey lean on each other, working to restore the house and come to terms with the devastating events that pulled them apart years ago.

Set in the birthplace of the American circus, this deeply moving novel is an exploration of broken families, the weight of the past, and the complicated journey of finding home.]]> 432 Allison Larkin 1668008432 Jayme 3
Somers, New York-the birthplace of the American Circus, is the setting for this tale. It’s the place where the first circus elephant, Bet, is memorialized, though there are many versions of the story of Bailey’s elephant. I admired the author’s inclusion of this as a tie in to the rest of the narrative.

Somers is also a town that has some SMALL MINDED residents who are not open to different perspectives than those they have been taught to believe. And, a town of some BIG HEARTED people who don’t define “family� in the traditional way.

After a medical emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old bartender Freya Arnalds flees her life in Maine and returns to the only place she can think of going-the house she inherited from her deceased, estranged parents.

When she arrives, she finds that her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, has been secretly living in the crumbling home, now estranged from her own mother too.

The pair were once very close, until Freya disappeared on Aubrey, but they will reconnect, as they work to restore the old house and come to terms with traumas, past and present, that drove them to their current situations.

The story unfolds over the course of SIX seasons, each part labeled-Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, again, and Spring, finally.

Winter and Spring comprise the first 50% of this 432 page book-and I struggled to engage with the story. I wanted to set the book aside and NOT finish-I found it to be painfully slow, with a lot of reminiscing. Obviously, we need back story for context in a character driven novel such as this one-but the IMPORTANT revelations didn’t actually occur until the SECOND half of the book, in the PRESENT DAY timeline, so this is probably where some pages could have been cut. Two stars for the first half.

Once I reached SUMMER, which began the second half of the book, the pace picked up and I started to RECOGNIZE the writing that had me SO engaged in “The People We Keep�. We finally learn about the event that made Freya flee, and the trauma that drove Aubrey to move into her Aunts vacant property. And, we learn about the people who let them down, and the people who helped to put them back together. Many questions remain unanswered but, the second half was closer to 4 stars.

Combine the two scores, and you end up with three stars-which is an AVERAGE book by my rating scale.

A buddy read with DeAnn. Did this rate higher for her? Be sure to watch for her review for additional insight.

TW: Sexual Assault (off page)

Available May 6, 2025

Thank You to Gallery Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 4.00 2025 Home of the American Circus: A Novel
author: Allison Larkin
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: buddy-read, contemporary-fiction, netgalley
review:
I loved “The People We Keep� so, I thought I had a 5 star read lined up, but, this one didn’t quite deliver for me�

Somers, New York-the birthplace of the American Circus, is the setting for this tale. It’s the place where the first circus elephant, Bet, is memorialized, though there are many versions of the story of Bailey’s elephant. I admired the author’s inclusion of this as a tie in to the rest of the narrative.

Somers is also a town that has some SMALL MINDED residents who are not open to different perspectives than those they have been taught to believe. And, a town of some BIG HEARTED people who don’t define “family� in the traditional way.

After a medical emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old bartender Freya Arnalds flees her life in Maine and returns to the only place she can think of going-the house she inherited from her deceased, estranged parents.

When she arrives, she finds that her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, has been secretly living in the crumbling home, now estranged from her own mother too.

The pair were once very close, until Freya disappeared on Aubrey, but they will reconnect, as they work to restore the old house and come to terms with traumas, past and present, that drove them to their current situations.

The story unfolds over the course of SIX seasons, each part labeled-Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, again, and Spring, finally.

Winter and Spring comprise the first 50% of this 432 page book-and I struggled to engage with the story. I wanted to set the book aside and NOT finish-I found it to be painfully slow, with a lot of reminiscing. Obviously, we need back story for context in a character driven novel such as this one-but the IMPORTANT revelations didn’t actually occur until the SECOND half of the book, in the PRESENT DAY timeline, so this is probably where some pages could have been cut. Two stars for the first half.

Once I reached SUMMER, which began the second half of the book, the pace picked up and I started to RECOGNIZE the writing that had me SO engaged in “The People We Keep�. We finally learn about the event that made Freya flee, and the trauma that drove Aubrey to move into her Aunts vacant property. And, we learn about the people who let them down, and the people who helped to put them back together. Many questions remain unanswered but, the second half was closer to 4 stars.

Combine the two scores, and you end up with three stars-which is an AVERAGE book by my rating scale.

A buddy read with DeAnn. Did this rate higher for her? Be sure to watch for her review for additional insight.

TW: Sexual Assault (off page)

Available May 6, 2025

Thank You to Gallery Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> With a Vengeance 219603177 One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family.Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.

Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family’s downfall ontoa luxurytrain from Philadelphia to Chicago,an overnightjourney of fourteen hours. Her goal? Confront the people who’ve wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. Justice will at last be served.

But Anna’s plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. As the train barrels through the night, it becomes clear that someone else on board is enacting their own form of revenge—and that they won’t stop until everyone else is dead.

With time running out before the train reaches its destination, Anna is forced to hunt the killer in their midst while protecting the people she hates the most. In order to destroy her enemies, she must first save them—even though it means putting her own life at risk.]]> 400 Riley Sager 0593472403 Jayme 0 3.61 2025 With a Vengeance
author: Riley Sager
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, thriller-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The One That Got Away: A Short Story]]> 228639318 From bestselling author Mike Gayle, a story about exes and how to get over them. Or not.

Reuben thought he’d spend the rest of his life with Beth, until she broke his heart six months ago. He’s not even remotely over her, so he’s devastated to hear she’s getting married—this weekend.

Now he’s faced with the ultimate what should he do on the day of the wedding? Grieve? Disrupt the ceremony? Or do everything in his power to pretend it’s not happening?

Enlisting the help of his friends, Reuben is all set to mark the occasion with distraction on a grand Ferraris, champagne, and a VIP box at the races.

But on the morning of the Big Day, Reuben gets a phone call that not only derails his elaborate it may well change his life completely�

For fans of David Nicholls, Nick Hornby and the agony uncle of heartbreak himself, a story that just how far would you go to get over the love of your life?]]> 100 Mike Gayle 1662530285 Jayme 0 3.53 The One That Got Away: A Short Story
author: Mike Gayle
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.53
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, amazon-first, short-story-or-stories
review:

]]> Good Grief 223627279 A mother- and daughter-in-law. To move on, one of them will have to move out in a hopeful and hilarious novel about widowhood and family friction by the bestselling author of Don’t Forget to Write .

It’s 1963, two years since Barbara Feldman’s husband died. Raising two kids, she’s finally emerging from her cocoon of grief. Not yet a butterfly, but she’s anxious to spread her wings.

Then one day her mother-in-law, Ruth, shows up on her doorstep with five suitcases, expecting a room of her own with a suitable mattress. Abrasive and stuck in her ways yet well meaning, Mother Ruth arrives without warning to help with the children. How can Barbara say no to a woman who is not only a widow herself but also a grieving mother? As Ruth’s prickly visit turns from days to weeks to what seems like forever, Barbara realizes Ruth has got to go. But Barbara has an ingenious introduce Ruth to some fine gentlemen and marry her off as fast as she can.

Soon enough, something tells Barbara that Ruth is trying to do the same for her. At least they’re finding common ground—helping each other to move forward. Even if it is in the most unpredictable ways two totally different women ever imagined.]]> 287 Sara Goodman Confino 1662527535 Jayme 0 4.55 Good Grief
author: Sara Goodman Confino
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, netgalley, romance
review:

]]> You Killed Me First 219583446
Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive?

It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in � she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?

Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret � and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.

As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?]]> John Marrs Jayme 3 4.03 2025 You Killed Me First
author: John Marrs
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: psychological-thriller, already-own, audible, backlist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Maid's Secret (Molly the Maid, #3)]]> 216458750 When a daring art heist takes place at the Regency Grand, Molly’s life is threatened. The question is who’s out to get her, and why? Long-buried secrets will be revealed in this intriguing and heartwarming novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest

A wedding. A heist. A secret.

Molly Gray’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined. As the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, good things are just around the corner, including her marriage to her beloved fiancé, Juan Manuel, only two months away.

But Molly’s entire existence is upended when a film crew descends upon the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show Hidden Treasures, starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle. On a whim, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure. Instantly, Molly is both a multi-millionaire and a media sensation—the world’s rags-to-riches darling—until the priceless piece vanishes from the hotel in the boldest, brashest antiquities heist in recent memory.

The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about Gran’s true-to-life fairytale, a young girl to the manor born, the only child of a wealthy magnate. But when Gran falls head over heels in love with a young man her parents deem below her station, her life is thrown into turmoil. As fate would have it, the greatest love of Gran’s life is someone Molly knows quite well�.

Together with her friends, Molly combs the past and the present to catch the thief before looming threats against her become real.

A spirited heist caper and an epic love story, The Maid’s Secret is a spellbinding whodunnit that will capture and warm your heart.]]> 326 Nita Prose 0735250561 Jayme 3
Molly Gray is the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel. And, with her upcoming marriage to Juan Manuel only two months away, life seems too good to be true.

When the hit reality TV show “Hidden Treasures� starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle, chooses to film an episode at the hotel, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure.

Could life become even better?

Molly and Juan will become multi-millionaires if she agrees to auction off the item-but the priceless heirloom vanishes in a daring heist before the sale is final!

The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s Gran -which you can see her clutching in her hands, on the adorable book cover!

The story unfolds in alternating chapters, Present Day and Gran’s Diary entries. .

Although I have LOVED the earlier installments of this cozy mystery series-I struggled to stay engaged with this one mainly because of Gran’s chapters.

Gran was always humble and wise-but in this book she’s a young girl you WON’T recognize-and she DID NOT even resemble the woman we have grown to love! She is written as a completely different character!

In her diary she tells of her upbringing and forbidden love, and the story reads more like Historical Romance than a cozy mystery. I really didn’t need to know THIS much about her younger life.

Molly’s chapters are authentically Molly, but only comprise 50% of the book.

Nita Prose cleverly ties the two timelines together, when Molly figures out who is behind the heist because of things she learns in her Gran’s diary, but I found myself wanting to skim to get to the final page, which is never a good sign.

Perhaps, it is time for Molly to retire�

Sadly, Molly the Maid #3 only earns 3 stars from me, but other reviewers have loved it-so you might too! Be sure to read a sample of reviews!

A buddy read with Ceecee? Did she agree?

Available NOW!

Thank You to Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, I am offering my candid thoughts!]]> 3.97 2025 The Maid's Secret (Molly the Maid, #3)
author: Nita Prose
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: part-of-a-series, cozy, mystery-suspense
review:
3 stars ⭐️

Molly Gray is the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel. And, with her upcoming marriage to Juan Manuel only two months away, life seems too good to be true.

When the hit reality TV show “Hidden Treasures� starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle, chooses to film an episode at the hotel, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure.

Could life become even better?

Molly and Juan will become multi-millionaires if she agrees to auction off the item-but the priceless heirloom vanishes in a daring heist before the sale is final!

The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s Gran -which you can see her clutching in her hands, on the adorable book cover!

The story unfolds in alternating chapters, Present Day and Gran’s Diary entries. .

Although I have LOVED the earlier installments of this cozy mystery series-I struggled to stay engaged with this one mainly because of Gran’s chapters.

Gran was always humble and wise-but in this book she’s a young girl you WON’T recognize-and she DID NOT even resemble the woman we have grown to love! She is written as a completely different character!

In her diary she tells of her upbringing and forbidden love, and the story reads more like Historical Romance than a cozy mystery. I really didn’t need to know THIS much about her younger life.

Molly’s chapters are authentically Molly, but only comprise 50% of the book.

Nita Prose cleverly ties the two timelines together, when Molly figures out who is behind the heist because of things she learns in her Gran’s diary, but I found myself wanting to skim to get to the final page, which is never a good sign.

Perhaps, it is time for Molly to retire�

Sadly, Molly the Maid #3 only earns 3 stars from me, but other reviewers have loved it-so you might too! Be sure to read a sample of reviews!

A buddy read with Ceecee? Did she agree?

Available NOW!

Thank You to Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, I am offering my candid thoughts!
]]> The Boomerang 218229236 John Grisham meets Yellowstone in a gripping political thriller by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Bailey, as one man fights for family against a government with a shattering secret.

The president of the United States has terminal cancer. Chief of Staff Eli James, his faithful consigliere and best friend, is one of the few who know. But just as the president’s condition mysteriously improves, Eli’s hit with another blow: his daughter has cancer too.

Hell-bent on helping her, Eli turns to Big Pharma’s top lobbyist for advice, but their encounter yields more questions than answers. As he races along a twisted trail to the truth, he stumbles upon a devastating cover-up worth billions of dollars—and millions of lives.

Armed with this deadly secret, Eli goes rogue, fleeing with his family out west. To keep them safe, he forms an uneasy alliance with land baron Nester “the Beast� Sanchez, known for his ruthless power tactics. An epic showdown brews, and it’s the state versus one desperate citizen, willing to risk everything to save his daughter. Can Eli broker a truce with his once allies? Or will there be war in the desert?]]> 416 Robert Bailey 1662516673 Jayme 0 4.57 2025 The Boomerang
author: Robert Bailey
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read, already-own, amazon-first, thriller-tbr
review:

]]> Life and Otter Miracles 62026007
Struggling with her own closely guarded issues, Phoebe doesn't go out much. Instead, she spends her time at home, watching detective dramas and playing detective herself - trying to deduce from Al's deliveries as a courier what kind of lives her neighbours lead.

But when they find an abandoned baby otter on the riverbank, it's just the push Phoebe needs to finally step into her new community. Taking the little one to the local otter sanctuary and witnessing the uncomplicated joy of its fellow creatures, she feels a burgeoning sense of happiness that she has not experienced in a very long time.

However, Phoebe soon starts to suspect that something is amiss at the sanctuary - and she will need to put all her sleuthing skills to good use if she wants to save the otters . . .

From the Number One bestselling author of Away with the Penguins comes this 'otterly' delightful, warm-hearted and uplifting story about the healing power of nature.]]> 400 Hazel Prior 1529177030 Jayme 0 to-read, already-own 3.79 2023 Life and Otter Miracles
author: Hazel Prior
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read, already-own
review:

]]> Before the Next Mistake 226133926 “A perfect blend of romance, humor, and an uplifting conclusion, this book will make you laugh, cry, and want to read it all over again.� –Andrea Hurst, best-selling author of The Guestbook

Jilted and disillusioned, three unlikely friends discover that each of their dysfunctional exes have shaped up to become someone else’s Mr. Right.

Before the Next Mistake follows Carolyn, Ava, and Jazmine as they join forces in their own "Red Flag Society" support group, and eventually launch a podcast to search for the answers that will keep them from making the same relationship mistakes.

Determined to avoid all red flags in future love interests, Carolyn, Ava and Jazmine watch events unravel in each other’s lives until they begin to recognize their own flaws. With the help of their support group, their willingness to see things differently, and the quirkiness of how their lives come together, the three women embark on new and surprising journeys as they each strive to become their own best selves.]]> 366 Cate Perry Jayme 0 to-read, already-own 4.00 Before the Next Mistake
author: Cate Perry
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read, already-own
review:

]]> Guess Again 220999770
For fans of Riley Sager, Anna Downes, Alex Finlay, Stacy Willingham, and Karin Slaughter.

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community. A highly publicized search followed but her body was never found. The case went cold, but the echoes still linger.

Ethan Hall, a former renegade detective turned ER doctor, left law enforcement to escape the horrors of the kid crime division. But on the tenth anniversary of Callie’s disappearance, his former partner, Pete Kramer, makes a desperate request. Pete is the veteran detective who originally investigated the case. Now he’s dying, and to ease his conscience and get closure for the Jones family, he needs Ethan to return to the haunting work he left behind—and solve what happened to Callie, once and for all.

Word soon spreads and everyone in the small town of Cherryview feels a rush of hope that answers will finally be found. Amid a sweltering heatwave, Ethan’s investigation gains momentum, but reexamining old evidence won’t be enough. He needs a new way into the case, no matter how dangerous or unconventional. And it comes from the least likely of sources—an inmate in a maximum-security prison.

Soon Ethan’s methods draw him deeper into a twisted psychological game. Because there is much more to the nightmare of Callie’s disappearance than he imagined, including a connection with his own dark past . . . and secrets that are still worth killing for.]]> 352 Charlie Donlea 1496753968 Jayme 4 And, by the way, I think the book blurb gives away too much!

Opening Sentence: When he unclasped the button on her jeans, she knew she would lose her virginity that night.

How’s that for an opening line to hook you?

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community, and to this day, her body has not been found.

Now, Ethan Hall’s former partner, Pete Kramer, has asked him to come out of retirement to help him solve this Cold Case, before Lou Gehrig’s disease claims his life. Ethan is now an ER Doctor, having decided that the job of investigating crimes against kids for Wisconsin’s Division of Criminal Investigation was taking too much of a toll on him, emotionally, despite his 100% solve rate.

He reluctantly agrees to re-examine the evidence, for his friend, having no idea that there will end up being a personal link to the crime which took his own father’s life.

Or that reopening the case could still bring danger to himself and to those he cares about.

I LIKED but didn’t LOVE this latest offering from Charlie Donlea, and I think that is because of the style the book is written in. The story jumps around A LOT, with short chapters that always list the DATE and the Wisconsin location that the chapter takes place in, moving from PAST to PRESENT and LOCATION TO LOCATION at will. While the dates are important, I feel like the locations bogged down the pace and were not a necessary detail.

It just felt TOO BUSY.

By the second half, I got into the swing of things, and the pace picked up. It was interesting to discover the role that each of the characters would play, and I enjoyed all of the shocking twists, EXCEPT FOR ONE.

It would appear from the denouement, that Ethan Hall, may have to put his career in medicine on hold-as a sequel just MIGHT be in the works. While, I did find this story entertaining enough to read a second book with these characters, should the author choose to go there, I prefer stand-alone books to series, so I am okay if the story ends here as well.

Available July 29, 2025

Thank You to Kensington Publishing for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 4.55 2025 Guess Again
author: Charlie Donlea
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: mystery-suspense, netgalley, buddy-read
review:
3.75 rounded ⬆️
And, by the way, I think the book blurb gives away too much!

Opening Sentence: When he unclasped the button on her jeans, she knew she would lose her virginity that night.

How’s that for an opening line to hook you?

Ten years ago, 17-year-old high school volleyball star Callie Jones vanished from her quiet Wisconsin lake community, and to this day, her body has not been found.

Now, Ethan Hall’s former partner, Pete Kramer, has asked him to come out of retirement to help him solve this Cold Case, before Lou Gehrig’s disease claims his life. Ethan is now an ER Doctor, having decided that the job of investigating crimes against kids for Wisconsin’s Division of Criminal Investigation was taking too much of a toll on him, emotionally, despite his 100% solve rate.

He reluctantly agrees to re-examine the evidence, for his friend, having no idea that there will end up being a personal link to the crime which took his own father’s life.

Or that reopening the case could still bring danger to himself and to those he cares about.

I LIKED but didn’t LOVE this latest offering from Charlie Donlea, and I think that is because of the style the book is written in. The story jumps around A LOT, with short chapters that always list the DATE and the Wisconsin location that the chapter takes place in, moving from PAST to PRESENT and LOCATION TO LOCATION at will. While the dates are important, I feel like the locations bogged down the pace and were not a necessary detail.

It just felt TOO BUSY.

By the second half, I got into the swing of things, and the pace picked up. It was interesting to discover the role that each of the characters would play, and I enjoyed all of the shocking twists, EXCEPT FOR ONE.

It would appear from the denouement, that Ethan Hall, may have to put his career in medicine on hold-as a sequel just MIGHT be in the works. While, I did find this story entertaining enough to read a second book with these characters, should the author choose to go there, I prefer stand-alone books to series, so I am okay if the story ends here as well.

Available July 29, 2025

Thank You to Kensington Publishing for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> Say You'll Remember Me 221060856
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a new playful yet deeply emotional contemporary romance.

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong�

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> Abby Jimenez Jayme 5 Audible : 4.12 2025 Say You'll Remember Me
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: rom_com, romance, favorite-a-author, library
review:
Audible :
]]> <![CDATA[Etiquette for Lovers and Killers]]> 220145653
Then everything changes. An engagement ring and cryptic love letter addressed to 'Gertrude' turn up. Billie meets yacht-club handsome Avery Webster. Unsettling phone calls and visits from a man in a fedora begin. She ends up being one of the last people to see Gertrude alive—and the first to see her dead.

What follows is an intoxicating cocktail of stalking, blackmail, Jell-O salads, and champagne secrets, all served along the rocky Maine coastline. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. And (strangely) everyone has a boat. But who is willing to kiss and tell? As the body count rises and the danger nears, why does Billie feel like she's more than just a side character?]]> 304 Anna Fitzgerald Healy 0593719654 Jayme 0 3.00 2025 Etiquette for Lovers and Killers
author: Anna Fitzgerald Healy
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read, maybe, widget-received
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sisters Before Misters (The Finch Sisters #2)]]> 218968786 A missing husband, a sister acting sus, and a tantalizing tangle of lies—well, there goes Remi’s plan for a chill Halloween.

Remi and her sisters, Maeve and Eliana, have a knack for stumbling into murder mysteries. And after a killer family camping trip last year, they’re back together for a Halloween they’ll never forget.

Remi is living her best life in Seattle until Eliana’s husband, Chad, who refused to sign their divorce papers, disappears on the spookiest night of the year. Eliana swears she has no idea where he is, though her obvious motive and weird behavior don’t really weigh in her favor. Nor does the severed finger they find in his house�

Torn between loyalty to her sister and mounting suspicions she can’t ignore, Remi and her boyfriend, Leo, embark on a manhunt to find Chad—or the rest of him. But the further Remi digs into Chad’s movements on Halloween, the more trouble she finds. With a ruthless detective on their tail, threatening texts, a mysterious hard drive, and dubious legal advice from a kooky aunt, the Finch sisters are in over their head. But Remi is determined to prove her sister’s innocent, even though the bloody evidence points right at her.]]> Amelia Diane Coombs 1662522762 Jayme 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Sisters Before Misters (The Finch Sisters #2)
author: Amelia Diane Coombs
name: Jayme
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Busybody Book Club 218154423 A dysfunctional book club must pull together when one of their members goes missing in this bighearted new mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Nosy Neighbors.

The five members of the St. Tredock Book Club disagree on everything, from the books they read to the biscuits they eat. But when one of the group suddenly disappears and a dead body is discovered at his house, these bibliophiles must put their differences aside to solve the mystery.

Having recently moved to Cornwall, Nova Davies started the book club to impress her new colleagues at the community center, but so far it’s a disaster. To make matters worse, six thousand pounds is stolen from the community center during one of her meetings, putting both her job and the whole center at risk.

Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when a dead body is discovered at his house and Michael disappears. The police think he’s simply run away, but the other members have their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove he’s a murderer as well as a thief, while secret romance reader Arthur believes Michael’s eloped with his mistress, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.

While trying to find Michael and recover the money, each book club member has their own secrets to protect. With inspiration from their favorite fictional sleuths, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and everyone is safe at home where they belong.]]> 384 Freya Sampson 0593550560 Jayme 4
Nova Davies has recently moved to Cornwall, and she really needs this fresh start and her new job to work out so she starts the St. Tredock Book Club to impress her boss Sandy-but so far it’s been a “less than impressive� beginning.

There are only 5 members, including herself, in the club, and rounding out the group are :

Arthur, an Octogenarian who gets around town on his tractor and reads romance novels to his wife who has lost her sight.

Ash, a shy teenager who hopes to impress his secret crush.

Micheal, the newest member, who is a mystery to the others so far.

And, (scene stealer) Phyllis, -a wannabe “Miss Marple� who knows every one of those Agatha Christie stories forward and backwards, and never leaves home without her elderly, arthritic English bulldog named Craddock.

The book opens with a delightful book club scene where the members are discussing “Where the Crawdads. Sing� (no spoilers!) but during that meeting, Micheal gets a text that sends him running and then it is discovered that six thousand pounds has been stolen from the community center sometime that evening.

To make matters worse, later that night, a dead body is found at Michael’s home and he is reported as missing!

Now, Nova’s job is at risk, and if the money isn’t recovered the center won’t be able to get a new roof and will be closed down.

This gives the group a whole new sense of purpose as Phyllis knows that British Police never manage to solve a crime without the help of an amateur detective, and she has been waiting her whole life for this moment!

“What would Miss Marple Do�?

Now, you may think that you have had your fill of “senior citizen detectives� but, even though this started out as Nova’s story-over the course of the 9 days-Phyllis and Craddock steal the show!

This one is a delightful, “cozy� mystery story that can be read in one sitting and the book that finally got me out of my book slump and had me wanting to pick up a book again!

Loved the final chapter too!

3.75 rounded up!

Also-If you haven’t already read “The Lost Ticket� -please do so! It remains my favorite:
See Review: /review/show...

A buddy read with MarilynW and DeAnn! Be sure to watch for their wonderful reviews!

Available May 27, 2025.

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley! As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 3.98 2025 The Busybody Book Club
author: Freya Sampson
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: netgalley, widget-received, publisher-s-invitation, cozy
review:
Freya Sampson, the QUEEN of heartwarming “found family� novels is back with a whole new cast of Busybodies!

Nova Davies has recently moved to Cornwall, and she really needs this fresh start and her new job to work out so she starts the St. Tredock Book Club to impress her boss Sandy-but so far it’s been a “less than impressive� beginning.

There are only 5 members, including herself, in the club, and rounding out the group are :

Arthur, an Octogenarian who gets around town on his tractor and reads romance novels to his wife who has lost her sight.

Ash, a shy teenager who hopes to impress his secret crush.

Micheal, the newest member, who is a mystery to the others so far.

And, (scene stealer) Phyllis, -a wannabe “Miss Marple� who knows every one of those Agatha Christie stories forward and backwards, and never leaves home without her elderly, arthritic English bulldog named Craddock.

The book opens with a delightful book club scene where the members are discussing “Where the Crawdads. Sing� (no spoilers!) but during that meeting, Micheal gets a text that sends him running and then it is discovered that six thousand pounds has been stolen from the community center sometime that evening.

To make matters worse, later that night, a dead body is found at Michael’s home and he is reported as missing!

Now, Nova’s job is at risk, and if the money isn’t recovered the center won’t be able to get a new roof and will be closed down.

This gives the group a whole new sense of purpose as Phyllis knows that British Police never manage to solve a crime without the help of an amateur detective, and she has been waiting her whole life for this moment!

“What would Miss Marple Do�?

Now, you may think that you have had your fill of “senior citizen detectives� but, even though this started out as Nova’s story-over the course of the 9 days-Phyllis and Craddock steal the show!

This one is a delightful, “cozy� mystery story that can be read in one sitting and the book that finally got me out of my book slump and had me wanting to pick up a book again!

Loved the final chapter too!

3.75 rounded up!

Also-If you haven’t already read “The Lost Ticket� -please do so! It remains my favorite:
See Review: /review/show...

A buddy read with MarilynW and DeAnn! Be sure to watch for their wonderful reviews!

Available May 27, 2025.

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley! As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> Everything's Coming Up Rosie 221132539 Sometimes what you think you want and what you actually want turn out to be different things . . .

Rosie Waterman has one to become a working actor. But lately, that hasn't been working out. When she loses her apartment and her job on the same day, she does what she always does--puts herself out there, ready to find the next big thing. But a trip home makes her realize that while she's been struggling to make this dream come true, all her friends have become real adults with careers and weddings and babies on the way. Rosie's been at this for years, and she has nothing to show for it. But how does she simply let go of her dream?

When she's offered a job as the director of a regional theatre's production of Cinderella, she jumps at the chance--even though she's only directed in college and the job is in Door County, Wisconsin, and not in New York. She has no other offers, and at least she'll be getting paid to do something theatrical. But when she arrives, she quickly realizes that the "regional theatre" is actually in a retirement community, and the "actors" are actually senior citizens with no acting experience whatsoever.

Working on the show presents new challenges, forcing Rosie to learn how to step up and be the leader this fledgling theatre troupe needs. The more time she spends with her new cast, the more she begins to rethink what it means to dream big, especially when that big dream hasn't turned out to be at all what she thought it would be. It's not at all what she expected, but could it be exactly what she needs?]]> 352 Courtney Walsh 0840713851 Jayme 0 to-read, maybe 4.27 2025 Everything's Coming Up Rosie
author: Courtney Walsh
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read, maybe
review:

]]> Cat's People 215805897 A stray cat brings together five strangers over the course of one fateful summer in this heartwarming novel about love, found family, and the power of connection.

Núria, a single-by-choice barista with a resentment for the “crazy cat lady� label, is a member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood’s stray cats. On one of her volunteering days, she starts finding Post-It notes from a secret admirer at the spot where her favorite stray lives—a black cat named Cat. Like most cats, he is rather curious and sly, so of course he knows who the notes are from. Núria, however, is clueless.

Are the notes from Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit with a weakness for good coffee? Are they from Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half-sister? Are they from Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early mid-life crisis? Or are they from Bong, the grieving widower who owns her favorite bodega? When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers find themselves connected in their desire to care for him and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they've been searching for.]]> 304 Tanya Guerrero 059387384X Jayme 4 4.24 2025 Cat's People
author: Tanya Guerrero
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: contemporary-fiction, netgalley, publisher-s-invitation, widget-received
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) (Vera Wong, #2)]]> 215806352 Vera Wong is back and as meddling as ever in this follow-up to the hit Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.�

Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer SelenaGray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored.

Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure Selena's briefcase.Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.

Online, Xander had it a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.

Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, andthere is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.]]> 336 Jesse Q. Sutanto 0593546261 Jayme 4
In 2023, I “spilled the tea� on “Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers�.
See review: /review/show...

So is this follow-up as funny as the first?

Well, YES-for the most part! In fact, I think the first half of this installment may be EVEN FUNNIER, than the first book, with MANY of the “laugh out loud� moments-arising from the fact that Vera’s first language is Mandarin, so sometimes when she speaks English, something gets lost in translation�

Or does It?!

And, although she knows that �60 is the new 40�, she DZ’t hesitate to use her “helpless old lady”]]> 4.37 2025 Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) (Vera Wong, #2)
author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: contemporary-fiction, cozy, part-of-a-series
review:
4.5 ⭐️

In 2023, I “spilled the tea� on “Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers�.
See review: /review/show...

So is this follow-up as funny as the first?

Well, YES-for the most part! In fact, I think the first half of this installment may be EVEN FUNNIER, than the first book, with MANY of the “laugh out loud� moments-arising from the fact that Vera’s first language is Mandarin, so sometimes when she speaks English, something gets lost in translation�

Or does It?!

And, although she knows that �60 is the new 40�, she DZ’t hesitate to use her “helpless old lady�
]]> Swept Away 215806371 Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.]]> 378 Beth O'Leary 0593640152 Jayme 4
When Lexi’s boss Marissa, spots an intriguing young man in the bar, she encourages Lexi to go outside of her comfort zone, and enjoy a “no strings attached� night of fun. Thirty One year old Lexi never dates, or does anything for herself really, as she has committed to helping to take care of her best friend’s 4 year old daughter, Mae, since Penny is a single mom. In fact, I found her attachment to Mae to be a bit unhealthy.

Twenty Three year old Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Because of something he experienced at the age of sixteen, he keeps people at a distance as a self preservation tactic. “One Night Stands� are just his thing. I have never met a 23 year old guy who was this self aware-but maybe his past and therapy has made him grow up quickly? He often seemed more mature than Lexi.

Each is upfront about what they expect from the night, and they head back to the houseboat. But, what they didn’t expect after their passionate night was to wake up to miles and miles of ocean-with no land in sight!

The boat was not provisioned with the things you would need at Sea, and Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to survive and get back home, something that will bond them-whether or not that was the original plan!

When I read this premise, I was hesitant to request this book. As a flight attendant, I am trained in water survival skills, and believe me, it would not be fun and games. So, I really had to suspend disbelief and just go with this. In reality, there would probably be a lot more tears, fear and doubt, but these two stay mostly optimistic despite the dire circumstances.

This is a Rom-Com after all!

But, I put aside my concerns because this is Beth O’Leary, and I have loved all but one of her books! She writes great characters and puts them in awkward situations, and I could not take a chance on missing out! Even though this one wasn’t a favorite for me, I did mostly enjoy it, and am glad I took a chance on it.

A buddy read with MarilynW. Be sure to read her thoughts on this as well-we had MUCH to discuss!

AVAILABLE NOW!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 3.68 2025 Swept Away
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: romance, maybe, widget-received
review:
3.5 ⭐️

When Lexi’s boss Marissa, spots an intriguing young man in the bar, she encourages Lexi to go outside of her comfort zone, and enjoy a “no strings attached� night of fun. Thirty One year old Lexi never dates, or does anything for herself really, as she has committed to helping to take care of her best friend’s 4 year old daughter, Mae, since Penny is a single mom. In fact, I found her attachment to Mae to be a bit unhealthy.

Twenty Three year old Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Because of something he experienced at the age of sixteen, he keeps people at a distance as a self preservation tactic. “One Night Stands� are just his thing. I have never met a 23 year old guy who was this self aware-but maybe his past and therapy has made him grow up quickly? He often seemed more mature than Lexi.

Each is upfront about what they expect from the night, and they head back to the houseboat. But, what they didn’t expect after their passionate night was to wake up to miles and miles of ocean-with no land in sight!

The boat was not provisioned with the things you would need at Sea, and Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to survive and get back home, something that will bond them-whether or not that was the original plan!

When I read this premise, I was hesitant to request this book. As a flight attendant, I am trained in water survival skills, and believe me, it would not be fun and games. So, I really had to suspend disbelief and just go with this. In reality, there would probably be a lot more tears, fear and doubt, but these two stay mostly optimistic despite the dire circumstances.

This is a Rom-Com after all!

But, I put aside my concerns because this is Beth O’Leary, and I have loved all but one of her books! She writes great characters and puts them in awkward situations, and I could not take a chance on missing out! Even though this one wasn’t a favorite for me, I did mostly enjoy it, and am glad I took a chance on it.

A buddy read with MarilynW. Be sure to read her thoughts on this as well-we had MUCH to discuss!

AVAILABLE NOW!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> This Book Will Bury Me 213570821 From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Jayme 3 library
3.5 ⭐️

One year after the case concluded, Jane Sharp is writing a book that will serve as a confession about her part as a “True Crime� armchair detective who got involved in a case which captured the attention of an entire nation.

Jane, a college student herself, was grieving the unexpected death of her father, when she found a connection online, in the World of True Crime, which helped to fill the void his death has left.

She is invited to join a smaller, secret group of five, who chat on the encrypted privacy of Signal, and who end up finding fame on Newsline after helping to solve a case in Florida, where Jane lives, after she becomes involved.

This book includes their “chat threads� as gives us an insider view of how those who are obsessed with True Crime, operate-sometimes getting things wrong and hurting innocent people in the process-and sometimes finding things the Detectives have missed because of their ability to comb through the lives of those involved who have made this easier by posting everything on Social Media.

Initially, I was entertained by this “fly on the wall� perspective but I guessed a big part of the story at just past 50% in-and not because it mimics the real case-it actually DZ’t. In fact, the author takes great pains to change things up around the halfway point, but this is where things lose credibility. Also the story begins to feel WAY TOO LONG!

I decided to round down despite an enjoyable first half, when I realized upon finishing this, that it did NOT compel me to seek out her backlist titles-so it was just a slightly above average read!

A buddy read with MarilynW. Be sure to read her thoughts about this one-we had much to discuss about some eye rolling moments!

Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan of this title. As always, these are my candid thoughts .]]> 3.68 2025 This Book Will Bury Me
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: library
review:
⚠️ While I do appreciate that the author acknowledges that this story was inspired by the murders of four University of Idaho students on November 13, 2022-the timing may be sensitive for readers since the trial against the accused has not yet even begun (slated to begin August 11, 2025 and to last for 3 months). This review is based on my feelings about the fictional story only.

3.5 ⭐️

One year after the case concluded, Jane Sharp is writing a book that will serve as a confession about her part as a “True Crime� armchair detective who got involved in a case which captured the attention of an entire nation.

Jane, a college student herself, was grieving the unexpected death of her father, when she found a connection online, in the World of True Crime, which helped to fill the void his death has left.

She is invited to join a smaller, secret group of five, who chat on the encrypted privacy of Signal, and who end up finding fame on Newsline after helping to solve a case in Florida, where Jane lives, after she becomes involved.

This book includes their “chat threads� as gives us an insider view of how those who are obsessed with True Crime, operate-sometimes getting things wrong and hurting innocent people in the process-and sometimes finding things the Detectives have missed because of their ability to comb through the lives of those involved who have made this easier by posting everything on Social Media.

Initially, I was entertained by this “fly on the wall� perspective but I guessed a big part of the story at just past 50% in-and not because it mimics the real case-it actually DZ’t. In fact, the author takes great pains to change things up around the halfway point, but this is where things lose credibility. Also the story begins to feel WAY TOO LONG!

I decided to round down despite an enjoyable first half, when I realized upon finishing this, that it did NOT compel me to seek out her backlist titles-so it was just a slightly above average read!

A buddy read with MarilynW. Be sure to read her thoughts about this one-we had much to discuss about some eye rolling moments!

Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan of this title. As always, these are my candid thoughts .
]]> Making Friends Can Be Murder 218696030 Thirty-year-old Sarah Jones gets caught up solving a murder in her new neighborhood after unknowingly befriending a dangerous con artist (who’s nothing like what she seems) in this playful, twisty mystery from acclaimed author Kathleen West.

It feels like kismet when Sarah Jones, newly relocated to Minneapolis after abruptly calling off her engagement, gets invited to join a group of women who share her same very common name. For years Sarah has received all types of correspondence intended for different Sarah Joneses, but now it seems that this mistake has given her the opportunity for an instant community.

What starts as a low-stakes meet-up called “The Sarah Jones Project� soon turns sinister when another local Sarah Jones is found dead, under suspicious circumstances, at the base of the downtown Minneapolis bridge. After fielding numerous calls from concerned loved ones ruling out their Sarah as the victim, the surviving Sarahs decide to take matters into their own hands. Aided by the dead woman’s nanny, a newly commissioned (and very handsome and eligible) FBI agent, and a cloistered nun with a complicated past, the motley crew of unlikely friends are determined to get to the bottom of the murder of one of their own.

Between a budding romance and best friendship, Sarah feels like she’s in the right place at the right time, right up until the facts of the murder case begin stacking up too close to home. Can their team piece together where the deceptions lead before the killer silences someone else?]]> 432 Kathleen West 0593335538 Jayme 0 to-read, maybe 4.31 Making Friends Can Be Murder
author: Kathleen West
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read, maybe
review:

]]> When Sally Killed Harry 218533657 The Tinder Swindler meets Sweetpea. I'll have what Lucy Roth is having.� L.M. Chilton, author of Don’t Swipe Right

‘Dark, funny and thought-provoking� Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple

‘Delightful malice and menace� Robin Ince, author and comedian

‘Incredibly pacy, funny, oh-so-dark, devious and dare I say, relatable� I loved everything about it!� Noelle Holten, author of His Truth Her Truth

THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY. THIS IS A ROM COM GONE ROGUE.

Say hello to Sally. �

I’ve woken up in the Big Apple with the world's worst hangover, an empty bank account, and the sinking feeling that my life just nosedived. Last night's escapade is a blur, but one thing is I’ve been swindled and I’m not happy about it.�

�She’s the woman of your dreams��

The culprit? Harry � a total dreamboat and my worst nightmare. He’s got charm, secrets, and a smile that screams trouble. Little did I know, Harry's not just a pretty face � he's a liar, conman and he’s turned my life upside down.�

…or is she your worst nightmare?�

​When I discover I’m not the only victim, I decide it’s only right I take my revenge. And with a group of wronged women behind me, murder isn’t on the agenda just yet because Harry’s in for a nightmare and I’m only just getting started…�

​A wicked, whip-smart revenge thriller, perfect for fans of Katy Brent, Bella Mackie and anyone who wants to take their revenge on The Tinder Swindler or Sweet Bobby.�]]> 352 Lucy Roth 0008740291 Jayme 2
� THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY. THIS IS A ROM COM GONE ROGUE�-is the quote on the book cover but that isn’t accurate either, as this was never a romance, nor was it a comedy-IMO-which is what I was expecting when I took a chance on this book.

So, what will you be getting if you pick this one up?

MISOGYNY is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls-and that word is used at least five times in the first half of the book alone-as Sally is played by a con man named Harry that she met on a dating APP. Yet, it is HER hatred of men that really stands out.

After the con- Sally forms a group with other women who have been wronged setting up the second half of the book-where they will all seek their REVENGE against the catfishers, domestic abusers, bosses who abuse their power, rapists and murderers who have made them VICTIMS.

There isn’t a single good man in the book.

A CAUTIONARY TALE for women who confuse good sex with love or who don’t realize that a monster can hide behind “good looks”…but, unfortunately it was a one dimensional story that relies on being crass for shock value.

I am sure that readers who relish a good REVENGE story, may enjoy this more than I did-but no book is for every reader, and it just wasn’t a good fit for me.

A buddy read with Ceecee. Please check out her amazing review to find out if this was any more satisfying for her.

Available Now

Thank You to Avon Books for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.]]> 3.35 2025 When Sally Killed Harry
author: Lucy Roth
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: contemporary-fiction, crime, humor, netgalley, rom_com
review:
When Sally Killed Harry is such a catchy FUN title-but unfortunately it was NOT a fun book, and it most definitely didn’t resemble the movie it gets its name from-in any way.

� THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY. THIS IS A ROM COM GONE ROGUE�-is the quote on the book cover but that isn’t accurate either, as this was never a romance, nor was it a comedy-IMO-which is what I was expecting when I took a chance on this book.

So, what will you be getting if you pick this one up?

MISOGYNY is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls-and that word is used at least five times in the first half of the book alone-as Sally is played by a con man named Harry that she met on a dating APP. Yet, it is HER hatred of men that really stands out.

After the con- Sally forms a group with other women who have been wronged setting up the second half of the book-where they will all seek their REVENGE against the catfishers, domestic abusers, bosses who abuse their power, rapists and murderers who have made them VICTIMS.

There isn’t a single good man in the book.

A CAUTIONARY TALE for women who confuse good sex with love or who don’t realize that a monster can hide behind “good looks”…but, unfortunately it was a one dimensional story that relies on being crass for shock value.

I am sure that readers who relish a good REVENGE story, may enjoy this more than I did-but no book is for every reader, and it just wasn’t a good fit for me.

A buddy read with Ceecee. Please check out her amazing review to find out if this was any more satisfying for her.

Available Now

Thank You to Avon Books for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
]]> Rebecca 17899948 Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.]]> 449 Daphne du Maurier 0316323705 Jayme 5
Daphne du Maurier has always said her novel Rebecca was a study in jealousy.
(The Telegraph>U.K.>culture >books)

Maxim de Winter’s first wife, Rebecca, lives on in spirit, with the staff at Manderley, as the true “Mrs de Winter�.

His second wife, the narrator, remains nameless, and is never referred to by her first name, only as “Mrs. de Winter�.

The story begins at the end, with the second “Mrs. de Winter� living in exile with her husband.

We then return to the beginning, where Maxim de Winter, a widower, meets and proposes marriage to a naive, woman, young enough to be his daughter.

He proposes without ever expressing his love for her, and brings her back to his estate, Manderley, where she cannot help but to constantly compare herself to Rebecca.

I thought I knew this story, having seen part of the Hitchcock movie, based on this book.

I have read in many books, the references to “Mrs. Danvers� (Danny), Rebecca’s devoted housekeeper, who keeps Rebecca’s spirit alive...and helps to perpetuate her image as the perfect wife, and perfect hostess.

I thought that “Mrs. Danvers� was supposed to be the ultimate villain.

So, why did I feel that Maxim was worse?

He married a woman half his age, never expressed love or offered intimacy, called her “child�, walked ahead of her, not beside her on walks, and did nothing to put “Mrs Danvers� in her place when she did not respect his new wife. Or, when she set her up to fail.

And, when he “reveals� his truth, the new “Mrs. de Winter meekly accepts it. Instead of scaring her, it makes her....happy?

Relationships between spouses were quite different 80 years ago.

But, this is no love story.

It is however a fascinating novel, which used several narrative techniques, perhaps for the first time, setting a standard for gothic literature to come.

You may want to check out an interesting article “Why Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is still popular 80 years on-
()

Rebecca will continue to inspire conversations, articles and yes, other books.

I read it simultaneously with one of those books, “The Winters� by Lisa Gabriele, because I wanted to be able to contrast and compare. Review for “The Winters�: /review/show...

And, now I am planning on reading “Rebecca’s Tale� by Sally Beauman, who wrote the afterward in the copy of Rebecca that I read.

Ms. Beauman’s book is officially approved by the du Maurier estate and continues the original plot.

It is also considered roughly consistent with the 1993 sequel Mrs de Winter by Susan Hill.]]> 4.28 1938 Rebecca
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1938
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/23
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again�...is the famous first line, of the novel Rebecca, which has never been out of print in the 80 years since it has been published, despite originally being wrongly promoted by her publisher, as an “exquisite love story�. (per the Afterward by Sally Beauman)

Daphne du Maurier has always said her novel Rebecca was a study in jealousy.
(The Telegraph>U.K.>culture >books)

Maxim de Winter’s first wife, Rebecca, lives on in spirit, with the staff at Manderley, as the true “Mrs de Winter�.

His second wife, the narrator, remains nameless, and is never referred to by her first name, only as “Mrs. de Winter�.

The story begins at the end, with the second “Mrs. de Winter� living in exile with her husband.

We then return to the beginning, where Maxim de Winter, a widower, meets and proposes marriage to a naive, woman, young enough to be his daughter.

He proposes without ever expressing his love for her, and brings her back to his estate, Manderley, where she cannot help but to constantly compare herself to Rebecca.

I thought I knew this story, having seen part of the Hitchcock movie, based on this book.

I have read in many books, the references to “Mrs. Danvers� (Danny), Rebecca’s devoted housekeeper, who keeps Rebecca’s spirit alive...and helps to perpetuate her image as the perfect wife, and perfect hostess.

I thought that “Mrs. Danvers� was supposed to be the ultimate villain.

So, why did I feel that Maxim was worse?

He married a woman half his age, never expressed love or offered intimacy, called her “child�, walked ahead of her, not beside her on walks, and did nothing to put “Mrs Danvers� in her place when she did not respect his new wife. Or, when she set her up to fail.

And, when he “reveals� his truth, the new “Mrs. de Winter meekly accepts it. Instead of scaring her, it makes her....happy?

Relationships between spouses were quite different 80 years ago.

But, this is no love story.

It is however a fascinating novel, which used several narrative techniques, perhaps for the first time, setting a standard for gothic literature to come.

You may want to check out an interesting article “Why Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is still popular 80 years on-
()

Rebecca will continue to inspire conversations, articles and yes, other books.

I read it simultaneously with one of those books, “The Winters� by Lisa Gabriele, because I wanted to be able to contrast and compare. Review for “The Winters�: /review/show...

And, now I am planning on reading “Rebecca’s Tale� by Sally Beauman, who wrote the afterward in the copy of Rebecca that I read.

Ms. Beauman’s book is officially approved by the du Maurier estate and continues the original plot.

It is also considered roughly consistent with the 1993 sequel Mrs de Winter by Susan Hill.
]]> The Sublet 224277538 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Greer Hendricks comes a chilling story about the hidden cost of perfection.

Anne is barely keeping it together. A frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist, she juggles nine-year-old twins and a listless marriage from an overcrowded Manhattan apartment, spreading herself thinner each day. Just as Anne is about to give up on her dreams, she lands her biggest client Melody Wells.

Melody paints a picture of serenity and empowerment in the lavender haze of her visualization workshops—however, the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher is demanding for her new motivational book. Enter Anne.

As Melody invites Anne deeper into her magical world, Anne finds herself working impossibly long days and traveling far beyond her comfort zone.

When Melody passes along a lead on a spacious sublet complete with East River views, built-in closets, and three bedrooms, Anne can’t believe her luck. Melody seems to know just what her family needs. But as small, unsettling incidents begin to accumulate, Anne starts to wonder what price she’s willing to pay for the good life.]]> 61 Greer Hendricks 1662528515 Jayme 3 amazon-first, novella
Melody Wells is the latest “trending name�. It seems like everyone is subscribing to the “Lavender Serenity� she is selling in her visualization workshops�

But the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher needs for her new book, so she hires Anne, a Ghostwriter, to give clarity to her thoughts on paper.

But the job isn’t “Lavender Serenity� for Anne. Nor is the SUBLET, that Anne and her growing family move into after receiving a “lead� on the apartment from Melody.

Although the story was engaging enough, I am not sure I completely understand the ending, which felt abrupt and left me with questions, hence the 3 star ⭐️ rating.

]]> 3.23 2025 The Sublet
author: Greer Hendricks
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: amazon-first, novella
review:
I always enjoyed the author’s collaborations with Sarah Pekkanen, so when I saw that this short story was FREE in March for Amazon Prime members, I quickly downloaded it.

Melody Wells is the latest “trending name�. It seems like everyone is subscribing to the “Lavender Serenity� she is selling in her visualization workshops�

But the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher needs for her new book, so she hires Anne, a Ghostwriter, to give clarity to her thoughts on paper.

But the job isn’t “Lavender Serenity� for Anne. Nor is the SUBLET, that Anne and her growing family move into after receiving a “lead� on the apartment from Melody.

Although the story was engaging enough, I am not sure I completely understand the ending, which felt abrupt and left me with questions, hence the 3 star ⭐️ rating.


]]> Jane Doe (Jane Doe, #1) 36531070 A double life with a single purpose: revenge.

Jane’s days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She’s just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes—meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.

But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven’s bringing out the worst in her.

Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven’s bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It’s time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.

Just as he did to her.]]> 267 Victoria Helen Stone 1503956040 Jayme 5
I loved it! ❤️

A Sociopath is defined as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior, and a lack of conscience.

Jane is a self proclaimed sociopath, posing as a low level data entry clerk in an insurance agency.

She has secured the job there so that she can meet Stephen Hepsworth, a man you are going to hate. He is the kind of man who calls every woman he seduces “babe� because they are all interchangeable. He likes his women meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man.

Stephen has taken something away from Jane, and she is hell bent on revenge. I wanted her to succeed. And, I’m NOT going to apologize for that. After all, Jane wouldn’t.

This book was so much fun to read. ]]> 4.03 2018 Jane Doe (Jane Doe, #1)
author: Victoria Helen Stone
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/08/19
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: netgalley, my-4-and-5-star-books, psychological-thriller
review:
This was probably the book, I recommended the MOST in 2018!

I loved it! ❤️

A Sociopath is defined as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior, and a lack of conscience.

Jane is a self proclaimed sociopath, posing as a low level data entry clerk in an insurance agency.

She has secured the job there so that she can meet Stephen Hepsworth, a man you are going to hate. He is the kind of man who calls every woman he seduces “babe� because they are all interchangeable. He likes his women meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man.

Stephen has taken something away from Jane, and she is hell bent on revenge. I wanted her to succeed. And, I’m NOT going to apologize for that. After all, Jane wouldn’t.

This book was so much fun to read.
]]> The Death of Us 216562803 “A page-turner par excellence, written with unobtrusive brilliance, [and] full of sharply observed lines�. The Death of Us lives up to the hype.�
—Stephen King

�The Death of Us is astonishingly good—Abigail Dean’s the real thing.�
—Mick Herron, bestselling author of Slow Horses

A CrimeReads and Brit + Co Most Anticipated Book of 2025

It’s the night we never talk about.
It’s the story the world wants to hear.
But this isn’t the story of that night. This is the story of us.

Together, Edward and Isabel move to London. They are young and in love, occupied by friends, work and fun. But late on a spring evening when they are thirty years old, their home is invaded by a serial killer. In the wake of this violation, each tries to come to terms with a night that changed everything -- and their marriage begins to crumble.

Twenty-five years later, their tormentor is caught, and Edward and Isabel reunite for his sentencing. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be brought to justice. Edward has tried to think about anything else. As they prepare to deliver impact statements in the public eye, it is time to revisit their love story. Will they finally be able to confront the secrets, longings and lies that tore them apart?

Or will the horror of that night be the death of them?

A captivating portrait of a marriage and its implosion, The Death of Us digs into the stories we tell ourselves about love -- and everything love can bear.]]> 336 Abigail Dean 0593831144 Jayme 3 netgalley, mystery-suspense
When Edward and Isabel are thirty years old, they become the latest Victims of a serial killer, dubbed “The South London Invader�. He preys on “happy couples� watching them painstakingly for weeks so that he can plan the perfect attack.

ONE NIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Each deals with the traumatic event differently. Isabel wants to TALK about it-with Edward, with the press, and with Etta-the Detective in charge-and it is a story that all of London wants to hear!

Edward DZ’t want to talk about it at all.

Twenty-five years later, Nigel Wood is caught, and Edward and Isabel, now divorced will reunite for his sentencing. It is an opportunity to deliver impact statements and perhaps to finally get closure about the relationship that they lost as a result of the crime they endured.

The story unfolds from the POV’s of Isabel and Edward. Isabel’s chapters are written like it is her IMPACT STATEMENT chronicling the PAST, while Edward’s chapters cover the PRESENT timeline.

The premise is interesting, but I DID NOT find the book to be a thriller, or suspenseful as advertised. Instead it reads like a character study-with the CHARACTER being the MARRIAGE, and the pace was extremely SLOW.

The story is supposed to demonstrate that a traumatic event like this can destroy even the strongest of marriages, yet I DIDN’T find their love story to be epic at all. Edward is a bit dull, and Isabel is a bit cold. If the descriptions of their intimacy, using the crudest of terms (C word) is supposed to convince us of their love-it didn’t work for this reader.

Early reviews seem to be split between high praise and the opposite, with few in between-and I am one who struggled to get through it. This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Mary Beth…Did they feel differently? Be sure to watch for their reviews.

⚠️ TW: Graphic descriptions of rape/assault

2.5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: April 15, 2025

Thank You to Penguin Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.]]> 4.07 2025 The Death of Us
author: Abigail Dean
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: netgalley, mystery-suspense
review:
Disturbing and thought provoking but�.

When Edward and Isabel are thirty years old, they become the latest Victims of a serial killer, dubbed “The South London Invader�. He preys on “happy couples� watching them painstakingly for weeks so that he can plan the perfect attack.

ONE NIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Each deals with the traumatic event differently. Isabel wants to TALK about it-with Edward, with the press, and with Etta-the Detective in charge-and it is a story that all of London wants to hear!

Edward DZ’t want to talk about it at all.

Twenty-five years later, Nigel Wood is caught, and Edward and Isabel, now divorced will reunite for his sentencing. It is an opportunity to deliver impact statements and perhaps to finally get closure about the relationship that they lost as a result of the crime they endured.

The story unfolds from the POV’s of Isabel and Edward. Isabel’s chapters are written like it is her IMPACT STATEMENT chronicling the PAST, while Edward’s chapters cover the PRESENT timeline.

The premise is interesting, but I DID NOT find the book to be a thriller, or suspenseful as advertised. Instead it reads like a character study-with the CHARACTER being the MARRIAGE, and the pace was extremely SLOW.

The story is supposed to demonstrate that a traumatic event like this can destroy even the strongest of marriages, yet I DIDN’T find their love story to be epic at all. Edward is a bit dull, and Isabel is a bit cold. If the descriptions of their intimacy, using the crudest of terms (C word) is supposed to convince us of their love-it didn’t work for this reader.

Early reviews seem to be split between high praise and the opposite, with few in between-and I am one who struggled to get through it. This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Mary Beth…Did they feel differently? Be sure to watch for their reviews.

⚠️ TW: Graphic descriptions of rape/assault

2.5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: April 15, 2025

Thank You to Penguin Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
]]> Make Me Famous 217223430 Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband.

Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone’s surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.

Now thirty-three years old, Cléo is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight. With the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, she can work on her fourth album in peace. Except that with so much time to think, she can’t help but ruminate on her past—including how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong . . .

Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, How to Become a Celebrity is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman’s complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame.


]]> 352 Maud Ventura 0063427516 Jayme 3 literary-fiction, netgalley
Both book covers feature a glamorous Parisian woman, wearing signature red lipstick.]]> 3.74 2024 Make Me Famous
author: Maud Ventura
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: literary-fiction, netgalley
review:
Last year, I read the author’s DEBUT novel, “My Husband�, and despite a low average rating on ŷ, I was part of a “niche audience� who found the glimpse into this particular French marriage, utterly fascinating. So, I was excited to see that award winning author Maud Ventura had a new novel translated from French to English.

Both book covers feature a glamorous Parisian woman, wearing signature red lipstick.
]]> The Writer 215749267 Her bestsellers explore the wildest, strangest crimes. Now her husband has been murdered� is she a target, a victim, or is this even darker?�

NYPD Detective Declan Shaw gets the call from his lieutenant at 9:42 p.m.How fast can you get to 211 Central Park West? The Beresford Building.

At Apartment 18A, Shaw’s partner briefs him. The woman inside called 911 to report a break-in—and the murder of her husband. She fired a round at first responders, then made a baffling demand.Nobody comes in but Detective Declan Shaw.

The woman answers, covered in blood. She appears to be in shock. A body is lying dead on the floor of the luxurious living room.

Shaw walks in and spots floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with hardcover books. He recognizes the name—bestselling true-crime author Denise Morrow. When he looks closer, he sees they all show the same familiar picture on the back.

“This is you?� Shaw asks. “You’re a writer?�
�
The real question Is she also a killer?]]> 400 James Patterson 0316570001 Jayme 5
So, did this collaboration between James Patterson and J. D. Barker deliver on that promise?
YES! IT DID!


Best Selling True Crime novelist Denise Morrow is writing a book called “The Taking of Maggie Marshall� which will expose NYPD Detective, Declan Shaw as a fraud.

So, WHY, when she called 911, to report a break-in, and the murder of her husband, would she demand that NOBODY but Detective Shaw enter the apartment when Police respond?

Well, now I KNOW, and TRUST ME-you will want to find out!

The book opens with Declan Shaw contemplating SUICIDE, as a train comes barreling down the tracks. The phone call demanding his presence at 211 Central Park West, Apartment 18A has him detouring to that location instead.

And, as this entertaining, fast paced story unfolds you will be wondering WHO is the most clever character of them all!

I’m not telling! ]]> 4.28 2025 The Writer
author: James Patterson
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: thriller-tbr, publisher-s-invitation, netgalley, crime, audible, library
review:
The book cover promises that “you”ll never forget the ending”�

So, did this collaboration between James Patterson and J. D. Barker deliver on that promise?
YES! IT DID!


Best Selling True Crime novelist Denise Morrow is writing a book called “The Taking of Maggie Marshall� which will expose NYPD Detective, Declan Shaw as a fraud.

So, WHY, when she called 911, to report a break-in, and the murder of her husband, would she demand that NOBODY but Detective Shaw enter the apartment when Police respond?

Well, now I KNOW, and TRUST ME-you will want to find out!

The book opens with Declan Shaw contemplating SUICIDE, as a train comes barreling down the tracks. The phone call demanding his presence at 211 Central Park West, Apartment 18A has him detouring to that location instead.

And, as this entertaining, fast paced story unfolds you will be wondering WHO is the most clever character of them all!

I’m not telling!
]]> If Tomorrow Never Comes 217087634 Fate connects two people in life-changing ways in a deeply romantic and emotional novel about hope and second chances by the author of Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact.

Uncertain of what tomorrow brings, Elliott Holland decides to live it up—on the eve of a stem cell transplant to treat her leukemia. It’s destiny when she crosses paths with handsome and charming Jamie Sullivan. The chemistry is magic. So is a beautiful evening that ends with a bittersweet kiss goodbye and no expectations of ever seeing each other again.

One year later, Elliott’s future looks good. Her cancer is in remission. Her career in graphic design is taking off. And she’s finally met Carly, the young woman whose stem cell donation gave Elliott a second chance at life. Then, in a twist of fate both blissful and unfair, she meets Carly’s boyfriend. It’s Jamie, the man Elliott kissed like it was her last day on earth. Neither of them has ever forgotten it.

Now, the most difficult decisions of all lie ahead. Whatever risks there are to the heart, one need wins to grab hold of everything that can make someone feel alive again.]]> 314 Allison Ashley 1662527268 Jayme 0 4.02 2025 If Tomorrow Never Comes
author: Allison Ashley
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read, already-own, amazon-first, contemporary-fiction, romance
review:

]]> The Travelling Cat Chronicles 40961230
An instant international bestseller and indie bestseller, The Travelling Cat Chronicles has charmed readers around the world. With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe...

With his crooked tail—a sign of good fortune—and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.]]> 281 Hiro Arikawa 0735235244 Jayme 0 to-read, already-own 4.35 2012 The Travelling Cat Chronicles
author: Hiro Arikawa
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read, already-own
review:

]]> Forget Me Not 217387937 A pulse-pounding new Southern thriller from the author of the runaway bestseller A Flicker in the Dark.

Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew.

With the entire summer now looming ahead—a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home, with her estranged mother—Claire decides on a whim to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina less than an hour away from where she grew up. At first glance, Galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire. A scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sister seemed truly happy in that last summer before she vanished, it feels like the perfect plan to pass the time. However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, Claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents� as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all.

Galloway was supposed to be a place to help her move forward, but instead, Claire quickly finds herself immersed in her own dark and dangerous past.]]> 336 Stacy Willingham 1250887976 Jayme 0 4.22 2025 Forget Me Not
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read, buddy-read, crime, mystery-suspense, netgalley, widget-received
review:

]]> Burn After Reading 199621289 A ghostwriter is locked in an interview room with a man who might be a murderer, in this gripping new mystery thriller from the #1 bestselling author of 56 Days and The Trap.

The night Jack Smyth ran into flames in a desperate attempt to save his wife from their burning home, he was, tragically, too late - but hailed a hero. Until it emerged that Kate was dead long before the fire began.

Suspicion has stalked him ever since. After all, there's no smoke without fire.

A year on, he's signed a book deal. He wants to tell his side of the story, to prove his own innocence in print. He just needs someone to help him write it.

Emily has never ghostwritten anything before, but she knows what it’s like to live with a guilty secret. And she's about to learn that there are some stories that should never be told...]]> 352 Catherine Ryan Howard 1529199018 Jayme 0 3.83 2024 Burn After Reading
author: Catherine Ryan Howard
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read, mystery-suspense, psychological-thriller
review:

]]> Slow Burn Summer 218695924 A talent agent hires an actress to play the part of “novelist� on a book tour for his agency’s publicity-shy client

She’s playing the part of romance author, but has she found her own real life love story?

Talent agent Charlie Francisco has three problems: a divorce that ended his screenwriting career, a business he never planned to inherit, and a take-your-breath-away romance novel whose author wants nothing to do with its publication. The book is a surefire hit, if only his agency can find someone to “play� author on its summer book tour.

Enter Kate Elliott, a former soap actress who’s miraculously right for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. Kate is still recovering from her own divorce and Charlie’s job offer is a lifeline. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication. But she can’t know who really wrote the remarkable story—the one so beautiful it’s made her believe in love again.

When Kate and Charlie meet they’re all friction and sparks—the one thing they have in common is they’re determined to play their respective parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines . . . or will they go off-script?]]> 352 Josie Silver 0593722884 Jayme 0 3.86 2025 Slow Burn Summer
author: Josie Silver
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read, buddy-read, contemporary-fiction, netgalley, romance, widget-received
review:

]]> The Love We Found 214269008 The long-awaited follow-up to the Reese’s Book Clubpick and New York Times bestselling global phenomenon The Light We Lost: a thrilling love story about the roles fate and choice play in shaping a life

It’s been ten years. In case you’re out there somewhere—in case you’re listening, I’m here. And I have so much to tell you.

It’s been nearly ten years since Gabe’s been gone when Lucy finds a tiny piece of paper in a box of his old photos. An address in Rome. Why did Gabe keep it, and what was he doing in Italy? Lucy buys a last-minute ticket. Impulsive, but Gabe always brought that out in her.

Lucy’s journey to uncover Gabe’s secret leads her to Dr. Dax Amstrong, a New Yorker in Italy working with an NGO. His broad shoulders and sad, intense eyes draw Lucy in. His touch reaches her in a forgotten place—one that no one has neared since Gabe.

But her old life awaits, along with an earth-shattering decision—whether she and Darren should tell their son Samuel the truth about his real father. How can Lucy move forward while she’s rooted in regret? Fate broke her heart in the past. Can finding new love set her free?]]> 352 Jill Santopolo 0593419200 Jayme 4
In “The Light We Lost�, Lucy is faced with a life-altering decision.

But, before she can make that decision, she will reexamine her love story with Gabe-one SHE feels is Epic.

Lucy and Gabe met as seniors at Columbia University on 9/11. And, on that day, they decided that they wanted their lives to mean something, no matter what�

EVEN AT THE EXPENSE OF BEING TOGETHER

Now, it’s ten years later, and we get to find out what has happened in Lucy’s life after the DECISION. (No spoilers here!)

Has it turned out as you may have imagined when the first book ended? Now, you will get the chance to find out.

Have you ever read a sequel and felt like the main character didn’t feel like the same person? I have, but thankfully that is NOT the case here! Jill Santopolo has written Lucy with the SAME Voice as before-and has written what I feel would be a very AUTHENTIC life trajectory for her. I was immediately drawn back into her World from page one!

Life is MESSY, and people are IMPERFECT, and this sequel will give you much to discuss. I never expected we would get to see what happened next-but, I am glad we did!

A buddy read with DeAnn-who may have felt differently! Be sure to watch for her review for additional insight!

If you enjoyed the first-you won’t be disappointed! If you haven’t read it yet- you will want to start there! Review for “The Light We Lost�: /review/show...

Thank You to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 3.87 2025 The Love We Found
author: Jill Santopolo
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: buddy-read, netgalley, romance, part-of-a-series
review:
*SPOILER FREE* WILL NOT RUIN THE FIRST BOOK

In “The Light We Lost�, Lucy is faced with a life-altering decision.

But, before she can make that decision, she will reexamine her love story with Gabe-one SHE feels is Epic.

Lucy and Gabe met as seniors at Columbia University on 9/11. And, on that day, they decided that they wanted their lives to mean something, no matter what�

EVEN AT THE EXPENSE OF BEING TOGETHER

Now, it’s ten years later, and we get to find out what has happened in Lucy’s life after the DECISION. (No spoilers here!)

Has it turned out as you may have imagined when the first book ended? Now, you will get the chance to find out.

Have you ever read a sequel and felt like the main character didn’t feel like the same person? I have, but thankfully that is NOT the case here! Jill Santopolo has written Lucy with the SAME Voice as before-and has written what I feel would be a very AUTHENTIC life trajectory for her. I was immediately drawn back into her World from page one!

Life is MESSY, and people are IMPERFECT, and this sequel will give you much to discuss. I never expected we would get to see what happened next-but, I am glad we did!

A buddy read with DeAnn-who may have felt differently! Be sure to watch for her review for additional insight!

If you enjoyed the first-you won’t be disappointed! If you haven’t read it yet- you will want to start there! Review for “The Light We Lost�: /review/show...

Thank You to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> You Deserve to Know 211003802 A brand new suspense novel from "the master of the suburban scandal" (Samantha M. Bailey), Aggie Blum Thompson.

Neighbors Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa share more than playdates and coffee mornings on their tranquil street in East Bethesda. They confide their deepest secrets, navigate the challenges of motherhood together, and provide a support system that seems unbreakable.

But when Gwen's husband is found murdered after one of their weekly Friday night dinners, the peaceful quiet of their cul-de-sac shatters. The seemingly idyllic world of the three close-knit mom friends becomes a web of deception, betrayal, and revenge.

As the police investigate, the veneer of friendship begins to crack, revealing hidden tensions, clandestine affairs, and long-buried jealousies among the three women. With suspicions mounting and the neighborhood gripped by fear, Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa must confront the chilling truth about their husbands, and the sinister undercurrents in their own friendship.]]> 336 Aggie Blum Thompson 1250892031 Jayme 4 mystery-suspense, library
By the end of this story, there will be a house for sale on Nassau Court in East Bethesda, a Suburb just outside of Washington, DC.

You see-there is a newly released book of auto fiction about three families who lived on this Cul-de-sac. It’s called “You Deserve To Know� and it’s a tell-all about what happened there-

But how much of it is true?

Gwen and Anton
Aimee and Scott
Lisa and Marcus

The book opens with a transcript from NBC’s Dateline, but we don’t know the identity of the author being interviewed�

And, the story opens with one of the three husbands, Anton whispering “You Deserve to Know� into the ear of one of the three wives, Aimee, earlier in the evening on the night that he is killed.

Neighborhood Suspense stories are one sub genre that I never seem to grow tired of-and the SECRETS and LIES in this one are as JUICY as the burgers being cooked in the backyards, where the three couples gather every Friday night. ]]> 3.85 2025 You Deserve to Know
author: Aggie Blum Thompson
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: mystery-suspense, library
review:
HOUSE FOR SALE

By the end of this story, there will be a house for sale on Nassau Court in East Bethesda, a Suburb just outside of Washington, DC.

You see-there is a newly released book of auto fiction about three families who lived on this Cul-de-sac. It’s called “You Deserve To Know� and it’s a tell-all about what happened there-

But how much of it is true?

Gwen and Anton
Aimee and Scott
Lisa and Marcus

The book opens with a transcript from NBC’s Dateline, but we don’t know the identity of the author being interviewed�

And, the story opens with one of the three husbands, Anton whispering “You Deserve to Know� into the ear of one of the three wives, Aimee, earlier in the evening on the night that he is killed.

Neighborhood Suspense stories are one sub genre that I never seem to grow tired of-and the SECRETS and LIES in this one are as JUICY as the burgers being cooked in the backyards, where the three couples gather every Friday night.
]]> The Bookseller 221484756 A woman with a dark past...

Helen Appleby just wants a quiet life. Recently released from prison for the manslaughter of her partner, she's trying to forget her past mistakes � all of them - to rebuild her life and move on.

When she decides to open a bookshop, she’s certain this is the perfect new start. Here, amongst the quiet shelves of her shop and between the covers of her books, she can hide away from the real world and begin again. The world of books the perfect place to find happiness - even if it is all lies.

But the past can never stay hidden�

As she settles into life as an apparently timid bookseller, it seems that someone is determined to sabotage Helen's new life and ruin everything she's built.

But Helen has killed once before. And to protect her future, she could be willing to kill again...]]> 287 Valerie Keogh 1805494546 Jayme 0 4.06 2025 The Bookseller
author: Valerie Keogh
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read, mystery-suspense, thriller-tbr, already-own
review:

]]> The Crime Writer 222347824
2019. Leona Walsh, a 34-year-old wife and mother vanishes on a bitterly cold afternoon while out jogging on the edge of Exmoor. It’s a mystery which captures public interest and ignites wild speculation. The police have a prime suspect: Leona’s husband, Matthew, a renowned crime writer. He can plot the perfect crime. But is he capable of committing the perfect murder?

Despite extensive searches, the police find no trace of Leona and her disappearance remains shrouded in mystery. As public interest dwindles, Matthew returns to raising their two daughters, aware the cloud of suspicion is never far away.

2024. Some human bones are discovered in a garden. Could they be Leona’s remains? And if so, is there enough evidence to find out what really happened five years ago?

Journalist Gabriela Conti covered the news story back in 2019. The police may have stopped watching Matthew, but Gabriella hasn’t forgotten him. And she is determined this case will define her career� even if that means getting close to a murderer.

‘Engrossing, enthralling, intriguing� clever structure, and brilliant plotting� Liz Nugent

'The Crime Writer is an addictive thriller that hooks you from the first page and reveals its secrets with pitch-perfect timing' Sarah Clarke

‘Kept me reading into the early hours � totally captivating� Orlando Murrin]]> 304 Diane Jeffrey 0008735573 Jayme 0 3.63 The Crime Writer
author: Diane Jeffrey
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read, crime, thriller-tbr, already-own
review:

]]> The Librarians 223120401 Murder disrupts the peaceful, predictable daily routine of life for four quirky librarians who must protect their life-altering secrets in the first contemporary mystery from USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas.

Sometimes a workplace isn’t just a workplace but a place of safety, understanding, and acceptance. And sometimes murder threatens the sanctity of that beloved refuge....

In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don’t always realize that their librarians are human, too.

Hazel flees halfway across the world for what she hopes will be a new beginning. Jonathan, a six-foot-four former college football player, has never fit in anywhere else. Astrid tries to forget her heartbreak by immersing herself in work, but the man who ghosted her six months ago is back, promising trouble. AndSophie, who has the most to lose, maintains a careful and respectful distance from her coworkers, but soon that won't be enough anymore.

When two patrons turn up dead after the library’s inaugural murder mystery–themed game night, the librarians� quiet routines come crashing down. Something sinister has stirred, something that threatens every single one of them. And the only way the librarians can save the library—and themselves—is to let go of their secrets, trust one another, and band together....

All in a day’s work.]]> 368 Sherry Thomas 0593640454 Jayme 0 to-read 3.81 2025 The Librarians
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Message Deleted 200209181
Can’t speak� don’t text or call� please just come

As Saffy struggles to understand what is happening the phone screen changes:

This message was deleted.

Saffy races to Leona’s house, but when her friend answers the door, she insists everything's fine. She doesn't know anything about the message. Saffy can tell something’s not right, but after looking around the house, she can’t think of anything else she can do.

Six hours later, Saffy gets a knock on the door. It's the police. Leona is missing, with her young child. There's blood everywhere.

And Saffy was the last one to see them alive...]]> 400 K.L. Slater 140596250X Jayme 0 3.78 Message Deleted
author: K.L. Slater
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read, mystery-suspense, already-own
review:

]]> You Belong Here 220160921 A decades-old secret that drove a mother from her hometown now threatens her college-bound daughter in this twisty new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda.

Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were strong: Beckett’s parents taught at the college, and she never even imagined studying anywhere else—until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again�

For the last two decades, Beckett has done her best to keep her distance. Then her daughter, Delilah, secretly applies to Wyatt College and earns a full scholarship, and Beckett can only hope that her lingering fears are unfounded. But deep down she knows that Wyatt Valley has a long memory, and that the past isn’t the only dangerous thing in town…]]> 352 Megan Miranda 1668080974 Jayme 0 3.79 2025 You Belong Here
author: Megan Miranda
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read, mystery-suspense, netgalley
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Expat Affair: A Murder Mystery with a Strong Female Protagonist in Amsterdam's Diamond Industry]]> 218218740 An American expat‘s startling discovery plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam’s diamond industry.

Following a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont came to Amsterdam for a fresh start. She’s never been the type for a one-night stand, but this move is all about adventure, and Xander is handsome and successful and more than willing to go along for the ride. Until the morning after, when Rayna finds him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars� worth of diamonds missing from his safe.

From her lavish home in the heart of the city, Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, and the scandal strains their already-rocky marriage. As the house comes under scrutiny, Willow wonders if her life is about to implode—and how much of the blame she can place on Rayna. Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?]]> 313 Kimberly Belle 0369748433 Jayme 0 4.30 The Expat Affair: A Murder Mystery with a Strong Female Protagonist in Amsterdam's Diamond Industry
author: Kimberly Belle
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read, netgalley, mystery-suspense, thriller-tbr
review:

]]> The Full Nest 205060648
One family home. Three generations. What could possibly go wrong?

Carly loves her family. She really does. It’s just that now her three children are grown up, she thought it was her time.

Everyone talks about the empty nest and how difficult that can be, but Carly and her husband, Frank, have often fantasised about it � meals without arguments, conversation without shouting over the sound of the Xbox, holidays planned around the culture not the kids� club.

But Carly’s nest is far from empty. Her elderly dad needs more support and is moving in ‘temporarily�. On top of which, Carly’s son, Eddie, is far too comfortable at home � why go out and get a job, when your parents keep you fed and your clothes laundered? And just when Carly is starting to pull her hair out, Eddie drops a bombshell that changes everything.

Is there room in the nest for one more?

Fiona Gibson is back with her brilliantly funny novel about family, frustrations and finding yourself in the chaos. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Milly Johnson and Jill Mansell.
Readers love Fiona Gibson:

'I absolutely love Fiona Gibson's funny, emotional, relatable writing.� JENNY COLGAN

‘A terrifically entertaining, cheery romance, with an endearing heroine.� Sunday Mirror

‘Warm, funny and poignant.� Daily Mail

‘Warm, witty and fun.� My Weekly

‘The voice of modern women.� Marie Claire

‘More than funny, it’s true.� Elle

‘Warm, funny and endearing.� Best

⭐⭐⭐⭐� ‘Fiona Gibson always brings funny to her stories. Something special.� Reader review

⭐⭐⭐⭐� ‘Fiona Gibson never fails to entertain. Another gem.� Reader review]]> 384 Fiona Gibson 0008494487 Jayme 4
As if it were meant to be, our librarian Carly finds a book in the non-fiction section that she has never seen before: “The Empty Nester’s Handbook: Living Your Best Life When the Kids Leave Home.�

“Let’s Celebrate your fabulous second act!� It beckons…and unlike some parents-Carly and Frank can hardly wait!

If only their son 22 year old son Eddie would move out, the adventures could begin-And, then, one day it finally happens!

But, their “empty nest� DZ’t remain that way for long-as first Carly’s dad needs to move in temporarily, followed closely by Eddie returning home and this time, he DZ’t return alone.

The books spans a period of six months, with each month opening with the header of which family members are CURRENTLY living at Kilmory Cottage, and it unfolds predominately from Carly’s POV.

Will it be just Carly and Frank by the book’s end? Will they find a special way to celebrate? I was entertained as I read to find out!

I discovered this author this past Christmas when I stumbled upon the delightful “Tis the Damn Season�, and I was eager to read more of her work, so I was thrilled that her newest book was available to request.

Although this one didn’t score quite as high for me-I did enjoy it-though I am torn about whether to round up or down. Fiona Gibson creates likable characters and lets them navigate tricky situations with warmth and humor-and sometimes a “feel good� story like this is exactly what I am looking for! I look forward to discovering more of her work.

Now Available!

Thank You to Avon Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 4.08 The Full Nest
author: Fiona Gibson
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: contemporary-fiction, humor, netgalley, women-s-fiction
review:
3.5 ⭐️

As if it were meant to be, our librarian Carly finds a book in the non-fiction section that she has never seen before: “The Empty Nester’s Handbook: Living Your Best Life When the Kids Leave Home.�

“Let’s Celebrate your fabulous second act!� It beckons…and unlike some parents-Carly and Frank can hardly wait!

If only their son 22 year old son Eddie would move out, the adventures could begin-And, then, one day it finally happens!

But, their “empty nest� DZ’t remain that way for long-as first Carly’s dad needs to move in temporarily, followed closely by Eddie returning home and this time, he DZ’t return alone.

The books spans a period of six months, with each month opening with the header of which family members are CURRENTLY living at Kilmory Cottage, and it unfolds predominately from Carly’s POV.

Will it be just Carly and Frank by the book’s end? Will they find a special way to celebrate? I was entertained as I read to find out!

I discovered this author this past Christmas when I stumbled upon the delightful “Tis the Damn Season�, and I was eager to read more of her work, so I was thrilled that her newest book was available to request.

Although this one didn’t score quite as high for me-I did enjoy it-though I am torn about whether to round up or down. Fiona Gibson creates likable characters and lets them navigate tricky situations with warmth and humor-and sometimes a “feel good� story like this is exactly what I am looking for! I look forward to discovering more of her work.

Now Available!

Thank You to Avon Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> <![CDATA[Jane and Dan at the End of the World]]> 214268974 Date night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise.

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She’s pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.

But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked—and not just because she’s in a hostage situation the likes of which she’s only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar.

Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it. This wasn’t what Jane was thinking of when she said “’til death do us part� all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything—even marriage.]]> 368 Colleen Oakley 0593200829 Jayme 3
So, nobody is more surprised than I am that this was a bit of a MISS for me, despite the fun and clever premise!

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, (or is it twenty?) but Jane isn’t sure they will make it another year. She decides to ask for a Divorce during their Anniversary dinner at the renowned, upscale and very OVERPRICED restaurant “La Fin du Monde�.

But before they can even finish the second course, (which didn’t sound even remotely appetizing to me!) an underground CLIMATE activist group bursts into the dining room and takes everyone hostage. Their “target� had reservations at the restaurant for that night-and it appears to be a case of “Wrong Place-Wrong time� for Jane and Dan.

OR IS IT?

Could it really be a COINCIDENCE that nearly everything that the activists SAY and DO seems to be right out of the pages of Jane’s one and only published book, “Tea is For Terror�?

How can that be when less than 500 copies were ever sold?

Not liking the main protagonist isn’t a problem in a psychological thriller but it is a problem in a story like this one, and I really didn’t like Jane! I didn’t enjoy spending time with her-and the HUMOR didn’t resonate with me either.

This was reminiscent of Fredrik Backman’s very popular “Anxious People�, another book I didn’t care for-so, if you enjoyed that one, you just might love this one too!

Be sure to read a sample of reviews as no book is for every reader and this just may be a better fit for you!

A buddy read with DeAnn. Was it a fit for her?

AVAILABLE NOW!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 3.74 2025 Jane and Dan at the End of the World
author: Colleen Oakley
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: contemporary-fiction, influencer-program, netgalley, widget-received
review:
I have read (and loved) everything that this author has written, with “The Invisible Husband of Frick Island� being an all time favorite. So when offered a VERY early copy of this book, I jumped at the chance to read it, and moved it ahead of several others which are publishing much sooner-I just couldn’t wait!

So, nobody is more surprised than I am that this was a bit of a MISS for me, despite the fun and clever premise!

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, (or is it twenty?) but Jane isn’t sure they will make it another year. She decides to ask for a Divorce during their Anniversary dinner at the renowned, upscale and very OVERPRICED restaurant “La Fin du Monde�.

But before they can even finish the second course, (which didn’t sound even remotely appetizing to me!) an underground CLIMATE activist group bursts into the dining room and takes everyone hostage. Their “target� had reservations at the restaurant for that night-and it appears to be a case of “Wrong Place-Wrong time� for Jane and Dan.

OR IS IT?

Could it really be a COINCIDENCE that nearly everything that the activists SAY and DO seems to be right out of the pages of Jane’s one and only published book, “Tea is For Terror�?

How can that be when less than 500 copies were ever sold?

Not liking the main protagonist isn’t a problem in a psychological thriller but it is a problem in a story like this one, and I really didn’t like Jane! I didn’t enjoy spending time with her-and the HUMOR didn’t resonate with me either.

This was reminiscent of Fredrik Backman’s very popular “Anxious People�, another book I didn’t care for-so, if you enjoyed that one, you just might love this one too!

Be sure to read a sample of reviews as no book is for every reader and this just may be a better fit for you!

A buddy read with DeAnn. Was it a fit for her?

AVAILABLE NOW!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> <![CDATA[The Widows� Guide to Murder (The Widows� Detective Club, #1)]]> 223227754 Ginny Cole DZ’t want to be a widow. She’d rather not be forcibly adopted by an opinionated black cat. And she’d give anything not to have just found the murdered body of her rude and dislikeable new boss�

So she’s as surprised as anyone to realise that she DZ’t hate being on the wrong side of the law, searching a graveyard for evidence in the company of three fellow widows, and doing a whole host of un-Ginny-like things in order to solve a fiendish mystery.

It was a bumpy start, but Ginny might even be starting to like her new life. Certainly well enough that when her sleuthing puts her too close for the killer’s comfort, she’ll do whatever it takes to hold onto it�

If you love Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Robert Thorogood and The Thursday Murder Club mysteries, you’ll adore this charming cozy mystery full of page-turning twists and endearing characters.]]> 264 Amanda Ashby 1805087940 Jayme 0 3.95 The Widows’ Guide to Murder (The Widows’ Detective Club, #1)
author: Amanda Ashby
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, already-own, cozy, crime
review:

]]> Claire, Darling 213618135 In the aftermath of a shocking breakup, a woman's desperate quest for answers ignites a psychological inferno that will consume her past, present, and future in this hair-raising debut from an exciting new voice in suspense . . .

She’s been ghosted. But she won’t be forgotten.

Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé, Noah. It’s their anniversary, after all. But when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah's name works there, Claire thinks there must be a mistake.

Noah isn't picking up her calls. Her texts go unanswered. It turns out Noah has a different life . . . one with a beautiful girlfriend, a beautiful house. Claire was never really in the picture.

Desperate to unpack all of Noah’s lies, Claire plunges into a nightmarish journey of obsession that submerges her deeper into the murky waters of her own past—a past dominated by a manipulative mother who shattered her sense of self.

Will Claire break free from the ghosts that haunt her? Or will they become more costly than any of Noah's lies?]]> 288 Callie Kazumi 0593871634 Jayme 4 If a man walks away, hold your head high and LET HIM!

Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé Noah on their anniversary, but the surprise is on her when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah's name works there.

Suddenly, he isn't picking up her calls or answering her texts.

She has been ghosted!

With her new friend Sukhi by her side, Claire is determined to get answers. In fact, she becomes OBSESSED.

But, she REFUSES to believe the things that they find.

This psychological thriller opens with a MURDER, and ends with a Courtroom TRIAL, but in between you will learn about all of the ways Noah has humiliated her in the present and all of the ways her MOTHER has abused her in the past-IF you can believe everything that Claire (and her diary entries) are telling you�..

As a reader of MANY books in this genre, I could predict where much of this was going BUT despite that, the story DID hold my attention throughout and offered up a fun, memorable ending!

A promising debut! I will definitely pick up the author’s next!

3.75 ⭐️ rounded ⬆️

A buddy read with MarilynW. Be sure to watch for her review to see if she had fun with this one too!

Available NOW!

Thank You to Bantam for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 3.60 2025 Claire, Darling
author: Callie Kazumi
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: psychological-thriller, buddy-read, netgalley, widget-received, publisher-s-invitation
review:
Oh Claire Darling!
If a man walks away, hold your head high and LET HIM!

Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé Noah on their anniversary, but the surprise is on her when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah's name works there.

Suddenly, he isn't picking up her calls or answering her texts.

She has been ghosted!

With her new friend Sukhi by her side, Claire is determined to get answers. In fact, she becomes OBSESSED.

But, she REFUSES to believe the things that they find.

This psychological thriller opens with a MURDER, and ends with a Courtroom TRIAL, but in between you will learn about all of the ways Noah has humiliated her in the present and all of the ways her MOTHER has abused her in the past-IF you can believe everything that Claire (and her diary entries) are telling you�..

As a reader of MANY books in this genre, I could predict where much of this was going BUT despite that, the story DID hold my attention throughout and offered up a fun, memorable ending!

A promising debut! I will definitely pick up the author’s next!

3.75 ⭐️ rounded ⬆️

A buddy read with MarilynW. Be sure to watch for her review to see if she had fun with this one too!

Available NOW!

Thank You to Bantam for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> The Husband Before You 222824481
Opening the front door, I’m stunned to see a familiar face. I never thought I’d see Freddie’s deep brown eyes and crooked smile again. But how is this possible when he died ten years ago�?

It took years to move on, but finally my life is almost perfect. I live in a gorgeous house with my handsome second husband Carter, my two daughters and our adorable baby boy. I’ve never stopped missing Freddie or wondering what happened to him. But now he’s here and staring right at me � and my head is spinning with questions.

Then Freddie says, ‘Don’t trust Carter.� It sends shivers down my spine. Freddie and Carter used to be best friends. So what does he mean? Carter has been my shoulder to cry on, my rock. He’s helped me through the darkest times. I trust him with my life� don’t I?

Who is telling the truth: my first husband or my second husband? And could one of them be behind the threatening notes I’ve been receiving?

I have to make the right choice. My life depends on it�

An absolutely addictive page-turner with heart-pounding twists from beginning to end. Fans of The Woman in the Window, Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell and The Housemaid won’t be able toput this down!]]> 366 A.J. McDine 1835259375 Jayme 3
Where has he been? And, why is he back now that she has finally moved on?

“DON’T TRUST CARTER� he says speaking about his former best friend- who is now her SECOND husband.

“I KNOW THE TRUTH� one of the eight anonymous notes, slipped through the mailbox reads�

Who should she trust? Her first husband or her second husband? And WHO is behind the cryptic notes that she has been receiving?

]]> 4.16 The Husband Before You
author: A.J. McDine
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: domestic-suspense, netgalley, psychological-thriller
review:
Alex thought her FIRST husband, Freddie, died ten years ago, after he walked out one night and never came home. So, after seven years she had him declared dead. So obviously, she was shocked when she opened her front door one day and saw his once familiar face.

Where has he been? And, why is he back now that she has finally moved on?

“DON’T TRUST CARTER� he says speaking about his former best friend- who is now her SECOND husband.

“I KNOW THE TRUTH� one of the eight anonymous notes, slipped through the mailbox reads�

Who should she trust? Her first husband or her second husband? And WHO is behind the cryptic notes that she has been receiving?


]]> Maid for Each Other 220459022 A millionaire and a housecleaner are a match maid in heaven in this sparkling new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of Happily Never After.

As a professional cleaner, Abi Mariano never thought her apartment would have any sort of infestation, but because of a building-wide outbreak, she now needs somewhere to stay for a week. As a part-time student with two jobs, she DZ’t have many options. Then the solution presents the owner of the penthouse she cleans is out of town for the week. She normally wouldn’t consider it, but he’s literally never around (she’s never even met him). It goes great…until she comes out of the bedroom one morning to find two strangers in the kitchen. They’re the parents of the penthouse owner and they seem to think they’ve heard all about Abi—not as their son’s maid, but as his girlfriend.

Declan Powell has always put his career first, working his way up to executive vice president at Hathaway Holdings, but he still has his eyes set on the next level. When his parents mention they met his girlfriend Abi, he all but chokes on his escargot. As great as it sounds that she was just darling, he DZ’t actually have a girlfriend—he made her up to get everyone off his back. When Dex finds out who Abi really is, he makes her a pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs during their little arrangement. What harm would it do? It’s purely business, no pleasure…right?]]> Lynn Painter 0593638042 Jayme 0 3.88 2025 Maid for Each Other
author: Lynn Painter
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read, buddy-read, netgalley, publisher-s-invitation, rom_com
review:

]]> Barren Cape 222179779 Hannah Richell

An abandoned resort seems the perfect place to hide, but is Barren Cape a refuge or a trap?

Former housemates Mac and Erika are homeless.

Well, Erika is fine, she just has to live with her parents until she can find another rental. Mac's situation is much worse � family isn't an option and she's surfing the couches of her increasingly exasperated friends.

Driving around one lonely afternoon, Mac discovers Barren Cape. Once destined to be a luxury escape, now it's just wire fence and gray cement.

It's stark, but quiet. There's no harm in staying a little while…�

From the bestselling author ofThe Rush comes a spine-chilling thriller about what happens when people are pushed to the edge and forced to make unthinkable choices.

‘Taut, terrifying and timely� B.M. Carroll

‘Prak’s books keep you reading long into the night� Vikki Petraitis
]]> Michelle Prak 1761428446 Jayme 0 to-read, thriller-tbr 3.89 Barren Cape
author: Michelle Prak
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read, thriller-tbr
review:

]]> A Happy Marriage 221317847 What holds a strong and loving marriage together? Lies and secrets in a novel of twisting psychological suspense by a New York Times bestselling author.

Los Angeles homicide detective Dinah Marino may have a complicated relationship with her family, but her psychiatrist husband, Joe, makes her feel safe, secure, and happy. She couldn’t want for a more loving or trusting man. But throughout their ten-year marriage, she’s been keeping a secret from him—a secret she’d take to the grave.

Dr. Joe Marino loves his wife more than anything in this world, but there are things he’s learned to keep close to the chest. When a missing woman tied to his wife’s latest case is admitted to his hospital, doctor-patient confidentiality lands their marriage on some new and uneven ground.

As Dinah digs deeper into her case, tension works its way inside their picture-perfect home. Now the carefully constructed lies between them don’t just simply threaten the delicate balance of their marriage—they could kill.]]> 254 A.R. Torre 1662519591 Jayme 3
Each will tell you that TRUST plays a big part in their success and yet, Dinah has never revealed her biggest secret to Joe, and she isn’t inclined to tell him about the good looking new rookie, Freddie Hodgkins, who has been assigned to trail her on her latest case.

Joe is a loving husband who remembers every Anniversary, all of Dinah� s preferences and every item on his “honey-do� list. But, he also remembers every misstep-every mistake, and he isn’t very forgiving when Dinah DZ’t follow the rules that they have agreed upon together.

And, Dinah’s new case, involving a Mother who has been found dead under questionable circumstances, and her daughter who is now missing, will threaten the delicate balance of their happy, happy marriage�.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

This book started out strong, and it hooked me right away with Torre’s engaging writing style, DISTURBING premise, and short, snappy chapters, which allow you read “just one more�!

I was ALL-IN.

But, unfortunately, at the 50% mark, the story lost its way.

It focused on one “over the top� plot point while failing to flesh out the others. I was left with MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS, and I wanted more background on how Joe and Dinah got together, what happened to her former partner, Oley, and what was happening with Freddie Hodgkins involvement in the case.

At only 254 pages, this story felt INCOMPLETE-and for that reason, it was a bit of a MISS for me.

]]> 3.33 A Happy Marriage
author: A.R. Torre
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: buddy-read, netgalley, psychological-thriller
review:
Los Angeles homicide detective Dinah Marino has been happily married to Dr. Joe Marino for ten years.

Each will tell you that TRUST plays a big part in their success and yet, Dinah has never revealed her biggest secret to Joe, and she isn’t inclined to tell him about the good looking new rookie, Freddie Hodgkins, who has been assigned to trail her on her latest case.

Joe is a loving husband who remembers every Anniversary, all of Dinah� s preferences and every item on his “honey-do� list. But, he also remembers every misstep-every mistake, and he isn’t very forgiving when Dinah DZ’t follow the rules that they have agreed upon together.

And, Dinah’s new case, involving a Mother who has been found dead under questionable circumstances, and her daughter who is now missing, will threaten the delicate balance of their happy, happy marriage�.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

This book started out strong, and it hooked me right away with Torre’s engaging writing style, DISTURBING premise, and short, snappy chapters, which allow you read “just one more�!

I was ALL-IN.

But, unfortunately, at the 50% mark, the story lost its way.

It focused on one “over the top� plot point while failing to flesh out the others. I was left with MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS, and I wanted more background on how Joe and Dinah got together, what happened to her former partner, Oley, and what was happening with Freddie Hodgkins involvement in the case.

At only 254 pages, this story felt INCOMPLETE-and for that reason, it was a bit of a MISS for me.


]]> <![CDATA[The Protest: The new murder mystery from the No. 1 bestselling author and criminal barrister]]> 215811258 A world-famous artist. A fatal brush with death.

At a star-studded opening night for the Royal Academy’s celebration of renowned artist Max Bruce, someone is hiding a dark secret.

As the night reaches its climax and Max addresses his admirers, the occasion takes a shocking turn when a protester runs from the crowd and sprays the artist
with blue paint.

Max collapses and it soon turns out that the paint was laced with cyanide. Someone has been plotting to kill him.

All evidence points to the protestor � and newly qualified barrister Adam Green is assigned the impossible task of their defence.

But could there be others who wanted Max dead?
____________

Praise for Rob Rinder . . .

'Hugely enjoyable!' Steve Cavanagh
'Ridiculously entertaining' Tom Hindle
'I did not want it to end' Heidi Perks
'Strong storytelling with a murder mystery at its heart makes it one to treasure' Daily Mail
'A pacy and gripping read' The Sun]]> Rob Rinder 1804950556 Jayme 0 to-read 4.34 The Protest: The new murder mystery from the No. 1 bestselling author and criminal barrister
author: Rob Rinder
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Don’t Tell Me How to Die: A Novel]]> 215541906 I have one thing to do before I die.
And time is running out.

I had it all: a fantastic husband, two great kids, an exciting career. And then, at the age of forty-three, I found out I would be dead before my next birthday.

My mother also died at forty-three. I was seventeen, and she warned me that women would flock to my suddenly single father like stray cats to an overturned milk truck. They did. And one absolutely evil woman practically destroyed his life, mine, and my sister’s.

I am not letting that happen to my family.

I have three months, and I plan to spend every waking minute searching for the perfect woman to take my place as Alex’s wife, and mother to Kevin and Katie.

You’re probably thinking, she’ll never do it. Did I mention that in high school I was voted “Most Likely to Kill Someone to Get What She Wants�?

From thriller writer Marshall Karp (cocreator with James Patterson of the #1 New York Times bestselling NYPD Red series), and rich with Karp’s deft array of three-dimensional characters and his signature biting humor, Don’t Tell Me How to Die has so many twists and turns, you’d swear he wrote it with a corkscrew.]]> Marshall Karp Jayme 5
Because it’s ADDICTIVE reading, it’s ORIGINAL, and it’s TWISTY in all the best ways. I couldn’t put it down!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maggie and Lizzie lost their mother when they were only seventeen. She died from a rare blood Cancer but before she did, she sat her daughters down and she warned them that women would flock to her suddenly single husband “like stray cats to an overturned milk truck� and that the girls would have to protect him.

THE WOMEN CAME-carrying home cooked meals in casserole dishes that would have to be collected a few days later. But, the sisters washed those dishes and delivered them back to their owners before the women could return.

But one managed to sneak her way into the fold�.

So when Maggie discovers at age 43, that she too has the disease-she is determined to get ahead of the women who will prey upon her own husband.

And, the woman voted “Most Likely to Kill Someone to Get What She Wants� is determined to succeed at any cost.

Is the omission of a FEW facts, really lying?

DOESN’T EVERYONE HAVE AT LEAST ONE SECRET?

This book unfolds in THREE parts, PAST and PRESENT and PART ONE (46% of the book) reads more like a heartbreaking ]]> 4.50 2025 Don’t Tell Me How to Die: A Novel
author: Marshall Karp
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: psychological-thriller, thriller-tbr
review:
WHY is this book getting so many 5 STAR reviews?

Because it’s ADDICTIVE reading, it’s ORIGINAL, and it’s TWISTY in all the best ways. I couldn’t put it down!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maggie and Lizzie lost their mother when they were only seventeen. She died from a rare blood Cancer but before she did, she sat her daughters down and she warned them that women would flock to her suddenly single husband “like stray cats to an overturned milk truck� and that the girls would have to protect him.

THE WOMEN CAME-carrying home cooked meals in casserole dishes that would have to be collected a few days later. But, the sisters washed those dishes and delivered them back to their owners before the women could return.

But one managed to sneak her way into the fold�.

So when Maggie discovers at age 43, that she too has the disease-she is determined to get ahead of the women who will prey upon her own husband.

And, the woman voted “Most Likely to Kill Someone to Get What She Wants� is determined to succeed at any cost.

Is the omission of a FEW facts, really lying?

DOESN’T EVERYONE HAVE AT LEAST ONE SECRET?

This book unfolds in THREE parts, PAST and PRESENT and PART ONE (46% of the book) reads more like a heartbreaking
]]> <![CDATA[Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave (Finlay Donovan, #5)]]> 211003787 From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave—the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series.

Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet . . . but at least there's not a body in her backyard.

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.]]> 320 Elle Cosimano 1250337348 Jayme 4
AUDIOBOOK:
9 hours 11 minutes at 1x, 6 hours 7 minutes at 1.5x or 5 hours, 15 minutes at 1.75x

How apropos that Janet Evanovich promotes this book on the cover~I have always said that these books were perfect for fans of her Stephanie Plum stories!

If you haven’t read any of the Finlay Donovan books yet- I do recommend that you read them in order-but you can click on my spoiler free review for the first book to get a hint of what to expect!
Review: /review/show...

Each book ends with a cliffhanger, so we pick up right where we left off last time�

Finlay Donovan has just submitted her latest book-so she should have some time to relax, and maybe get to know her “hot cop boyfriend Nick� just a little bit better. But when a dead body is discovered in her nosy neighbor’s backyard, the neighbor-Mrs. Haggerty-will need Finlay and Vero’s help.

Initially, Mrs. Haggerty is the prime suspect.

Although SHE is quickly cleared by the police, her house, unfortunately, remains an active crime scene. With nowhere else to go she ends up moving into Finlay’s house temporarily-since she is right across the street-despite the fact that the two have not always seen eye to eye on things!

Instead of being a grateful guest, she is demanding grocery runs, and rides to her book club meetings, but she does chip in on home schooling and childcare while staying with Finlay and her scenes with Finlay’s children are some of the funniest in the book!

I have to admit, I haven’t had this much fun reading a Finlay Donovan book since the first one, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue the series. It had become too slapstick for me with all of the caricature mafia characters in books two through four-but once I heard that Mrs. Haggerty would be back-I was all in and she didn’t disappoint! (She is a SCENE STEALER !)

As always-we have a cliffhanger at the end-so it does look like this series will continue�

I paired my reading with the AUDIOBOOK, narrated (as always) by the fabulous Angela Dawe-This happens to be a series that I prefer LISTENING TO! ]]> 4.13 2025 Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave (Finlay Donovan, #5)
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: contemporary-fiction, crime, humor, maybe, netgalley, part-of-a-series, publisher-s-invitation, widget-received, audible
review:
4.5 ⭐️

AUDIOBOOK:
9 hours 11 minutes at 1x, 6 hours 7 minutes at 1.5x or 5 hours, 15 minutes at 1.75x

How apropos that Janet Evanovich promotes this book on the cover~I have always said that these books were perfect for fans of her Stephanie Plum stories!

If you haven’t read any of the Finlay Donovan books yet- I do recommend that you read them in order-but you can click on my spoiler free review for the first book to get a hint of what to expect!
Review: /review/show...

Each book ends with a cliffhanger, so we pick up right where we left off last time�

Finlay Donovan has just submitted her latest book-so she should have some time to relax, and maybe get to know her “hot cop boyfriend Nick� just a little bit better. But when a dead body is discovered in her nosy neighbor’s backyard, the neighbor-Mrs. Haggerty-will need Finlay and Vero’s help.

Initially, Mrs. Haggerty is the prime suspect.

Although SHE is quickly cleared by the police, her house, unfortunately, remains an active crime scene. With nowhere else to go she ends up moving into Finlay’s house temporarily-since she is right across the street-despite the fact that the two have not always seen eye to eye on things!

Instead of being a grateful guest, she is demanding grocery runs, and rides to her book club meetings, but she does chip in on home schooling and childcare while staying with Finlay and her scenes with Finlay’s children are some of the funniest in the book!

I have to admit, I haven’t had this much fun reading a Finlay Donovan book since the first one, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue the series. It had become too slapstick for me with all of the caricature mafia characters in books two through four-but once I heard that Mrs. Haggerty would be back-I was all in and she didn’t disappoint! (She is a SCENE STEALER !)

As always-we have a cliffhanger at the end-so it does look like this series will continue�

I paired my reading with the AUDIOBOOK, narrated (as always) by the fabulous Angela Dawe-This happens to be a series that I prefer LISTENING TO!
]]> The Memory Ward 215003803 From critically acclaimed author Jon Bassoff, The Memory Ward is a haunting Russian doll of a novel about one man’s attempt to discover what’s real and what isn’t �

They say it’s always beautiful in Bethlam, Nevada. No place you’d rather live. The people are friendly, if a little nosy, and there’s no crime to speak of. Life is pretty perfect.

But postal worker Hank Davies has started to suspect something is off in this idyllic little town. And he’s certain of that when he realizes the letters he’s been delivering are just blank pages.

Hank isn’t the only one who’s noticed the oddities in Bethlam. One such person knocks on his window in the middle of the night, urging him to investigate his bedroom wall. When Hank pulls back the wallpaper, he discovers dozens of sheets of paper, full of a story that is either complete madness or unbelievable truth. As he begins looking beyond the veneer of his smiling neighbors and their white picket fences, Hank is drawn further and further into a disturbing new reality �

Told in Bassoff’s lyrical and evocative style, The Memory Ward is a disquieting page-turner that examines the nature of identity, trauma, and what it means to be human.]]> 256 Jon Bassoff Jayme 3 crime, horror, netgalley
Life is GOOD in the idyllic small town of Bethlam, Nevada.-population around 500.

The neighbors are friendly, the weather always beautiful and crime is nonexistent.

It’s a life of routine for postal worker Hank Davies until one day something different happens when he trips over a tree branch and some letters fall out of his mailbag. One becomes unsealed and he is shocked, and confused by what he finds-the letters he’s been delivering are just blank pages.

His curiosity is piqued so he opens a couple more.

Three envelopes-three different senders-three different recipients-all blank.

What could it possibly mean? What is going on?

Well, I was INTRIGUED right along with Hank, BUT I CANNOT say that I ENJOYED this dark story-and I didn’t find the reveal very surprising either.

I can’t say much more, or I would risk spoilers, so I will keep this brief.

What I can say is that although it wasn’t a book for ME-you will PROBABLY enjoy it if you enjoyed the 2022 Oscar nominated film, “Don’t Worry Darling� or Jim Carrey’s movie called “The Truman Show�. Proof of that is the many 4 and 5 star reviews that have been written for this book, so be sure to seek out other opinions as well as mine.

Available Now

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!]]> 3.73 2025 The Memory Ward
author: Jon Bassoff
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: crime, horror, netgalley
review:
I was introduced to the author’s work when I read the very unique “Beneath Cruel Waters, in 2023, so I was excited to see that he had a new book coming out in March, and this one sounded equally as fascinating.

Life is GOOD in the idyllic small town of Bethlam, Nevada.-population around 500.

The neighbors are friendly, the weather always beautiful and crime is nonexistent.

It’s a life of routine for postal worker Hank Davies until one day something different happens when he trips over a tree branch and some letters fall out of his mailbag. One becomes unsealed and he is shocked, and confused by what he finds-the letters he’s been delivering are just blank pages.

His curiosity is piqued so he opens a couple more.

Three envelopes-three different senders-three different recipients-all blank.

What could it possibly mean? What is going on?

Well, I was INTRIGUED right along with Hank, BUT I CANNOT say that I ENJOYED this dark story-and I didn’t find the reveal very surprising either.

I can’t say much more, or I would risk spoilers, so I will keep this brief.

What I can say is that although it wasn’t a book for ME-you will PROBABLY enjoy it if you enjoyed the 2022 Oscar nominated film, “Don’t Worry Darling� or Jim Carrey’s movie called “The Truman Show�. Proof of that is the many 4 and 5 star reviews that have been written for this book, so be sure to seek out other opinions as well as mine.

Available Now

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
]]> Too Old for This 221146758 A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends.

When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.

But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…]]> Samantha Downing 0593101057 Jayme 5
“Chamomile or Peppermint?�

Lottie Jones, a 75 year old retired serial killer, does not approve of guests knocking on her door UNINVITED, but she will still smile and invite them in, offering tea and cookies because she is nothing if not polite. ]]> 4.50 2025 Too Old for This
author: Samantha Downing
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: favorite-a-author, psychological-thriller, netgalley
review:
*My Most Anticipated Psychological Thriller Read for 2025* and it Didn’t Disappoint!!

“Chamomile or Peppermint?�

Lottie Jones, a 75 year old retired serial killer, does not approve of guests knocking on her door UNINVITED, but she will still smile and invite them in, offering tea and cookies because she is nothing if not polite.
]]> Missing in Flight 212031069 From USA Today bestselling author Audrey J. Cole comes a harrowing thriller about a woman faced with the unthinkable, when her infant goes missing aboard a plane to New York.

Rushing back to her seat, Makayla Rossi is relieved that all’s still quiet. But when she checks on her sleeping baby, relief morphs into fear. The bassinet is empty.

Liam is gone.

It was a long flight from Anchorage to New York, and with every flight attendant busy, Makayla reluctantly ran to the restroom, asking a seat neighbor to watch her son. She stepped away for just a few minutes. Yet at thirty thousand feet, he still vanished.

Passengers and crew scour the plane to no avail, and since no one recalls seeing her with a baby, suspicions begin to mount about Makayla’s mental state. She’s certain this is nothing like her mother’s on-air memory meltdown. If only Jack, her husband, were there. He would believe her. A high-profile banker featured in Forbes, maybe he could even help.

But Makayla is squarely on her own. And she’ll have to think fast in order to find her son—before it’s too late.]]> 285 Audrey J. Cole 1662520700 Jayme 4 3.74 2025 Missing in Flight
author: Audrey J. Cole
name: Jayme
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: thriller-tbr, netgalley, mystery-suspense
review:

]]> The Man Made of Smoke 217387838 The latest gripping serial killer thriller from the New York Times bestselling author Alex North.

Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So when his father passes away under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits his small island community, determined to uncover the truth about his death. Is it possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares has returned after all these years?

With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.]]> 320 Alex North 1250757894 Jayme 4
“NOBODY SEES and NOBODY CARES�

On the drive home from a visit to the Zoo, the Garvies pulled into a rest stop for refreshments. Young Dan Garvie decided to use the rest room, and in it he ran across a young boy with a dirt streaked face and eyes which seemed to beg for help.

Too young to know what to do-but not too young to recognize danger-he hid. A whistling man, would usher those words- “Nobody Sees, and Nobody Cares� as he left with the boy.

Not much later, Dan would learn that he had crossed paths with a serial killer who would be dubbed, “The Pied Piper�.

Narrowly escaping the fate, that would befall the boy in the restroom, would haunt Dan Garvie. He became obsessed with a book about the case-“The Man Made of Smoke� by Terrance O’Hare, and he would grow up to become a criminal Profiler-trying to make sense of the “human monsters� who inflict that kind of pain on others.

His father John, a Policeman, would spend his retirement years, trying to solve the cold case too.

Dan gets a call summoning him back home, when his father commits “Suicide� but the circumstances surrounding his death seem suspicious, and it’s soon apparent that despite the many years that have passed-this case still has both men firmly in its grip�.

This was an engaging slow burn mystery with a strong sense of foreboding from the opening pages-the kind of book that has you double checking the locks on your doors and drawing the blinds tightly shut. Nothing disturbs me more than TRUE CRIME or books that read like such, as this does.

Alex North has done it again!

You can pick up your copy on May 13, 2025 or if you are lucky enough to have a LFL (Little Free Library) near you-you might get to borrow a copy TODAY as early readers like myself will be dropping off our copies to these libraries on March 1, 2025 behalf of Celadon books!

Happy Hunting! I just dropped off my copy in Gilbert AZ! Need a hint? The photo of the LFL is in my profile pics! ]]> 4.24 2025 The Man Made of Smoke
author: Alex North
name: Jayme
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: mystery-suspense, already-own, buddy-read, physical-arc-received, publisher-s-invitation, crime
review:
4.5 ⭐️

“NOBODY SEES and NOBODY CARES�

On the drive home from a visit to the Zoo, the Garvies pulled into a rest stop for refreshments. Young Dan Garvie decided to use the rest room, and in it he ran across a young boy with a dirt streaked face and eyes which seemed to beg for help.

Too young to know what to do-but not too young to recognize danger-he hid. A whistling man, would usher those words- “Nobody Sees, and Nobody Cares� as he left with the boy.

Not much later, Dan would learn that he had crossed paths with a serial killer who would be dubbed, “The Pied Piper�.

Narrowly escaping the fate, that would befall the boy in the restroom, would haunt Dan Garvie. He became obsessed with a book about the case-“The Man Made of Smoke� by Terrance O’Hare, and he would grow up to become a criminal Profiler-trying to make sense of the “human monsters� who inflict that kind of pain on others.

His father John, a Policeman, would spend his retirement years, trying to solve the cold case too.

Dan gets a call summoning him back home, when his father commits “Suicide� but the circumstances surrounding his death seem suspicious, and it’s soon apparent that despite the many years that have passed-this case still has both men firmly in its grip�.

This was an engaging slow burn mystery with a strong sense of foreboding from the opening pages-the kind of book that has you double checking the locks on your doors and drawing the blinds tightly shut. Nothing disturbs me more than TRUE CRIME or books that read like such, as this does.

Alex North has done it again!

You can pick up your copy on May 13, 2025 or if you are lucky enough to have a LFL (Little Free Library) near you-you might get to borrow a copy TODAY as early readers like myself will be dropping off our copies to these libraries on March 1, 2025 behalf of Celadon books!

Happy Hunting! I just dropped off my copy in Gilbert AZ! Need a hint? The photo of the LFL is in my profile pics!
]]>