en-US Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:05:52 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 199798145
In a not-too-distant America, abortions are prosecuted and the right to choose is no longer an option. But best friends Laylah and Noor want to change the world. After graduating high school, they’ll become an OBGYN and a journalist, but in the meantime, they’re working on an illegal guide to abortion in Texas.

In response to the unfair laws, underground networks of clinics have sprung up, but the good fight has gotten even more precarious as it becomes harder to secure safe medication and supplies. Both Layla and Noor are passionate about getting their guide completed so it can help those in need, but Laylah treats their project with an urgency Noor doesn’t understand—that may have something to do with the strange goings-on between their mosque and a local politician.

Fighting for what they believe in may involve even more obstacles than they bargained for, but the two best friends will continue as they always together.]]> 352 Seema Yasmin 1665938447 Amanda 4
Also another novel that talks about dissociative identity disorder (we need more books that talk about this.)]]> 4.17 2024
author: Seema Yasmin
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: muslim-authors, platonic, high-school-and-college, deep-south-usa, literary-fiction-2000-2025, side-characters-identify-as-lgbtqia, debut-south-asian-authors, invisible-disability
review:
I throughly enjoyed this novel. It's eerie how this storyline could potentially be a path that some people will be taking if lawmakers decide to do even more removal of women's rights. I enjoyed learning more about not just Muslim values and cultural aspects of both Layla and Noor's life but also medicine and journalism. Worth checking out.

Also another novel that talks about dissociative identity disorder (we need more books that talk about this.)
]]> 228342376 400 Jasmine Skye 1250872618 Amanda 0 to-read 4.75
author: Jasmine Skye
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 54303852 An “engrossing debut� novel (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me) about a couple whose dreams of adoption push them to do the unthinkable when their baby’s birth family steps into the picture.

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO SAVE YOUR FAMILY?

As soon as Gail and Jon Durbin bring home their adopted baby Maya, she becomes the glue that mends their fractured marriage.

But the Durbin’s social worker, Paige, can’t find the teenage birth mother to sign the consent forms. By law, Carli has seventy-two hours to change her mind. Without her signature, the adoption will unravel.

Carli is desperate to pursue her dreams, so giving her baby a life with the Durbins seems like the right choice � until her own mother throws down an ultimatum. Soon Carli realizes how few choices she has.

As the hours tick by, Paige knows that the Durbins� marriage won’t survive the loss of Maya, but everyone’s life is shattered when they—and baby Maya—disappear without a trace.

Filled with heartrending turns, Other People’s Children is a riveting page-turner you’ll find impossible to put down.]]> 384 Jeff Hoffmann 198215909X Amanda 3 3.77 2021
author: Jeff Hoffmann
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, debut-white-authors, literary-fiction-2000-2025, might-be-triggering, more-than-300-pages, pregnancy-baby, thrilling-page-turner
review:
This had a lot going on with multiple points of view. I was disappointed when I found out the author’s identity because the female characters in this one felt outlandish to the point where their actions made it hard to suspend disbelief. The twists I didn’t see coming but if this weren’t a full cast audio - I would have left this one alone. If you are someone that is struggling with reproduction / fertility / adoption - there is a heavy handedness with these topics.
]]> 195853552 The final book in the swoony and high-stakes fantasy rom-com trilogy that began with Twin Crowns, about twin princesses separated at birth—from bestselling authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber.

Twin queens Rose & Wren survived the Battle for Anadawn and brought back magic to their kingdom. But danger lurks in Eana’s shadows.

Wren is troubled. Ever since she performed the blood spell on Prince Ansel, her magic has become unruly. Worse, the spell created a link between Wren and the very man she’s trying to forget: Icy King Alarik of Gevra. A curse is eating away at both of them. To fix it they must journey to the northern mountains—under the watchful guard of Captain Tor Iversen—to consult with the Healer on High.

Rose is haunted. Waking one night to find her undead ancestor Oonagh Starcrest by her bed, she receives a warning: Surrender the throne—or face a war that will destroy Eana. With nowhere to turnand desperate to find a weapon to defeat Oonagh, Rose seeks help from Shen-Lo in the Sunkissed Kingdom, but what she finds there may break her heart.

As Oonagh threatens all Rose and Wren hold dear, it will take everything they have to save Eana—including a sacrifice they may not be prepared to make.]]> 480 Catherine Doyle 0063326434 Amanda 0 to-read 3.87 2024
author: Catherine Doyle
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218372272 Rival engineers dabble in personal chemistry while at a tropical company retreat in this smart, zippy romcom.

Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program—plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee.

Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?]]> 352 Nisha J. Tuli 1538759268 Amanda 0 to-read 4.26
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53231851
McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm--the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. Along the way, she meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country--from parks and pools to functioning schools--have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world's advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare.

But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: gains that come when people come together across race, to accomplish what we simply can't do on our own.

McGhee marshals economic and sociological research to paint a story of racism's costs, but at the heart of the book are the humble stories of people yearning to be part of a better America, including white supremacy's collateral victims: white people themselves. With startling empathy, this heartfelt message from a Black woman to a multiracial America leaves us with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game.]]> 415 Heather McGhee 0525509569 Amanda 0 to-read 4.62 2021
author: Heather McGhee
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 42374300
Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res's show of strength is the only thing that can help her.

But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can't trust but can't seem to stay away from.

As the rebel group prepares for war, Res's magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be.]]> 352 Kalyn Josephson 1492672971 Amanda 0 to-read 3.87 2020
author: Kalyn Josephson
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 38330596 The first book in Kalyn Josephson's "must-read" (Adrienne Young) Storm Crow duology, a YA fantasy series that follows a fallen princess who ignites a rebellion, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and And I Darken.
Princess Thia was born to be a crow rider—a warrior. In her kingdom of Rhodaire, magical elemental crows keep the city running. But when the Illucian empire invades, they kill all the crows in a horrible fire that also robs Thia of her mother and mentor.
Then Thia's sister, Caliza, becomes the new queen of Rhodaire, she is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the Illucian heir in an effort to save her people. Prince Ericen is rude and cruel and Thia can't imagine traveling into the heart of an enemy city after so much has been taken from her.
But before she leaves, she finds a crow egg in the rubble of the rookery. Deep in the heart of Ilucia she must hatch the last crow, hold her own against the crown prince, and ignite a rebellion to take back what is hers.
Perfect readers who want:YA mental health storiesLGBTQ charactersGifts for teen girls 12-18Also in this series:
The Crow Rider (Book 2)
Praise for The Storm Crow:
"Clashing kingdoms, thrilling action, and an imperfect heroine make this a must-read."—ADRIENNE YOUNG, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back
"[A]mbitious worldbuilding and an engaging premise�; Anthia's battle with depression is portrayed with frank authenticity, and features well-developed LGBTQ in the Deep characters."—Publishers Weekly]]> 352 Kalyn Josephson 1492672939 Amanda 0 to-read 3.77 2019
author: Kalyn Josephson
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 54017820 Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl...

Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother’s love―and she’s on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja’s otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back� by stealing Gisele’s life for herself.

The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.

Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele’s sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja’s tail, she’ll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life.]]> 512 Margaret Owen 1250191904 Amanda 0 to-read 4.24 2021
author: Margaret Owen
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58700318
Alyson is a romantic, and sometimes it gets her into trouble. Like last summer, she thought her co-worker was into her, when in reality he found her flirting pathetic.

Then she meets Brenton Riggs Jr., and right away she knows that their connection isn’t just in her head. When he swoops in to save her one night from a less than savory party encounter, she falls head-over-heels. Finally, someone Alyson likes who likes her back!

But when she finds out about the King’s Cup—a competition the guy’s at their boarding school started to see who has the most sexual prowress—she’s put on edge. Does Brenton really want to be with her, or is he just trying to win? Then Alyson and the other girls at the school start a competition of their own: The Queen’s Cup. It’s all about reclaiming their power. But as the compeition heats up, Alyson’s relationship begins to fall apart—and it isn’t long before the cracks in her perfect love story start to show through.]]> 320 Jordyn Taylor Amanda 0 to-read 3.38 2023
author: Jordyn Taylor
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55004144 Eva has never felt like she belonged... not in her own family or with her friends in New York City, and certainly not at a fancy boarding school like Hardwick Preparatory Academy. So when she is invited to join the Fives, an elite secret society, she jumps at the opportunity to finally be a part of something.

But what if the Fives are about more than just having the best parties and receiving special privileges from the school? What if they are also responsible for keeping some of Hardwick’s biggest secrets buried?

1962:
There is only one reason why Connie would volunteer to be one of the six students to participate in testing Hardwick’s nuclear fallout shelter: Craig Allenby. While the thought of nuclear war sends her into a panic, she can’t pass up the opportunity to spend four days locked in with the school’s golden boy. However, Connie and the other students quickly discover that there is more to this “test� than they previously thought. As they are forced to follow an escalating series of commands, Connie realizes that one wrong move could have dangerous consequences.

Separated by sixty years , Eva's and Connie’s stories become inextricably intertwined as Eva unravels the mystery of how six students went into the fallout shelter all those years ago . . . but only five came out.]]> 352 Jordyn Taylor 0063038889 Amanda 0 to-read 3.81 2021
author: Jordyn Taylor
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 52462895 Now:
Sixteen-year-old Alice is spending the summer in Paris, but she isn’t there for pastries and walks along the Seine. When her grandmother passed away two months ago, she left Alice an apartment in France that no one knew existed. An apartment that has been locked for more than seventy years.

Alice is determined to find out why the apartment was abandoned and why her grandmother never once mentioned the family she left behind when she moved to America after World War II. With the help of Paul, a charming Parisian student, she sets out to uncover the truth. However, the more time she spends digging through the mysteries of the past, the more she realizes there are secrets in the present that her family is still refusing to talk about.

Then:
Sixteen-year-old Adalyn doesn’t recognize Paris anymore. Everywhere she looks, there are Nazis, and every day brings a new horror of life under the Occupation. When she meets Luc, the dashing and enigmatic leader of a resistance group, Adalyn feels she finally has a chance to fight back. But keeping up the appearance of being a much-admired socialite while working to undermine the Nazis is more complicated than she could have imagined. As the war goes on, Adalyn finds herself having to make more and more compromises—to her safety, to her reputation, and to her relationships with the people she loves the most.]]> 359 Jordyn Taylor 006293662X Amanda 0 to-read 4.02 2020
author: Jordyn Taylor
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62985051 It will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are . . .

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

In London, rumors of a "fallen angel" cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .

The Gifts is an astonishing novel, a spellbinding tale told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition.]]> 448 Liz Hyder 1728271703 Amanda 0 to-read 3.60 2022
author: Liz Hyder
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222139855 ,Ìýand, more importantly, the life’s purpose she once took for granted.
Ìý
For months, Amy has escaped by watching Youtube videos of Angel walking the children of Tbilisi to school.Ìý When Angel goes missing, Amy volunteers to go find him. The fact that her husband may be having (another) affair and her stepson is away at college probably has something to do with it.Ìý Who is Amy, after all, if she’s not taking care of other people?
Ìý
But to her surprise, Angel proves elusive, and while she does make friends with a number of stray dogs, what she finds in Tblisi is entirely human. Is she happy in her marriage? What happened to her career? Why doesn’t she ever cook anymore, even just for herself?Ìý
Ìý
Helping her on this journey of self-discovery is a rebellious teenager, a mysterious and attractive Russian, and several post-Soviet grandmothers. And, of course, the rich food and culture and complicated politics of Georgia itself.
Ìý
After a lifetime of looking away from her own needs and appetites, Amy is forced to confront what she really wants and how to finally find herself -
Ìý
And a dog.
Ìý
Ìý]]> 304 Lauren Grodstein 1643752359 Amanda 0 to-read 4.44
author: Lauren Grodstein
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60023145
What does the future hold for those born in the years of the Dragon, Tiger, and Goat?

In present day New Orleans, Xuan Trung, formerÌýbeauty queen turned refugeeÌýafter the Fall of Saigon, is obsessed with divining her daughters' fates through their Vietnamese zodiac signs. But Trac, Nhi and Trieu diverge completely from their immigrant parents' expectations. Successful lawyer Trac hides her sexuality from her family; Nhi competes as the only woman of color on aÌýBachelor-esque reality TV show; and Trieu, a budding writer,Ìýis determined to learn more about her familial and cultural past.

As the three sisters begin to encounter strange glimpses of long-buried secrets from the ancestors they never knew, the story of the Trung women unfurls to reveal the dramatic events that brought them to America. Moving backwards in time,ÌýE.M. Tran takes us into the high school classroomsÌýof New Orleans, to Saigon beauty pageants,Ìýto twentieth century rubber plantations, traversing a century as the Trungs are both estranged and united by the ghosts of their tumultuous history.

A “haunted story of resilience and survivalâ€� (Meng Jin,ÌýLittle Gods),ÌýDaughters of the New Year isÌýan addictive, high-wire act of storytelling that illuminates an entire lineage of extraordinary women fighting to reclaim the power they’ve been stripped of for centuries.

Ìý]]> 320 E.M. Tran 1335429239 Amanda 0 to-read 3.46 2022
author: E.M. Tran
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 198701926
Claire Wu isn’t sure that she has what it takes to become a successful concert pianist.

It’s the fear of every student at Greenwood School of Performing becoming a washed-out performer who couldn't make it big. And Claire's no Rocky Wong, the ace pianist at their boarding school.

Then Dr. Li shows up.Ìý She’s like no other teacher at Greenwood: mysterious, sophisticated, fascinating. Under Dr. Li’s tutelage, Claire works harder and dreams bigger than ever. And her crush Rocky finally seems interested. Maybe she’ll even be "Chinese enough" to join the elusive Asian Student Society.

Everything is falling into place until eerily personal notes about Claire’s bond with Dr. Li appear. Claire starts to feel the pressure. But she isn't the only one. Everyone is feeling the strain. Especially Rocky, whose extreme perfectionism hides something more troubling.

As the Showcase tension crescendos, Claire must decide if she’s ready to sink or swim. She may discover who she really is as a Chinese American and learn if she’s ready to give her all for a shot at greatness.

The Notes is a powerful and poignant debut YA novel from award-winning writer Catherine Con Morse about dealing with academic pressures, falling in love for the first time, and finding yourself.]]> 320 Catherine Con Morse 0593711408 Amanda 0 to-read 3.96 2024
author: Catherine Con Morse
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212378278
When renouned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she's expected to make a quick recovery, and Sona is excited to spend time with the worldly woman who shares her half-Indian identity, even if that's where their similarities end. Sona is enraptured by Mira's stories of her travels, and shocked by accounts of the many lovers she's left scattered through Europe. Over the course of a week, Mira befriends Sona, seeing in her something bigger than the small life she's living with her mother. Mira is released from the hospital just in time to attend a lavish engagement party where all of Bombay society. But the next day, Mira is readmitted to the hospital in worse condition than before, and when she dies under mysterious circumstances, Sona immediately falls under suspicion.

Before leaving the hospital in disgrace, Sona is given a note Mira left for her, along with her four favorite paintings. But how could she have known to leave a note if she didn't know she was going to die? The note sends Sona on a mission to deliver three of the paintings—the first to Petra, Mira's childhood friend and first love in Prague; the second to her art dealer Josephine in Paris; the third to her first painting tutor, Paolo, with whom both Mira and her mother had affairs. As Sona uncovers Mira's history, she learns that the charming facade she'd come to know was only one part of a complicated and sometimes cruel woman. But can she discover what really happened to Mira and exonerate herself?

Along the way, Sona also comes to terms with her own complex history and the English father who deserted her and her mother in India so many years ago. In the end, she'll discover that we are all made up of pieces, and only by seeing the world do we learn to see ourselves.]]> 352 Alka Joshi 077836853X Amanda 0 3.98 2025
author: Alka Joshi
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, 2025-2030, adults-are-the-main-character, book-of-the-month-picks, historical-fiction-2000-2025, literary-fiction-2000-2025, south-asian-female-love-interest, south-asian-male-love-interest, southeast-asia, veteran-south-asian-authors
review:

]]> 199797895
Meanwhile, the DelDine group has been snapping up beloved eateries along this stretch of coast, and it is pursuing Jack with a very generous offer to take Schmidt’s off his hands. Jack craves companionship and maybe even a family. He wonders whether closing the door on the restaurant might open a window for him—but who would he be without Schmidt’s, and can he trust DelDine’s claims that it will continue to employ his staff and honor his family’s legacy?]]> 287 Ethan Joella 1668024608 Amanda 0 3.71 2024
author: Ethan Joella
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, adults-are-the-main-character, book-of-the-month-picks, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 60127133 From the author of A Little Hope—a Read with Jenna Bonus Pick—comes another “heartwarming, character-driven� (Booklist) life-affirming novel about three individuals whose lives intersect in unforeseen ways.

Set in a close-knit suburb in the grip of winter, A Quiet Life follows three people grappling with loss and finding a tender wisdom in their grief.

Chuck Ayers used to look forward to nothing so much as his annual trip to Hilton Head with his wife, Cat—that yearly taste of relaxation they’d become accustomed to after a lifetime of working and raising two children. Now, just months after Cat’s death, Chuck finds that he can’t let go of her belongings—her favorite towel, the sketchbooks in her desk drawer—as he struggles to pack for a trip he can’t imagine taking without her.

Ella Burke delivers morning newspapers and works at a bridal shop to fill her days while she anxiously awaits news—any piece of information—about her missing daughter. Ella adjusts to life in a new apartment and answers every call on her phone, hoping her daughter will reach out.

After the sudden death of her father, Kirsten Bonato set aside her veterinary school aspirations, finding comfort in the steady routine of working at an animal shelter. But as time passes, old dreams and new romantic interests begin to surface—and Kirsten finds herself at another crossroads.

In this beautiful and profoundly moving novel, three parallel narratives converge in poignant and unexpected ways, as each character bravely presses onward, trying to recover something they have lost. Emotionally riveting and infused with hope, “the soothing tone and warm worldview of this grown-up bedtime story will be good for what ails you� (Kirkus Reviews).]]> 320 Ethan Joella 198219099X Amanda 4 I have a newfound appreciation for cardinals

This book creeps on you (not in a spooky or weird way) but in the soft build up of three seemingly different people who interconnect and teach us that there are multiple forms of love & heart ache. You learn that even though each character has lot someone, hope has not left them. It’s a wonderful sophomore novel and I’m looking forward to more from Mr. Joella. My only critique would be I would have liked a tiny nod of what direction Kiki takes with a certain person but minus that- this is worth the read. ]]> 4.20 2022
author: Ethan Joella
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/28
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, winter-holiday, adults-are-the-main-character, literary-fiction-2000-2025, veteran-white-authors
review:
I have a newfound appreciation for cardinals

This book creeps on you (not in a spooky or weird way) but in the soft build up of three seemingly different people who interconnect and teach us that there are multiple forms of love & heart ache. You learn that even though each character has lot someone, hope has not left them. It’s a wonderful sophomore novel and I’m looking forward to more from Mr. Joella. My only critique would be I would have liked a tiny nod of what direction Kiki takes with a certain person but minus that- this is worth the read.
]]> 56898255 A Read with Jenna Bonus Selection

An “immersive…illuminating� (Booklist) and life-affirming novel following the residents of an idyllic Connecticut town over the course of a year, A Little Hope explores the intertwining lives of a dozen neighbors as they confront everyday desires and fears: a lost love, a stalled career, an illness, and a betrayal.

Freddie and Greg Tyler seem to have it all: a comfortable home, a beautiful young daughter, a bond that feels unbreakable. But when Greg is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, the sense of certainty they once knew evaporates. Throughout their town, friends and neighbors face the most difficult of life’s challenges and are figuring out how to survive thanks to love, grace, and hope.

“A quietly powerful portrait of small-town life…told with wisdom and tenderness� (Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes) A Little Hope is a deeply resonant debut that immerses the reader in a community and celebrates the importance of small moments of connection.]]> 288 Ethan Joella 1982171197 Amanda 3 3.66 2021
author: Ethan Joella
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/27
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: might-be-triggering, book-of-the-month-picks, adults-are-the-main-character, debut-white-authors, less-than-300-pages, literary-fiction-2000-2025
review:
When I heard Ethan Joella’a novels were going to be added to the BOTM collection, I decided to give his first one a go. This definitely doesn’t feel at all like a plot based book. It reads like a collection of novellas/short stories centered around a specific group of people living in Connecticut. Some of the content was tugging at me (my heart almost broke with Luke & his experiences) so be prepared for sadness planted early on (cancer diagnosis, character using drugs, death, pregnancy, infidelity, lost love.) I think if this had a plot to tie it all together I would have enjoyed it more but this could have been slightly shorter in terms of page length.
]]> 204640575 She’s out for adventure. He’s out for blood.

The world of your favorite fantasy novels is real, and you’re invited to visit. The only catch? It’s filled with thirsty vampires. Devour this page-turning romance from the bestselling author of One to Watch.

Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout, she spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days curled up with her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. Tess even dabbles in online conspiracies that Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist�

Until one walks through her door.

It turns out Blood Feud is real, and the sexy villain of the novels is trapped. Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help rescue him, and soon she’s in a fantasia of lavish palaces and enchanted forests, on a secret island where the sun never shines and she’s surrounded by deadly vampires—and against her better judgment, she’s falling in love with one of them. (And unbeknownst to Tess, her estranged best friend is having a sapphic affair with a beautiful vampire of her own back in New York.)

Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but will Tess be able to outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out whether it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.]]> 400 Kate Stayman-London 0593729129 Amanda 2 3.53 2024
author: Kate Stayman-London
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: fat-plus-sized-main-characters, might-be-triggering, consensual-smut, vampires-werewolves, side-characters-identify-as-lgbtqia, sophomore-books, east-coast-setting, adults-are-the-main-character, literary-fiction-2000-2025, more-than-300-pages, romance-on-the-side, veteran-white-authors, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I was curious to see how this would turn out and I was a little disappointed. I think if this had been shorter in terms of page numbers and possibly focused on only one romance instead of cramming two, this would have been better received (by me) Plus despite the author telling us and the character mentioning internally that she was assaulted, I don’t feel as if Tess got the help she truly needed or processed the impact in a healthy way. Who just [spoilers removed]
]]> 53103895 Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition--under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.

But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale.]]> 417 Kate Stayman-London 0525510443 Amanda 3 3.86 2020
author: Kate Stayman-London
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/07
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, adults-are-the-main-character, debut-white-authors, fat-plus-sized-main-characters, literary-fiction-2000-2025, more-than-300-pages, wwomen-love-interests
review:
The plus sized representation and diversity among the contestants was great to see. But Bea was a little hard to root for when [spoilers removed] She also is deeply insecure. Now I’m all for showing realistic mental thoughts about how we feel about our bodies (we aren’t confident 100% of the time) but constantly projecting or acting as if a non plus sized man would never love her made it hard to not want to shake some sense into Bea. Especially when her family loves and supports her. I wanted to cry at how sweet and loving Stepdad and Bea are. Also why is the Black contestant young and directionless (a Walmart version of Barnett) & the Asian contestant a little too reserved ? The asexual rep was a nice surprise.
]]> 61486279 A city bookshop owner heads to the English countryside for a holiday reunion—only to face her childhood enemy.

Elinor Noel—Nory for short—is quite content running her secondhand bookshop in London. Forever torn between her working-class upbringing and her classmates� extravagant lifestyles at the posh private school she attended on scholarship, Nory has finally figured out how to keep both at equal distance. So when two of her oldest friends invite their whole gang to spend the time leading up to their wedding together at the castle near their old school, Nory must prepare herself for an emotionally complicated few days.

The reunion brings back fond memories, but also requires Nory to dodge an ill-advised former fling. When she falls quite literally into the arms of Isaac, the castle’s head gardener, who has nothing but contempt for the "snobby prep school kids," the attraction between them is undeniable. And as Nory spends more time with Isaac during the wedding festivities, she finds herself falling hard for the boy she used to consider an enemy. Nory and Isaac explore their common ground, but pressures mount on all sides, and Nory must decide what kind of life she wants to live and what sort of love is worth the riskÌý.Ìý.Ìý.]]> 429 Jenny Bayliss 0593422236 Amanda 0 3.47 2022
author: Jenny Bayliss
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, adults-are-the-main-character, more-than-300-pages, veteran-white-authors, west-europe, white-male-love-interest, winter-holiday, wwomen-love-interests
review:

]]> 57345678 A charmingly quirky seaside town offers a recently separated restauranteur a fresh start and possibly a new lease on love in A Season for Second Chances, by the author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

Annie Sharpe's spark for life has fizzled out. Her kids are grown up, her restaurant is doing just fine on its own, and her twenty-six-year marriage has come to an unceremonious end. Untethered for the first time in her adult life, she finds a winter guardian position in a historic seaside home and decides to leave her city life behind for a brand-new beginning.

When she arrives in Willow Bay, Annie is enamored by the charming house, the invigorating sea breeze, and the town's rich seasonal traditions. Not to mention, her neighbors receive her with open arms--that is, all except the surly nephew of the homeowner, whose grand plans for the property are at odds with her residency. As Christmas approaches, tensions and tides rise in Willow Bay, and Annie's future seems less and less certain. But with a little can-do spirit and holiday magic, the most difficult time of her life will become...a season for second chances.]]> 448 Jenny Bayliss 0593085418 Amanda 0 3.76
author: Jenny Bayliss
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, adults-are-the-main-character, more-than-300-pages, sophomore-books, veteran-white-authors, west-europe, white-male-love-interest, winter-holiday, wwomen-love-interests
review:

]]> 50608051 'Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read

When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right?

Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . . .]]> 320 Jenny Bayliss Amanda 3 3.54 2020
author: Jenny Bayliss
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/07
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: winter-holiday, west-europe, adults-are-the-main-character, debut-white-authors, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
Light read (a little predictable at the end) but I do like that we get a sense of who the characters are and the 12 dates were rushed, some of them were actually cute ideas ! I’m not sure what exactly was missing for me to rate this higher on my star scale but good start to the holiday reading season.
]]> 46225061
But she was wrong. On her twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.

So now it's just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life--and perhaps even love--again.

But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.

Lydia is pulled again and again across the doorway of her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there's an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there's someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.

Written with Josie Silver's trademark warmth and wit, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a powerful and thrilling love story about the what-ifs that arise at life's crossroads, and what happens when one woman is given a miraculous chance to answer them.]]> 369 Josie Silver 0593135237 Amanda 3 3.71 2020
author: Josie Silver
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/24
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, adults-are-the-main-character, sophomore-books, veteran-white-authors, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I liked this better than One Day in December by the same author but I still wasn’t captivated or invested with the storyline. I already figured out who the MC was going to end up with as far as the love interest and I knew the initial premise of the plot wasn’t going to last long at all. It’s not awful just � a little longer than I felt it needed to be. This could have been wrapped up in fifty - one hundred pages less than what it ended with.
]]> 38255337 Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic... and then her bus drives away.

Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780525574682.]]> 393 Josie Silver Amanda 2 3.80 2018
author: Josie Silver
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2021/12/11
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, winter-holiday, adults-are-the-main-character, debut-white-authors, west-europe, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I’m not entirely sure how I fully feel about this novel. The synopsis (to me) kind of made me feel as if the predictability about Laurie & Jack’s situation was obvious from the get go. I’m also not entirely sure what it was about Jack that had Laurie smitten. A lot of telling instead of showing when it came to describing personalities. I did like that Laurie stood up for herself at one point when it came to Brussels. Of course, life happens and plans don’t always go as we originally thought but everything seemed too� convenient. It’s a well written story but I’ve never been a fan of cheating, lying or miscommunication, both in real life and in fictional stories
]]> 11387515 I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Wonder, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others.]]> 315 R.J. Palacio 0375869026 Amanda 4 4.34 2012
author: R.J. Palacio
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/31
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: middle-grade-reads, physical-disability, debut-white-authors, less-than-300-pages, sad-books-that-make-you-cry
review:
It's a decent read for a middle school demographic. If most of my students had not read this already in fifth grade, I would use this as our class novel.
]]> 25111004 Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?]]> 310 Colleen Hoover 1501110349 Amanda 1 4.10 2015
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at: 2021/10/20
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: veteran-white-authors, west-coast-setting, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I just� I may give her one more chance but I don’t think this author is for me. [spoilers removed]
]]> 442819 294 Lynne Ewing 0786806532 Amanda 2 3.83 2000
author: Lynne Ewing
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: middle-grade-reads, veteran-white-authors, west-coast-setting
review:

]]> 55711706
In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace’s old friend. She can’t bear to ignore the kindly old woman, who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can’t bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace’s death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence.]]> 256 Emily R. Austin 1982167351 Amanda 4 3.86 2021
author: Emily R. Austin
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/18
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: might-be-triggering, sapphic-2000-2025, adults-are-the-main-character, debut-white-authors, literary-fiction-2000-2025, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I went into this audiobook completely blind and I’m glad I did. Although the pacing wasn’t 100% linear and not always easy to follow, this did bring up a lot of thoughts & ideas people of faith & people who don’t believe in a higher power I’m sure have thought about at least once: the things we do on this planet� do they ultimately matter at the end of the day or are we just a floating rock in space ? There were some sad reflective moments paired with equally humorous ones.
]]> 55628983
Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.

Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story.

As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking.

Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.]]> 336 Riley Sager 0593183169 Amanda 4 3.51 2021
author: Riley Sager
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/23
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, adults-are-the-main-character, more-than-300-pages, murder-missing, thrilling-page-turner, veteran-white-authors
review:
Wow This is my second book of Mr. Sagar’s and I didn’t think I could feel so discombobulated (but in a good way.) I didn’t see any of the twists coming, playing right along with the narrative thinking Charlie was going to wind up like the rest of the victims. Well written and at a pace that was manageable. I still have a few questions that maybe will never get answered but for the most part, well done.
]]> 55467800 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Summer comes another timely and deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets, and the transformative power of female friendship, set on beautiful Cape Cod.

Daisy Shoemaker can’t sleep. With a thriving cooking business, full schedule of volunteer work, and a beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, she should be content. But her teenage daughter can be a handful; her husband can be distant, her work can feel trivial, and she has lots of acquaintances, but no real friends. Still, Daisy knows she’s got it good. So why is she up all night?

While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction, she’s also receiving misdirected emails meant for a woman named Diana Starling, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy’s driving carpools, Diana is chairing meetings. While Daisy’s making dinner, Diana’s making plans to reorganize corporations. Diana’s glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life is miles away from Daisy’s simpler existence. When an apology leads to an invitation, the two women meet and become friends. But, as they get closer, we learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who IS this other woman, and what does she want with Daisy?

From the manicured Main Line of Philadelphia to the wild landscape of the Outer Cape, written with Jennifer Weiner’s signature wit and sharp observations, THAT SUMMER is a story about surviving our pasts, confronting our futures, and the sustaining bonds of friendship.]]> 422 Jennifer Weiner 1501133543 Amanda 2 3.68 2021
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2022/07/03
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, fat-plus-sized-main-characters, literary-fiction-2000-2025, veteran-white-authors
review:
I don’t want to take away the seriousness of the topic that is approached in this novel but this is my first novel that Jennifer wrote and my feelings towards it felt like a � poorly developed rollercoaster. I was�. disengaged and slogging through until around chapter 6/7. Then it went up and down (more down than up) Maybe I have to pick up something else but this wasn’t her best. Too much background info that almost felt biographical despite these people being purely fictional. Nothing about either women made me care about them. Beatrice also didn’t connect with me and Hal is the worst husband in the world, couldn’t stomach him on page. I liked Willa the most and she’s a dog.
]]> 27362503
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up � she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating� rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan � her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.]]> 386 Colleen Hoover 1668021048 Amanda 1 4.11 2016
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at: 2022/03/11
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, might-be-triggering, east-coast-setting, adults-are-the-main-character, literary-fiction-2000-2025, pregnancy-baby, veteran-white-authors, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I know I’m in the smallest of minorities but I did not enjoy this book. I didn’t cry or sniffle. Too much shock value turned me numb. I went in this blind, barely skimming the summary and I was only a few chapters in before I could tel this wasn’t the one for me. I understand the need to bring up the issues that Hoover did but I felt like she was packing on so much that the main concern I had was - anything else ? The initial conversation between Ryle and Lily alone made me want to roll my eyes. There is no way people in their early twenties talk like that. The Atlas part was sad but Hoover gets you so caught up in Lily & Ryle that Atlas barely fits into the story. I definitely think if Hoover focused only on one plot element, this would have loads stronger. Nothing against the author personally just now meant for me.
]]> 52578297
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?]]> 288 Matt Haig 0525559477 Amanda 4 3.96 2020
author: Matt Haig
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/20
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: west-europe, adults-are-the-main-character, literary-fiction-2000-2025, more-than-300-pages, sad-books-that-make-you-cry, veteran-white-authors
review:
I definitely think this book has a lot to offer for those that might be questioning life or just living in general. It was such a nice take on seeing the world through different possibilities and yet the only way to really be happy is to harness your own power into the current life you do have. I love that the author didn’t make it sound preachy or condescending. Everything was raw, vulnerable and to the point. He could have shortened some of the longer bits and the philosophical parts sometimes confused me but overall - a solid book to me.
]]> 459900 Before the walls went up...there were adventures. Follow young Thomas Warvold and his brother as they journey through Elyon, discovering new mysteries, new challenges, and new magical creatures that will change the course of their fate...and the fate of their land.

From a humble and unexplained childhood in a very strange orphanage to a series of fearless escapes to a quest full of riddles and exploration, Thomas and Roland find that their identity--and the mysterious tattoos on their knees--are linked to a much greater history than they ever would have guessed. One brother, Thomas, is destined for adventure on land, while the other brother, Roland, is destined for adventure on sea. But before this happens, they must journey into the mist...and find the truth about both their past and their future.

Note: Although this seems like a prequel, it is integrual to the Land of Elyon Series as book #4.]]> 304 Patrick Carman 0439899524 Amanda 4 4.03 2007
author: Patrick Carman
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: middle-grade-reads, fantasy, less-than-300-pages, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 902 182 Ellen Raskin 014240120X Amanda 4 4.00 1978
author: Ellen Raskin
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: middle-grade-reads, midwest-setting, less-than-200-pages, low-stakes-mystery, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 3980
When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort - she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because he was a miser and would have money.

Claudia was a good organizer and Jamie had some ideas, too; so the two took up residence at the museum right on schedule. But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems: She felt just the same, and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the Museum so beautiful she could not go home until she had discovered its maker, a question that baffled the experts, too.

The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Without her - well, without her, Claudia might never have found a way to go home.]]> 159 E.L. Konigsburg 0744583276 Amanda 3 4.16 1967
author: E.L. Konigsburg
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1967
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: middle-grade-reads, east-coast-setting, historical-fiction-2000-2025, less-than-300-pages, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 12296 279 Nathaniel Hawthorne 0142437263 Amanda 3 3.43 1850
author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1850
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, literary-fiction-2000-2025, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 17150 219 Willa Cather 1583485090 Amanda 2 3.81 1918
author: Willa Cather
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1918
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: midwest-setting, adults-are-the-main-character, historical-fiction-2000-2025, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 16143347 A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.]]> 242 E. Lockhart 0385741278 Amanda 3 3.66 2014
author: E. Lockhart
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2016/08/19
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: high-school-and-college, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 65112
You are presumably looking at the back of this book, or the end of the end. The end of the end is the best place to begin the end, because if you read the end from the beginning of the beginning of the end to the end of the end of the end, you will arrive at the end of the end of your rope.

This book is the last in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even if you braved the previous twelve volumes, you probably can't stand such unpleasantries as a fearsome storm, a suspicious beverage, a herd of wild sheep, an enormous bird cage, and a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents.

It has been my solemn occupation to complete the history of the Baudelaire orphans, and at last I am finished. You likely have some other occupation, so if I were you I would drop this book at once, so the end does not finish you.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket]]> 353 Lemony Snicket 0064410161 Amanda 4 4.04 2006
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: middle-grade-reads, literary-fiction-2000-2025, low-stakes-mystery, more-than-300-pages, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 59071258 Two best friends torn apart by a life-altering secret. They have one summer to set the record straight.

When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half-sisters. Confused and betrayed, their friendship instantly crumbles.

Fifteen years later when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are instantly at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to keep the place where she had so many happy childhood memories.

Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house with the understanding that Kat will try to buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake’s renovation plans conflict with Kat’s creative vision, and each sister finds herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past, and learning how to become sisters.]]> 384 Ali Brady 0593440153 Amanda 3 3.90 2022
author: Ali Brady
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/29
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, debut-white-authors, deep-south-usa, jewish-author, literary-fiction-2000-2025, romance-on-the-side, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
The premise itself I didn’t have an issue with. It wasn’t 100% original but most novels have inspo from somewhere and everywhere. I felt myself more invested /drawn towards Blake’s storyline compared to Kat’s. Maybe it’s because it took a while for Kat to accept Blake but the way she treated Blake in the beginning left me raising my eyebrow. I enjoyed Blake & Noah getting together, I’m not huge into swooning over fictional men but he’s one of the few that was cute enough to enjoy his prescience. The ending felt a little too cleanly wrapped up.
]]> 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Amanda 4 4.35 2022
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/04
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: debut-white-authors, west-coast-setting, adults-are-the-main-character, audiobook-narrators-are-wonderful, literary-fiction-2000-2025, more-than-300-pages
review:
The best way I can describe this book is the feeling you get when you are hugging a friend but it's a bittersweet hug because the two of you are sad yet thankful that this exists. I'm glad to have been given the chance to read this book because everyone that was intertwined played a role in Tova's life in ways I didn't think possible. Characters who are older than 60 need more stories being told about them because your life doesn't stop when you reach your 30's 40's or 50's. I like the play on the title as it relates to both humans and Marcellus. Speaking of which, I wanted more of Marcellus !
]]> 52516406 High school nemeses fall in love in this queer YA rom com perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Casey McQuiston.

After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.

Their bumpy start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages. From author Kelly Quindlen comes a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance.]]> 288 Kelly Quindlen 1250209161 Amanda 3 3.93 2021
author: Kelly Quindlen
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/23
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: high-school-and-college, deep-south-usa, sapphic-2000-2025, bisexual, closed-door-romance, south-asian-female-love-interest, veteran-white-authors, wwomen-love-interests
review:
This book you can easily read in one sitting. It was quite interesting to note that while gay and queer are used to describe sexualities, the word lesbian is never used…It definitely reads like a young adult novel but I’m glad it exists because there are a bundle of tropes for those that enjoy reading with those in mind: one bed, enemies to lovers with dash of fake dating thrown in there. I do like that the characters especially Irene aren’t stereotyped. Irene being written as a gay Desi love interest who is a cheerleader and is unapologetic about her passions was wonderful to experience. Understanding and coming to terms with toxicity and trying to mend from a toxic relationship is acknowledged in this novel thanks to Scottie, half of one of leads in this book. I do wish that not everything centered around Scottie and her trying to get back at Tally but maybe that’s what this book was meant to showcase, how difficult it is for teenagers or anyone, to let go of something they thought was special when everyone else knew it was destructive. The supporting characters are also well rounded. My love for Danielle, Gunther, Kevin and Honey-Belle knows no bounds.
]]> 58438593
But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond� pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.]]> 360 Christina Lauren 1982171111 Amanda 2 3.96 2021
author: Christina Lauren
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2023/10/24
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read, adults-are-the-main-character, consensual-smut, veteran-white-authors, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I almost gave this three stars but despite this only being my second Christina Lauren novel... I wasn't impressed despite the uproar and high praises. The fact that I somewhat saw the bare minimum trope of "enemies to lovers" already lowkey annoyed me. Jess nor River were really enemies to begin with. I wasn't even sure what made Jess dislike him minus some misunderstandings and lack of conversations. So that trope shouldn't have been emphasized when I was reading non spoiler reviews. I also feel like the characters only acted the way they did because of the alleged magic number that I feel as if forced them into falling for one another. If neither of them entered their DNA into the system, I feel like Jess nor River would have known the other existed or been actual soulmate material. Maybe I'm just a cynic? or someone who has been burned by romance novels too many times to count but this pairing didn't feel believable to me. I did like Fizzy/Felicity and I know the next book is hers in this duo. I hope her characterization hasn't changed in her story.
]]> 55660420 Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.

Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn't expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn't fit, maybe it's time to design your own.]]> 304 Julie Murphy 1368050387 Amanda 3 3.88 2021
author: Julie Murphy
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/22
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: disney, closed-door-romance, fat-plus-sized-main-characters, high-school-and-college, more-than-300-pages, romance-on-the-side, veteran-white-authors, west-coast-setting, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
If the title didn’t make it obvious enough - this is a Cinderella retelling but make it modern day bachelor esque about an early twenties plus sized female MC. I did appreciate the little Disney nods when it came to the names of the characters. I just wish Cindy’s motive for being on the show had been consistent. This was written better than Dumplin and I like when authors take time to grow & improve on their writing. I do feel some aspects of the plot could have been strengthened but overall not a bad book.
]]> 25883848
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman

Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.

Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.

If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.

Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. ​​]]> 387 Sally Thorne Amanda 1 3.93 2016
author: Sally Thorne
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at: 2021/07/29
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, consensual-smut, debut-white-authors, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
I don't know where to begin but unfortunately, maybe I should stop having high expectations for any romance book written by a white cis female author. The amount of times Lucy discusses her height is almost as bad as when a guy talks about being fluent in sarcasm. That is not a personality trait! Also, Josh telling Lucy the reason he doesn't have a girlfriend is that they leave him for nice guys. What? Why would you not take responsibility for your own breakups? It takes two to tango - maybe you are just a selfish person who can't see beyond his own needs? This was sold to me as enemies to lovers novel but honestly, it was difficult to picture these two being in their late 20's / almost 30's when they didn't even act like. Gosh don't even get me started on the title. They hated each other why? For being immature? I might have to hit the pause button on romance for a bit until I find something in my TBR that might not disappoint me.
]]> 51933429
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 330 Lucy Foley Amanda 2 3.64 2020
author: Lucy Foley
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/03/28
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, veteran-white-authors, west-europe, adults-are-the-main-character, more-than-300-pages, murder-missing, thrilling-page-turner
review:

]]> 40597810 Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n� roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.]]> 368 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798622 Amanda 3 Billy and Daisy not to have romantic sparks. It just feels really cliche and overdone at this point. Plus, I didn’t find the beginning of
Plus, I didn’t find the beginning of Daisy’s life made that much sense. A fourteen year old doing that much craziness and no one thought to find out who her parents are / where they were?
Not to mention the plot twist ? Why did it lowkey remind me of the Evelyn Hugo one but not directly ? I also was more than ok with
Spoiler - Camila telling Daisy to leave. I blame Billy for being a dumbass as well.
Overall, the book was not bad but I think it was overhyped for me. ]]> 4.20 2019
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/03
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: book-of-the-month-picks, adults-are-the-main-character, historical-fiction-2000-2025, literary-fiction-2000-2025, more-than-300-pages, romance-on-the-side, veteran-white-authors, west-coast-setting, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
So I had read Evelyn Hugo prior to this novel and wanted to see if this would impress or at least meet my expectations. While the idea was a good one, I really was hoping for Spoiler*
Billy and Daisy not to have romantic sparks. It just feels really cliche and overdone at this point. Plus, I didn’t find the beginning of
Plus, I didn’t find the beginning of Daisy’s life made that much sense. A fourteen year old doing that much craziness and no one thought to find out who her parents are / where they were?
Not to mention the plot twist ? Why did it lowkey remind me of the Evelyn Hugo one but not directly ? I also was more than ok with
Spoiler - Camila telling Daisy to leave. I blame Billy for being a dumbass as well.
Overall, the book was not bad but I think it was overhyped for me.
]]> 65345
This book offers a compact yet representative selection of Ezra Pound's poems and translations. The span covered is Pound's entire writing career, from his early lyrics and the translations of Provençal songs to his English version of Sophocles' Trachiniae. Included are parts of his best known works—the Chinese translations, the sequence called Hugh Selwyn Mauberly, the Homage to Sextus Propertius. The Cantos, Pound's major epic, are presented in generous selections, chosen to emphasize the main themes of the whole poem.]]> 184 Ezra Pound 0811201627 Amanda 1 3.90 1928
author: Ezra Pound
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1928
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: did-not-finish, less-than-200-pages, veteran-white-authors
review:
I understand he is considered one of the classics as far as legendary poets but his poem about the red wheelbarrow.... I still don't understand the hype.
]]> 17125 The only English translation authorized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury

This unexpurgated 1991 translation by H. T. Willetts is the only authorized edition available, and fully captures the power and beauty of the original Russian.]]> 182 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Amanda 1 3.98 1962
author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1962
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: east-europe, adults-are-the-main-character, historical-fiction-2000-2025, veteran-white-authors, winter-holiday
review:

]]> 6323474
Stepping into her new identity turns out to be easier than Cassie could have ever imagined� one moment, one choice, changes everything.

Cassie’s new existence both thrills and terrifies her. Swept into a world of illicit parties and social landmines, she sheds her virginity, embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs, and floats through it all, knowing that she is now called beautiful. She ignores the dangers of her fast-paced life� but she can’t sidestep the secrets and the cruelty.

Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral tinged with violence and abuse, and no one—not even the one person she thought she could trust—can help her now.]]> 232 Amy Reed 1416978305 Amanda 1 3.67
author: Amy Reed
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: might-be-triggering, high-school-and-college, debut-white-authors, less-than-300-pages, west-coast-setting
review:

]]> 2657
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, "To Kill A Mockingbird" takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Amanda 4 4.25 1960
author: Harper Lee
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 4
read at: 2008/01/21
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: debut-white-authors, deep-south-usa, adults-are-the-main-character, historical-fiction-2000-2025, sad-books-that-make-you-cry
review:

]]> 24305 In the spirit of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Newbery Medal winner Avi creates an inspiring story of a headstrong girl determined to control her own destiny.]]> 157 Avi 0152046992 Amanda 3 3.83 2001
author: Avi
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: middle-grade-reads, jewish-author, historical-fiction-2000-2025, less-than-200-pages, veteran-white-authors
review:

]]> 10210 Alternate editions can be found here and here.

A gothic masterpiece of tempestuous passions and dark secrets, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is edited with an introduction and notes by Stevie Davis in Penguin Classics.

Charlotte Brontë tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.]]> 532 Charlotte Brontë 0142437204 Amanda 5 4.14 1847
author: Charlotte Brontë
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1847
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: west-europe, adults-are-the-main-character, historical-fiction-2000-2025, literary-fiction-2000-2025, might-be-triggering, more-than-400-pages, physical-disability, romance-on-the-side, sad-books-that-make-you-cry, veteran-white-authors, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:

]]> 203608433 From one of the most outspoken and respected NBA athletes comes a groundbreaking and remarkable memoir chronicling a very public struggle with depression, in the hopes that other young men will not suffer alone."As men, and especially Black men, we don’t talk about our mental health enough. We struggle to admit when things aren’t okay, even when it’s obvious to everybody around us. I’ve seen how toxic that can become. I’ve experienced it myself, keeping everything under wraps until your head and heart are full of fire and rage.�DeMar DeRozan, six-time NBA All-Star, has been called a “basketball savant� (ESPN) and “the best closer in the NBA� (GQ)—but when he went public with his depression, it sparked a conversation that reached far beyond the court. By breaking the stigma of speaking out, he added a new, seldom-heard voice to the mental health a successful Black male athlete, openly naming his pain and advocating for others to do the same.Now it’s time to tell the full story. Born and raised in Compton, DeRozan was no stranger to hardship—living in poverty, losing friends to gang violence. In worn-out school gyms and community centers, fueled by hunger and a desire to prove himself, he started to rise, but doubts followed. In Above the Noise, DeRozan opens up about his proudest triumphs and the times he felt so weighed down he couldn't get out of bed. He reflects on what it took to make a name for himself in a new country after getting drafted by the Toronto Raptors, the pressure of playing with veteran athletes as a twenty-year-old rookie, and the pain of losing role models.From a scared, angry kid to a confident father of five, DeRozan traces his journey to basketball stardom and the forces that honed him into the player—and the slowly healing person—he is today. It will encourage anyone who has ever felt alone in their struggles and inspire a new generation of young people to rise above the noise and speak their truth.]]> 240 DeMar DeRozan 0593581261 Amanda 0 to-read 4.28 2024
author: DeMar DeRozan
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 127975624
The Plan was simple: find a cure for the cancer that nearly took her sister’s life. But for Zoey Fong, something about The Plan isn’t working anymore. Maybe it’s her unsuccessful research, maybe it’s burnout. But when a crucial tissue sample accidentally winds up in the hands of a very distracting—and disarmingly handsome—visitor, Zoey jumps at the chance to follow him home to retrieve it.

Davy Hsieh’s rugged island estate is no manicured suburban park. His plan is simple: establish a legitimate animal sanctuary and embrace life as a hermit to make up for a sketchy past. Zoey invading his fortress of solitude should not, under any circumstances, be a romantic development.

And yet it’s the single most invigorating week of their lives…when they're able to set their many differences aside and embrace it. Stranded amid all manner of flora and fauna—including a semidomesticated cougar called Baby—Davy and Zoey first have to survive the island. Then they'll need to take a leap of faith, maybe even trusting in each other, to save it.]]> 304 Opal Wei 1335475958 Amanda 4 3.12 2024
author: Opal Wei
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.12
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, asian-female-love-interest, asian-male-love-interest, canada, consensual-smut, debut-east-asian-authors, humour-funny, invisible-disability, less-than-300-pages
review:
What happens when a cancer researcher stumbles on a person who is trying to rehabilitate wild animals? Forced time spent learning about and falling for each other. This backlist debut should be getting more buzz because not only was the open door content a hit
]]> 98924172
As a child, April Sinclair dreamt of escaping her quiet island life to become a world-famous actress. Now fully grown and with her once-flourishing career at an all-time low, what better way to figure out where it all went wrong than to go back to the beginning? April has her sights set on a new challenge, and that is saving her family’s distillery on the idyllic Scottish Isle of Skye.

What she doesn’t expect to find is Malcolm Macabe, short-tempered and exceedingly attractive, living in the home she has just inherited. He may be a million miles away from the shy teenager she knew growing up, but one thing is for certain: he doesn’t want her around anymore.

Master distiller Mal has three loves in his life: Whisky, his dog and silence. He has no time for the pampered princess poking her nose around his distillery, even if said princess is the one who got away. More comfortable in the shadows than the spotlight, Mal is content to wait her out. She’ll grow bored and run back to her glamorous world of nail salons and take-away coffee eventually. When sparks begin to fly, he tells himself it doesn’t matter…because April Sinclair could never want a man like him, right?]]> 352 Elliot Fletcher Amanda 0 to-read 3.95
author: Elliot Fletcher
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219278643 Opposites attract in this sexy Scottish romance between a young woman and the man who is completely off-limits, from the author of Whisky Business.

The Macabe Brother Rule Book (according to Juniper Ross):

Don’t look at a Macabe brotherDon’t talk to a Macabe brotherDon’t evenÌýthinkÌýabout a Macabe brotherIt’s pretty tough for June to follow her own rules, considering one brother is in love with her best friend, one is her ex-fiancé, and one â€� well, one is super-hot, small-town hero Callum Macabe.

But when Callum seems to be popping upÌýeverywhere,Ìýespecially when Juniper is at her most vulnerable, it’s hard not to imagine just how good breaking a rule might feel.]]> 384 Elliot Fletcher 0063386739 Amanda 0 to-read 4.45 2025
author: Elliot Fletcher
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 192724256
The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink—even before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces—something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Will Claire finish off her blackmailer before her pursuer reveals all? Let the games begin . . .]]> 325 Joanna Wallace 0143136178 Amanda 4 3.61 2023
author: Joanna Wallace
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, audiobook-narrators-are-wonderful, debut-white-authors, less-than-300-pages, might-be-triggering, murder-missing, thrilling-page-turner, west-europe, white-characters
review:
Woah. I was flabbergasted at the experiences that shaped Claire into the adult that she is. This made for a topsy turvy back and forth from the past /future. It was a little far fletched towards the end but everything did come together. I wished for a more cohesive ending but minus that - typical British humor sprinkled with thriller vibes and murder a foot.
]]> 200262591
Things haven't been going well for Beth. Her husband has left her for one of her friends. Her fellow school mums judge her for swearing too much and not shifting the baby weight. And now she's stuck in A&E after her son fell off the climbing wall on the first day of school.

In fact, things haven't been going well for Beth since Charlotte died - her best friend, a favourite at the school pick-ups and the only person to ever run an interesting PTA meeting. But after being hit by a car while on an ill-timed evening jog, Charlotte is no longer there to help Beth pick up the pieces of her increasingly difficult life.

That is, until Beth discovers that Charlotte left her toddler alone in the house during that fatal run. The Charlotte she knew would never do something so irresponsible, and suddenly Beth is questioning whether Charlotte's death was really an accident. With a newfound purpose and a glass of wine in hand, it's time for Beth to uncover what really happened to her best friend. And what better place to start than the circle of chatty school mums, who can't be as perfect as they pretend. But which of them is hiding something? Beth's determined to find out... once she's put the kids to bed, of course.]]> 384 Joanna Wallace 1800811373 Amanda 0 to-read 3.64 2024
author: Joanna Wallace
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 63008072
It's time to find your power.

Suddenly orphaned and alone, Rosie Frost is sent to the mysterious Bloodstone Island—home not only to a school for extraordinary teens, but also a sanctuary for endangered species. There, Rosie confronts a menacing deputy headmaster, a group of mean girls intent on destroying her, and shocking family secrets. She also discovers that history can come to life in ways she never could have imagined.Ìý

When the island itself comes under threat, Rosie knows she must enter and win the Falcon Queen Games in a desperate bid to save it.Ìý

But Rosie can't do it alone. She finds that believing in herself—and her friends—is the first step to finding the power she never knew she had.]]> 464 Geri Halliwell-Horner 0593623347 Amanda 0 to-read 3.94 2023
author: Geri Halliwell-Horner
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 30753704
But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?

Funny and moving, sweet and inspiring, Britt-Marie Was Here celebrates the importance of community and connection in a world that can feel isolating.

The New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry “returns with this heartwarming story about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis� fans of Backman will find another winner in these pages.�]]> 324 Fredrik Backman 1501142542 Amanda 0 to-read 4.12 2014
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223855011 An aimless young woman starts writing to an accused serial killer while he awaits trial and then, once he’s acquitted, decides to move in with him and take the investigation into her own hands in this dark and irresistibly compelling debut thriller. Recently ghosted and sick of watching her friends fade into the suburbs, thirty-something Hannah finds community in a true-crime forum that’s on a mission to solve the murders of four women in Atlanta. After William, a handsome lawyer, is arrested for the killings, Hannah begins writing him letters. It’s the perfect outlet for her pent-up frustration and rage. The exercise empowers her, and even feels healthy at first. Until William writes back. Hannah’s interest in the case goes from curiosity to obsession, leaving space for nothing else as her life implodes around her. After she loses her job, she heads to Georgia to attend the trial and befriends other true-crime junkies like herself. When a fifth woman is discovered murdered, the jury has no choice but to find William not guilty, and Hannah is the first person he calls upon his release. The two of them quickly fall into a routine of domestic bliss. Well, as blissful as one can feel while secretly investigating their partner for serial murder…]]> 368 Tasha Coryell 0593640284 Amanda 0 to-read 3.50 2024
author: Tasha Coryell
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216751031 A small-town waitress and a big-city Broadway press agent swap homes to escape the messiness of their personal lives, only to find new purpose—and new love.

Tatum Ward and Eleanor Chapman lead totally opposite lives. Tatum’s never left her Midwestern hometown. She resides in a quaint guest cottage on her parentsâ€� property while working part-time as a waitress, where she spends most shifts ignoring her feelings for a beautiful regular named June. Eleanor dedicatesÌýevery waking hour to her high-profile press career, sacrificing personal relationships for professional success, save for the occasional hookup to fight off her loneliness. When both women’s lives unexpectedly blow up at the exact same time, they each need an escape, and fast.

In Tatum’s hometown, Eleanor expects a quiet hideaway where she can recharge. Instead she gets wrapped up in the family drama that Tatum left town to avoid, pulled in by Tatum’s charismatic older sibling, Carson, who charms Eleanor at every turn. Tatum ends up in Eleanor’s New York high-rise apartment with June. One week together in the big city might make it impossible for Tatum to avoid not just her true feelings for June, but her real dreams for her life.

Amid a friendship with a reclusive Hollywood actress and a complicated family reunion, Tatum and Eleanor each discover much more than they bargained for away from home. Their house swap won’t last forever, but it might be just long enough for both women to surrender their defenses and finally fight for the life—and love—they deserve.]]> 350 Bridget Morrissey 0593817133 Amanda 0 to-read 3.50 2025
author: Bridget Morrissey
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221499649 200 A.A. Blair 1592115322 Amanda 0 to-read 0.0
author: A.A. Blair
name: Amanda
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216498279 For everyone who loved The Bear! An utterly winning, crowd-pleaser of a novel about a disgraced celebrity chef, her striving protégé, and their path through the kitchen to redemption.

Regina Benuzzi is Queenie B—a culinary goddess with Michelin Star restaurants, a bestselling cookbook empire, and multimillion-dollar TV deals. It doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous and curvaceous, with cascading black hair and signature red lips.

She had it all. Until she didn’t.

After an epic fall from grace, Queenie B vanishes from the public eye, giving up her husband, her son, and the fame that she’d fought to achieve. Her shows are in rerun, her restaurants still popular, but her disappearance remains a mystery to her legions of fans.

Local line cook Gale Carmichael also knows a thing or two about disaster. Newly sober and struggling, Gale’s future dreams don’t hold space for culinary stardom; only earning enough to get by. Broke at the end of the week, he finds himself at a local soup kitchen in one of the roughest parts of New Haven, Connecticut.ÌýBut Gale quickly realizes that the food coming out of the kitchen is not your standard free meal—it is delicious and prepared with gourmet flair.

Gale doesn’t recognize Regina, the soup kitchen’s cranky proprietor, whose famous black mane is now streaked with gray. It’s been more than ten years since Queenie B vanished into her careful new existence. But she sees Gale’s talent and recognizes a brokenness in him that she knows all too well. The culinary genius in hiding takes him under her wing.

Teaching Gale, Regina’s passion to create is reignited, and they both glimpse a shot at the redemption that had always seemed out of reach. When Gale is chosen to compete on the hit cooking show,ÌýCut!,Ìýit’s a turning point for them both.

It’s Gale’s time to shine.ÌýAnd that means Queenie B might just have to come out of hiding…]]> 332 Terri-Lynne DeFino 006339314X Amanda 0 to-read 4.33 2025
author: Terri-Lynne DeFino
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220161199 The author of the “clever, atmospheric, and creepy� (Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon returns with a sly and addictive new mystery about an advice columnist searching for answers about her predecessor’s murder.

Alex Marks’s move to New York City is supposed to be a fresh start. She plans to lay low with her mundane copywriting job but the news of the murder of her childhood hero, Francis Keen, throws her for a loop. Beloved staff writer and the woman behind the famous advice column, Dear Constance , Keen’s death is a shock to her countless fans and readers.

When Alex sees an advertisement searching for her replacement, she impulsively applies, never expecting to actually get the job. But almost immediately, she begins to receive strange letters at the office and soon, Alex wonders why the murderer has never been found. Worse, she can’t help but question if her new boss and editor-in-chief, Howard Dimitri, was involved with Keen’s death.

As she starts her own investigation, the dark secrets of her own past rise to the surface and soon, Alex finds herself trapped in a dangerous and potentially deadly mystery. Will she solve the murder and save her own skin? Or will Alex face a similar fate?]]> 304 Jessa Maxwell 1668008041 Amanda 0 to-read 3.00 2024
author: Jessa Maxwell
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854914 At her lowest point, a teen girl finds solace and a potential crush in her local theater's mascot's DMs, sparking a quest to uncover the true identity of this mysterious figure. From the bestselling author of The Magic Fish comes a new fairy tale romance with a twist.

What do you do when you're the girl who can do it all, and suddenly you can't?

After burning out last year, Angelica is ready to get her life back together. Thankfully she has amazing friends to support her...including Peri the Bear, the mascot of her town's local theater. At her lowest moments, Angelica found comfort in private messaging Peri's social media account, and well, she might have a bit of a crush. Now, Angelica is interning at the local theater in the hopes of finding the person beind the account and thanking them. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did they help her out? Was it just caring for a stranger...or did they feel the same connection that Angelica felt?]]> 224 Trung Le Nguyen 0593125479 Amanda 0 to-read 4.20 2025
author: Trung Le Nguyen
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854551
For Mason, tutoring an airheaded jock is nothing but a distraction from a past he can't escape. What he doesn't expect is to find something worthwhile in their conversations-something softening in the ice between them. Nor does Cam expect that Mason's calm smile hides a harrowing story. As they slowly nudge through each other's steel gates, the dangerous realities beyond high school threaten their deepening bond.

But really, it's about football.]]> 320 A.M. Woody 0593695429 Amanda 0 to-read 4.25 2025
author: A.M. Woody
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216247518 One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. A mesmerizing Mobius strip of a novel that asks who we are to the people we love.

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an elegant and accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, and young—young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In Audition, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day—partner, parent, creator, muse—and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us best.]]> 208 Katie Kitamura 059385232X Amanda 0 to-read 3.74 2025
author: Katie Kitamura
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 17290747 Six Women of Salem is the first work to use the lives of a select number of representative women as a microcosm to illuminate the larger crisis of the Salem witch trials. By the end of the trials, beyond the twenty who were executed and the five who perished in prison, 207 individuals had been accused, 74 had been "afflicted", 32 had officially accused their fellow neighbors, and 255 ordinary people had been inexorably drawn into that ruinous and murderous vortex, and this doesn’t include the religious, judicial, and governmental leaders. All this adds up to what the Rev. Cotton Mather called "a desolation of names."

The individuals involved are too often reduced to stock characters and stereotypes when accuracy is sacrificed to indignation. And although the flood of names and detail in the history of an extraordinary event like the Salem witch trials can swamp the individual lives involved, individuals still deserve to be remembered and, in remembering specific lives, modern readers can benefit from such historical intimacy. By examining the lives of six specific women, Marilynne Roach shows readers what it was like to be present throughout this horrific time and how it was impossible to live through it unchanged.]]> 445 Marilynne K. Roach 0306821206 Amanda 0 to-read 3.41 2013
author: Marilynne K. Roach
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56769577
Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque.

Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem—and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.]]> 308 Mary Roach 1324001933 Amanda 0 to-read 3.81 2021
author: Mary Roach
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215805853 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 SelenaÌýGray. 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.ÌýInside 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, andÌýthere is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.]]> 336 Jesse Q. Sutanto 0593546245 Amanda 5 This must have taken a lot of planning because I didn’t see any of the plot twists coming. While this is still humorous in tone, there are deeper problems that are brought up including abuse, and vitriol (by a character) about immigrants. ]]> 4.29 2025
author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: 2025-2030, adults-are-the-main-character, audiobook-narrators-are-wonderful, humour-funny, more-than-300-pages, murder-missing, thrilling-page-turner, veteran-asian-authors, west-coast-setting
review:
I am so happy that Vera is back and funnier than ever. Eunice Wong captivated me once again as the narrator & brings Jesse Q. Sutano’s words to life as Vera & friends. When we meet Vera again, we are welcomed back by her son as well as new faces. The mystery revolves around (as the title suggests) someone who is already dead. The real question is - how did Vera get involved ?
This must have taken a lot of planning because I didn’t see any of the plot twists coming. While this is still humorous in tone, there are deeper problems that are brought up including abuse, and vitriol (by a character) about immigrants.
]]> 201102290
With Helen and their two-year old son back in Paris, Mamush sets out on an unexpected journey across America in search of answers to questions he'd been told never to ask. As he does so, he begins to understand that perhaps the only chance he has of saving his family and making it back home is to confront not only the unresolved mystery around Samuel's life and death, but his own troubled memories, and the years spent masking them. Breath-taking, commanding, unforgettable work from one of America's most prodigiously gifted novelists.]]> 272 Dinaw Mengestu 0385350007 Amanda 0 to-read 3.53 2024
author: Dinaw Mengestu
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216437557 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.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 0349442827 Amanda 0 currently-reading 4.22 2025
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 218661167 A YA debut about found family and queer awakening, set in the lively world of roller derby, perfect for fans of Whip It and Heartstopper.

Eighteen-year-old Casey feels stuck; while her friends are all going to university, she's taking a gap year at home to care for her disabled mother. Then she walks in on her boyfriend blatantly cheating on her. Surprisingly, though, she's not as heartbroken as she thinks she should be. And when a chance encounter with the young woman in question, the very pretty and confident Imogen, includes both an apology and a tentative extension of friendship, Casey realizes her life may be about to change.

Imogen convinces Casey to tag along to a roller derby bout, and there Casey finds herself surrounded by fearless women and nonbinary teammates who aren't afraid to speak their minds —and body slam each other. Her friends and family aren't so sure about all the injuries, but she doesn't care; there's something magic about this game and this team. Plus, she soon finds herself nursing a serious crush on her magnetic new friend. Can Casey become a brand-new, stronger, more confident version of herself? And will dating a teammate lead to a winning season, or total heartbreak?]]> 340 Peach Morris 196179537X Amanda 0 to-read 3.68
author: Peach Morris
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.68
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219368530
She's always been a sucker for a man with dimples and a nice smile, but Edward might prove to be a weakness she can ill afford.

For Dusty, it's a subtle kidnapping with the promise of righting an old wrong. For Edward, it's a Mulan-esque boot camp on badassery. For the Chaos God that’s been hunting them both since childhood, it just might be the ride of a lifetime.

Old Gods and new are rising in Briarcliff.

And soon?

There’ll be hell to pay.]]> Adrianne Brooks Amanda 0 to-read 3.90
author: Adrianne Brooks
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219370727 "Full of humour and heartwarming moments—Rebecca delivers pure joy!" —Chantel Guertin, bestselling author of It Happened One Christmas

A charming and touching romantic comedy about two best friends, a marriage-of-convenience, and taking a leap of faith to land exactly where you’re meant to be.

Miz is not the marrying kind. She's more of the no-strings-attached kind. No labels, only fun. So, when she finds a diamond ring in her casual-but-very-hot hook-up’s gym bag, she immediately ends things and runs.

Kal is one of Miz's best friends, an aspiring actor who moved to Toronto from Ethiopia and is on the brink of his big break. But when he's suddenly at risk of losing his work visa—which would mean leaving Toronto forever—Miz panics. What will she do without him? What if she never sees him again?

There's only one Miz will marry Kal to become his spousal sponsor. He'll get to keep pursuing his acting career, and she'll get to keep her best friend in the city. It'll be a quick, short only-on-paper marriage between friends, followed by a quick, easy divorce. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 336 Rebecca Fisseha 0385688512 Amanda 0 to-read 3.30
author: Rebecca Fisseha
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.30
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222725801 A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom

When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world with no place for the undocumented. Her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties, and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: She is both fascinated and repulsed.

Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?]]> 224 Karla Cornejo Villavicencio 0593449118 Amanda 0 to-read 3.70 2024
author: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 198902262 Fletcher Dukes and Altovise Benson reunite after decades apart� and a mountain of secrets—in this debut exploring the repercussions of a single choice and how an enduring talisman challenges and holds a family together.

On a routine trip to the Piggly Wiggly in Albany, Georgia, widower Fletcher Dukes smells a familiar perfume, then sees a tall woman the color of papershell pecans with a strawberry birthmark on the nape of her neck. He knows immediately that she is his lost love, Altovise Benson. Their bond, built on county fairs, sit-ins, and marches, once seemed a sure and forever thing. But their marriage plans were disrupted when the police turned a peaceful protest violent.

Before Altovise fled the South, Fletcher gave her a peach seed monkey with diamond eyes. As we learn via harrowing flashbacks, an enslaved ancestor on the coast of South Carolina carved the first peach seed, a talisman that, ever since, each father has gifted his son on his thirteenth birthday.

Giving one to Altovise initiated a break in tradition, irrevocably shaping the lives of generations of Dukeses. Recently, Fletcher has made do on his seven acres with his daughter Florida’s check-ins, his drop biscuits, and his faithful dog. But as he begins to reckon with long-ago choices, he finds he isn’t the only one burdened with unspoken truths.

An indelible portrait of a family, The Peach Seed explores how kin pass down legacies of sorrow, joy, and strength. And it is a parable of how a glimmer of hope as small as a seed can ripple across generations.]]> 448 Anita Gail Jones 1250872049 Amanda 0 to-read 3.60 2023
author: Anita Gail Jones
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216599346 A girl takes on a series of identities to survive, shrouding herself in layers of secrets, until years later she is forced to reckon with her past.


On an ordinary day in an upscale Atlanta suburb, Maya is making breakfast for her two sons, when her husband drops a red-and-blue striped envelope on the counter and asks a devastating Who is Sunny?


Maya is sent reeling back to her childhood in Guyana—a time when Sunny was her only name. Unbeknownst to her husband, Maya is not who she claims to be. The letter, from her long-lost sister Roshi, now threatens to expose her true identity and shatter the seemingly perfect existence Maya worked so hard to build.


As she frantically weighs the impact of the truth on her future, Maya relives the harrowing details of her past—her journey to America on the “backtrack,� the shock of being delivered into the hands of an abusive family while being severed from her own, and her many evolutions of self as she struggles to find a path forward against all odds.


This striking debut transports the reader from the sugar cane fields of Guyana to the world of immigrant laborers in Miami to the affluent suburbs of Atlanta. Nanda Reddy takes us on a wrenching journey of assimilation, survival, and reinvention that explores the very construct of identity and the resilience of the human spirit.]]> 372 Nanda Reddy Amanda 0 to-read 4.53 2025
author: Nanda Reddy
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214269394
Joe asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs—and the results kick off a partnership that will span years, ignite new passions in them both, and crush their egos again and again. Is their collaboration worth its cost? Or is it holding Percy back from finding her own voice?

Moving from Brooklyn bars to San Francisco dance floors, Deep Cuts examines the nature of talent, obsession, belonging, and above all, our need to be heard.]]> 277 Holly Brickley 0593799089 Amanda 2 This was only one sided so we are viewing everything from Percy’s POV. Maybe if we had also gotten Joe’s - this might have made the story more well rounded.
Either way - neither character should have been invested in the other as deeply as they were. A really self-harming (emotionally /mentally) will they / won’t they which was irritating when the evidence is there that the “love� isn’t healthy / normal.
More lit fiction with romance on the side.
I only liked Zoe.]]> 3.80 2025
author: Holly Brickley
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: 2025-2030, adults-are-the-main-character, book-of-the-month-picks, debut-white-authors, less-than-300-pages, literary-fiction-2000-2025, romance-on-the-side, side-characters-identify-as-lgbtqia, white-male-love-interest, wwomen-love-interests
review:
This had promise and buzz. It’s even turning into a movie. I unfortunately think this might be one of those rare times where I might like the movie more than the book (time will tell)
This was only one sided so we are viewing everything from Percy’s POV. Maybe if we had also gotten Joe’s - this might have made the story more well rounded.
Either way - neither character should have been invested in the other as deeply as they were. A really self-harming (emotionally /mentally) will they / won’t they which was irritating when the evidence is there that the “love� isn’t healthy / normal.
More lit fiction with romance on the side.
I only liked Zoe.
]]> 223746815
With Oggy, her best friend and keeper of a thousand made-up words, Gilly searches for answers:

Can a prayer—or a spell—bring back someone who’s been gone too long?
What if he doesn’t want to be found?
And if she finds him, will he still be the dad she remembers?

Written in the voice of a 10-year-old girl with a heart full of questions, Tangerines is a lyrical, tender story about family, friendship, and the quiet magic of believing in what matters most.]]> 180 Tsvi Jolles Amanda 4 I do wish Gilly's mom's side of the family communicated with Gilly about what was going on because the adult in me felt bad for her when she kept mentioning seeing pictures of her Dad but not really knowing much besides what was told / shown to her.
This could have been just a smidge longer than the 160/165 pages? it turned out to be but I firmly believe this will hold a middle grader's attention long enough to get them to start and finish this in a single day. ]]> 4.00
author: Tsvi Jolles
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: 2025-2030, debut-white-authors, less-than-200-pages, middle-grade-reads, netgalley, platonic
review:
This is a story with the middle grade audience in mind and I appreciated the ease that I felt while listening. I know my students will be able to relate to the contents in this book. We follow a girl named Gilly who has her best friend Oggy by her side and her mom. Unfortunately, her Dad isn't living with them and Gilly isn't aware as to why. The characters felt like upper elementary / lower middle grade characters, with Gilly having ramblings that aren't always consistent but make sense when your mind is able to think a thousand and one things with ease.
I do wish Gilly's mom's side of the family communicated with Gilly about what was going on because the adult in me felt bad for her when she kept mentioning seeing pictures of her Dad but not really knowing much besides what was told / shown to her.
This could have been just a smidge longer than the 160/165 pages? it turned out to be but I firmly believe this will hold a middle grader's attention long enough to get them to start and finish this in a single day.
]]> 228954667 A swoony, sweet YA rural romance between a rancher and the Hollywood hotshot she's tasked with turning into a cowboy—perfect for fans of Kasie West, Erin Hahn, and Kristy Boyce!

Sixteen-year-old Cassidy Sterling can't imagine life beyond her family's Wyoming ranch. Her days are filled with colt breaking, cattle rustling, and an online Intro to Astronomy class. Seventeen-year-old Wilder Nash also has his sights set on the stars—the ones on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A teen heartthrob, he's now he's ready for the big time. To land a lead role as a cowboy in a prime-time mini-series, he must convince the casting director he's an experienced horseman. The problem? He’s all hat and no cowboy.

With less than a month to learn to ride, Wilder heads to Silver Stallion Ranch.

Cassidy's quiet life is disrupted when Wilder arrives. As he mucks out stalls and grooms horses, Wilder begins to see there's more to life than his looks. And Cassidy starts imagining a future beyond the ranch. The growing spark between them threatens to ignite into something more, but Cassidy must decide if she's brave enough to take the reins of her own life. Meanwhile, Wilder faces a the glamorous life of a star or a simpler life under the stars.]]> Katrina Emmel 0593904079 Amanda 0 to-read 4.00
author: Katrina Emmel
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222376558 A funny, heartfelt, late coming-of-age story that examines the role of memory in holding us back—and in moving us forward

Call it inertia. Call it a quarter-life crisis. Whatever you call it, Cricket Campbell is stuck. Despite working at a zeitgeist-y wellness company, the twenty-six-year-old feels anything but well. Still adrift after a tragedy that upended her world a decade ago, she has entered early adulthood under the weight of a new burden: her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

When Cricket’s older sister Nina announces it is time to move Arthur from his beloved Adirondack lake house into a memory-care facility, Cricket has a better idea. In returning home to become her father’s caretaker, she hopes to repair their strained relationship and shake herself out of her perma-funk. But even deeply familiar places can hold surprises.

As Cricket settles back into the family house at Catwood Pond―a place she once loved, but hasn’t visited since she was a teenager―she discovers that her father possesses a rare gift: as he loses his grasp of the past, he is increasingly able to predict the future. Before long, Arthur cements his reputation as an unlikely oracle, but for Cricket, believing in her father’s prophecies might also mean facing the most painful parts of her history. As she begins to remember who she once was, she uncovers a vital truth: the path forward often starts by going back.]]> 288 Tory Henwood Hoen 1250276799 Amanda 0 to-read 4.50
author: Tory Henwood Hoen
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213893472 Kirby Cornell needs a break from everything:
- Her crumbling flat in the sleepy town of Crowhurst (famous for its award-winning sausage rolls and a second-rate serial killer from the 90s).
- Her dead-end job.
- Her sleazy landlord
- Her slobbish housemates.
- And, most of all, the terrible thing they all did.

Luckily, that hasn't caught up with her just yet. Until a new message on their old group chat pops

Everyone in the group chat will die.

It's the first text her ex-flatmate and social-media sleuth Esme has sent for ages, but that's not the really weird thing.

The really weird thing is, Esme died twelve months ago�

Don't miss the new laugh-out-loud thriller from L.M. Chilton, Everyone in the Group Chat Dies � a murder mystery that fuses the flatmate comedy of Friends with the serial-killer thrills of I Know What You Did Last Summer.

]]> 342 L.M. Chilton 1837930279 Amanda 0 to-read 3.63
author: L.M. Chilton
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228383160 For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, an inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women—a witch and an immortal demon—who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes.

1592. Cybil Harding is a First Daughter. Cursed to bring disaster to those around her, she is trapped in a house with a mother paralyzed by grief and a father willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of magic.

Miriam Richter is a creature of shadow. Forged by the dark arts many years ago, she is doomed to exist for eternity and destined to be alone—killing mortals and consuming their souls for sustenance. Everything changes when she meets Cybil, whose soul shines with a light so bright, she must claim it for herself. She offers a bargain: she will grant Cybil reincarnation in exchange for her soul.

Thus begins a dance across centuries as Miriam seeks Cybil in every lifetime to claim her prize. Cybil isn’t inclined to play by the rules, but when it becomes clear that Miriam holds the key to breaking her family curse, Cybil finds that—for the first time in her many lives—she might have the upper hand. As they circle each other, drawn together inescapably as light and dark, the bond forged between them grows stronger. In their battle for dominance, only one of them can win—but perhaps they can’t survive without each other.

Natasha Siegel has written an unexpected love story that feels both epic and deeply personal. Ambitious, gothic, and magical, As Many Souls as Stars is about the lengths we go to protect ourselves, our legacy, and those we love.]]> 352 Natasha Siegel 0063418029 Amanda 0 to-read 4.50 2025
author: Natasha Siegel
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222472683 What if the price of moving forward is losing the only family you've ever known?

Summer, 1987. On the sweltering streets of the dying New England mill town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newbury is desperately lonely. It's been seven years since her father disappeared, and while her mother is determined to move on, Diamond can't distance herself from his memory. When Diamond receives a letter from a relative she has never met, she unearths long-buried secrets of her family's past and discovers a legacy she never knew she was missing. The more she learns, however, the harder it becomes to reconcile her old life with the one she wants to lead.

So begins an epic story spanning the twentieth century that reveals a much larger picture of prejudice and love, of devotion and abandonment - and will change Diamond's life forever.]]> 304 Essie J. Chambers 1668027925 Amanda 0 to-read 3.75 2024
author: Essie J. Chambers
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213657192 The Paper Girl of Paris comes Rebel Girls of Rome, a thrilling and heartfelt dual POV novel about Lilah, a girl looking to reconnect with her grandfather over his mysterious past during a trip to Rome, and Bruna, a queer Jewish woman who escapes the Nazis in Italy and joins the resistance during World War II.

NOW:

Grieving the loss of her mother, college student Lilah is hoping to reconnect with her ever-distant grandfather who refuses to talk about his past. When a fellow student in Italy brings a long-lost family heirloom to her attention, Lilah travels to Rome with her grandfather in the hopes of unlocking his history as a survivor of the Holocaust once and for all.

But as they get closer to the truth—and the possibility of healing through new connections—she begins to realize that some secrets may be too painful to unbury . . .

THEN:

It’s 1943, and nineteen-year-old Bruna and her family are doing their best to survive in Rome’s Jewish quarter under Nazi occupation. When the dreaded knock comes early one morning, and Bruna realizes her youngest brother, Raffa, is missing, her desperate search to find him separates her from the rest of her family irrevocably.

Overcome with guilt at escaping her family’s fate in the camps, Bruna joins the partisan efforts against the Nazis and Italian Fascists. When her missions bring her back to her childhood crush, Elsa, she must decide what it really means to live and love—and if fully embracing herself might be her greatest act of resistance of all. But just as she starts to find light in the darkness, an attack that ends in unspeakable tragedy leaves Bruna questioning her fortitude to survive more than ever before.

Part historical mystery, part sweeping romance, Jordyn Taylor brings Bruna and Lilah’s stories to brilliant life in this compelling, emotional read in the vein of The Paper Girl of Paris. With dual historical and contemporary POVs—where heartbreak, hope, and finding light in times of darkness are inevitably intertwined—this is perfect for readers of Ruta Sepetys and Monica Hesse.]]> 256 Jordyn Taylor 0063340313 Amanda 0 to-read 0.0 2025
author: Jordyn Taylor
name: Amanda
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62711573 A modern dark fantasy of betrayals, secret societies, and a dissolute thief of shadows.

Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make.

She's spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall.

Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie's shadowless and possibly soulless boyfriend, Vince, has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies.

Determined to survive, she’s up against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world―all trying to steal a secret that will give them vast and terrible power.]]> 336 Holly Black 1250812216 Amanda 0 to-read 3.53 2022
author: Holly Black
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220160823 From the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still comes an atmospheric fantasy based on Swan Lake, following Odile as her plan to restore magic to her kingdom gets disrupted by a murder—forcing her to beg for help from the young woman whose identity she stole.

Can two girls—one enchanted, one the enchantress—save their kingdom and each other?

Two hundred years ago, a slighted deity stole the magic from Auréal and vanished without a trace. But seventeen-year-old Odile has a plan. All her life, her father, a vengeful sorcerer, has raised her for one singular task: infiltrate the royal palace and steal the king’s crown, an artefact with enough power to restore magic. But to enter the palace, she must assume the identity of a noblewoman. She chooses Marie d’Odette: famed for her beauty, a rumored candidate for future queen…and Odile’s childhood-friend-turned-sworn-enemy.

With her father’s help, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and takes her place at court. But when the king is brutally murdered and her own brother is accused, her plans are thrown into chaos. Desperate to free her brother, Odile is forced to team up with none other than elegant, infuriating Marie, the girl she has cursed…and the girl she can’t seem to stop thinking about despite her best efforts.

To make matters worse, there are whispers that the king’s murder was not at the hands of man, but beast. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing feelings for Marie, Odile becomes tangled in a web of treachery and deceit. To save her kingdom, she must find the true path to magic…and find the real killer before they—or it—strikes again.]]> 368 A.B. Poranek 1665936509 Amanda 0 to-read 4.50 2025
author: A.B. Poranek
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214746680 "The missing boy is 10-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he's a little shit."

Florence Grimes, age thirty-one, always takes the easy way out. Single, broke and unfulfilled after the humiliating end to her girl-band career, she has only one reason to get out of bed each day: her ten-year-old son Dylan. But then Alfie Risby, her son’s bully and the heir to a vast frozen-food empire, mysteriously vanishes during a class trip, and Dylan becomes the prime suspect.

Florence, for once, is faced with a task she can’t quit: She’s got to find Alfie and clear her son’s name or risk losing Dylan forever—never mind that she has no useful skills (let alone investigative ones) and that all the other school moms hate her. Oh, and she has a reason to suspect Dylan might not be as innocent as she’d like to believe.]]> 383 Sarah Harman 059385148X Amanda 4 I recommend this for those that like novels set in London(I'm actually thrilled I was able to recognize places I recently came back from vacation seeing such as The Tower Bridge & Thames River)
The audiobook narrator captured Florence's persona wonderfully as well as the severity of the situation the further the story progressed. Curious if the author modeled Florence's girl group after The Saturdays.
]]> 3.76 2025
author: Sarah Harman
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: adults-are-the-main-character, 2025-2030, audiobook-narrators-are-wonderful, debut-white-authors, more-than-300-pages, murder-missing, thrilling-page-turner, west-europe, white-characters
review:
I was intrigued by the title and didn't fully read the synopsis which made going into this a little more exciting for me. As with most debut thrillers, this felt longer than the actual page count but I enjoyed this nonetheless. The author was great at keeping me on my toes. Just when I thought Florence was in the clear, plot twist~
I recommend this for those that like novels set in London(I'm actually thrilled I was able to recognize places I recently came back from vacation seeing such as The Tower Bridge & Thames River)
The audiobook narrator captured Florence's persona wonderfully as well as the severity of the situation the further the story progressed. Curious if the author modeled Florence's girl group after The Saturdays.

]]> 216773737 She’s a new PI in a beautiful seaside town. It’s dirtier than it looks—and more dangerous too—in a twisting novel of suspense by the Anthony Award–nominated author of These Toxic Things.

After ten years on the force, LAPD cop Sonny Rush relocates with her elderly mother to peaceful Haven, California, to join her godfather’s burgeoning PI business. What crimes could possibly happen in a town nicknamed “Mayberry by the Sea�? Sonny’s first case: find Figgy, a missing goldendoodle last seen sporting a Versace collar. At least scouting out a dognapper gives Sonny a chance to get to know her new neighbors.

Forty-eight hours in town and Figgy’s disappearance entangles Sonny in an unwelcome reunion with her ex, one of Haven’s wealthiest citizens. And when the body of a teenage boy is found along a popular hiking trail, Sonny is drawn into a web of strange beyond anything she ever saw in LA.

Then comes a local’s warning: question everything. Haven hides secrets that could destroy its idyllic façade. Or destroy Sonny first.]]> 395 Rachel Howzell Hall 1662522835 Amanda 0 to-read 3.58 2025
author: Rachel Howzell Hall
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218155619
Now, five years later, Anna is weary. Where art school was boundless creativity and collaboration, the New York art scene is all about survival. Worse: Willow’s true nature as a muse only to herself has become nakedly apparent, as has her cruelty.

So the mugging Anna has staged for Willow this morning? It’s supposed to send Willow running back to her true friend. The knife is supposed to be a mirror in which this ‘artist� can finally see the monster she’s become. It’s supposed to give Anna her power back.

But this morning isn’t just any Tuesday. It’s September 11, 2001. And as the city reels from the seismic events of that day, Willow never returns home. Anna keeps quiet about the prank and her growing panic that she’s to blame for Willow’s disappearance. But as the hours and days tick by, Anna begins to question whether she’s the mastermind she thought she was, or the pawn.

Alternating between the friends' art school tenure and their lives in 2001 New York, Tell Them You Lied reveals how difficult the search for answers is when you'd rather have anything but the truth.]]> 384 Laura Leffler 1368103766 Amanda 0 to-read 3.81 2025
author: Laura Leffler
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 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 Amanda 0 to-read 3.64 2025
author: Callie Kazumi
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215362022 When a drug kingpin discovers his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as "The Man," to investigate. At the same time, Babs's youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn't seem like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath.]]> 368 Ron Currie Jr. 0593851668 Amanda 0 to-read 4.08
author: Ron Currie Jr.
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214325839
Nancy North is ready to put her life back together. After suffering a psychotic break that ruined friendships, stalled her fledgling restaurant, and forced her to move out of her comfortable flat, she’ll do anything to get back to normal. She and her partner Felix—who has been a saint through her recent troubles—move into a new flat for a fresh start.

Nancy is taking her pills, seeing her therapist, and avoiding unnecessary stress. She’s doing absolutely everything right, but something is still very, very wrong. On the first day in the new flat, she hears them again; the mysterious voices that triggered her first episode. It could just be the unfamiliar sounds of water in the pipes, or the screaming baby across the hall, but deep down she knows something more sinister is going on. Her fears are confirmed when the young woman in the downstairs flat, Kira, is found dead. Felix, her neighbors, and even the police insist it’s a tragic suicide, but the pieces aren’t adding up for Nancy. Can she trust her own instincts, or is it all in her head?

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor has misgivings about her colleagues� investigation of Kira’s death. The boys club at the top seems intent on closing the case as quickly as possible, especially since the only person who thinks it could be anything other than suicide is known to be unreliable. But Maud knows what it’s like to be dismissed as an overemotional woman and isn’t so quick to discount Nancy’s claims. As tensions reach an explosive breaking point, the line between fact and delusion becomes dangerously blurred, but Maud will stop at nothing to ensure that the truth comes to light.]]> 464 Nicci French 0063298376 Amanda 0 to-read 3.91 2024
author: Nicci French
name: Amanda
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152415 This riveting psychological thriller from master of twists Steve Cavanagh, author of the �unguessable and unputdownable� (Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Kill For Me, Kill for You, What if the witness was more twisted than the killer?

Something is wrong with Ruby Johnson.

A former resident of the ultra-elite Manhattan upper class, Ruby now works as a maid in the type of houses she used to live in. Unassuming, she sees everyone’s dirty secrets from the inside of their beautiful, renovated brownstones. But when Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth.

Eddie Flynn, streetwise ex con-artist-turned-defense attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s—the gun that killed his neighbor found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. Flynn and his unconventional team will need to use every trick they know to keep an innocent man from being locked up. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head.

Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda, Witness 8 is a fresh knockout page-turner from an author who is “the real deal� (Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author).]]> 416 Steve Cavanagh 1668049376 Amanda 0 to-read 4.15 2024
author: Steve Cavanagh
name: Amanda
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>