My 2nd book by Finlay, I‘m learning his books are bingeable, fast reads, perfect for a free day. This takes place over a college‘s Parents Weekend, starting w/the disappearance of 5 freshman. While the twist &culprits were fairly obvious, I enjoyed the quick pace &sensationalist side stories.

I think the # of POVs &lack of character dev may be an issue for some, but if you are a Finlay fan or looking for a few hours of escape, you‘ll enjoy this.

I‘m not always the biggest fan of short stories, but I found this book of quiet, interconnecting stories to be a nice break from the typical novels I read.

A perfect blend of humor, suspense, and romance. Rav was a great main character and I really enjoyed every side character as well.

4⭐️

#arc

Another great psychological suspense novel by B.A. Paris. I was able to figure out the twists on this one pretty early in, but that didn‘t diminish the fun in reading this.

3.5⭐️

At this point I think I‘d cry just reading Backman‘s grocery list, he‘s that poignant and great of a writer. His newest novel explores the depth of friendship and finding one‘s self in the world. While I think it‘s a little bit slower pace than some of his other works, it still carries the depth, humor, and great characters we have come to love from Backman.

4.5⭐️

#arc

Well, we can add another future of science fear to my list: having my DNA stolen (& having someone use it, in the case of this book, to create a child).

This reminded me of the movie Gattaca but w/ a different spin on the idea of having our genomes mapped & being able to choose what traits our children have. Each POV was distinct & their stories unique. I liked how they all came together. It also has a hint of a thriller in it which I enjoyed.

Excited #camplitsy25 is almost here! Already my #tbr is growing.

Here are my nominations for this year (also tagged below).

I love novels with strong female characters. And when you can make the women varied in ages and personality and show that they can get along and solve a murder? Even better. Set in the 1930s and focusing on the death of a young nurse, five female mystery writers join forces to solve her murder when the police seem ready to write it off as nothing but an unfortunate accident.

#arc

I had this weird sense of deja vu multiple times while reading this, like I had read the same passages or subplots somewhere else. It made me feel like many of the ideas had been done before.

While I found this on a whole entertaining, the ending, with the constant this is whodunnit, no! this is whodunnit, etc, got a little silly and made it less serious.

Unlikable characters, slightly predictable twists, and an abundance of sensationalism make this an addicting thriller and fun read!

3.5⭐️

There are many things to love about this novel: the unique setting - a cycle studio, the honest & real way it dealt w/ anxiety, the wonderful friendships.

The one problem I had was what is going to cause the miscommunication/third act break up. But I wouldn‘t let that detract anyone from picking up this books & enjoying a fun romance with plenty of depth.

In one way this book is exactly what it says it‘s about but in another way I feel it‘s lacking &too surface level. I feel the latter has more to do w/me than the book. I didn‘t know of McKinney or her podcast previously; I was drawn to this book b/c I‘m someone who simultaneously loves &hates gossip &was hoping for some insight into our obsession w/it at a more psychological &social science level. This largely discusses celebrities &reality tv.

Abdurraqib‘s voice is powerful, lyrical, and completely engrossing. I found myself thinking of this book every time I set it down, ruminating on the words and topics discussed. Yes, it is basketball heavy (which as a sports fan, I didn‘t mind), but even if you‘re not a fan, you will still be captivated by this memoir that is really more like a love letter to basketball and Ohio. An amazing book that‘ll be staying with me a long time.

March was a great month for getting ahead in my challenges.

#52bookclub25 - 11
#bookchain2025 - 8
#litsyAtoZ - 6
#chunksters - 3
#mounttbr - 15

Bloodlands was my top read and I just bought Snyder‘s On Freedom which I‘m excited to dive into.

I commend Shari for sharing her story and working toward changing laws in order to protect children like her family. A tragic story.

Different than what I thought (in that Isles doesn‘t appear at all), and not like the tv show (yet), but I found it a fun read and will continue the series. Very bingeable.

There‘s something for everyone here: suspense, relationships, culture, &laughs. Nura is a matchmaker who runs her company w/ professionalism &passion. Yet not everyone seems to be thrilled w/ her work as threatening letters &her clients nuptials are sabotaged.

It becomes a balancing act as Nura attempts to run her business, find the culprit, accept the changing dynamics between her &her BFF Azur, &stay present in meaningful ways for her family.

I bought this over a decade ago, and it‘s been sitting on my shelf since then. It felt like the right time to pick it up and I‘m so glad I did. It‘s packed with history and information but in a way that‘s easily absorbable.

Displaying Ashton‘s signature humor, The Fourth Consort takes place in outer space in a sci-fi light comedy. A short and quick read. Enjoyable but I did wish for a little more substance.

⭐️⭐️💫

#arc

Decent story but too slow for me. I enjoyed the ending though.

I really wish French would continue her Dublin Murder Squad series as it‘s one of my favorite.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Representation is so important. As is my continued education on diverse topics. This is a great intro graphic novel to genders and one person‘s journey and self-discovery.

I enjoyed getting a glimpse into Tibble‘s world and being exposed to indigenous life in New Zealand through her poetry.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#newzealand #maori #readtheworld2025

I enjoyed this domestic thriller which focuses on a married couple who seems perfect on TV is slowly cracking behind the scenes until a a dark secret is revealed between the two and Dawn takes off with their twins. This was fast paced, twisty and a fun ride. My only wish is that Dawn has been made a stronger character as she often made poor decisions they seemed fairly obvious.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#arc

While there are parts of this that require you to suspend disbelief, I Did Something Bad is so much more than just a romance with a hint of suspense. I would argue this is more about friendships, focusing on trust and belief, finding oneself, and even a bit of social justice issues.

I enjoyed getting to know the culture of Myanmar as I knew little outside of the civil unrest and armed conflict. ⬇️

#ReadTheWorld2025 #myanmar

The 30+ years between when it was published and now is evident, but I enjoyed it for the most part and plan on continuing the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picking up where Bk 1 ends, we‘re thrust back into the world of Phoebe & Rocky as they & their family work a con in a CT town. As always in a Ritchie novel, I enjoyed the closeness & dynamics between the characters & their families.

At over 500 pgs, this never felt long as it was entertaining & the writing flows easily. Yet much of it also felt like it was largely filler, preparing us for the finale next book. Not a lot happens until the end.
3⭐️

I think the bones of this book are great; however, the execution needed work. It reminds me a lot of the French movie He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. I guessed the twist but it was still enjoyable to read.

Claire is engaged to Noah, a seemingly perfect fiancé, until he stops answering her calls &has a new gf. Confused &angry, Claire is determined to figure out what happened, but things begin to go off the rails the more she tries 2 find the truth.

While some essays were stronger than others, overall this was a great compilation of essays covering the past few years and focusing on feminism, climate change, and other social issues.

While def a romance, this is really a story of a woman taking back her power &rediscovering herself. Ella is divorcing her husband/music producer &in doing so, begins to regain her independence. There is a great cast of supporting characters, specifically Ella‘s friends &lawyer, & a great leading man, Miles. I loved that Miles wasn‘t afraid to be open &honest, showing emotions &having deep conversations. I also loved seeing Ella put herself first.

A good debut novel focusing on a woman who feels lost and finds herself in a toxic relationship where she can‘t help but romanticize the man she is with. I found the writing similar to Dolly Alderton and the story one that many will relate to at some point in their lives.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A lot of DNFs this month made it so I didn‘t read as many books as I hoped, but the I really enjoyed most of the others I read.

8 Books
2,522 Pages

#52bookclub25 - 6 books
#bookchain2025 - 4 books
#litsyAtoZ - #letterL #letterD #letterR

A lot of things in here that I never learned in school.

Super entertaining and nostalgic feeling of all the YA fantasy tropes I use to read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Picking up where March leaves off, a blend of history and memoir of Lewis‘ time with the Civil Rights Movement. An incredibly important read.

#votersrights #civilrights

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked the plot of this novel, an investigative author who goes to a small town to research and write about an old orphanage where abuse and a possible murder occurred. While those connected to the past begin mysteriously dying.

What made me really struggle with this book was the main character, Alex. She was a very unlikeable character to me. In short, I found her annoying.

This is a hard one to rate. On the one hand, there were lots of chapters that I really enjoyed and wanted to see more of (essentially a woman finding and losing then finding herself again all the while dealing with different types of love), but on the other hand, a lot of this felt unnecessarily risqué, and I wasn‘t sure how it helped move the plot forward. It pulled me from what I felt was the heart of the story.

I always love learning about trailblazing women &Goddard was certainly that. Her story has both triumph & tragedy, & her impact on the criminal justice system is still seen today.

There is a lot of the author‘s personal story intertwined throughout which I found an interesting decision given that she did not know Goddard & wasn‘t from the same generation. I commend her for being so open but did feel it took away from the flow & focus of the book.

It‘s surprising to me this was only recently translated to English given what an important addition it is to Holocaust history and memoirs. Debreczeni not only provides more insight into the concentration camps, he sheds light on the hierarchical structure that was present there. A difficult read but one I am glad I did as I continue to educate myself on the past.

#holocaust #hungary #wwii

Fun workplace, friendship-to-enemies-to-lovers romance with a bit of heart. I felt Grace could be a little immature at times but I really like Eric‘s character.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#arc

Humorous &thought-provoking, we follow Tilda after being diagnosed w/invisibility, an illness seen in middle-aged women where they literally begin disappearing.

Tilda refuses to believe there isn‘t a cure. She starts a journey of self-discovery. There were times my heart ached for Tilda × I was chortling along w/her.

I loved the theme of the book, the idea of seeing one‘s self, of seeing others, &having a supportive community surround you.

Read a lot of great books in January and got good head starts on my challenges!

14 Books
4,757 Pages

Top Reads
Caste
Needy Little Things
Heavy is the Head

Challenges
#52bookclub25 : 9
#bookchain2025: 3
#litsyAtoZ: 8
Countries: 6 (2 New)
Mount TBR: 14

#januaryreads

I thought there was some good information and advice in here although there were times I felt it slightly redundant or long. Still, worth a read for anyone who feels they have perfectionist tendencies.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#arc

Kept me guessing the whole time! The suspense was kept high and I thought three POVs worked really well.

I figured out part of it pretty quickly, but was stumped by the rest. Enjoyed the twisty ending even if a little unbelievable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#arc

Powerful and moving. A great book of contemporary poetry.

#southafrica #readtheworld2025

An important, challenging, angering, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, educational book. It should be mandatory reading for everybody.

I will be thinking about what I learned in this book for a long time.

The whole time I thought I had all the twists figured out and so I was pleasantly surprised at how many I got wrong or didn‘t see coming!

Ok so is this totally cheesy and predictable? Yes. But did I love it anyway? Also, yes. Sometimes you just need that book to escape into and this was that for me.

3.25⭐️

#arc

Claire returns home to her small town after years away to help solve the murder of a teen girl in a way eerily similar to her sister‘s all those years ago. Using her skills gained during her time as a homicide detective in Detroit, Claire hopes she can close this case &move on. However, when another girl is killed &more suspicious activity arises, she realizes more sinister things have been happening for years on the island than most realize.
#arc

I read very little YA anymore & even less magical realism/speculative fiction, but the blurb for this book sounded intriguing & Desamours knocked it out of the park. I can‘t believe this is a debut.

This is pact with so much: friendship &family relationships, mystery & a teen‘s disappearance, racial inequality, mental health, chronic illness, and the unique gift Sariyah has to hear people‘s needs. Yet even so, it all fits & is balanced perfectly.

In a very dramatic novel with more than one character suffering some form of mental health issues, it‘s surprising this was written so long ago, as outside of the setting, parts of this could have been taking place in present day.

#CaPBuddyRead