Center likes to keep things very light in her style of writing. Lot‘s of one line zingers, and fast dialogue keep this book moving. At times, this book did seem a little predictable, however this is Katherine Center, and she tends to make any story sparkle.

Linda Holmes famously from NPR‘s Pop Culture Happy Hour is out with her second novel, and is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. Her books are so delightful, but she is so good at adding a complexity to her characters that just gives these stores so much substance.

This is a summer beach read to it‘s core. It‘s salacious, sexy, gossipy and anything else that fits into this genre. I understand there are mixed feelings on this book, but for me it worked. I think we were supposed to dislike many of the people in this story, but for me it just worked, and I totally enjoyed it. Bonus, I listened to the audiobook, and Sutton Foster was such a delight to listen to for the length of this book.

This is a book that leaves you happy, I was completely satisfied and sometimes that is exactly what you need in your life.

I cannot say enough of this book. It was so much fun to read this story, and I could not help rooting for these Bloomsbury Girls from the very first page. Jenner‘s description‘s are beautiful of this old book shop and the surrounding area of London. There is, mystery, romance and just about something for every reader out there. This will likely go down as one of my favorite books of this year.

I do love a complicated family story but somehow this one did not sit well with me. When it comes down to it, I am not sure I liked any of the Geller sisters. They appeared so selfish at times, but something made me keep going. The author does a good job of recognizing the messiness of this family and that actually helped it sit better for me. This is a juicy and at time salacious book and would be perfect for the beach.

This is the third book I have read from Leesa Cross-Smith and I am 100% in for any book she writes in the future. Her writing is simple, engaging and unforgettable. This is a slow burn of a book, but oh so satisfying.

This was such a fun ride, that had such a satisfying ending for me. I went into this blindly and I think it was all the better for that. This is so fast paced, you will not want to put this one down….trust me.

This book has started to show up on lot‘s of summer reading lists and it is entirely worth the hype. There is sadness, but a lot humor that Espach provides. So glad I received a copy of this book.

This is a coming of age story at it‘s core, but has a strong literary mystery. This is a powerful story that will give you a knot in your stomach as the story progresses. It can only be this way because of the way Winn makes you feel part of this family. I am not sure why I am not seeing this on must read lists, at least yet, but it definitely is in my opinion. Take a chance on this, I don‘t think you will regret it.

This is a good beach read or if you want a light read. We all need these types of books in our lives and this one does the job perfectly.

Such a fun book especially for fans of Jane Austen. Claudia Gray writes a clever story in the vain of Agatha Christie of who killed Austen‘s most notorious villain, Mr. Wickham.

This is not my favorite of Mary Kay Andrews, but even though it is not a favorite I am so glad to read another book from Andrews. This will make you smile and is a great start to the summer reading season.

This is a very cute palette cleanser, considering I have read a lot of serious books lately. It does have all the typical cliches of a romantic comedy, so you won‘t be surprised, but nonetheless I found myself enjoying this one a lot. Great for the beach as it does not take a lot of concentration to get through this one.

This story set in a small coastal town near Massachusetts 10 years post Covid. Centered around several community members that are all interconnected. With the community still overwhelmed with grief, a divorce that rocks the community and a terrorist attack in nearby Cambridge, this sets the tone for the entire novel. Rich with complications, a lot of backstory, you start to feel for each community member that is portrayed in this book.

Just like the first book, there are so many layers to this complex story. You will be rooting for Honey the entire way through. Richardson has done a fantastic job and taken a book set in the ‘50s and extract so many themes that are 100% relevant today. Beautiful read, that cannot be missed.

Super fun book to read, and great for discussion, especially the culmination of who the committee ends up selecting. I had so much fun with this story. Bonus, Cassandra Campbell is the narrator for the audiobook and she was just perfect, if you want to try that medium

McBrayer writes a complex narrative of a woman trying to decide between right and wrong, the morals that she has ingrained in her. This book is extremely “open door” and does not leave much to the imagination.

I loved the snarky writing and dialogue. I did listen to this on audiobook which was outstanding. I recommend this book highly and I think will make for great discussions.

This really is just a fun family read. I did not walk away with anything grand, but just enjoyed the time I got to spend with this family, where love is in abundance, but everyone has their own quirks.

I absolutely loved this book so much, You will delight in following this family especially Emma and Clive. There are serious moments in this book, but how these story lines are handled are perfection and never seem to drag this book down. Trust me, just go out and read this, you will not be disappointed.

I went into this book with not a lot of information, but I think it made for a much better reading experience for me. Delphine Jones is a single mom, caregiver to her widowed father and in a dead end job that leaves her stretched thin pretty much always. In the opening she loses this job, which ultimately sparks Delphine to find the life she was always meant to lead.

I was never about taught this is any class, but so glad this came across my reading list as this story is insane. I could not put this down, and at times I found myself going down a rabbit hole on the internet. This book does not disappoint, and at times it reads more like a thriller than a nonfiction book.

The book started a little slow for me, but I am glad I stuck with this one. The back half of this book is very intriguing and fast paced when it is all said and done. It had a noir feel throughout the writing, and it completely worked for this particular book. Very fun book with lots of twists and turns.

This was a lovely, gentle story that takes on the topic of racism with such care. Birch brought to light a time in history in a country that I had not known about. Odette is like any loving family member and just wanted to do what is best for Sissy, and that was for them to stay together.

Set in Mexico during the Mexican American War. John Riley an Irish soldier fighting on behalf of the Yankees abandons them to fight for Mexico. He is hoping to help Mexico for the freedom they desire that he was unable to get in Ireland. While he is there he falls in love with Ximena who is recently widowed. Their love is epic until he is taken prisoner and Ximena fights to save his life.

I imagine it was very cathartic for Bloom, but also this might just help other families who are facing similar situations. My heart goes out to her for the decisions she had to make, and ultimately supporting the man she loves, to choose to end his life on his own terms and timeline. Ultimately knowing how it will end, gave him strength, but also allowed his family to be part of this process with him.

I really loved Silver‘s book about self discovery, the healing power of friendship and unexpected love. I thought this was going to be a much lighter novel, but it was so much deeper than that and I loved it all the more for that.

This is a beautiful story of forgiveness, love lost and found, and mourning the life we could have had. The storytelling is lovely and Sarah Jio weaves a tremendous mother/daughter story.

This book is an inner dialogue of a socially awkward woman. The writing is sparse and lovely. Wang gets to the point, there is no flourishes in her storytelling but it really works for the characters she dreams up. This is a short read that should not be missed.

I adored Molly so much. If you loved Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” than I think you will love this book too. Molly is so endearing and you root for her for the entirety of the book. The mystery is solid if not a little predictable, but the star itself is Molly and that is all you need to know.

This is a story of self-healing, reconciling with the people we love. Getting back on that proverbial horse, when all you think is you might fall off again. Of course, there is that wonderful romance element that Smith sprinkles in throughout.

The story of a upper middle class family living in Wimbledon, England. Everything is going well, until Tom loses his job. He is not worried yet, because Tom and Faiza have a nice little nest egg. There is just one thing Faiza has spent all the money in their savings and she does not want to tell her husband.

This is a tough read at times, but then that just means Imogen Crimp was writing fabulous scenes and story. Stick with this one, it will be worth it in the end

This was a pretty dry book, and therefore making this very hard for me to review. While I was engaged in the book the entire time, it never got to a place where I wanted to be, just kind of ho, hum. Gage is a very interesting character, borderline obsessive at times, even goes as far as decorating the house to the look like the original house in the 1980‘s. More than anything I wanted more about Gage than the actual premise of this book.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting, when I read the description, however it was a lackluster story that I got bored as I continued to read The Arc.

I could not put this book down. So many secrets and intricacies go into this story. It is a fun ride to be on. The author did a wonderful job putting all the pieces together of this book.

I know it is only February and it has started off so strong with so many great books, but this one might go down as one of my favorites. There is mystery, complex families and so much more. I cannot say enough about this book, so just go out and read it.

The descriptions are beautiful and the author wrote Nell a beautiful story. Everything else that surrounds it, is slightly under par. Give me Nell‘s story alone and this would have been a 5 star read, instead Jasper‘s story takes over and while he was interesting, it just does not shine like Nell‘s.

I did give this a better than average rating, because I was into the story itself, but this might have been better to actually take the Christie name out of it. The story alone without the name can completely stand on it‘s own. Please note the author does say that it is completely fiction in her Author‘s note, but still I was searching for some truth. Still, it is a fun read, which I know many people will love.

I could not put this book down. It moves very quick because of the epistolary form. There are a ton of characters, but I found it very easy to understand each of their roles in this savvy story. Very fun book, that you will not want to miss.

This did start a little slower for me, but very much picked up at the end that I actually wanted a little more. I am not sure, if my timing was slightly off for reading this and maybe in a month or so, I would have loved it even more, but it was still a solid read. If you love baroque music or just want to read a good story, then give this one a try.

This was a fun read. It did lack some of the sparkle that the first book had, but Finlay is just so fun, I definitely want to read more of what she is up to in future books.

Told mostly as an epistolary novel. A friendship begins between two woman. Joan is a young food writer in Los Angeles when she writes Imogen a more experienced writer living in the Pacific Northwest. As they continue to write they share recipes, words of wisdom that develop into a deep friendship.

Told mostly as an epistolary novel. A friendship begins between two woman. Joan is a young food writer in Los Angeles when she writes Imogen a more experienced writer living in the Pacific Northwest. As they continue to write they share recipes, words of wisdom that develop into a deep friendship.

The overall story was cute and satisfying, however in the scheme of things I don‘t think it will be very memorable to me. This is a great book as a placeholder until you figure out what you want to read next.

This is a very interesting take on Climate Fiction with a dystopian feel to it. It is very quiet, as I find many English books are. There is a lot to think about as you read this story, especially with the multi-POVs. I am not sure how I came across this one, but this was an enjoyable read for this genre.

The first two-thirds of this book I was completely engaged, but then Jonas completely lost me in the last pages. Reality almost felt like a fever dream to me and I kept asking what I am reading? This could be just my experience, but be forewarned, not everything appears as you might think it should be

I absolutely loved this one. This genre is completely in my wheelhouse, but these characters are both interesting on their own, but something special together.

This is an alternate history story, of what happens when all people cannot harm other people. Told from many characters points of views, some the bullied or the abused or even the witnesses and some of the aggressor‘s when one day as they are harming or being harmed seems to suddenly cease.

Let me preface that I absolutely hate magical realism, with the exception of when a Japanese author writes them. For people who love books (which I assume is anyone reading this), this will charm the pants off of you.