Fantastically creepy, suspenseful YA story and a STANDOUT audiobook performance by Kristolyn Lloyd.
Simone is a privileged teen, although her parents divorced due to her mom’s alcoholism, her dad is retired NFL and she has great friends and going to graduate top in her class. The setting is a farm house and lake where people leave old creepy dolls. The plot involves a very old doll possessed by a demon/ghost.
It’s stellar YA, good dialogue and plenty of reveals. I adored the pacing. It’s a great story.
Favorite character? Simone. Very authentic to an 18 year old girl, like able and easy to root for. I felt motherly towards her.
3 ways to describe the main character? Scared. Smart. Devoted.
It’s truly 5 ⭐️audio on performance alone. Her voice acting for the witch and ghost and Greta were soooooo creepy and will give you nightmares (complimentary).
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC. book to be published February 16, 2026.
Audrey died due to her heroin addiction two years ago, now, her oddball sister Bea will set us a kennel in business with Audrey’s two best friends from childhood.
The other characters are;
Layla, her single mom is a tv icon. She doesn’t do anything but has an assistant
Tatum, she lives with her boyfriend Ed but she doesn’t love him anymore.
Park Slope itself, which is not just a setting but a character in the story.
I don’t know how else to put this, but this is both extremely well written and poorly structured, maybe the chaotic structure is just not for me. I loved several sentences and they are so great about developing character and showing rather than telling. Some of the analysis and dialogue are great. I can see many people loving this book, it’s really different and unique.
My favorite character? Bea. She’s so weird. I love that they hint at her ASD but specifically say she has no diagnosis. She might be a sociopath or just an odd duck.
Do I recommend it? Maybe. If you like a fever dream type story and intriguing but sometimes unlikable characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC. Book to be published April 13, 2026
“I’ve always hated the expression More than friends, as if romantic love were one step above friendship.”
A deep, meaningful and funny “romance” book that has so much to tell us about identity and love. A YA book that is very true to the voice of Gen Alpha. Shapes of Love challenges our assumptions about romantic love and partnership.
Sasha (stage name Sassy) is just at the crux of stardom and she has found a solid audience. Her campaign year for Best New Artist Grammy, the world is very interested in her love life. She accidentally likes a post potentially outing her as aroace. Although her closest friends know, her producer Shirley and studio does not. As a PR stunt, her manager decides to hire her ex boyfriend and ex best friend Kai for fake dating for 6 months. She also gets a guest role on her favorite show and they meet Asher, a nepo baby with a penchant for partying.
Young Adult books can sometimes be heavy handed in their messaging, but I found this to be very meaningful and plot driven. The characters are wonderful. As a cis middle aged lady, I picked this up to educate myself so I can be a better and more educated ally to our aroace friends. I definitely found myself reading and realizing I have a lot to learn about the aroace community. Shapes of Love is the perfect title to describe all the ways we experience love, connection and partnership. And romantic love is not the only path, just like there’s not only one way into the ocean.
If you enjoy queer YA romance, don’t miss this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC. Book to be published May 18, 2026.
Claire is figuring out what the second half of her life is going to look like after heartbreak. Her husband of 23 years, John, cheated on her and is now getting married to the sidepiece, Misty. She can’t bear the humiliation of living in Colorado where her whole community is, and needs to find out who she is apart from a wife and mother. Her divorce newly finalized, she moves to Chicago and makes a list of things she wants to do- get a dog, get real friends, and download a dating app. Her neighbor Miles owns the apartment building she gets and apartment in, and he helps her along the way as she tries dating for the first time, kind of ever.
This book really made me feel seen. Being humiliated by John was only her first embarrassment, but later when Claire makes mistakes she learns how to pick herself back up and try again. If you like a clean/closed-door romcom with a FMC in her 40’s, friends-to-lovers please pick this up. It is not the complicated and dramatic and sad plot in many lovely books. This one is a lot more like a Hallmark movie, it is perfect in its pure simplicity. The characters do have some tragic back story, but this is not the story, it is more about the every day, the inner dialogue that is perfect for a character learning who they are.
I loved the text message exchanges between Claire and her adult daughter Minnie, her quirky first dates that go nowhere, and her tiny triumphs. This book was honestly a real joy to read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC. Book to be published June 8, 2026.
For fans of magical realism and the fine dining industry- it is like a mixture of Aftertaste and your favorite Ashley Poston. Who hasn’t wanted a magical remote control that could allow you to return to certain points in your life and do something differently? Sabrina Sorensen is at a point in her life where she wants to be a Michelin guide, but her career in the restaurant industry has gone sideways. From the chef’s assistant to lots of kitchen roles, sauce person and General manager and front of the house roles, she has a culinary degree and many connection across the globe. She gets into a special airport lounge that gets her a flight to a certain point in the past.
At times romantic, I see this as much more of a contemporary light-fantasy-magical realism book than a traditional romance. I liked the storyline and the idea that in our 30’s we are much less insecure and able to speak up for ourselves. Most of our regrets become in being braver, speaking up and taking more risks rather than playing it safe.
The big surprise and win here is the level of detail and setting of fine dining, not just in running a kitchen, but the career path of someone in this field. Everyone eats at restaurants, but very few have the level of detail and experience in knowing how cut throat and political this can be. I loved the setting and hearing more about what this is like and the interpersonal relationships involved. I loved Sabrina’s character arc and the variety of people who changed based on her path back as a cosmic re-do.
I definitely recommend this unique story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC. Book to be published May 26, 2026.
A sweet and heartwarming story about a family- the parents die in an accident and the 3 kids are navigating life without them. There is some toxic family situations as growing up the parents are all about their show cockatoo, Coco. Aden is executor of the estate and his younger sister has been holding things together. Their youngest brother is 13 and still navigating through life and his place in the family. Aden opens the cage and asks Coco to go, then they try to catch her as they monitor her ID chip, like a collar, as she flies across the country.
The symbolism is pretty in your face here- flying the coop, working together towards a common goal, finding their freedom in their family connection. It isn’t sad as I thought it would be, the narrative mostly revolves around their common mission to bring Coco home.
the polarizing part is going to be the chapters (these are short/small) that are from the birds POV. On the audiobook she uses a child-like voice for Coco, some people really hate animal POV, but these are heartwarming and charming if you like this kind of thing.
Audiobook review- easy to follow, sweet and charming audiobook performance.
Thanks to netGalley and Brilliance Audio for the ALC. Book available now.
A happily chaotic family drama about the home at the center of a strange small town conspiracy.
This promising debut centers around Bud and Catherine, who after 19 years together have decided to have an open marriage. Their 3 daughters all have secrets and challenges of their own. There is a large cast of characters, the one-liners are zingers and the situational comedy is top notch. At times I was a bit turned off by the overtly sexual scenes, (not love scenes) but the family communication and absurd plot really kept me turning the pages. I am really glad I picked this one up. The ending took kind of a turn.
It’s funny, addictive and just plain quirky.
Audiobook review: great performance by Christine Lakin. She has great skill in voice acting, giving each member of the Flynn family their own unique voice. I found her performance to be lovely and endearing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC. Book to be published 1/13/26
Wow, what a really unique voice in suburban fiction. Alan and Vivian are living the dream, the ad agency that he founded manages keep them in the most luxurious suburb of New York, modeled on Greenwich, Connecticut. Vivian has a chance to join the Queen Anne Society, which is an elitist ladies group for entertaining.
Then Alan loses the bid for the latest milk campaign. He has sort of a lightning bolt moment, and decides that his entire industry, the idea of capitalism in general, and over consumption, to be lacking. He stops showering, starts eating off the land, and sleeping in their backyard.
“Mom come home. Dad is having a menty b.”
This book is well written and wildly entertaining, even if at times it is heavy-handed in the messaging. I truly enjoyed the family characters and found myself relating heavily to Alan’s dilemma. Not long ago, I went with my high school aged son to visit the top university for creative writing in the country. When we were in the breakout session with other students and parents interested in the writing major, one of the parents asked about job rates post graduation. And most of us parents were also thinking the same, am I going to spend all this money for my child to become educated, and then they can’t get a job? The head of the department said something that stayed with me. She said, without really answering the question, “well, 60% of all jobs in the United States are marketing.“
I think it was her way of saying that, although our children may spend for a year studying writing at the best college in America, they would probably end up selling. Alan’s advertising firm and really his whole existence is driven by the prospect of getting people to over consume. This book could almost be a companion piece to Pixar’s Wall-E. It’s helping the reader think about that same lesson.
Thanks to Netgy and Little Brown for the ARC- Book to be published June 3, 2026.
Minnie is a truly intriguing character. She is from the only Asian family in Colorado Springs but then at college is struggling to find her place. She is a pretty typical talented but insecure teenager and she licks in on the new boy band HOURglass. They are a k-pop inspired band who shoots to stardom and inspires a message board culture and community of fans.
Alternating POE chapters go to Eason, whose stage name is Halo. Similarly insecure, he isn’t a good dancer he’s running from a difficult family situation. Many chapters were by far better, and I found Eason‘s chapters to be a little bit lacking. It all comes together in a dramatic moment when many finally is able to meet the band. It’s definitely a book that explores fandoms and obsession with celebrity. The content is mildly dark, and definitely intriguing in terms of setting. I would’ve liked a little bit more character building on the part of the band members. That said, it was definitely well written and worth reading if you like YA and books about celebrity culture.
Audiobook review- there are some parts of the narrative that are messages and message board material. This has a lot of depth and can be difficult to follow on audio. The performance for Minnie is great and really captures her voice. I was fortune to have a digital copy as well and I enjoyed reading along with audio in an immersive read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan audio for the ALC and Flatiron Books for the ARC.
Exactly the kind of heart wrenching drama and thriller I always expect from Caitlin Weaver. She is absolutely an auto-buy author for me and for good reason. Her books are often on kindle unlimited, and they always have strong female leads and always shitty dudes. I gotta say, I love this formula.
In this case we follow Lacey, who is down on her luck- going through a divorce from her awful ex husband Judd (the perfect name for him)- he is vile and won’t pay for their son Elliott’s ADHD medication or even administer it to him when he is with him. Judd is fighting Lacey for custody. She is fired from a job and accidentally hits a parked car. Life is hard. Then she finds a group of moms in communal living who share living expenses and child care and offer a loving environment for their kids.
Elliott is a dollface 8 year old, but parenting a child with an ADHD diagnosis is always challenging even in the best of circumstances. I really was so sucked in and wanted to throw my kindle across the room at Lacey’s custody issues. The moms get her the opportunity to be an executive assistant and get a job better than the one she has before— but are they hiding something?
If you love a thriller but you aren’t interested in the higher stakes- bloody murdering or random type thrillers, Caitlin Weaver proves you can have a beachy-popcorn thriller that is just as much of a page turner without all that.
Thanks to @netgalley and storm publishing for the ARC. Book to be published January 15, 2026
