thoughts on books

Category: New Release

  • The insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch

    🌙📖 THIS BOOK KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT… and I regret NOTHING 😱✨

    WOW. I am still reeling from the ending of The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch 🤯💭

    This story pulls you in FAST with some seriously rich character development. We follow four strangers who can’t sleep and meet in a Sudoku chat room (yes, you read that right 🧩💻), and somehow… it works SO well.

    ✨ Meet the crew:
    ⚾ Zeke Rodriguez — an All-Star pitcher for the New York Mets
    👩‍⚕️ Sybil — former med student turned stay-at-home mom in her 40s (she’s my fave)
    🍬 Julian — a candy shop owner and devoted father
    ☕ Betty — the overnight diner worker who sees it all

    They form a late-night bond, calling themselves The Insomniacs 🌃 — but here’s the thing… everyone is hiding something 👀

    And trust me, you do NOT want spoilers for this one 🤐

    I was so hooked I literally blew off work just to finish it 😅📚 It felt like the pages reached out and pulled me in — I couldn’t stop until I knew the truth.

    🔥 What I loved:
    ✨ Unique pacing that doesn’t follow your typical mystery formula
    ✨ Twists, red herrings, and constant “wait… WHAT?” moments
    ✨ Themes of identity, secrecy, and even some cult-like undertones using Christian language ⛪
    ✨ A subtle, budding romance 💕 that adds just the right touch

    Honestly, this book felt like a breath of fresh air in the mystery genre 🌬️📖

    If you love stories where nothing is as it seems and the ending leaves you stunned… this one is for you 💥

    🙏 Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!
    📅 Publishes April 14, 2026 — add it to your TBR NOW!! 📚✨

  • The caretaker by Marcus kliewer

    A jump scare in a book. It’s like playing Five Nights at Freddy’s. This is horror for people who are okay with not getting all of the answers and like to sit in the creepiness of a haunted house.

    Macy Mullins is taking care of her younger sister Jemma, they are close to being evicted and can’t afford her asthma inhaler. Their father has died, they used to work together at his landscaping business and now Macy and Jemma are barely getting by. She gets the chance to be a caretaker for a woman who is a multimillionaire- and gets paid handsomely just to watch their house and follow the rites. So she has to do things like turn off lights, catch bunnies who get inside, watch tapes on a VCR “if this happens” read letters; keep her heart rate under 150. If she fails, and she often does, then things get worse.

    As I read this book I found myself reading quicker and quicker. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t stand not knowing what would happen next. The reader will be rooting for Macy to survive the night and will be irritated with her as she is trying to fight her case. There is just enough character development and back story for me to care about the people in the story, it there isn’t enough for me to know the difference between a “visitor” and the person that the visitor is pretending to be.

    This would make a great horror movie. Bring the popcorn!

    Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler for the ARC. Book to be published 4/20/26.

  • Marion by Leah Rowan

    you thought you knew Psycho… think again. 🔪✨

    Marion by Leah Rowan takes the bones of the classic Psycho and flips the narrative into something far more empowering—and honestly, way more satisfying.

    Instead of watching another brilliant woman fall victim to violence, this retelling asks: what if she fought back?

    Marion is still smart, still captivating—but this time, when Norman comes for her, she refuses to be the ending. And that’s just the beginning. Beyond that iconic setup, this story takes on a life of its own with twists, layered characters, and a much more modern lens on power and survival.

    I especially loved that Marion isn’t the only strong woman here. Hannah, the detective unraveling the mystery, is navigating a male-dominated field while piecing together a seriously twisty case. And Lauren’s mother? Absolute standout—fierce, loyal, and unforgettable.

    The final 20% completely explodes with twists. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

    ✨ If you’ve ever wanted to see a story where women reclaim control instead of losing it—this one delivers.

    🎧 Audiobook thoughts:
    I’ll pick up anything narrated by Natalie Naudus, and she did not disappoint—even in a smaller role, her performance adds so much depth. The primary narrator perfectly captures Marion’s vulnerability and fear, making this an immersive and easy listen. Both narrators absolutely nailed it.

    📖 Pub date: June 2, 2026
    Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

  • love is an algorithm by laura brooke robson

    What a unique story and a fresh new voice in fiction. Danny is a tech start up bro, he is the coding half of the duo that started Pattern, a dating app that measures compatibility. Eve is a musician who comes from a Manhattan elite family, her brother co-founded the company with Danny. He is marrying a beautiful “influencer” and says things like “crushing it.” Danny is approaching the app and the compatibility score with a lot of thoughtfulness, and it is being used in very human, messy ways.

    This is a really unique writing style that I will admit, it took me awhile to get used to. With razor sharp references, this seems to skip prose and descriptions in favor of rapid jumps to snippets of conversations. The narrative skips around in character and time frame rather abruptly, but once I got used to the style, I realized that I knew the characters in their complexity and relationships much more so than I would have expected in just a few hundred pages. This is one that grew on me over the course of me reading it. By the ending, you realize the commentary it is making on relationships, how they work, and how they are influenced by the modern age.

    The best thing about this book is the rather complex conversation that it is having around AI, Algorithms, how we are relying upon our devices and some AI that has been programmed by some very very human and imperfect people.

    I was lucky to approach this as an immersive read as I received both the ARC from Harlequin Trade as well as the ALC from Harlequin Audio. The audiobook performance was excellent, but audio-only could be a challenge to some readers due to the writing style. I personally did very much need the “eyeball” reading to keep track of where I was in the book.

    Book to be published March 31, 2026. Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin, and the author.

  • deadly does it by abbi waxman

    Abbi Waxman does it again! If you enjoy Catherine Mack or Benjamin Stevenson, and you like a bantery hilarious book that also just so happen to have a mystery involved, you need to read this series. While I think this edition would work as a stand alone, I highly recommend you add the first in the series, [book:One Death at a Time|216522751], which was one of my favorite mysteries last year.

    Mason and Julia are back and this time helping Mason’s sponsor Alexa. Alexa’s past has come back to haunt her, and she is getting typewritten anonymous threatening letters and someone is going after her sponsees. Mason has agreed to help and has enlisted Julia’s help.

    I really love the relationship between Gen Z Mason and her much older employer Julia, who was a golden age movie actor and unjustly accused and convicted of murdering her husband. She became a lawyer in prison so now she acts as the law in the duo and Mason acts as the amateur private investigator. The references to AA are perfect and exactly like they are in real life, some people who got sober during covid are zoom babies and now there are AA meetings literally every single hour of the day on zoom. It is one of the great things that came out of the pandemic.

    I am 14 years sober in AA and the authenticity of Mason, Julia and Alexa’s program is a huge reason why I love this series so much. But someone outside of recovery will still love the dialogue, the fast pace, and the blend of plot twists with deeper observations of human nature. I have already pre-ordered and I will re-read as a treat for myself when it is published.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley for the ARC. Book to be published July 21, 2026

  • her first lie by lucinda berry

    If you ever doubted if you were a good mom, well, do I have a book for you! Lucinda Berry fans rejoice, this is Berry at her absolute best!

    Our story starts out with Becky giving birth in her college dorm- she just thinks she is having the worst constipation of her life- nope, it is a baby. Then she keeps the baby secret for 2 years. She names her Janie and, as one would expect, she has some trouble managing life as a college student and secret mom. Also, she was relentlessly abused growing up in every possible manner, so she has no examples of good parenting to live by.

    There are some interstitials from a detective trying to determine who are the bodies he is finding buried in shallow graves around a long-time notorious foster care home that was investigated multiple times for physical and sexual abuse allegations. Fun times!

    When all is lost, Becky finds her grandmother Lillian who will solve all her problems. But what will she give up in return?

    Wow, this one is crazy. Lots of drama. I read that the author has a background in childhood trauma, so I know these situations exist and this explains why she writes them so realistically. The book has great pacing and is really easy to follow, even with the time jumps and multiple POV. I was really riveted and read it in one sitting! Despite her faults, I was rooting for Becky and Orion and hoping they could overcome their circumstances. Don’t judge people!

    Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC. Book to be published April 21, 2026

  • sunk in love by heather mcbreen

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    Well, what do you know, it’s a two star buildup and a five star ending. Yeah, I said it. The ending was five star. And to think I almost DNFed.

    A marriage-in-crisis, grief, miscommunication, forced proximity fake dating cruise ship.

    Roslyn is a romance writer, her family is all doctors. Her soon to be ex-husband Liam is an oncologist, and naturally they really adore him. Her grandparents are going to renew their vows on a cruise ship going to Hawaii. She has been lying to them for months about the fact that they are about to get divorced, so she gets him to come with her so that they can pretend to be happily married and not disappoint her grandparents. They still have a ton of chemistry and soon they forget the “rules“ and “boundaries“

    I spent a good portion of this book being angry at both Liam and Roslyn. I felt like the reasons why they weren’t together. were still very valid and that they weren’t giving each other the benefit of the doubt. It seemed really immature and a bad idea for them to give up on their marriage without therapy or counseling. The setting was lovely, I really enjoyed the cruise ship setting, that her brother and sister had good relationships, and the narrative showed Roselyn growing through grief. Although I spent a long time being angry at the characters, the ending more than made up for it. It’s an incredibly romantic and wonderful journey.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for the ARC. Book to be published January 27, 2026.

  • Adrift by will dean

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    Two alternating POV- Peggy, the wife of an abusive gaslighter, and her 14 year old son Sampson (if you’re wondering if he gets a haircut in the book, yes he does).

    This book is highly suspenseful and perfectly written, although it is technically thriller, I have to say it nearly reads like horror in the emotional abuse aspect. While realistic, the way that Drew manipulates and controls both Peggy and Sampson is relentless and horrific. So big trigger warning for emotional abuse. I literally had to stop reading at 60% to skip to the end to make sure Drew got his just desserts. My apple watch told
    Me I was too stressed out.

    So if you want a book that makes you feel something you will absolutely want to pick this one up! Drew is a villainous awful person.

    My favorite character? Phoenix. He isn’t introduced until the second half but he has a good back story and a heart of gold.

    Three words to describe the main character? Manipulated. Pitiful. Mother.

    Hollywood cast
    Drew- Jared Leto
    Peggy- Elizabeth Olsen
    Sampson- Tanner Buchanan (from Cobra Kai)

    Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler for the ARC. Book to be published February 16, 2026

  • how to cheat your own death by kristen perrin

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    Our Castle Knoll characters are back although not necessarily at Castle Knoll. This was definitely my favorite of the series. I love Kristen Perrin’s writing style of how she lays out a mystery so that you have a chance to figure things out but still feel suspense and surprise. The love story will-they-won’t-they is heating up and I think will continue.

    Annie is reconnecting with her mother when there is a murder, her mother Laura’s mentee is found murdered with her heart removed. This reminds Annie of a murder in the 1960’s from her great aunt Laura’s journal about her socialite friend. Two identical murders 60 years apart!

    The following narrative is dual timeline- I thought the swinging 60’s chapters were really well done and I liked the setting. Detective Crane is investigating the old murder and Annie the new. I found the ending to be really satisfying!

    Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the arc. Book to be published April 28, 2026.

  • harmless by marissa shulman

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    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;

    1. Layla, her single mom is a tv icon. She doesn’t do anything but has an assistant
    2. Tatum, she lives with her boyfriend Ed but she doesn’t love him anymore.
    3. 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