thoughts on books

Category: Recommendations

  • big girl blitz by danielle allen

    This is the spicy sports romance with a plus-sized beautiful black FMC that you have been waiting for! Jazmyn is a teacher and has come back to town as her beloved Aunt Addison (who has been more like a mom to Jazmyn) is at the end of her life. Addison has had a stroke and Jazmyn wants to be here to support her and her care team, and stops into a sports bar to watch the Baltimore NFL football game where she meets Lamar Anderson. He is tall, dark, handsome, athletic, and seems to love football as much as Jazmyn does. Soon she finds out that he doesn’t just LOVE football, it is his career also. Aunt Addison wants Jazmyn to start living her best life, it has been 2 years since her divorce and she hasn’t dated at all.

    First of all, this may be a bit too spicy for my own personal taste, but I know that is perfect for others! This is a romance that has a lot of substance, the grief that Jazmyn has for her aunt and how she fits into her family, she has really strong friendships (girlfriends chiming in with their loud opinion are the BEST) and stepping into her power after finding her next chapter. I was rooting for Jazz and Lamar ALL the way! I thought they had a great friendship and the relationship was more than just their physical chemistry, he was so respectful and thoughtful of her. She was so supportive of his career and wanted the best for him. I think what I loved best about Lamar was how he made her feel KNOWN. Isn’t that what we all want?

    Audiobook review- this is a top notch audio performance, I loved the narrator and the passion and sparkling personality she put into all the characters. It is well paced for audio and is well worth the listen. I just had to pre-order the paperback for my shelves as a trophy!

    Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published April 14, 2026.

  • the half life by rachel beanland

    An exceptionally well written historical fiction with a deeply engrossing setting and wonderful characters.

    The story starts out as a coming of age story, Eileen O’Malley is sort of floundering in grief. Her brother was killed in Vietnam after being drafted, and she has foregone college and is working at a department store. There she meets Paul, and things are going okay, when he tells her that the Navy is sending him to Italy. And they sort of spontaneously decide to get married, and she follows him to La Maddalena, a Mediterranean island that the US Navy is doing something with nuclear power on a submarine. There she has to learn how to navigate not only Italian culture, not only ex-pat culture, but also how to be a Navy wife. There she discovers how to let go of American exceptionalism, and maybe their actions are harmful in many ways.

    Set in 1970’s Nixon America, this is less nostalgia and more written to a future, unnamed person who we find out about in the epilogue. While the narrative took awhile to get to major plot point, the journey is well worth it for the deeper characterization and learning about who you are within the context of a marriage. Eileen floundered at times and became curious, giving herself so much pressure and stress to mask the grief from her brother’s death.

    I love the way that Beanland is simultaneously giving us the journey of Eileen, of Paul and Eileen’s marriage, and the setting of the US Navy’s occupation and nuclear strategy. All of them are stories worth telling and have their own story arc. I found myself so drawn in to this one.

    Main character in 3 adjectives= curious, bold, strong

    Favorite minor character- Eileen’s mom

    Hollywood Cast
    Eileen- Bella Thorne
    Paul- Mark Paul Gosselaar
    Laura- Brittany Snow
    Teo- Michele Morron

    Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. Book to be published July 14, 2026

  • we burned so bright by tj klune

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    A very, very enthusiastic five stars (while sobbing)

    A short tale of two elder gays at the end of their life. Well, everybody’s life. The earth is just a few weeks away of being sucked into a black hole. Don and Rodney are in their seventies, having been together 40 years. They leave their home behind and take their rickety RV on a road trip to Washington DC. They meet various folks along the way who at different places in accepting the world’s fate. Some are in denial, others angry, others in a blissful acceptance.

    Throughout the story we learn about LGBTQ history in the US. Don and Rodney have lived through the AIDS crisis, marriage equality, and the passing of so many to violent hate crimes. They are survivors helping those they meet along the way to find peace. The fantasy/sci fi elements are a necessary part of the plot, but the narrative doesn’t go deep into this.

    At its core, this is a love story. I immediately pre-ordered, as I’m eager to highlight and annotate my favorite parts.

    It’s well paced for audio and a great audiobook performance from narrator Kirt Graves.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this outstanding ALC. the best book about the end of the world that I have ever read.

  • hot girl murder club by Ashley winstead

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    Feminist revenge fiction. This book is about two stories, one is a series of revenge killings of women who supported and abetted the most terrible men, and then men who got away with terrible crimes against women. The other is of the detective Grey, whose sister went missing as a bottle girl years ago. In our current storyline, Grey is investigating and all evidence points to Scout the pop star. But is she being framed?

    This is a classic Ashley Winstead tale, tons of characters across multiple timelines, and enough plot elements to keep you guessing. Everyone who dies has a backstory. The murderer is not who you think. I love the way she does the plot elements, you can figure things out just a minute before the main characters do.

    Without spoiling the specific story, you will love this book if you are angry and ready to see the billionaire pdfs get what is coming to them. The women in this novel are righteous and smart.

    Needless to say this is the story I’ve been craving lately. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. Book to be published July 14, 2026

  • The romance revival by christina Lauren

    This is a bit of a departure from Christina + Lauren’s other works, its genre-bending. I predict this is going to be either your favorite CL title or your least favorite.

    It’s my favorite!

    The second chance romance in this novel is the best I’ve read, a couple with 10/10 chemistry, wonderful back story and I am rooting for Luca and Emery all the way.

    Our minor characters- Annie and Crash- need a book of their own. I love it when the “best friend” characters are so well developed that you love them as characters instead of merely background noise.

    I don’t think I’m going to write a summary for this review, which is off-brand for me- but I think it’s best to go into as blind as possible.

    So it’s the top tier romcom we know and love, but this is also cozy mystery, speculative fiction. I would LOVE to see these authors explore this genre more.

    This is a risk that pays off big time! Infinity stars!

    a best romance of 2026

    Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC. Book to be published July 14, 2026.

  • it could have been her by lisa jewell

    A dark mystery thriller about a missing girl. Janie trevalley is 55 years old and wandering around her sprawling and crumbling english estate when she sees a small white scruffy dog. She traces him back to a large country estate that she remembers going to years ago and narrowly escaping as something felt off. What follows is a mystery with layers upon layers, the more we learn the darker and more deviant it becomes.

    Lisa Jewell is a master of the modern thriller, I love the characters, the plot and the pacing. This is absolutely the creepiest one ever, it tap dances over the line from thriller to horror at the end. At the beginning I did find it a bit confusing, there are a lot of people and a long timeline with several characters but for me this came together in a very coherent way.

    Absolutely the creepiest book I have read in a long time! Great mystery.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. Book to be published June 23, 2026

  • 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

  • brimstone hollow by archer sullivan

    An exciting thriller about a snake handling preacher who died of an apparent snake bite. A small town appalachia setting with many layers; homophobia in the church and the domino effect of that culture, the generational drug problem, the way that everyone in town has a silver F150. Except for the people who have a black F150.

    Annie Gore is back as a private investigator- she works alongside the police but is a detective for hire and has a classic Datsun that she really babies named “honey.” She is hired by a woman whose biological father died and was buried really quickly of a snake bite with no autopsy. She had a dream or vision about him and she doesn’t think it is a coincidence, so she sends Annie to Brimstone Hollow to see if there is anything fishy. There is.

    What I really enjoyed about this story was that there were aspects of the small town that intersected as you would expect, but the characters always had more than they seemed. It was not all pure stereotypes about people in Kentucky, they were complex characters in the area, some by choice and others by circumstance. I loved the fast pacing and how the setting was complicated and nuanced. The characters were engaging and the ending… WOW! I was hooked. I was a fan of the first and now glad I read this as well!

    Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the ARC. Book to be published August 11, 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

  • Off the record by Sara Goodman confino

    It is Washington, DC, we are with a buttoned up high-powered newspaper publication and our heroine, Judy, has just graduated with a 4.0 from the University of Maryland. Like a good Jewish girl, she lives at home with mom and dad in Silver Springs, but commutes into the city and accepts a position in the typing pool at the second-best newspaper. It isn’t editing, or the sharp reporting she longs for, but at least it isn’t a secretarial job at her uncle’s law firm. Her parents are very invested in her finding a husband and settling down to have kids and make a home with a good Jewish boy. Judy is fine with marriage AT SOME POINT but her priority is making an impact- her writing career comes first! Also it seems like there is no other Jewish folks at the paper at all.

    This is a sparkling and page turning story of international intrigue, the background setting is so intriguing and absolutely engaging. When it comes to Sara Goodman Confino’s books, this is the kind of heartwarming yet flawed strong female character we have come to expect. I found this latest to be lighthearted and sparkling, not exactly YA but written more like a hopeful YA historical fiction can be. This definitely has Hallmark-vibes and there is a sweetness here that I REALLY was craving in the midst of a real world situation that terrifies me daily. There is a little romance and the reveals at the end are positively Pixar-esque. Give me all the wholesome.

    Three adjectives to describe our main character: Determined. Hard working. Intelligent.

    Hollywood cast
    Miss Kelly- Allison Janney
    Judy Greenfield- Hailee Steinfeld
    Jack Fields- Zach Efron

    thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the ARC. Book to be published June 9, 2026