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★★★★☆ (Story) | 🎧★★★★★ (Audiobook Performance)

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy. Murder on Charity Lane publishes August 18, 2026.

I made one unfortunate mistake before starting this book: I didn’t realize it was the second installment in the Marigold Cottages Mysteries. While it does spoil the outcome of the first book, that didn’t diminish my enjoyment nearly as much as I expected. In fact, I loved this cast so much that I’m already planning to go back and listen to book one anyway.

This series captures exactly what I want from a cozy mystery. The mystery itself has enough weight to keep me invested, but it never loses the warmth, humor, and sense of community that make the genre so comforting. Striking that balance isn’t easy, but Jo Nichols absolutely nails it.

The residents of Marigold Cottages are the true stars of the story. There are plenty of characters to keep track of—sometimes almost too many—but somehow that’s part of the charm. The cottages feel like the kind of place you’d actually want to live, surrounded by neighbors who genuinely care about one another. My favorite was Mrs. B, who completely stole every scene she appeared in.

I also have to rave about the audiobook. The narration is phenomenal. Every character has a distinct voice and personality, making such a large ensemble surprisingly easy to follow. If you’re an audiobook listener, I can’t recommend this format highly enough. It’s one of those performances that elevates an already enjoyable story into something even more memorable.

Maybe I was simply in the perfect mood for a cozy mystery, but this one absolutely hit the spot. It’s charming, funny, heartfelt, and delivers a mystery that kept me engaged from beginning to end.

If you’re looking for a cozy mystery with lovable characters, an inviting village setting, and an exceptional audiobook performance, this series is well worth picking up. Just do yourself a favor and start with book one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

Sarah Pinborough has a knack for writing mysteries that pull you in from page one, and They Say a Girl Died Here is no exception. Set in a small Appalachian town haunted by a string of murders, the story follows Anna as she begins to question the version of events her community has accepted for years. While everyone else believes the case was solved long ago, Anna can’t shake the feeling that something doesn’t add up—and she starts to wonder if the key to the truth lies with her grandmother, whose fading memories may be hiding more than anyone realizes.

This was a true page-turner. Pinborough’s pacing is excellent, steadily building tension while dropping just enough clues and red herrings to keep me guessing. I especially enjoyed the eerie small-town atmosphere and found myself eager to unravel the mystery alongside Anna. There is a significant twist that I never saw coming, even if it felt a bit abrupt once it arrived.

Where the novel lost me was in its resolution. I found myself more intrigued by a few of the alternate possibilities the story teased than by the direction it ultimately chose. I also thought some of the portrayals of rural Appalachian life leaned on familiar stereotypes, which pulled me out of an otherwise immersive setting.

That said, this is still an engaging mystery with strong momentum, memorable atmosphere, and a compelling central puzzle. If you enjoy twisty mysteries from authors like C.J. Tudor or Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson, this one is well worth adding to your TBR.

I also highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator does an excellent job distinguishing each character with unique voices, making the story easy to follow while adding another layer of tension to an already suspenseful read.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy. They Say a Girl Died Here publishes August 25, 2026.

It still feels a little surreal that The Time Traveler’s Wife has a sequel arriving 23 years later. I remember enjoying the original novel, although it’s been so long that many of the details have faded—I’ve probably read well over 2,000 books since then. I was genuinely curious to return to this world and see what Audrey Niffenegger would do with Henry and Clare’s daughter, Alba.

Unfortunately, A Life Out of Order wasn’t the follow-up I was hoping for.

Alba has inherited Henry’s chronodisplacement disorder, causing her to involuntarily jump through time without warning or control. She’s an intriguing protagonist, and I was interested in exploring how growing up with this ability would shape her life. But despite that strong premise, the novel never found its footing for me.

Time travel is one of the hardest concepts to execute well, and I found this story surprisingly difficult to follow. The narrative splinters into countless directions with an ever-expanding cast of POV characters, many of whom never feel fully developed. Several plotlines seemed like they were building toward something meaningful, only to quietly disappear without much payoff.

My biggest hurdle, though, was the length. At over 560 pages, the story felt incredibly bloated. I kept waiting for the various threads to come together, but instead the novel became increasingly sprawling and unfocused. By the end, I found myself pushing through rather than eagerly turning the pages.

There are moments that reminded me why I loved Niffenegger’s imagination in the first place, and Alba herself is a compelling character. I just wish her story had been told with a clearer narrative structure and a much tighter edit.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for the eARC. A Life Out of Order publishes October 6, 2026.

Lynn Painter has done it again. She continues to prove that she’s the undisputed queen of the cute YA rom-com, and Trust Fall was an absolute delight.

Julia has spent her whole life in Springfield, Nebraska, where her family owns the local grocery store. Then, completely out of the blue, they learn that their late neighbor, Lou, has left them his enormous mansion on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. If the family lives there for six months, they’ll inherit not only the mansion but also Lou’s hundreds of millions of dollars.

Once they’re in New York, Julia is suddenly trying to navigate prep school, high society, and a lifestyle that’s about as far from small-town Nebraska as you can get. She meets Damion, Lou’s nephew, who knew him as Uncle Remi and is convinced there has to be some mistake. After all, why would his uncle leave everything to strangers? As Damion tries to figure out what’s really going on, he ends up helping Julia adjust to her new life—tutoring her in math, showing her how to survive the subway, and, of course, spending a lot more time with her than either of them expected.

This book is basically every small-town girl’s daydream. It’s such a fun wish-fulfillment story, and I couldn’t help smiling while I read it. Julia’s introduction to Manhattan society gave me The Princess Diaries vibes, while some of the glamorous social events reminded me a little of Bridgerton. It was so much fun watching her figure out this completely different world.

One thing I really appreciated was the setting. Most of Lynn Painter’s books are set in Nebraska, so it was fun to see her take readers to Manhattan while still keeping the warmth and charm that I always associate with her books.

The banter between Julia and Damion is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Lynn Painter—funny, sweet, and full of chemistry. I also loved that Julia quickly found good people in New York. There really isn’t a “mean girl” element here, which made the whole story feel refreshingly cozy and easy to settle into. Even Julia’s parents were just genuinely kind people, and I found myself rooting for this whole family.

Is the story a little formulaic? Sure. But honestly, that’s part of the charm. Lynn Painter knows exactly how to write a feel-good YA romance, and this is another reminder that this is where she shines.

If you’ve loved Better Than the Movies, The Do-Over, or Fake Skating, I think you’ll have a great time with this one. It’s sweet, completely closed-door, and just a wonderfully escapist read that’s perfect for fall.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Publication date: September 29, 2026.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advance reading copy. As soon as I finished, I was happy I’d already preordered a copy to round out my Lynn Painter shelf.

3.5 ⭐️ | Don’t Blame the Wife by Darby Kane

Darby Kane has become one of those thriller authors I can count on for an entertaining, twist-filled ride, and Don’t Blame the Wife delivers exactly that. If you love wealthy families, locked-room mysteries, long-buried secrets, and plenty of soap-opera-worthy scandals, this one is worth adding to your TBR.

The story centers on Amery Aberdeen Benedict, the formidable matriarch of a powerful family living in a $28 million estate. Ten years ago, her husband Walter was found floating dead in the swimming pool, and many believed Amery got away with murder. She has always maintained her innocence.

To mark the tenth anniversary of Walter’s death, Amery summons her children, their partners, and everyone who was present that fateful night back to the mansion. When another guest winds up dead, no one is allowed to leave until the mystery is solved. As an added incentive, Amery announces that whoever uncovers the truth will inherit her entire estate.

From there, the novel becomes a fast-paced, locked-room mystery filled with shifting timelines, multiple points of view, family betrayals, secret affairs, and enough drama to rival Knives Out by way of The Young and the Restless. Everyone seems to fear Amery, and she easily became the most compelling character in the book. Every time she was on the page, she commanded attention.

As always, Darby Kane excels at pacing. The chapters fly by, the twists keep coming, and the story constantly gives you new suspects and motivations to consider. I never felt bored, and I was eager to see how everything would come together.

What kept this from being a four-star read for me was the characterization. While there are several points of view, many of the voices blend together, making it difficult to become invested in anyone besides Amery. Gena, Cooper’s fiancée and the story’s primary outsider, feels like the character readers are meant to root for, but she never develops enough of a distinct personality to truly stand out. As a result, the emotional stakes never landed quite as strongly as I hoped.

Even so, this is another solid thriller from Darby Kane. It follows a formula similar to some of her previous novels, but it’s a formula that works. If you’re a fan of locked-room mysteries, dysfunctional wealthy families, and page-turning suspense with plenty of shocking reveals, I think you’ll have a great time with this one.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an electronic ARC. Don’t Blame the Wife is expected to be published on January 12, 2027.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Could this be my favorite Riley Sager novel? It’s certainly in contention.

I had sky-high expectations going into The Unknown, and somehow it still exceeded them. This is exactly the kind of mystery I love: eerie, atmospheric, packed with theories, and impossible to stop thinking about. I stayed up far later than I should have because every chapter convinced me I was this close to figuring it out… and every chapter proved me wrong.

The story unfolds across two timelines. In the present day, struggling actress Maren Keane lands the opportunity of a lifetime when she’s unexpectedly cast in a major film directed by Hollywood legend Ronan Peters. Filming takes place on the isolated island of New Avalon, off the coast of Vermont, alongside an iconic actress and a talented ensemble cast. Once production begins, the island is cut off from the mainland—and things start to unravel fast.

The film they’re making tells the story of five women who vanished from the island in 1926, disappearing one by one until only abandoned dresses hanging high in the trees remained. A single diary survived, along with decades of speculation. Was it a tragedy? A crime? Something supernatural? No one knows… until now.

The dual timelines are brilliantly woven together, and I loved slowly uncovering the truth alongside Maren. One of my favorite parts of the novel is how she constantly works through different theories, almost inviting the reader to investigate with her. It creates this wonderfully interactive feeling where you’re solving the mystery right alongside the protagonist. It reminded me of watching an old Scooby-Doo mystery—except much creepier.

Speaking of creepy… the atmosphere is phenomenal. The isolated island, the abandoned history, the ghost-story energy—it felt like sitting around a campfire listening to someone tell the scariest story they’ve ever heard, flashlight pointed under their chin. Sager keeps you questioning whether there’s something truly supernatural at work or whether there’s a perfectly rational explanation waiting beneath the surface, and I loved every minute of that uncertainty.

The dialogue feels natural, the characters are memorable, and Maren is easy to root for. Watching an unknown actress suddenly get plucked from obscurity into the glamorous (and dangerous) world of Hollywood made the mystery even more compelling because you desperately want this dream to work out for her.

If you loved The Last Time I Lied, The Only One Left, or the haunting atmosphere of The Haunting of Hill House, I think you’ll have an absolute blast with this one.

One of my favorite mysteries of the year, and one I’ll be recommending to everyone. If you pick it up, please message me while you’re reading—I need people to theorize with!

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: August 4, 2026

A story isn’t the what, it’s the why and the how.”

Kate Fagan’s Instant Classic is subtitled A Love Story, and I initially assumed I was picking up a romance. Instead, it’s something much more expansive. This is a story about the love of basketball, the bonds between women across generations, the friendships that shape our lives, and the power of telling stories that deserve to be told.

The novel weaves together several timelines centered on the legendary Hanes Hosiery women’s basketball program. Harper Kidd dreams of escaping her small-town life through basketball before eventually becoming both a coach and a mentor to future WNBA superstar Jaz Jones. As Jaz’s remarkable career attracts the attention of a filmmaker hoping to bring her story to the screen, the novel shifts beyond the court into a thoughtful exploration of legacy, representation, and whose stories Hollywood chooses to tell.

One of the themes that resonated with me most was Fagan’s commentary on women’s sports—both on and off the screen. She points out how few films center female athletes, and even fewer celebrate queer women. That absence gives this novel an added layer of purpose. One quote in particular stayed with me: “The number of men holding back women’s sports while telling themselves they were its protectors was infuriating.” Fagan makes a compelling case that these stories matter, not simply because they’re about sports, but because they’re about people whose lives have too often been overlooked.

You don’t need to know anything about basketball to appreciate this novel. While sports provide the backdrop, the emotional heart lies in the relationships, the mentorships, and the determination to preserve history before it’s forgotten.

For me, the book truly came alive in its third act as the characters fought the Hollywood machine to get this story made. Those chapters were deeply moving and highlighted the importance of authentic representation in film. I also appreciated how Fagan explored the many different ways love can manifest outside of traditional romance.

My biggest reservation was the structure. While I enjoyed each timeline individually, I found myself wishing for a stronger thread connecting them throughout the novel. I also would have loved a bit more time spent developing the characters, as I occasionally felt at a slight emotional distance from them.

Even so, Kate Fagan continues to be one of the strongest voices writing about women, sports, and identity today. I still prefer her memoirs to her fiction, but her compassion, insight, and passion for these subjects shine through on every page. If you enjoyed Carrie Soto Is Back but are looking for something less about competition and more about legacy, storytelling, friendship, and the enduring love of the game, Instant Classic is well worth picking up.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance electronic copy. Instant Classic publishes January 26, 2027.

If your favorite thrillers are the kind that whisk you away on vacation before pulling the rug out from under you, Bad Honeymoon is a fun, fast-paced mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Jessie Garcia has quickly developed a signature style, and fans of The Business Trip and Fair Weather Friend will feel right at home here. Once again, she delivers a story told through multiple points of view, creating a twisty mystery that keeps the pages flying.

Television reporter Becca is desperate for a story that will boost ratings during sweeps week when she’s contacted by a woman named Eve. Eve claims that what should have been a romantic honeymoon in Florida has turned into a nightmare, complete with mold-infested hotel rooms, dead mice in the closet, and a resort refusing to make things right. It sounds like the perfect consumer investigation, so Josie flies to Florida to meet her source.

Only Eve never shows up.

Her phone turns out to be a burner, the hotel insists there was never a guest by that name, and there is no record that the wedding Eve described ever happened. Suddenly, Josie finds herself chasing a mystery that is far stranger than a bad honeymoon. Who is Eve? What is she trying to accomplish? And why choose Becca?

One of the things I continue to enjoy about Garcia’s books is her cast of characters. Her female leads are intelligent, resourceful, and easy to root for, while the male characters are equally well-rounded with motivations and personalities of their own. No one feels like a caricature, which gives the story a balanced, believable dynamic.

The twists aren’t designed to leave your jaw on the floor, and experienced thriller readers will probably predict a few of them. The premise also requires a healthy suspension of disbelief. But honestly, that’s part of the charm. This is the kind of thriller you read for the entertainment value, not because every detail is perfectly realistic. It’s an engaging, escapist mystery that’s simply a lot of fun.

While there is a murder, this isn’t an especially dark or graphic thriller. The body count stays low, the violence remains in the background, and the emphasis is on uncovering the truth rather than shocking the reader. It lands much more firmly in the psychological suspense category than horror.

I also have a feeling this will make an excellent audiobook. Garcia’s multiple-POV format has translated well to audio in the past, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one receives another strong multi-narrator production.

Who should read this?

• Fans of Liv Constantine, Jeneva Rose, and Robyn Harding.
• Readers who enjoyed Jessie Garcia’s The Business Trip and Fair Weather Friend.
• Thriller readers looking for an entertaining, fast-paced mystery with multiple POVs, vacation vibes, and enough twists to keep the pages turning—even if you guess a few along the way.

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted electronic ARC. Publication date: January 27, 2027.

Some thrillers make you think. Others make you stay up far too late promising yourself “just one more chapter.” Drowning in Paper Flowers is firmly in the second category.

If you enjoy twist-filled domestic thrillers from authors like Mary Kubica, Alice Feeney, or Lucinda Berry, this one delivers plenty of scandal, secrets, and over-the-top drama. It’s a true popcorn thriller—campy in all the best ways and incredibly difficult to put down.

Ruby appears to have the picture-perfect life in suburban Dallas: a beautiful home, two children, and a husband with a successful career. But behind closed doors, everything is falling apart. Her husband, Jack, has been carrying on a long-term affair, her young son has never fully recovered after being kidnapped several years earlier, and the seemingly ordinary world of PTA meetings and youth soccer is overflowing with gossip, betrayal, and hidden agendas. As more secrets come to light, the twists just keep coming.

Were some of the reveals outrageous? Absolutely. But that’s part of this novel’s charm. Rather than striving for gritty realism, it embraces the melodrama and keeps the surprises coming. I never found myself bored because there was always another scandal waiting around the corner.

This isn’t a deeply emotional thriller or one with profound commentary on life. Instead, it’s pure entertainment—a compulsively readable, soap-operatic psychological thriller that reminds us how much fun reading can be. Sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content warnings: child kidnapping, infidelity, and child endangerment.

Thank you to Atria Books for the advance reading copy. The book is available now.

If you’re looking for a popcorn thriller set behind the scenes of the music industry, Famous Last Lies delivers enough twists to keep the pages turning, even if it never quite reaches the emotional highs it aims for.

The story follows two sisters whose lives take dramatically different paths after winning a singing competition in the UK. Charismatic music mogul Julian discovers Haley, whisks her away to Los Angeles, and transforms her into a solo star, while her older sister, Anna—a gifted songwriter—finds herself left behind. The novel opens eight years after Julian’s disappearance when his body is finally discovered in the desert, then unfolds through multiple timelines that revisit his rise, his disappearance, and the fallout that follows. Interspersed throughout are chapters from the killer’s point of view, with their identity remaining a mystery until the end.

The music industry setting was easily my favorite part of the novel. Between recording contracts, celebrity mentors, rivalries, and life behind the scenes in Los Angeles, it offers a fun backdrop that helps distinguish it from more traditional domestic thrillers. The dual timelines also worked well, gradually revealing what happened while maintaining plenty of suspense.

Where the book fell a little flat for me was in its characters. Considering the story is built around two sisters, I expected their relationship to carry much more emotional weight. Instead, they spend so much of the novel on separate paths that I never felt particularly invested in either of them or their bond. The characterization overall is fairly light—I didn’t actively like or dislike anyone, which made some of the bigger reveals land with less impact than they could have.

The pacing was also uneven. The middle section slowed considerably before the ending accelerated through a series of twists that mostly worked for me, even if everything wrapped up a bit too quickly. Fans of authors like Jeneva Rose will probably appreciate the emphasis on plot over deep character development.

One unexpectedly funny observation: if you’ve ever seen the Saturday Night Live sketch The Californians, you’ll know the running joke about everyone obsessively discussing which freeway they’re taking. This book had me thinking about that sketch more than once because there is an awful lot of conversation about Los Angeles freeways, traffic, and driving routes. It isn’t necessarily a criticism—just something I couldn’t help noticing!

Overall, this was a perfectly solid, but ultimately forgettable thriller. If your TBR is already towering, this probably isn’t one I’d move to the top of the pile. But if you enjoy female-driven mysteries, entertainment industry settings, dual timelines, and plenty of twists, it’s an entertaining way to spend a few hours.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing an advance reader copy. Famous Last Lies publishes February 23, 2027.