thoughts on books

Category: Uncategorized

  • The house of now and then by Edward Underhill

    As a big fan of The In-Between Bookstore, I preordered this book as soon as it was announced and am thrilled to get the chance to read it early via NetGalley.

    Harlow is spending some time in Cape Cod, although he’s never seen Jaws. A trans man who has just been through a big break up, he needs to get out of Boston and make a great summer. Despite having a phd in history, he has an IT job that pays the bills. There is a vibrant queer community in Provincetown and lots of summer tourism. He pays for a small cottage and doesn’t expect to see several people in his cottage that don’t belong. His professor from 2 years ago, his father, and even his ex. Except, they don’t think they are in the cottage. Harlow’s professor thinks she is in her office, years ago. Harlow’s dad thinks he is in his house and his Ex in their apartment. They keep having the same conversation with Harlow that they had at one point in time.

    If you are thinking, “well, Harlow has to change that conversation, and then they’ll go away,” you are on the right track. It’s hard to do a time slip or time loop magical realism story in a new creative way, and this one has an element of being in a magical cottage. It’s interesting as Harlow learns the lessons he needs to learn, it’s about his character arc and not theirs.

    Just like in “Bookstore,” there is a compelling love interest, Nathan, and some fun queer besties that act as both comic relief and as a way to build Harlow’s character. What makes this one special is the setting, the cat named Sir Duke, and the magical ending we get for the minor characters as well.

    I love Edward Underhill’s writing, but I do think he excels at YA, and the adult books do read like YA only with characters that happen to be in their 30’s. It doesn’t bother me one bit. I think it’s why I love his writing so much.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. Book to be published May 18, 2026

  • The girls before by Kate Alice marshall

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    Audrey is a teacher on a search and rescue mission. She lost her best friend who went missing years ago, and there is a local girl Megan who went missing very recently. In the woods, there is a witchy story about a witch who helps young women in difficult circumstances or she takes them. There is also a local neighbor who is a creepy old dude. There is also a very powerful family with a politician and generational wealth.

    Typically audio is my go-to format for suspense books- they really keep my interest and have great acting. In this case, I sort of struggled. I usually love Marshall’s writing but this one I found hard to follow on audio. There are alternating viewpoint chapters that are at different time periods- not only that but the trapped woman is known as “Stranger” and doesn’t have a name. Marshall’s a masterful storyteller but I think this one will work better with eyeball rather than ears. I really loved the spooky atmospheric setting and the earlier chapters of Audrey which were captivating!

    Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC. book to be published February 23, 2026

  • The women in white by Sarah pekkanen

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    Riley has just gotten divorced from her gambling husband Danny. She has lost everything and now has the chance to be a love-in caretaker for Betty, an old lady widow in her 80’s who has been a hermit for the last 60 years.

    Betty asks her to look into her 3 best friends from her time at Marquis college- loosely based on Duke. She and her 3 friends showed psychic abilities and were used an experiments for a professor there in the 60’s.

    It’s a story that intrigued me, although I found the pacing to be clunky and the ending somewhat disappointing. The beginning and setup was very well done, I was so drawn in by the chapters in the early 60’s.

    Three words to describe the main character? Enabler. Loyal. A
    Mary sue.

    Hollywood cast
    Betty- Lily Tomlin
    Riley- Zoe Saldana

    Thanks to NetGalley and st martins press for the ARC. Book to be published August 4, 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

  • September wrap up

  • anywhere with you by ellie palmer

    really enjoyed Ellie Palmer’s first book, Four Weekends and a Funeral, and I thought it made a nice love story of a difficult situation. In her sophomore novel, Charley finds herself divorced after only 13 months. It just wasn’t a great match, Rich is a boring guy who seems….fine. Charley is more embarrassed to be a divorcee at 29 than she is in grieving the loss of Rich. Truth is, they shouldn’t have gotten married to begin with but it seems like they did so because it was time and that is who they were with at the tine. A talented lawyer, Charley is whip smart although insecure and easily manipulated into overworking.

    Charley is close to her sister Laurel, two years older and in love with Petey. Laurel and Petey are going to get married, Petey’s brother Ethan is Charley’s age and was once her best friend. They drifted apart after Charley’s ill begotten marriage, but he is a van influencer and has a very different wardrobe and entire life. With Laurel and Petey having a quick engagement, Ethan and Charley are thrown together again and find their easy banter picking up right where they left off.

    With many chapters jumping back to high school and various points throughout their lives, the reader understands the spark that Ethan and Charley have and how they really bring out the best in each other. It is a little of opposites attract, mainly a forced proximity, friends-to-lovers type romance. No super smutty parts.

    The dialogue between Ethan and Charley is really well done, I think we all would love to have someone that knows us and all of our faults and loves who we are. This isn’t sparring type competitive banter, it is a true friendship, “we know each other like no one else does” type of dialogue. You know they love each other many pages before they figure it out. Ellie Palmer writes dialogue so well it is a wonder why she hasn’t written several episodes of Gilmore Girls or the like.

    I also really appreciated and got into the relationship between Charley and her sister Laurel. We didn’t get to know Petey as well, but he loves his brother, respects him and is good in a crisis of wildlife proportions. Romcom fans will love this lighthearted journey of Ethan and Charley.

    Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam Books for the ARC. Book to be published August 5, 2025

  • the spirit of love by lauren kate

    A very romantic, descriptive romance for fans of Nicholas Sparks. Fenny is a screenwriter on a fun CWesque show, she has been a screenwriter for 10 years and well respected at work. The book starts out when she meets a new director named Jude, who looks exactly like Sam, a guy she slept with as a vacation fling last weekend- but he seems to be 10 years older.

    The narrative then skips to the previous weekend when Fenny met Sam. It has a coworkers enemies to lovers vibe, love triangle, although she is trying to determine who Sam is and how he is connected to Jude. I like Lauren Kate’s writing style better here as a time slip romance rather than her previous work in the romantasy realm. We don’t realize the answers here until the last few pages. It takes awhile to get there, but I enjoyed the characters and their motivations. I also liked the backdrop of this being in the entertainment industry.

    Thanks to @netgalley and Penguin Putnam for the ARC. Book to be published July 1, 2025.

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  • one in four by lucinda berry

    This book definitely takes a turn. The first 25% revolves around a murder/accidental death of a celebrity in a sober house. This has multiple POV and the main character is the therapist and sober coach that is working with the houseguests, Dr Laurel Harlow. She watches the security tape that sees Maddie; a young g Disney star, have a seizure and bleed furiously to the point of death.

    The police investigate as a possible murder and soon they see Laurel as a suspect. Laurel has been sober since she was 23 and has some sad and traumatic stories that happened to her while she was drinking in her early 20’s. She doesn’t believe in AA, how convenient, she prefers the brand of sobriety that has associated profit.

    I don’t want to include spoilers in this review, but the blurb really doesn’t describe it appropriately. I will just say this is dark. Lots of betrayal. Not the most satisfying ending. Personally I feel like some of the narratives around sobriety are harmful here.

    Thanks to NetGalley and the published for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published May 13, 2025.

  • Read with Angie

    Book recommendations of new releases; mostly in literary fiction, mystery/thriller, women’s fiction, heartwarming, historical fiction and contemporary romance