thoughts on books

Book Reviews

  • 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

  • love and other brain experiments by hannah brohm

    Frances is headed to a new academic conference and is thrilled to be included, but she is very nervous because it is being run by her ex boyfriend, the one who said she would end up a failure and lonely. On the plane she is seated by Lewis, a fellow academic. She soon discovers that he is actually her academic rival Theodore L North who should have credited her on a paper that has been cited 562 times a few years ago. But due to a misunderstanding, her ex’s current girlfriend mistakes Lewis and Frances for a couple. So they decide that since he owes her, they will fake date during the conference so he can alleviate pressure from his family who just so happens to be local and celebrating his brother’s graduation and she can save face with the community.

    This one had a lot of promise and I know some people will love it, but it was not for me. I learned a lot about the academia life, how you don’t put down roots and it is hard to make friends. It seems kind of cut throat without a lot of benefit. Maybe if this is your setting it will help you feel seen, I feel like a lot of the science and professor speak culturally went over my head. At times I felt as though Frances is better off without Lewis I found him to be non confrontational to the point of being a wimp, she kept saying he was brilliant but I didn’t feel the chemistry or understand what she saw in him. So it took me a really long time to get through this and I felt as though I was forcing myself to finish but not really enjoying the story.

    I think I might be burned out on fake dating as a trope as I have read about ten 2026 releases in a row that are fake dating.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. Book to be published February 3, 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

  • Rasputin swims the Potomac by Ben fountain

    Rasputin swims the Potomac by Ben fountain

    An absurd satire about Trump’s reelection campaign for a 3rd term and the one that comes to challenge him, WWE Champion Rasputin, who despite being American born, legally changed his name to Rasputin and claims to be the reincarnation of one of the most notorious villains in recorded history. At first Trump and Rasputin are friends. The nation is suffering from a “weeping disease,” officially called conversion disorder which is a more scientific and updated way to say mass hysteria.

    This book’s vibes are like no other.

    This book is wild- but so is the news. Trying to take on the task of political satire at a time when we have breaking news on a daily basis that reads like satire is, well, ambitious. But this – as ridiculous as it seems- is a story that we can’t see where it’s going and it seems relevant at all times. I think this scenario is as likely as any for 2028. Some details are true and some are creatively inserted. I will admit googling a few news items because I didn’t know if they had happened or if they were part of the story. From the blurb I though the president would be called “president mcpresidentface” but he is written, extremely realistically and convincingly, Donald Trump.

    The challenge, I think, is just that this book will appeal more to those that think Trump is a threat to our democracy (which is most of us readers, but not all)… and yet many of us hate him so much that we don’t want to read him as a character in a fictitious story. It just makes me so mad that no one has read this but me I can’t wait to discuss with someone !!!!! I’m fascinated in Rasputin using Christian orthodox imagery as propaganda and his political platform.

    Who knows. Maybe fountain is prescient and the one that will destroy MAGA will be another pawn of political theater.

    I don’t know anyone else who has read this and it was only briefly on NetGalley but I’m so glad I snagged this one.

    Melania’s Character arc… 🤌🤌🤌 chef’s kiss

    Favorite character? Clarence Thomas.

    Thanks to NetGalley and flatiron books for the ARC. Book to be published June 9, 2026.

  • The fall of iris henley by Jennifer graham

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    A Young Adult suspense with several mysteries. The small town in Texas a few months ago was ravaged by an apparent murder suicide. Iris’s boyfriend Rocky and his “side piece” her ex-best friend and recovering addict and former cheerleader Lynnette. Rocky was the quarterback and was found dead of an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound. Then someone posts on “secret” a social networking app, that Iris was guilty of their murder.

    I was definitely very drawn in to the murder mystery, but the main storyline here is who is cyber bullying Iris. Someone is anonymously posting secrets online and accusing her of murder. Oddly the school seems to be on board with bullying her, she gets benched from the cheer team. I found the motivations of people to be really strange, she should have been really upset about her boyfriend being dead and why is he able to also pull these side pieces? Jeez he is a bad person. I feel like these are all ways teenagers don’t really act. And this bullying storyline is kind of unrealistic. I did like the book and I thought the pacing was good, but it was a bit lacking in a couple of ways for me. I liked it, but you may love it.

    Three adjectives to describe the main character? Popular. Controlling. Cold.

    My favorite character? Iris’s sister who is mean and jealous but plays the trombone, which is cool. Not a lot of heartwarming funny or fun characters in this one tbh

    Audiobook review- a fun mystery with lots of twists and reveals. I appreciated the performance. My only critique is that for a book based in Texas SOMEONE should have had a little twang in their accent. These characters sound like they are from Omaha.

    Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published February 24, 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

  • 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.

  • Love by the book by Jessica george

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    A book club style selection about 4 friends that explores platonic love and friendship vs romantic love. It’s a lot of vibes and character development. The characters are relatable and fun to read about. When it comes to plot, it feels a bit more chaotic and doesn’t have a “beginning, middle, end.” I may be the outlier on this one because there are a lot of rave reviews. I found it a bit harder to follow on audio as the narrative switches between first person for one character and another character is 3rd person. I found myself a bit confused as to which character was which early on.

    I was a big fan of Maame, and this has a lot of heart, but it is definitely a different kind of novel. Looking forward to whatever Jessica George writes next!

    Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC. book to be published April 6, 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