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Release date: July 30, 2019

Publisher: Pamela Dorman

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Maybe you don’t know your neighbors as well as you thought you did . . . 

“This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much. . . My son broke into your home recently while you were out.” 

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses–and into the owners’ computers as well–learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they’re telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets? 

In this neighborhood, it’s not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide . . .

You never really know what people are capable of. 

Review:

I’ve been a fan of all of the authors previous books, she has this unique style that feels like a traditional, good old fashioned whodunnit mystery combined with a modern twist that always seems to work well for me. This was no exception, it had all the elements that I’ve grown to love and expect from Lapena and was overall an entertaining read.

Sometimes, typically in a mystery, a large ensemble cast can fall flat but that didn’t happen here. Though it took a few chapters for me to settle in and figure out who was married to who, once I did I was pretty dang invested. As more as revealed about each character in the neighborhood you realize they’re all carrying secrets and trying to figure out which ones who come out, and at what expense was engaging.

Endings can either make a book for me or break it and unfortunately I wasn’t a huge fan of how this one wrapped up. I don’t want to spoil anything specific but I’ll just say open endings, even just small pieces aren’t my favorite. The author is definitely talented though and I’m still a fan, it’s just not my absolute favorite from her.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 30, 2019

Publisher: Ballantine

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

A Manhattan socialite turns her spin instructor into a fitness superstar to impress her friends. But can she keep her little project under control? Or has she created a monster?

Julia Summers seems to have it all: a Fifth Avenue apartment, a successful husband, and two adorable children attending the best private school in the city. She relishes wielding influence over her well-heeled girlfriends . . . but her star appears to be fading. That’s why, when stranded in Manhattan for the summer as the entire Upper East Side flees to the Hamptons, Julia is on the hunt for the next big thing–the hot, new fad that will put her back on top.

Enter Flame, the new elite fitness craze. Seductive and transformative, Flame is exactly what Julia needs–and demure, naïve instructor Tatum is her ticket in. Turning Tatum from giggly blonde to trendy guru proves hard work. Yet Julia’s triumphant comeback at summer’s end doesn’t quite go as planned, and when things suddenly get ugly–and even deadly–she realizes she may have been in way over her head. And Tatum, waiting in the wings, begins to grasp just how much power her newfound stardom holds . . .

Then, with Julia’s life already spiraling out of control, her husband is arrested for fraud and bribery. As her so-called friends turn their backs on her, and Tatum pursues her own agenda, Julia is forced to rethink everything she knew about her world to reclaim her perfect life.

But does she even want it back? 

Review:

I. Am. Obsessed. With. This. Book!! I read this almost two weeks ago and have been struggling ever since to write a review because I loved it so much and I always struggle writing reviews when I adored a book. (Is that weird?) I really just wanna say read this one because it was a hilarious page turner and leave it at that. Buy the damn book y’all! But I’ll give you a little more than that.

Most of us are knee deep in looking for the next great summer read to take on vacation and while I’ve recommended quite a few already this summer, go ahead and put this one at the top of your list. It’s the ultimate beach read with bite, mainly because it’s full of razor sharp writing and cutting wit, you’ve never seen drama like Upper East Side drama and these women came to play. Admittedly I hated most of them because they’re awful and gossipy and incredibly catty but I could not stop reading about them either. Julia was the clear favorite for me and she underwent a surprising amount of growth by the end so despite the light and fluffy appearance, there is also some depth too.

If you’re a fan of books like When Life Gives You Lululemons or shows like Gossip Girl you will love this one! Highly recommended by me, it was so fun and even has some surprising twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting.

That’s What Frenemies Are For in three words: Snarky, Funny and Sharp

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 30, 2019

Publisher: Graydon House

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Swipe right for love. Swipe left for disaster.

By day, Mel Strickland is an underemployed helpdesk tech at a startup incubator, Hatch, where she helps entitled brogrammers—”Hatchlings”—who can’t even fix their own laptops, but are apparently the next wave of startup geniuses. And by night, she goes on bad dates with misbehaving dudes she’s matched with on the ubiquitous dating app, Fluttr.

But after one dick pic too many, Mel has had it. Using her brilliant coding skills, she designs an app of her own, one that allows users to log harrassers and abusers in online dating space. It’s called JerkAlert, and it goes viral overnight.

Mel is suddenly in way over her head. Worse still, her almost-boyfriend, the dreamy Alex Hernandez—the only non-douchey guy at Hatch—has no idea she’s the brains behind the app. Soon, Mel is faced with a terrible choice: one that could destroy her career, love life, and friendships, or change her life forever.

Review:

I am absolutely loving the resurgence of the rom com, I’ve been loving them SO much lately and I am super impressed with how amazing this new batch of romance books has been in the last few months. From start to finish I adored this one, it was fun, light and totally modern and it also had depth and plenty of heart.

Lucky for me I was married long before online dating/apps became a common thing so while I couldn’t totally relate to Mel, that didn’t stop me from loving her! She’s a typical twenty something woman trying to navigate the dating world in the big city, but she’s fed up and ready to take action. She starts JerkAlert as a place where woman can review men they’ve met online as a way for them to prescreen potential dates and the ramifications are way more than she ever could’ve imagined. I loved her attitude and drive, both personally and professionally, she was constantly dealing with so many jerks in both areas and she not only made me laugh, she inspired me a little. It’s not cheesy girl power type of junk but instead an authentic feeling sense of women are badass, time to let the world know that I just enjoyed.

Highly recommended by me for a super fun summer read, it had everything I love in a rom com and more and I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading more from the author.

How to Hack a Heartbreak in three words: Fresh, Hip and Fun

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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Release date: July 16, 2019

Publisher: Wednesday

Genre: YA

Blurb:

In this hilarious follow-up novel to the New York Times bestseller I Hate Everyone But You, long distance best friends Ava and Gen have finally made it to the same time zone (although they’re still over a thousand miles apart).

Through their hilarious, sometimes emotional, but always relatable conversations, Ava and Gen are each other’s support systems through internships, relationship troubles, questionable roommates, undercover reporting, and whether or not it’s a good idea to take in a feral cat. Please Send Help perfectly captures the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world and how no matter how desperate things seem, you always have your best friend to tell it like it is and pick you back up. 

Review:

This is the second in a series, I read the first a couple years ago and you probably don’t have to read the first to enjoy this one, but they’re such fun and fast reads I would just read both. It’s told via emails and texts making it really easy to get sucked into this one, it goes by really fast and the drama that Gen and Ava have in their lives is addictive!

While I’m AHEM quite a bit older than the characters I could relate to aspects of their angst, although thankfully I didn’t have to deal with social media issues when I was there age. The first book I had a minor struggle with Gen’s immaturity but this time around she didn’t bother me as much and I found her to be much more tolerable and fun. There is quite a bit of humor here, and lots of great pop culture references that even a grandma like me understood. This would be perfect when you’re in the mood for something really fun and light told in a unique format. If this series continues I’m here for it!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 23, 2019

Publisher: Scribner

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 23, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

There is a stranger outside Caroline’s house.

Her spectacular new beach house, built for hosting expensive parties and vacationing with the family she thought she’d have. But her husband is lying to her and everything in her life is upside down, so when the stranger, Aiden, shows up as a bartender at the same party where Caroline and her husband have a very public fight, it doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary.

As her marriage collapses around her and the lavish lifestyle she’s built for herself starts to crumble, Caroline turns to Aiden for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aiden’s obsession with Caroline, her family, and her house grows more and more disturbing. And when Caroline’s husband goes missing, her life descends into a nightmare that leaves her accused of her own husband’s murder. 

Review:

This. Book. Was. Wild! If you’re looking for a fun, beachy thriller to lose yourself in this summer, this would be ideal as long as a slightly over the top plot doesn’t bother you that is! But from a purely read for entertainment standpoint this fits the bill as it’s fun and fast paced.

This is told from both Caroline and Aiden’s point of view, and boy do they have different viewpoints. At first I struggled to decide who I thought was telling the truth, they both seemed unreliable but soon enough I saw where things were going and I was right. But for once that didn’t really annoy me, I had more of an issue with the direction the story headed, pretty ridiculous and over the top, but also sorta fun?! I definitely kept reading and was engaged so despite my minor issues I did enjoy it. If you’re a fan of the author you’ll like this I think, it was something different from her but also had her signature strong writing style.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 23, 2019

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

Review:

I haven’t heard much about this book before I picked it up so I wasn’t sure what to expect at all, but I’m all about a debut author and the bold, bright cover kept calling my name from my nightstand! I’m so glad I did grab it because it was something totally different from the kind of books I’ve been reading lately and I ended up enjoying it.

This will most definitely get compared to Eleanor Oliphant in every single review, but honestly, it’s a dead on comparison, so what can you do? I actually liked this more that EO anyway, there was something both unique and distinct about the authors writing style that just worked really well for me and Germaine has such a strong, unique and quirky voice that I couldn’t helped but be charmed by her. She’s definitely eccentric but the woman is so confident in her beliefs that she never wavers and I’m all about a strong female protagonist. The supporting cast also consists of some unusual, albeit lovable characters so this really had it all in terms of characterization for me.

If you like dry humor an endearing cast of characters, and stories full of heart give this a try. It was a quick read as well and just really unique, sure to make you smile!

The Helpline in three words: Quirky, Endearing and Hopeful

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 23, 2019

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Review:

If you’re in the mood for a fun thriller this summer then you MUST add this one to your TBR, it’s light enough to read poolside but has enough of a dark edge to keep you engrossed and the structure is original and executed incredibly well. The dynamic duo of Lisa and Liz has never let me down and this may well be my favorite book from them yet.

I’m going to be keeping this pretty brief because the less you know, the more you’ll enjoy this one. It starts out as one linear story and then quickly mergers into two, each follows Lila but shows how her different choices effect her life. You guys, it was not only totally compulsive but it also makes you think about the impact seemingly inane decisions can have in your own life, I could not put it down. I got totally blindsided by the ending of both sides and all I can say it bravo ladies! Totally recommend by me, this ambitious structure could’ve easily been a hot mess but these two hit it out of the park.

The Two Lila Bennett’s in three words: Compulsive, Unexpected and Dynamic

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the authors for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 23, 2019

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

Sink or swim
Too bad her kids didn’t get the memo. 

Between the troublesome family secrets, old sibling rivalries, and her two teenage grandkids, Annette’s birthday vacation is looking more and more like the perfect storm. Adrift together on the open seas, the Feldmans will each face the truths they’ve been ignoring–and learn that the people they once thought most likely to sink them are actually the ones who help them stay afloat.

Review:

If you enjoy books about oddly endearing dysfunctional families this is the book for you! This was surprisingly poignant look at what happens when on quirky family finally spends more than one meal together and the results were highly entertaining and profoundly funny.

This is told via multiple perspectives, you hear from almost everyone in the Feldman crew and even a member of staff on the cruise. I love a good ensemble cast, and every single one of these people had some pretty juicy secrets. If was kind of one of those situations where you think, do ANY of these people talk to each other? But it was also really apparent that each had valid reasons for keeping said secrets to themselves. I really enjoyed every single one of the characters, they all brought something unique to the table and though I don’t think I would want any of them as members of my own family, I was pretty invested in both their individual storylines as well as their dynamics as a group.The author is a talented writer, she has a sharp and witty insight into family that really shines through in the storyline and I breezed through this one, mainly do to her thoughtful and funny observations. Recommended as a fun summer read, I definitely had fun with this one and can easily see it being popular, but if you’re planning a cruise yourself you may want to wait to read it until after your trip…

The Floating Feldman’s in three words: Sardonic, Enjoyable and Dysfunctional

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.