Goodreads

Release date: July 4, 2023

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in “ghostwriter” until she attends a signing for a book she wrote—and the author doesn’t even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. But Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps.

Chandler’s determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he’s distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they’re not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure—or if there’s a way for them to have both.

Review:

I’m three for three with the authors books now, she seriously writes some of the most consistent enjoyable romances and I look forward to her new release every year. She blends so many aspects together to deliver the cutest and most heartfelt romances and this one was just as good for me as her last two books. Similar to her last book the representation here was amazing and somehow felt fresh and different even though the subjects covered were similar. You get Jewish rep and mental health rep and neither feel unnatural or forced into the story just to check some boxes but rather really compliment the characters and make them all the more relatable and authentic. I mean their one night stand is hands down the most cringe worthy sex scene I’ve ever read and somehow I was still rooting for them haha. Top notch wit and banter, eventual great chemistry, a mature and realistic relationship and a side of angst made this a pretty perfect read for me.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 11, 2023

Publisher: St. Martins

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Love isn’t blind, it’s just little blurry.

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality with every face she sees.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls into—love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?—with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.

If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.

Review:

The day after I got home from vacation I was a little depressed so I knew it was time for me to read this one. The authors books are always like the warmest and softest hugs for me and this was no exception. While I love every aspect of her books where I think she really shines is in her great characters and Sadie was the most relatable and overall likable character I’ve read about in awhile. She made me laugh, I cried a little for her and I really admired her resiliency. I normally don’t like a love triangle but the author made me enjoy it here and that’s really saying something. Charmed was my overall takeaway here, I was charmed by Sadie from the moment she had a grocery store dance party by herself. I was also charmed by Joe after thinking there was no way he would ever win me over after his first scene and I was charmed by the amount of heart and passion this book emanated. Pure sunshine and delight here, loved it!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Release date: June 27, 2023

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

An ex-cop sets out to find her missing sister and discovers the shocking truth about her family…

A traumatic experience in the line of duty forces thirty-year-old Avery Rogers to abandon both her relationship and her position as a Kentucky State Police officer. She retreats to a college town where she works an unfulfilling job as a security guard, breaking up fights between drunken frat boys. 

But a frantic phone call turns Avery’s life upside down. Her father—a retired cop who never fails to convey his disappointment in Avery—says her half sister is missing and in danger. Avery is sure Anna’s just crashing with friends, but her father strong-arms her into searching for the sister she barely knows.

Anna Rogers is fed up with her family—a half sister who resents her existence and a domineering father who thinks it’s okay for cops to shoot unarmed civilians. She hits the road to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware of the danger that awaits her there. 

Just after catching a glimpse of Avery at the protest, Anna receives a shocking text. Now she’s no longer road-tripping; she’s running, pursued by an older sister she doesn’t trust and a violent stranger who has been stalking her for weeks. 

When Avery discovers Anna’s hiding place near a remote cave system, she risks everything to save her. Little do the sisters know that a secret is catching up to them—a secret at the very heart of their family history.

Review:

I’m a longtime fan of the author and will read anything he writes but something about this one felt a little off for me. It wasn’t the writing, that was as strong as it always is so I guess maybe it was the plot and pacing. I was interested in the story but it was such a slow burn that I did start to lose interest at some points. I think it was a little drawn out and could have maybe been wrapped up a little sooner but the way it ended was satisfying even if the route to get there took a long time. Not my favorite from the author but still a decent read.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 4, 2023

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis:

A tender, humorous, and page-turning debut about a Vietnamese Canadian family in Toronto who will do whatever it takes to protect their no-frills nail salon after a new high end salon opens up—even if it tears the family apart. Perfect for readers of Olga Dies Dreaming and The Fortunes of Jaded Women.

Vietnamese refugees Debbie and Phil Tran have built a comfortable life for themselves in Toronto with their family nail salon. But when an ultra-glam chain salon opens across the street, their world is rocked.

Complicating matters further, their landlord has jacked up the rent and it seems only a matter of time before they lose their business and everything they’ve built. They enlist the help of their daughter, Jessica, who has just returned home after a messy breakup and a messier firing. Together with their son, Dustin, and niece, Thuy, they devise some good old-fashioned sabotage. Relationships are put to the test as the line between right and wrong gets blurred. Debbie and Phil must choose: do they keep their family intact or fight for their salon?

Sunshine Nails is a light-hearted, urgent fable of gentrification with a cast of memorable and complex characters who showcase the diversity of immigrant experiences and community resilience.

Review:

If you like character driven family stories this was really good. I truly enjoyed following the Tran families experience as Vietnamese Canadians who struggle to keep their long running family business afloat after a new nail salon opens across the street from them. There was a lot of really good witty humor to be found in the authors writing style and the balance between this and the immigrant experience was really well done. You hear from every member of the family in alternating viewpoints and they’re all relatable in some way. I thought the portrayal of a dysfunctional family was spot on and full of heart as well as really well done as far as showing the intricacies of their unique family dynamic. Overall this was a strong debut and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 11, 2023

Publisher: Alcove

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis:

Father of the Bride meets Bride Wars in Forever Hold Your Peace, in which two ex-best friends find themselves shockingly entangled after more than two decades apart, for fans of Good Company.

When their newly engaged kids ask all four divorced parents to meet each other over brunch, everyone RSVPs yes–secretly hoping someone at the table will get to the bottom of the bottomless mimosas fast enough to say what they’re all thinking: that this engagement, coming after a whirlwind romance between two people barely out of college, is too much too soon.

But at that brunch, it’s not the impulsive couple’s decisions that end up under the microscope, as it turns out June, mother of the bride, and Amy, mother of the groom, certainly do know each other–they’re ex-best-friends who haven’t spoken since their explosive falling out more than twenty-five years ago. Reeling from their unwanted reunion and eager to shift the spotlight off their past as decades-old secrets and rivalries come to light, the two moms battle it out for the prize of Most Enthusiastic About This Wedding.

But when their history—and their present-day shenanigans—threaten to crack the foundations of the happy couple’s future, June and Amy find themselves becoming unexpected allies in an all-hands-on-deck effort to get their kids (and themselves) a happily-ever-after two generations in the making.

Forever Hold Your Peace is perfect for readers who love messy, complicated family novels like All Adults Here and stories that bring the past and present together like One Italian Summer.

Review:

The synopsis of this one compares it to Father of the Bride and that is really apt as it definitely reminded me of many beloved wedding themed movies and had a very similar vibe to that classic. I am a sucker for a wedding in a movie or a book and bonus points if there’s family drama and there is so much entertaining mess here to love. A whirlwind engagement is difficult enough to understand for Olivia and Zach’s parents to understand but when the details about the mothers of the engaged couples past come out I was living for the drama of it all. Chaos ensues and Amy and June engaging in passive aggressive arguments and petty behavior was so entertaining for me, think total bridezilla moments but from the moms. So deliciously fun. The authors really shine when writing about friendships and the complex dynamics between Amy and June were handled in a funny and super engaging way. This was a sweet and light read that would be a perfect vacation read.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: June 20, 2023

Publisher: Knopf

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

A PULSE-POUNDING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER NARRATED BY THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM: HIS 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, HIS GIRLFRIEND—AND THE ONE VICTIM HE HAS SPARED.

Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.

When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret.

Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan’s crimes on the women in his life—and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying debut thriller by a major talent.

Review:

If you like super slow burn thrillers, and I use that word loosely here because I never got true thriller vibes, with a unique premise this may be for you. There was so much here that I liked, the authors style was really quiet and the way the story was told was powerful. It’s fun to get the viewpoint of a killer in thrillers but there is something really interesting about getting the POV of the women in the serial killers life that gave me chills and definitely grabbed my attention. I was into this one for the majority of the time, the alternating perspectives, the sense of dread and the subtle writing was good for me. The slow burn aspect was ok, I have no patience lol but I was still hanging in but ultimately it was truly a character study that someone still left me wanting to know more about the characters in the end? Just sort of an odd experience for me overall but I do think this will find the right audience and it will probably be people who enjoy slow burn literary dramas with light suspense.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: June 20, 2023

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door in a chilling story of murder and intrigue set in a well-to-do DC suburb.

Sometimes the darkest acts occur in the most beautiful houses…

When Alexis and her husband Sam buy a neglected Cape Cod house in an exclusive DC suburb, they are ecstatic. Sam is on the cusp of making partner at his law firm, Alexis is pregnant with their second child, and their glamorous neighbors welcome the couple with open arms. Things are looking up, and Alexis believes she can finally leave her troubled past behind.

But the neighborhood’s picture-perfect image is shattered when their neighbor Teddy – a handsome, successful father of three – is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River. The community is shaken, and as the police struggle to identify and apprehend the killer, tension in the neighborhood mounts and long-buried secrets start to emerge.

In the midst of the turmoil, Alexis takes comfort in her budding friendship with Teddy’s beautiful and charismatic widow, Blair. But as the women grow closer, the neighborhood only becomes more divided. And when the unthinkable truth behind Teddy’s murder is finally uncovered, both Blair and Alexis must reexamine their friendship and decide how far they are willing to go to preserve the lives they have so carefully constructed.

Review:

Ooffff I just really didn’t like this one so I’m gonna keep it brief. This was a quick read and I was very curious to see where it was going but unfortunately I really didn’t like where it was going. Leading up to the freaking odd and silly ending everything was a slow burn with very unlikable characters and not in the fun love to hate them type of way. It was just a mess for me and about the only thing I liked was that at least it was a quick read.

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 18, 2023

Publisher: St. Martins

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

This summer, meet your neighbors.

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

Review:

This one was just pure fun, if you like gossipy neighborhood domestic suspense you’ll enjoy this I bet. There’s a lot going on here as it basically follows every resident on Alton Road so there’s quite a few characters to keep track of but they intertwine in a scandalous and satisfying way. It alternates between present day and then a year prior leading up to the night of the murder and the slow unraveling of so many people with so many secrets was juicy and fun. This is the perfect poolside summer read, lots of drama, betrayal and it doesn’t require a lot of brain power which is basically my summer mood.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: June

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

Review:

I absolutely adored the authors last book, The Dead Romantics so I was thrilled to be able to read this one early. The authors brand of romance is such a delightful mixture of tender and quirky and it just works so well together. This is a gentle romance, everything is handled in such a soft and sensitive manner and it gives the whole thing a deeply romantic feeling. The addition of a time slip just adds a magical quality to everything and the balance between that uniqueness and Clementine working through her grief just worked out so beautifully in the end. There’s something special about this authors books, this one shouldn’t be missed.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.