Goodreads

Release day: November 1, 2024

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.

With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood.

Columbia’s death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on—at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author’s illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won’t stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?

Review:

I’m a longtime fan of the authors books and love her brand of suspense. She always writes books that are clever and well developed and this was no exception. It actually may have been a little too well thought out for me, it was way too long and by the last quarter I was just ready for it to end. There’s a lot going on here and several points of view, I can see why the author crafted things this way but it lost me at points and I found it to be convoluted. I did like how unhinged parts of this was and I enjoyed some of the over the top reveals, so there was plenty for me to like but overall it was doing too much and too much of it felt like a slog for me. 

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: October 8, 2024

Publisher: Zibby Books

Genre: Mystery

Synopsis:

An overwhelmed new mother gets entangled in the unsolved disappearance of a young girl from her Texas hometown—and unearths her own family’s dark secret. What sacrifices will a mother make to protect her own child?

Bee. It’s 2011 and disoriented new mom Bee is living in Portland, Maine when Leo, her childhood crush and twin brother Gus’ best friend, suddenly resurfaces to share news of Gus after years of silence. Bee’s predictable life is upended, pushing her back to Texas to dig into an unsolved disappearance that seems connected to her own family’s fracture. Mary. Twenty years earlier, Mary feels trapped, her only escape the local community theater. Despite her efforts to be a perfect homemaker, Mary’s lost her grip on her teenaged twins, Gus and Bee. Deeply lonely, Mary barely knows her neighbor, Diana—until a tragic discovery forces her to seek Diana’s help. Diana. Across the field, Diana, freshly divorced and facing an uphill battle as a woman in academia, worries constantly about her teenaged son, Leo, especially when a local girl goes missing. Told in multiple perspectives with two different timelines, The Undercurrent is a gripping portrait of female longing, thwarted ambition, and buried secrets.

Review:

This was a slow burn, character driven mystery that had many different layers and themes giving it tons of depth. It’s a quiet style of suspense, there’s not a ton of action but I still found the narrative to be compelling. I loved the themes of motherhood and the exploration of how far one would go to protect their children, this lead to so many secrets and fractures in both families and I was so curious to see how things would play out. You get two timelines, one in 2011 and one in 1987 and I was equally invested in both. The authors writing was strong and engaging and I’m impressed this was a debut, if you enjoy mysteries with some meat and substance with characters that will linger with you try this!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: October 15, 2024

Publisher: Dial

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis:

A charming queer holiday romance about three adult siblings, each at a personal and romantic crossroads, who reunite at their larger-than-life mother’s Catskills manor for an unforgettable Christmas, from the author of It Had to Be You.

It’s the most romantic time of the year.

The holidays are fast approaching, and the Belvedere siblings are a mess. Liz, a Hollywood showrunner and responsible eldest, has no idea how to follow up her hit show’s first season, or how to deal with her giant crush on its star, Violet Grace. Birdie turned her chronic middle child syndrome into a career as a stand-up comic, but since she spends more time wooing women than working on new material, she’s facing one-hit wonder status, especially once she gets axed by her manager. And Rafi, sensitive romantic and the baby golden boy, proposes to his coworker girlfriend in front of his entire company, only to be turned down by the woman he thought was the love of his life.

Born to three different fathers, the three adult children share one mother: famed actress and singer Babs Belvedere. Seeking direction and holiday cheer, all three siblings head up to their mother’s house in the Catskills, determined to swear off love and focus on themselves and their work. But the spirit of the season seems to have different plans for them, and their best intentions are quickly derailed in the most delightful and festive of ways.

Emotional, smart, and sexy, this queer holiday romcom celebrates love, family, and the wild creative life, and is perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Casey McQuiston.

Review:

It’s no secret I love and adore holiday romances and most of the time the ones I read tend to be light and fluffy with not much depth. That’s not a dig, it’s part of what I enjoy about them but this one was a nice change because while yes, it has light and fluffy moments it also deals with many serious issues and has a complexity that was a pleasant surprise for me. 

This follows three siblings and their mother in the weeks leading up to the holiday and then shortly after so you get all the cheerful vibes and wintertime charm. Each sibling has a romantic subplot and I so enjoyed all of their stories. I’ve seen some complaints that there was too much going on and it was hard to keep track of but I didn’t have any issues. The secondary characters were just as wonderful as the main ones and I was charmed by how quirky and likable they all were. If you like family dramas set around the holidays this was so much fun! 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.