Goodreads

Release date: March 25, 2025

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Now: Nicole Forbes lives a quiet life in a small seaside Californian town with her husband and daughter. She is not expecting a writer to knock on her door asking for her personal insight into the downfall of the biggest British band of the 1980s—unveiling the threads of a life she put behind her years ago. The same day, her daughter goes missing and the school claims her aunt picked her up . . . but she doesn’t have an aunt. Convinced of a link between the two, Nicole is forced to revisit long-abandoned memories from her past to protect everything she now holds dear.

1986: Sixteen-year-old Cassie is obsessed with the hottest band in London, Secret Oktober. Harboring an intense crush on the leading man, Ben Edwards, she will do anything she can to capture his attention among the throngs of groupies at the band’s scandalous backstage parties. But when Ben discovers her older sister Nicole singing at a local bar one night, he can’t help but feel drawn to her, setting in motion a collision course that could tear their family apart.

Infused with the sounds of the 80s, this thrilling new novel from the inimitable Sandie Jones will captivate her readers, as she explores what the frenzy of fandom can lead to in this shocking blockbuster.

Review:

I’ve read all of the authors books and this was by far my least favorite. I should’ve DNF it but I kept thinking it would get better and if anything it got worse. It actually seemed like a completely different author, even the style was a huge departure and the lack of character development as well as the lack of tension and excitement left me beyond underwhelmed. There was nothing thrilling or surprising here and the ending was a letdown too so overall a huge miss for me.

Overall rating: 2/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 4, 2025

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Mystery, Historical

Synopsis:

“The farmer is dead. He is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

When her brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart all those years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son Bobby, who died a few years earlier.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel and Leo’s lives, tensions around the village rise, and jealousy rears its ugly head. Beth and her gentle and kind husband Frank are happily married, but they have their fair share of secrets, and their relationship relies on the past staying buried. And when the truth begins to come out, events spiral out of control, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice—between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping, sexy love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

Synopsis:

This one has been getting rave reviews and I can see why, it’s a beautiful and heartbreaking story that crosses genres with characters that are unforgettable. Everything about this was compelling for me, the love triangle, the mystery aspect, the shifting timelines and the gorgeous writing. I’m not a big fan of literary fiction but if it was all written in this manner maybe I would be because while the writing was so strong, it was also written in a very approachable manner. Sometimes lit fic can feel overwritten but here it was simply beautiful and there were so many quotes and lines that were a sucker punch. I don’t want to get into the plot at all, just know once you start you’ll be dying to know what really happened on the farm and the results were shocking. Book clubs everywhere will be all over this one it’s excellent!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 4, 2025

Publisher: Dial

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of… a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.

Review:

The queen of the slow burn is back with another heart wrenching and gorgeous romance. I was obsessed with the authors last book and had super high expectations for this one and my expectations were exceeded. I knew going into this there were heavy themes and it would be sad, so I was prepared but this did break my heart. It was slowly and surely put back together though and so worth it but man does the author write about grief in a poignant and absolutely gutting manner. Lenny was an absolute disaster at the beginning of the book, such an accurate portrayal of grief and Miles was the most patient man on the planet with her. Their relationship was the softest and most tender slow burn but it was also so funny, they had amazing banter and their friendship was beautiful as well. When you are in the mood for an emotional, character driven, swoony, beautiful romance this is a must!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 25, 2025

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It’s the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory…

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don’t add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something’s not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they’ve faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap…

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans…

Review:

Ahh this one was so so good, definitely one of the best thrillers I’ve read lately! It’s a long one and normally I don’t have patience for that but there was so much going on here the length didn’t even bother me. I absolutely loved the way it was told, Jane is speaking directly to the reader and I love that type of intimacy, it gives the impression you’re listening to a friend tell the story. She’s recounting events that began a year ago and not knowing exactly what she’s referring to in the beginning made things so tense and exciting, a real sense of anticipation knowing whatever happened must’ve been major. It is a slow burn with a lot going on but I never lost interest, I was truly captivated by the entire thing. It’s a big puzzle with a ton pieces and while I had my suspicions before things were revealed, I wasn’t bothered by that because the whole thing was just so engaging. If you like true crime, intricately plotted mysteries, amateur sleuths and meaty thrillers try this, I loved it!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 11, 2025

Publisher: Forge

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Neighbors Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa share more than playdates and coffee mornings on their tranquil street in East Bethesda. They confide their deepest secrets, navigate the challenges of motherhood together, and provide a support system that seems unbreakable. Then Gwen’s husband is found murdered after one of their weekly Friday night dinners, and the peaceful quiet of their cul-de-sac shatters. The seemingly idyllic world of the three close-knit friends becomes a web of deception, betrayal, and revenge.

Review:

I love a juicy suburban domestic thriller and I love it even more when it’s set in a ritzy neighborhood. There’s something about seeing behind closed doors that appeals to my nosy side and there were so many secrets in the cul de sac that these families lived on. This follows three couples, Aimee and Scott, Gwen and Anton and Lisa and Marcus and these six do everything together. With so many characters there were a lot of subplots besides the main murder mystery, but they were laid out clearly and I was never confused. Each character had distinct characteristics to make them easy to distinguish and while many of them were terrible, a couple weren’t so there were people to root for still. Besides, I enjoy reading about messy rich people with horrible habits so this was fun. While there were lots of twists and turns along the way the ending was the best part for me, a really solid and shocking final few pages. Definitely recommended if you like domestic thrillers with dark secrets and betrayals.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 11, 2025

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Putnam

Synopsis:

“The missing boy is 10-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he’s a little shit.”

Florence Grimes, age thirty-one, always takes the easy way out. Single, broke and unfulfilled after the humiliating end to her girl-band career, she has only one reason to get out of bed each day: her ten-year-old son Dylan. But then Alfie Risby, her son’s bully and the heir to a vast frozen-food empire, mysteriously vanishes during a class trip, and Dylan becomes the prime suspect. 

Florence, for once, is faced with a task she can’t quit: She’s got to find Alfie and clear her son’s name or risk losing Dylan forever—never mind that she has no useful skills (let alone investigative ones) and that all the other school moms hate her. Oh, and she has a reason to suspect Dylan might not be as innocent as she’d like to believe.

Review:

This was an absolute blast and filled with sarcastic humor and wit, an engaging central mystery, an amateur sleuth and a compelling overall story. While Florence wasn’t likable in the slightest there was something refreshing about the way she was unapologetically herself. She did annoy me at times, but then at others she made me laugh so there was some balance there. I loved her relationship with Jenny and thought they made an entertaining, if unlikely duo. The whole thing was wild and definitely requires the suspension of disbelief but I just had a good time with it and was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t fully figure out what happened to Alfie before Florence did. If snarky humor and flawed characters are your thing try this!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 14, 2025

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

When her estranged daughter asks to hear the one story she doesn’t want to tell, a woman spins lie after lie to protect her perfect life in this gripping novel.

Amy Linden has a loving husband, an adorable son, and a glamorous career as the hotelier of a grand mountain lodge. Then Ramona Crawford, the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty years earlier, pays her a surprise visit. Ramona wants to know the identity of her biological father—and Amy completely understands. There’s just one the truth would destroy Amy’s carefully curated life.

Amy shares a sad tale about a teenage romance with a boy named Freddy and the painful decision to give Ramona a better future than they could provide. At first, the pieces fit together and give Ramona both closure and a chance to get to know her odd but charming mother. But then Ramona gets a different story from Freddy, and Amy’s memories seem to change…and change again.

Will Amy ever reveal the full story of that fateful summer at the lodge? And if so, can Ramona live with the truth?

Review:

This is told in alternating viewpoints, you hear from both Amy and Ramona as Ramona tries desperately to reconnect with her birth mother and get answers about her past. There was definitely an emotional component here, I truly felt awful for Ramona and the author did a good job at showing how not knowing about her history really affected her life. I especially felt bad for when she was trying to deal with Amy, she was such a frustrating character! You figure out very early on that Amy has issues being truthful and sometimes she wouldn’t give Ramona a straight answer and others she would answer with a half truth or a total lie. As annoying as this would be in real life it sure made for a fun reading experience because I was never sure what would come out of her mouth next and it led to a bunch of twists and turns. The setting added a layer of mystery and intrigue to the story and it paired well with the domestic drama. It’s also a fairly short read that you can get through quickly, I raced to the end to get to the truth and I was satisfied in the end.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: February 4, 2025

Publisher: St. Martins

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis:

Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their “separate but together” partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.

When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community where everyone knows everyone’s business, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape, leaving Kim to wonder if their relationship can survive the snowbird season. But when Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time he’s really left her.

Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be—and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime. With compassion and humor, Clancy explores the redemptive power of finding ourselves, and of being found.

Review:

As much as this seems like it could be a classic missing persons story it’s actually much more about Kim and Grant’s relationship and how it’s evolved over the years. They are unconventional in the way they have never married but have been together for thirty years and they also spend lots of time apart. When they get an opportunity to spend the winter in Palm Springs many of their issues and traumas are forced into the light and they must examine their lives closely. I thought the author did a really great job at exploring middle aged issues and struggles and even though I’m a bit younger than Kim and Grant, I could relate to many of their woes. As much as this is a deep dive into their relationship, both past and present there is also a really delightful cast of supporting characters who brought levity to the story. I really enjoyed my time with this one and recommend it to anyone who likes family dramas and a light mystery.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: February 25, 2025

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Driven by past traumas and present hardships, two women face off over home turf in this twisty psychological thriller from Rebecca Hanover, author of The Last Applicant.

Emily Hawthorne lives in the well-heeled Noe Valley of San Francisco…but just barely. With less work than she would like at the yoga studio, a pile of debt, and a fraught past, she can no longer afford her tiny condo. When she meets the charming Penelope “Pip” Stone and her young daughter, also beset by financial woes, she agrees to take them in as roommates.

But Emily’s stroke of luck turns out to be another twist of the Pip is a professional squatter who has no intention of paying rent. And Pip doesn’t want to share the condo.

She wants the whole thing.

Their domestic standoff only intensifies when a downstairs neighbor is murdered. Both women become suspects, not to mention each other’s mistrustful alibis.

Emily feels the walls closing in. Is she trapped with a vulnerable grifter—who, like her, may have good reasons for making bad decisions—or is Pip just a cold-blooded killer?

Review:

I love when a book takes a seemingly mundane situation and adds a twist to it and that’s exactly what the author did here. Getting a new roommate shouldn’t be dangerous but it is when Emily allows Pip into her home. Forget the danger, the thought of someone being at my house and never leaving sounds like my worst nightmare as an introvert and I felt so awful for Emily. Yes, she was a little frustrating at times, her decision making skills were lacking and I don’t think I agreed with her choices one time, but no one deserves what Pip put her through. I don’t want to go further into the plot because this developed in ways I didn’t see coming and I love a good surprise. If you like unsettling books with unlikable characters and fast pacing try this!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.