Goodreads

Release date: August 2, 2022

Publisher: Random House

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Rose O’Connell is barely surviving. Her relationship with her husband is on the rocks and their son has isn’t fitting in at his new school, the prestigious Woolf Academy. Their tiny flat in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood–the very place Rose grew up as the daughter of an infamous local con artist–can barely contain her family. Rose can’t catch a professional break either, trapped in the same junior bank teller role for years. Life as the only mom in a nametag and uniform at The Woolf’s shiny school gates isn’t easy.

Not so for those in the elite and secretive Circle, a tight-knit group of mothers who rule the school, led by the charismatic and glamorous Amala Kaur. In exchange for supporting The Woolf’s relentless fundraising and public image drives, the women enjoy lucrative business opportunities, special privileges for their children, and the admiration of the entire community.

After the mysterious death of one of The Circle’s members, Rose dares to hope that filling the vacancy could set her family up for success. And when Amala makes the shocking decision to invite Rose into their clique, her fortunes, self-esteem, and status soar. But the deeper Rose gets inside The Circle, the darker the secrets lurking within every perfectly Instagrammable life. Far from being a dream come true, being inside The Circle could prove Rose’s worst nightmare…

Taut, complex, and compulsively readable, Such a Good Mother is a razor-sharp take on modern motherhood and the myth of having it all.

Review:

I am such a sucker for books about despicable rich parents behaving abhorrently so the description was of this sounded right up my alley. I actually enjoy reading about unlikable characters and I don’t think there was a single truly likable character here. That’s not to say the characters weren’t well developed because they were, the author takes an interesting look at mothers who will stoop to low levels for their children and they don’t care who they hurt in the process.

My experience reading this book was odd, I was always definitely interested in seeing where things were headed but I did feel it get a little dragged on at times. By the time I finished I could clearly understand the authors intention though and it all made more sense for me. I really had no idea how things would end and I was surprised which is always nice. Overall I mostly enjoyed this dark and dramatic read.

Overall rating: 3.75/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: August 2, 2022

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, Sandy Macintosh thought she would have her happily ever after with her high school sweetheart, Hank Tillman. Sandy wanted to be an artist, Hank was the only boy in town who seemed destined for bigger things, and they both had dreams to escape town together. But when Sandy’s plans fell through, she stayed in their small town in Ohio while Hank went off to Boston to follow his dreams to be a musician, with the promise to stay together. Only that plan fell through, too.

Fifteen years later, Sandy runs a successful greenhouse while helping her parents with their bed and breakfast. Everything is perfect…until Hank rolls back into town, now a famous alt-country singer with a son in tow. She’s happy with the life she’s built by herself, but seeing Hank makes her think about what might have been. There aren’t enough cliché love songs in the world to convince Sandy to give Hank another chance, but when the two of them get thrown together to help organize the town’s annual street fair, she wonders if there could be a new beginning for them or if what they had is just a tired old song of the past.

Review:

If you’re looking for a totally charming and sweet romance to add to your TBR I’ve got you, because this was adorable. It’s a second chance romance with a single dad and a small town setting, gimme all the tropes please! I would say this is a slower burn as far as the romance goes, Sandy and Hank both have to work through some stuff before they’re ready to give each other another chance and I enjoyed their path back to each other wholeheartedly. Secondary to the romance is the small town setting but man was it cute. The residents were quirky, meddling and hilarious and added so much charm to an already charming story. There are also big summer vibes and lots of nostalgia as Sandy spends time thinking about her and Hank’s high school relationship. I loved the towns annual street fair too and the strong sense of community among the members of this little Ohio town. Overall a great summer read if you want light and breezy.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: August 2, 2022

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan’s uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator—who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident—and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.

For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger.

On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her.

As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more.

If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers.

Review:

Julia Whelan is one of my very favorite audiobook narrators, she’s SO good and if I see she’s narrating a book I’m on the fence about, I immediately add it to my TBR when her name pops up. So I wasn’t sure what to expect from her as an author and y’all, she blew my mind! This was such a fantastic romance, it had everything that matters to me and more and will surely be in my top reads of the year list come December.

There was something so playful about this one, there is a lot of talk about various romance tropes and there some fun, witty and sarcastic commentary surrounding the genre as a whole. I fell in love with Sewanee and found her to be charming, hilarious and totally genuine. There is one whole section that is epistolary and seeing as that format is one of my absolute favorites I was happy!! I adored every single page of this one although I never do rereads I’ll be listening to this one in the future.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 5, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

The competitive selection process for a prized college scholarship turns deadly in the latest thriller from USA Todaybestselling author David Bell.
On a beautiful spring day, six college students with nothing in common besides a desperate inability to pay for school gather to compete for the prestigious Hyde Fellowship.

Milo–The front-runner.
Natalia–The brain.
James–The rule follower.
Sydney–The athlete.
Duffy–The cowboy.
Emily–The social justice warrior.

The six of them must surrender their devices when they enter Hyde House, an aging Victorian structure that sits in a secluded part of campus.

Once inside, the doors lock behind them. The students are not allowed to leave until they spend eight hours with a college administrator who will do almost anything to keep the school afloat and Nicholas Hyde, the privileged and notoriously irresponsible heir to the Hyde family fortune. If the students leave before time is up, they’ll be immediately disqualified.

But when one of the six finalists drops dead, the other students fear they’re being picked off one by one. With a violent protest raging outside and no way to escape, the survivors viciously turn on each other.

The Finalists is a chilling and profound look at the lengths both students and colleges will go to survive in a resource-starved academic world.

Review:

David Bell has been one of my go to thriller authors for years now so I’m always excited when he has a new book out. He consistently writes books that are compelling, twisty and entertaining. Unfortunately I struggled with this one, it just didn’t feel like the type of solid book I’m used to from the author.

I think my biggest issue here was I didn’t believe in any aspect. I didn’t buy that a group of people locked inside a house would just stay when someone drops freaking dead and it just went on from there. I usually like a locked room style mystery but the reason for them being locked up just didn’t make sense or work for me. It’s hard to describe my frustration without giving you much away, so I’ll stop here and just say I’m still a fan of the author and I’ll be looking forward to his next book but this was a miss for me.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: August 16, 2022

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Games can be dangerous. But blame can be deadly.

As a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse, Naomi has found it hard to avoid becoming overly invested in her clients’ lives. But after helping Jacob make the decision to leave his wife, Naomi worries that she’s taken things too far. Then Jacob goes missing, and her files on him vanish. . . .

But as the police start asking questions about Jacob, Naomi’s own dark past emerges. And as the truth comes to light, it seems that it’s not just her clients who are in danger.

Review:

I think I’m finally realizing that maybe this authors books are just not for me. I was a huge fan of her debut and then her last few books have been just ok for me. I’ve been waiting for another amazing read from her and instead I end up being underwhelmed and disappointed. Her books always start out strong for me, I’m usually interested and they are definitely fast and addictive reads. But then everything falls apart in the end and that’s unfortunately what happened again with this one. Things just got ridiculous and a lot of the story didn’t make sense. It was either predictable or just downright absurd and I just couldn’t believe it. Definitely would classify this as a popcorn thriller but if you do decide to try it know that’s it out there, dramatic and incredibly over the top.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.