Goodreads

Release date: January 4, 2022

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Synopsis:

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.

There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?

Review:

This is my third Emma Lord book and now it’s a firm fact for me, when I want an absolutely adorable book that will make me laugh and feel all warm and fuzzy the author will deliver. The premise was both interesting and it tugged at my heartstrings too, Millie’s search for her birth mom made my own parental heart ache, both for her and her unknown mom. Millie wormed her way into my heart immediately, she’s larger than life, over the top and dramatic which made her so endearing to me, I really wanted to mother her myself. As much as I adored her the rest of the characters were all amazing as well, such a well rounded and fun cast. Add in Millie’s absolute love and obsession of all things musical theater and she was just the quirkiest most lovable heroine I’ve met in a long time. Just a really fun and entertaining read and such a bright start to my new year!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 18, 2022

Publisher: Gallery

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Violet Townsend has always been a people pleaser. Raised in the privileged world of Upper East Side Manhattan, she always says the right things, wears the right clothes, and never rocks the boat. Violet would do anything for the people closest to her, especially her beloved grandmother. So when she asks Violet to teach the newly-discovered grandson of her friend how to fit in with New York City’s elite, Violet immediately agrees. Her goal? To get Cain Stone ready to take his place as heir to his family company…but to say he’s not exactly an eager student is an understatement.

Born and raised in rural Louisiana and now making his own way in New Orleans, Cain Stone is only playing along for the paycheck at the end. He has no use for the grandmother he didn’t know existed and no patience for the uppity Violet’s attempts to turn him into a suit-wearing, museum-attending gentleman.

But somewhere amidst antagonistic dinner parties and tortured tux fittings, Cain and Violet come to a begrudging understanding—and the uptight Violet realizes she’s not the only one doing the teaching. As she and Cain begin to find mutual respect for one another (and maybe even something more), Violet learns that blindly following society’s rules doesn’t lead to happiness…and that sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected places.

Review:

Well this was absolutely adorable!! I know I’m always in for a treat when I read an LL book, she always nails the NYC setting and brings it to life and has the cutest romantic encounters that are sure to make you smile. Opposites attract is always a fun trope for me and there was an enemies to lovers vibe too AND some sunshine and grump energy so lots to love here. It was a slow burn low on the heat but I didn’t care because Violet and Cain still had great chemistry and the authors trademark witty banter, such a must for me and this delivered. If you’re a fan of the authors Central Park Pact series this has a similar feel to it so definitely check it out! And if you haven’t read that series yet I definitely recommend it as well as this one for a delightful and charming romance.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 18, 2022

Publisher: Dutton

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Frankie Elkin, who readers first met in Before She Disappeared, learns of a young man who has gone missing in a national forest. Law enforcement has abandoned the search, but a crew of people led by the young man’s father are still looking. Sensing a father’s desperation, Frankie agrees to help–but soon sees that a missing person isn’t all that’s wrong here. And when more people start to vanish, Frankie realizes she’s up against something very dark–and she’s running out of time.

Review:

I’m a longtime LG fan and I always look forward to her newest release, not only because she always delivers an insanely good book, but because I never quite know what to expect. This is the second book in her new series and it feels different from her other books. Frankie is a unique character, she doesn’t have a real job, finding missing people is more of a calling for her than a vocation and it doesn’t pay really at all so she’s truly on her own with everything she owns in a suitcase. She’s a complex and super interesting woman and I feel like LG has only just begun to peel back the layers of who she truly is, I hope this series is just getting started because it’s good!

I think this is the first book I’ve read by the author that was so very atmospheric, the majority of it takes place in the wilderness in Wyoming and it was creepy, isolated and chilling. Frankie was very out of her element and that added some apprehension to an already tense situation. She’s joined a haphazard rescue team at the last minute who is looking to recover the remains of a man who disappeared five years ago. That’s really all you need to know about the plot but if you like character driven, well written and pacey thrillers this one was amazing. I felt like I got to know more about Frankie and what motivates her as well as a fascinating mystery too.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Release date: January 25, 2022

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

This murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick child—but when escalating lies lead to a dead body, everyone is a suspect.

The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals for an Arthur Miller play, when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Haywood and his wife Helen, the play’s star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their fellow castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance at survival.

But not everybody is convinced of the experimental treatment’s efficacy—nor of the good intentions of those involved. New actress Sam, a former NGO worker, raises doubts. But are her suspicions justified? Or does she have a history with the doctor involved? As tension grows within the community, things come to a shocking head the night of the dress rehearsal. The next day, a dead body is found, and soon, an arrest is made. In the run-up to the trial, two young lawyers sift through the material—emails, messages, letters—with a growing suspicion that a killer may still be on the loose.

A wholly modern take on the epistolary novel, The Appeal is a debut perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Lucy Foley.

Review:

I’m a huge fan of an epistolary style novel and will always jump at the chance to read one so basically that’s all I knew about this one before I started it. The style satisfies my nosy side, I love getting a glimpse into emails, text messages etc so the format of this one worked well for me. I was also intrigued by the mystery aspect of as well, the other epistolary books I’ve read have been romance or contemporary fiction so I wondered how a mystery would work this way and unfortunately it didn’t work all that well for me in the end. I was fully invested for the bulk of it after I settled into keeping all the characters straight, because there were a ton. You also only saw one side of emails from certain people, like Issy’s emails were only her side no responses so it was confusing. But once I figured it out I was pretty comfortable until the emails stopped and basically the whole entire book was regurgitated again. Totally unnecessary and frankly boring, I actually felt like it was a waste of time and was annoyed by it. It was a solid story and idea but the execution was weak for me, it was too long and drawn out and repetitive, which was a shame because it had potential. The right reader may enjoy this, reviews are solid it just became tedious for me.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 25, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Lyla has always believed that life is a game she is destined to win, but her husband, Graham, takes the game to dangerous levels. The wealthy couple invites self-made success stories to live in their guesthouse and then conspires to ruin their lives. After all, there is nothing worse than a bootstrapper. 

Demi has always felt like the odds were stacked against her. At the end of her rope, she seizes a risky opportunity to take over another person’s life and unwittingly becomes the subject of the upstairs couple’s wicked entertainment. But Demi has been struggling all her life, and she’s not about to go down without a fight. 

In a twist that neither woman sees coming, the game quickly devolves into chaos and rockets toward an explosive conclusion.

Because every good rich person knows: in money and in life, it’s winner take all. Even if you have to leave a few bodies behind.

Review:

After reading two of the authors books I think I can safely say her work is polarizing and I feel very similarly about her second book as I did her first, meaning there was some things I liked and others I didn’t. Middle of the road books are always the hardest for me to review, much less to recommend so I’ll do my best to explain what worked and what didn’t so you can decide for yourself.

Let’s start with what worked for me, there is something oddly unsettling about the authors writing, she really gets under my skin with her words and I love that. Being so hypnotized by her writing makes her books compulsive for me and this was no exception. I also like truly unlikable characters, even better if it’s rich people behaving badly, and Lyla and Grant were both wickedly fun to hate. I was all into this one until about halfway then I started to get a little bored, only then to be sucked back in again. And then the ending completely lost me as things went bat shit crazy off the rails and I just couldn’t get behind it. So lots of up and down, back and forth for me making this one just alright for me. But I know I’ll still be interested in the authors next book, like I said earlier there is something I really like about her odd storytelling and unique manner.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 18, 2022

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

A quiet neighborhood. A lovely home. A promising new beginning. In a heartbeat everything can change in this propulsive novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

Julie Jones has left her suffocating marriage. With her teenage daughter, Jess, she’s starting over. Their new house in Oceanside is the first step toward a new life. Even if it does come with the unexpected. The previous owners, a pastor and his wife, have left something—or rather someone—behind…

Tom Dean has a bitter hatred for the father who considers him a lost cause, and for the woman who’s moved into their family’s house. The only home he’s ever known. He’s never going to leave. She thinks he’ll be gone in three days, but Tom has the perfect plan.

For a newly single mother and her daughter, a fresh start is the beginning of a nightmare. Before the weekend is over, somebody is going to get exactly what they deserve.

Review:

I’ve read and enjoyed all of the authors suspense books and she has this unique ability to craft the most unlikable characters that are kind of endearing? It’s bizarre but I mean that in a good way, it’s almost like they’re brazen in their bad behavior and they own it and there’s something fascinating about that for me. With all that said there are a couple of characters that fit that bill for me here making this a pretty wickedly delicious read in most ways.

There are several characters that are loosely connected to each and you hear from each of them in alternating viewpoints. Most of the chapters are short and snappy but at some point around halfway it lost me a little and it felt like things meandered a bit. The end did pull me back in but there was something small missing for me here, I’m still pondering what exactly that is. Not my fave from the author but still a decent read and I’ll continue to read more from her.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 11, 2022

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.

In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.

Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?

Review:

I fell in love with the authors writing last year when I read The Ex Talk, that was one of my fave romances and I think I may have even liked this one more?! It had amazing representation of the Jewish community, it discussed mental health in an honest and realistic manner, a plus sized hero and scheming matchmaking done in the purest way. I adored this one SO much!

Ari and Russell are the most lovable characters separately and together they are pure magic. They’ve always been friendly coworkers until they decide to scheme to make their work environment more bearable by nudging their divorced bosses together and from the first minute these two were together I just knew they would have the cutest love story. Ari struggles with depression and feelings of inadequacy stemming from her childhood and Russell is a single dad who hasn’t dated in years and while they definitely had their issue they needed to work through before they could be together I really appreciated the way the author handled their conflict. Sometimes conflict in romances can feel forced or just silly, like the dreaded miscommunication and here I felt like it was really authentic and actually how mature adults with issues would behave. Loved, loved loved it and will be impatiently waiting for the authors next book!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: December 28, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis: Hotel Lilith holds terrible memories for Cait Du Bois.
The darkest night of her life happened within its walls.

Once, she vowed never to return to the place that reminds her of the horror she experienced. But when the hotel is chosen as the location for her high school reunion, Cait finds herself unable to resist the appeal of showing off her new life to the people who once made her existence miserable.

Cait is no stranger to being noticed in public, especially as a bestselling author with an enthusiastic fan base, but back at Hotel Lilith, she was once recognized for a completely different reason. With all eyes on her as she returns to the town she’s spent years running from, Cait finds it increasingly difficult to discern between her fans and foes.

Haunted by the memory of a night that torments her, she resolves to put the past behind her and move on.
No one knows the truth about what happened back then.
At least, that’s what she’s always believed.

Shortly after her arrival, strange things begin to occur. A mysterious package, strange calls, and frightening text messages seem to be just the beginning of the nightmare about to unfold.

Someone is determined to bring the truth to light. If they succeed, the life Cait has built based on secrets could come crashing down around her. And, if they want her to pay for what she’s done, her lies may be the least of her concerns.

Someone’s out for blood.

Review:

There’s something about a book with a character that has to go back to a place or time in their life that is dark that never fails to reel me in and the idea of a high school reunion with some dark secrets was too good for me to pass up. You know right away that Cait is apprehensive about her reunion, but you don’t know why and that’s slowly revealed over the course of the book in chapters set during her high school years. There were lots of mini cliffhangers at the end of chapters, both the present and past ones and that style really kept me glued to my kindle as I was dying to see what would happen next in both timelines. Another super fun and addictive read from one of my go to binge worthy thriller authors, KMod always entertains me!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 4, 2022

Publisher: St. Martins

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

Review:

This was a pretty fun one, I always love the idea of a secluded spot and it doesn’t really get more remote than an uninhabited island. It does start out a little on the slow side with the introduction of the characters but although sedate, I was still interested in seeing where it would all go. It’s very apparent everyone has some sort of secrets in their past and as most of them are all meeting each other for the first time, you slowly get to know everyone and what they’re about. I thought the sense of unease surrounding the island was great, despite a picture perfect backdrop you know things are gonna get ugly and the author did a good job of leaving the reader feeling unsettled. It also switches back and forth between present day and little past chapters from the characters which helped to keep things moving along. It’s also on the short side and reads super fast, definitely pick this one up when you have time to settle into it! Like I said, overall a fun read and one of those easy to read thrillers that entertains in the moment.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.