Goodreads

Release date: August 1, 2023

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it’s been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.

Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter. Catherine would never rebel, would never question anything about her mother’s past or background. But when Ruth’s desperate quest to keep her daughter by her side begins to reveal cracks in Ruth’s carefully-constructed world, both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception.

Review:

I love a story about a mother and daughter relationship and bonus points if the story is a thriller. The author did such a great job at examining the oftentimes fraught bond a mother and daughter can have and Catherine and Ruth have a very complex dynamic. These two are very close, basically on a dysfunctional level and the unraveling of years of secrets between them was both fascinating and sad. This is mostly a slow burn leading up to an intense conclusion with pace picking up in the last bit. The audio narration by Kate Mara was excellent and she delivered a solid performance that captured the characters emotions perfectly.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 18, 2023

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

College student Cassie Soul hasn’t spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in years, not since her parents divorced and her mother spitefully whisked her away to Boston. Now that her grandmother is selling the boardwalk hotel that’s been in their family for five decades, Cassie returns to the quaint beach town to spend time with family, ring in her twenty-first birthday… and maybe find herself a summer fling.

On her first night in town, she finds the perfect candidate: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay’s fun-loving golden boy.

Tate, sailing instructor and lovable player, is no stranger to flings. In fact, he’s always down for a good time. But the moment he meets Cassie, he knows she’s not the girl you play games with. Cassie is gorgeous, hilarious, and, frankly, the coolest person he’s ever met. The last thing he wants to do is risk breaking her heart, and so he reluctantly puts her in the friend-zone… only to realize he made a huge mistake. Soon, his attraction to Cassie becomes impossible to ignore. He wants that fling now. Big-time.

And maybe even something more.

As Cassie and Tate walk the line between friends and lovers, they’re about to discover that their situation is the least complicated part of this equation. Because Avalon Bay is full of secrets—and their relationship might not survive when those secrets come to light.

Review:

As the titles says this is such a perfect summer romance and if you’ve read the first two books in the series you know that’s it’s a treat to be back in Avalon Bay. Cassie is looking for a summer fling and when she propositions Tate and he turns her down they decide they’re better off as friends. That actually surprised me in a good way as I thought it showed maturity and a good nature in Cassie especially as she’s so young, I just really liked her character so much, I found her to be endearing and just super likable. Tate was also a great hero, I thought his honesty was refreshing and he did make me swoon a little. You get dual narration and the audio performance from Caitlin Elizabeth and Teddy Hamilton was absolutely perfect. Definitely recommended as a great summer read, some spice, some emotion and great summery vibes.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 7, 2023

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

On the road to love, you don’t need a GPS… 

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.

Review:

I love this series so damn much! Each book has captivated me in some way and I just adore the authors style. I thought this was the sexiest of the series and maybe that’s because Carla and Eamon hook up pretty quickly but I wasn’t mad about it 😉 I’m not usually a fan of insta love but it kind of worked for me here, I think that’s because I believed in the connection between the two instantly myself. If you like books with romance, adventure, a grief element and humor this was really good. The audio narration by Sarah Naughton was amazing too, she brought Carla’s energy and passion to life so perfectly!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: February 28, 2023

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, a shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he’s the obscure author she’s been corresponding with.

Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming an editor of children’s books but has been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over e-mail turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain–until he ghosts her.

Months later, still crushed but determined to take charge of her life, Lily seeks a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, whom she feels drawn to for unexplainable reasons. Little does she know that Nick is an author–her favorite fantasy author.

Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and for pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet woman from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over e-mail months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but–not when he can’t get her off his mind.

Review:

This was super cute and felt like such a mature romance without many of the same old same old problems and issues. Yes, Nick lies about being the same person Lily emailed with but the way he handled it was so much better than I’ve seen in other books. I loved seeing these two bookworms together and they built a strong connection as friends that made me feel like they’ll have such a stable future together. Lily’s sisters were such great side characters and there were some other amazing secondary characters as well. I liked her sisters so much I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this could be the beginning of a new series. I did a combination of print and audio and Keylor Leigh and Malik Rashad were both incredible. It was my first time listening to both of them and they were so excellent I’ll be looking up some of their other work!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 24, 2023

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Narrators: Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke

Synopsis:

Ever have a defining life moment you wish you could do over? Harley Spark has one. The time she almost kissed the widowed father of the toddler she nannied for. It was so bad they moved across the state and she never saw them again.

Fast forward seven years and she’s totally over it. At least she thinks she is. Until Gavin Rhodes and his adorable now nine-year-old daughter, Peyton, reappear at a princess-themed birthday party hosted by Spark House, Harley’s family’s event hotel. Despite trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, she can’t help but notice how unbearably sexy he looks in a tutu. Add to that a spontaneous hives breakout, and it’s clear she’s not even remotely over the mortification of her egregious error all those years ago.

Except Gavin seems oblivious to her inner turmoil. So much so that he suggests they get together for lunch. For Peyton’s sake, of course. It’s the perfect opportunity to heal old wounds. Or it could just reopen them. This is one of those times Harley wishes she could see the future…

Review:

This is the third and final book in a trilogy that follows the Spark sisters and I’ve read and really enjoyed them all. You don’t have to read them in order as each sister gets her own book but you should because they’re all really fun and then you get to see their stories grow over all three books.

It’s finally Harley’s turn and I’ve been wanting to get to know her better since the first book. This one has a blend of some tropes, you get second chance, age gap, friends to lovers and a single dad. I love all of those and the author merges them all so well. Helena always brings a certain type of charm and humor to her books and this was no exception. The narration by Stella and Jason was excellent as usual and overall this was a delightful end to the series with an epilogue that brought it all together perfectly.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 24, 2023

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Narrator: Georgina Sadler

Synopsis:

As usual, Andie Rose has a plan: Transfer from community college to the hyper competitive Blue Ridge State, major in psychology, and maintain her lifelong goal of becoming an iconic self-help figure despite the nerves that have recently thrown her for a loop. All it will take is ruthless organization, hard work, and her trademark unrelenting enthusiasm to pull it all together.

But the moment Andie arrives, the rest of her plans go off the rails. Her rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor only gets more complicated when she discovers he transferred out of Blue Ridge to her community college. Her roommate Shay needs a major, and despite Andie’s impressive track record of being The Fixer, she’s stumped on how to help. And Milo, her coffee-guzzling grump of an R.A. with seafoam green eyes, is somehow disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships one sleep-deprived wisecrack at a time.

But sometimes, when all your plans are in rubble at your feet, you find out what you’re made of. And when Andie starts to find the power of her voice as the anonymous Squire on the school’s legendary pirate radio station–the same one her mom founded, years before she passed away–Andie learns that not all the best laid plans are necessarily the right ones.

Filled with a friend group that feels like family, an empowering journey of finding your own way, and a Just Kiss Already! romance, Begin Again is an unforgettable novel of love and starting again.

Review:

I don’t read YA books super often but when I do they’re usually by Emma Lord. She writes the most adorable, heartfelt and quirky books that always leave me feeling warm and cozy and this was no exception. I swear if you started this one and were in a bad mood you wouldn’t be by the time you finished, it’s too cute! Andie is the most endearing heroine and I loved her personality and sense of humor and her growth throughout the book felt so authentic. I was utterly charmed by this from beginning to end and highly recommend this sweet book as a mood lifting treat.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 17, 2023

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Narrators: Stephanie Willing and Timothy Andres Pabon

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Hailey Sharp has a one-track mind. Get By the Cup salad shop off the ground. Do literally everything possible to make it a success. Repeat. With a head full of entrepreneurial ideas and a bad ex in her rearview, her one and only focus is living life the way she wants to. No distractions.

Wes Jansen never did understand the fuss about relationships. With a string of lackluster first dates and the pain from his parents’ angry divorce following him around, he’d much rather find someone who he likes, but won’t love. Companionship, not passion, is the name of the game.

When Hailey and Wes find each other in a disastrous meet cute that wasn’t even intended for them, they embarrassingly go their separate ways. But when Wes finds Hailey to apologize for his behavior, they strike a friendship. Because that’s all this can be. Hailey doesn’t want any distractions. Wes doesn’t want to fall in love.

What could possibly go wrong?

Review:

This was a pretty cute friends to lovers romance with some sunshine/grump energy. While this is the third book in a series I think you could easily read it on its own as each book focuses on one of the Jansen brothers. Since Wes and Hailey start off firmly as just friends this is a super slow burn and it’s also closed door so if you’re thinking the wait may be worth it as far as heat goes it won’t 😂 I don’t mind no steam books occasionally though especially when they’re as sweet and quirky as this one. I loved that Hailey owned a salad shop and I’ve never wanted a salad more in my life after reading this. Found family has been one of my favorite things in books lately and I really enjoyed seeing Hailey create her own support system here. Recommended if you’re in the mood for a light and playful romance.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 17, 2023

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Synopsis:

For fans of Mystic River by Dennis Lehane and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, Stephen Amidon’s Locust Lane is a taut and utterly propulsive story about the search for justice and the fault lines of power and influence in a seemingly idyllic town. Can anyone be trusted?

On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history. Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak. Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense.

With a brilliantly woven, intricately crafted plot that gathers momentum on every page, this is superb storytelling told in terse prose—a dynamic read that is both intensely gripping and deeply affecting.

Review:

This one sounded really good and exactly like the kind of domestic drama that usually works for me but unfortunately it was just ok for me in the end. The writing itself was strong but maybe a bit too verbose for my liking. It spent a lot of time diving deep into the characterization aspect and it just went too deep for me. But if you enjoy character driven suspense this may work for you. There were also a lot of characters too which is usually ok with me but the way things jumped around between them was odd for me. The plot was decent enough and several pieces were clever but in the end it just wasn’t enough to wow me.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: August 30, 2022

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’sunforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.

Review:

I’ve read and enjoyed all of the authors previous books and always find them to be page turners with clever twists. I always look forward to a new read from her and this was one I was eager to read. Unfortunately this missed the mark for me in the end and I can’t say I was a fan. There were things I liked though, the setting was strong and the idea of being stuck on an island at different times based on the tide was great. I also liked the dysfunctional family aspect, and the Darker’s were dramatic and just an odd bunch. What didn’t work for me was the big twist, I thought it was just silly and it didn’t even really make sense to me. I won’t get into why because that would ruin it but the motivation was off for me. So overall not great for me, but the audio version has a fantastic narrator in Stephanie Rancine and since I’ve liked the authors other books I’ll definitely still be reading her in the future.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: August 9, 2022

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers―a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.

Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget―permanently.

In the vein of SJ Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep and Christopher Nolan’s cult classic Memento, Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake is an electrifying novel that plays with memory and murder.

Review:

There was really quite a lot to like about this one and while I did enjoy most of it, I did have some issues that left me conflicted in the end. I’ll start with what I liked, because again there was plenty to choose from. It didn’t waste time jumping straight into the story, you’re thrust right into things alongside Liv and I was really curious as to what the hell was actually going on. So as far as grabbing my attention right away goes this one definitely did that. Besides hearing from Liv you also hear from the detectives working her case and I loved the police procedural angle maybe even more than Liv’s chapters. I was pretty invested for the bulk of it too and never really got bored. As for what didn’t work, well…the entire premise is based on Liv needing to stay awake and not sleep and while she may not have memories she still knew she was in danger so I guess I kept thinking why won’t she just go to the hospital, police etc?? Sure, a few reasons were given for her hesitancy but I didn’t fully buy it. Parts of it did seem to drag on for the sake of tension too and I really think the police would’ve figured things out a little faster, they definitely weren’t incompetent. And then the ending just took the expected route and of course I would have preferred to had some surprises. So some minor issues but still a decent read and I did enjoy the audio version. Imogen Church and January LaVoy are both incredible voice actors and we’re both amazing here.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.