Book Review: "Spectacular Things" by Beck Dorey-Stein

I loved this! It was my last book of August and one of my favorites of the month. I love stories about family dynamics, but this was more than that.

“She is coming to understand that love and loss live on the same coin. It’s never heads or tails but joy and agony, grief and delight, spinning in the air, waiting on time and luck to determine not when this chapter ends but how the next one begins.”

Mia and Cricket are sisters, raised by a single mother whose dreams of greatness on the soccer field were derailed just as they were getting started. Mia played soccer until it became clear that Cricket was destined for greatness. So Mia became the responsible one, making sure Cricket got to and from practices and games, and that all the bills were paid.

When tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that if Cricket is to realize her true potential and one day play for the U.S. Women’s National Team, Mia will have to make sacrifices. But at what point does sacrifice and support breed resentment?

As Cricket pursues her dreams, she deals with the pros and cons of her single-mindedness, and the loneliness that often occurs when seeking greatness. Can she live up to her potential without ruining her relationships with Mia and others?

I’ve been a fan of Beck Dorey-Stein since her debut memoir, From the Corner of the Oval. I honestly knew very little about women’s soccer (save the superstars), so I found the story very interesting. But where the book sparkled the most was in its depiction of the complicated relationships of the sisters and their mother’s legacy.

Book Review: "It's Not the End of the World" by Jonathan Parks-Ramage

Can a book be off-the-wall crazy AND scarily prescient simultaneously? Asking for a friend.

Thanks so much to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy of this one!

America in 2044 has seen better days. Climate change has done severe damage, and in Los Angeles, wildfires and smog have gotten so bad you can barely see the skyline—unless you can pay for an artificially clear one. The country is under the thumb of a fascist authoritarian government, with right-wing militias and rampant anti-queer sentiment.

Mason and Yunho are a wealthy gay couple whose financial position keeps them blissfully unaware of just how badly the world is falling apart. They’re spending $100,000 on a 100-person baby shower for their soon-to-be-arriving newborn, and they (particularly Mason) don’t see anything wrong with that.

When disaster hits LA on the day of their shower, Mason should cancel, but it’s not the end of the world, after all. He figures that money can solve this problem too. Yet when he goes out to run a few last-minute errands, he finds himself enmeshed in the chaos that he thought he was insulated from, with threatening consequences.

This book has it all—wry social commentary, political satire (which seems far too on the nose right now), blood and gore, even pink smog that turns people into zombies. It’s definitely a wild ride, but the details of this world that Jonathan Parks-Ramage has created are truly remarkable. And frightening as hell.

I loved Parks-Ramage’s debut, Yes, Daddy, so I was excited to see what his follow-up would be like. This is different in a lot of ways but it proves just how wide-ranging his talent is.

Book Review: "Homecoming for Beginners" by Ashlyn Kane

This book hit me in all the feels!! I was looking for something to read because none of the hundreds of books in my house appealed to me, when I stumbled on this. What a wonderfully sweet, emotional, fun surprise!

Tyler couldn’t get away from his hometown—or his disapproving father—fast enough. He’s finally made a life for himself as a paramedic in Chicago when he gets the news that his father died and he has to go home.

Returning to a town where everyone still judges you for your teenage shenanigans is hard enough, but to stay in the house you hated is worse. But Ty gets another surprise when Ollie, a helicopter pilot fresh out of the military, shows up at his door. Apparently Ollie was hired to be a caregiver for Ty’s father, who had dementia, and he packed up himself and his young son, Theo, to make the move.

Ty is ready to head back to Chicago when he learns his father has struck again, this time from the grave. Either Tyler stays in the house and serves as executor of the estate or his father’s entire fortune goes to a hate group. With no other choice, Ty is stuck in town, so he asks Ollie and Theo to move in.

Ollie loves Theo, but with the boy surviving cancer and dealing with the death of his mother, he’s become pretty overprotective. But Ty helps with Theo, and it’s not long before the two men are letting their guards down and falling—hard. If Ty goes back to Chicago, though, can they make it work?

I thought this book was just so heartwarming. The characters each have issues but the way they show up for one another is amazing. I smiled, laughed, and even teared up a bit while reading—and I was there for all of it.

Book Review: "So Far Gone" by Jess Walter

“Right, he thought. We live only as long as someone remembers us. Only as long as someone cares.”

A former environmental journalist, Rhys has very little patience for fools. And Shane, his ultra-conservative, religious-nut son-in-law, is definitely a fool. One Thanksgiving, even though Rhys promised his daughter Bethany he’d behave, Shane’s conspiracy theory rants became too much to take. Rhys punched Shane, left dinner, and decided to live off the grid.

It’s been a few years now since Rhys escaped to his family’s dilapidated cabin in the woods of Washington State. Most of his conversations are with himself. So he’s completely surprised to find his grandchildren, Leah and Asher, on his doorstep. Apparently Bethany has gone missing and she had asked a friend to bring the kids to Rhys if anything ever happened to her.

Rhys is worried about his daughter and wants to take care of his grandchildren. But not long after they show up, the kids are kidnapped by members of a violent militia affiliated with Shane’s church. He is determined to rescue the kids and find Bethany, even if he hasn’t used a cellphone or the internet in 4+ years.

With the help of his ex-lover, as well as his best friend and a slightly unhinged ex-cop, Rhys has to confront the kidnappers and a world that has grown even more unhinged. But he also has to deal with the strains that have existed in his relationship with Bethany since she was a teenager, and his regrets about so many things he’s done.

This was a funny, endearing, and satirical read that I really enjoyed. Jess Walter is such a talented writer, and he deftly maneuvered between the emotions of the story, the social commentary, and the wild interactions between characters.

Book Review: "Fake Dating the Prince" by Ashlyn Kane

Simply put, I loved this book so much. It was playful, romantic, sweet, and sexy, and it made me so happy. This is the second book by Ashlyn Kane that I’ve read this week, and she’s already becoming a favorite of mine.

Brayden is a Canadian flight attendant who has a great rapport with his passengers in first class. He and one frequent passenger even have developed a bit of a flirtation over time. And on one flight, this passenger asks Brayden to be his date to a fancy charity ball.

What Brayden doesn’t know is that this passenger is His Highness Prince Antoine-Philippe (“Flip”), heir to the throne of the small European nation of Lyngria. Being gay and half-Indian, Flip faces a lot of scrutiny, so he asks Brayden to pretend to be his boyfriend, just for the ball.

With Brayden at his side, Flip is truly able to enjoy himself. He’s a hit with Flip’s family and knows how to be the perfect date. And while the plan was for them to end the charade after the ball, when the country’s paparazzi latches onto their relationship, Flip asks Brayden to stay in the palace with him.

The more time they spend together, the more they both wish their relationship was real. As their connection strengthens both physically and emotionally, can they have a happy ever after, or will they need to go their separate ways?

While the book invites some comparisons to Red White and Royal Blue, this is different in many ways. All of the characters are so appealing and entertaining, and I found myself rooting for Flip and Brayden’s happy ending.

Book Review: "Saving Face" by Mansi Shah

The CEO of a global skincare company, Ami Shah is a role model. Raised in Singapore, she had to break down a lot of barriers to get to where she is, and convince many that despite her gender and the color of her skin, she’s a businesswoman to be reckoned with. Her company, Amala, is about to merge with a Fortune 500 company.

Her nomination for the Global Changemakers Award is unprecedented. This prestigious award has only gone to white men; she is the first woman of color to be nominated. If she wins the award, it will increase the value of Amala and cement her legacy.

While she should be beside herself about this honor, Ami would prefer to withdraw her nomination. All of the publicity makes her nervous—not because she’s shy, but because she’s not who she says she is. Ami (whose real name is Monica) was an orphan raised in a convent in Singapore. But since orphans in her country never had a chance to amount to much, she decided to steal a former classmate’s identity and move to London, which is where her new story began.

But as the merger details are finalized and the award ceremony draws closer, Ami starts getting threatening text messages promising to expose her lies if she didn’t confess. She knows if the truth comes out, everything she built will fall apart. To figure out who is blackmailing her, she must go back to where she vowed she’d never return: Singapore.

“She wanted to prove that just because a girl had been abandoned, it didn’t mean she had to carry that weight with her forever. She could find purpose, and through that, she could find herself.”

This was such a thought-provoking, emotional book. Mansi Shah created a story that seemed so plausible, and even though it’s a bit of a slow burn, it was tremendously compelling.

Book Review: "The Retirement Plan" by Sue Hincenbergs

This book was a darkly funny and twisty caper, one I really enjoyed. I hope this gets adapted into a movie of some sort, because it’s too fun of a story to miss out on.

The four couples—Pam and Hank, Shalisa and Andre, Nancy and Larry, and Marlene and Dave—have been friends for years. But as they’ve hit their 60s, each of their marriages has deteriorated, ever since an investment scheme all four men contributed to crashed, badly.

When Dave dies in an accident, the wives discover that each of their husbands has a million-dollar life insurance policy. This discovery, coupled with their unhappiness, inspires an idea: they’ll hire a hitman to kill their husbands, and they can start new lives with the money.

Another thing they don’t know is that their husbands have found a way to amass a multimillion-dollar retirement scheme. But when Dave dies, they’re convinced that their scheme has been discovered, and they’re in danger. (And they don’t even know what their wives are up to.) Hijinks ensue.

“I shouldn’t be hiring hitmen and dodging threats. I should be scrapbooking and playing pickleball.”

There’s a lot going on in the book—there’s another whole subplot involving the casino boss—but the chemistry between the friends, as well as the hitman and his wife—really worked. Chalk this up to another amazing 2025 debut!

Book Review: "Emma on Fire" by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

“They don’t understand that time equals loss. It’s a freaking law of nature. If Emma lets the years keep on passing, she’s just going to keep on losing. So is everyone else, even if they can’t bear to admit it. They just walk ignorantly through the world, turning away from anything they don’t want to see. But Emma sees all of it. And she needs them to know how bad things really are.”

It seems like a typical day at Ridgemont Academy, a prestigious New England prep school. Emma Blake, once a star student and class leader, has virtually disengaged from her classes. But an assignment in English class—to write a very descriptive essay—inspires her.

But when Emma reads her essay aloud in class, it provokes very strong reactions from her classmates and her teacher. The essay alarms the school’s headmaster, who views it as a cry for help. Emma doesn’t want help, however; she wants her fellow students to realize the tragic state of our world.

There’s much more that is motivating Emma, however. No one knows whether she’ll carry through with what she’s promising to do, and no one knows exactly why she’s been driven to this.

I’m being vague in my summary because there’s power in going in blind. This is an emotional book and many of the characters’ reactions felt very real. The book is marketed as a thriller but I don’t think that’s accurate. It skewed more YA but I still found it really compelling.

Book Review: "Lucky Day" by Chuck Tingle

What an utterly creative, chaotic, gruesome, and thought-provoking book this was! Horror is definitely not my preferred genre but Chuck Tingle writes books that are so complex, even as they gross me out at times.

“There are billions and billions of paths for us on any given day, and we certainly remember the ones that lead to something like a brutal car crash. We think to ourselves, Why me? How did I get so unlucky? The problem is, we have absolutely no idea how many times we’ve missed one of the infinite tragic routes, ducking and dodging butterflies left and right. Every day, we never know the billions and billions and billions of car crashes we’re not in.”

Four years ago, Vera, a statistics and probability professor, was celebrating the publication of her first book. It was a fun occasion which was marred by Vera’s coming out to her mother during the brunch. They fought and her mother ran out of the diner. And then disaster struck.

In what would become known as the Low-Probability Event (LPE), eight million people across the world all were killed on the same day, each death more random and bizarre than the next. People shepherding a giant balloon were strangled by its ropes. Someone was killed when a costumed chimpanzee threw a typewriter at them. While Vera escaped death, everyone she cared about was killed.

Vera retreats into her grief for four years, because nothing matters to her anymore. Then she is visited by Special Agent Layne, part of a government agency investigating the LPE. She reluctantly agrees to help Layne once he reveals they’ll be investigating a mega-casino in Las Vegas, where the odds seem strangely in the gamblers’ favor. What they discover, however, is truly eye-opening, and Vera must decide if she cares enough about the world to save it.

There’s a lot of graphic descriptions of death in here, so if that is triggering, this is probably not the book for you. At the same time, this book was shockingly emotional at times, which really made it so much more than a horror story.

Book Review: "The Life of Chuck" by Stephen King

I’ve been reading Stephen King’s books since I was a teenager (which was shortly after movable type was invented, lol). While I definitely have had my favorites through the years, I always enjoy when he departs from his usual work to write more thought-provoking and emotional books.

“The Life of Chuck” was originally included in King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds. But when a movie adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston (squee!) was released last year, King’s publishers released this on its own.

The story opens at a time where the world seems on its last legs. Natural disasters are destroying the U.S., wiping out farms and manufacturers. The internet and other forms of communication are sporadic when operational at all, and the overall state of the world has led to a significant rise in suicide.

Marty is a schoolteacher who is trying not to become too cynical as the destruction continues. Meanwhile, all over town, he sees billboards and signs proclaiming, “Charles Krantz. Thirty-nine great years. Thanks, Chuck!” But who is Chuck, and what has he spent 39 years doing?

The story follows Chuck from adulthood through his teenage years. You see him spending a few hours one afternoon dancing to a street drummer’s music, an occasion that fills Chuck with nostalgia. We also see Chuck growing up, living with his grandparents, who share some memorable moments and also leave him with a secret that shakes him to his core.

I couldn’t devour this fast enough. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, life-affirming, and a bit of a warning about what could come. It’s definitely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Book Review: "If You Love It, Let It Kill You" by Hannah Pittard

I really had high hopes for this one, but what can you do?

A novelist and writing professor has her life turned a bit topsy-turvy when she learns that her ex-husband has created an unflattering version of her in his upcoming book. Although not many people will know it’s her—and he’s the one who ruined their marriage in the first place—she has trouble focusing.

Currently living in Kentucky with her boyfriend (and occasionally his stepdaughter), the news about her ex throws her into an emotional tailspin. Should she tell her boyfriend, knowing he might get angry with her ex? And worse, what if he doesn’t?

Meanwhile, she’s trying to deal with the foibles of her aging parents—her mother who wants to date again and her father who very well might be losing his mind. Can she just run away?

I’ve been a fan of some of Hannah Pittard’s books but this one never quite drew me into the story. It felt like there were lots of separate elements of the story that never quite came together, and the story moved very slowly.

Book Review: "Seas the Dating Coach" by Laura Langa

I think my heart grew two sizes larger while reading this book! I love a small-town romance, and this was such a sweet, fun, and emotionally rich read.

Vivian grew up in the small town of Wilks Beach, and all of townspeople are tremendously protective of her, as is her twin sister, Brynn. Vivian is kind, a talented tailor and designer, but she is painfully shy and often stumbles over her words when she gets nervous.

She’s had a crush on Atticus, a handsome accountant, for some time now, but he’s never seemed to notice her. Every time she tries to muster up the courage to talk to him, she fails. And then one morning, she is ready to make her move at her sister’s coffee shop, and she slips on a puddle of coffee and falls into the arms of Finn, a handsome newcomer to town.

People in Wilks Beach don’t have a lot of trust in “mainlanders,” but Finn in particular is very unpopular. As the new director of the town library, his plans to improve everything are met with resentment, even though they will make everything better. So when Finn realizes that Vivian can’t seem to approach Atticus, he offers to be her dating coach. In exchange, she’ll start to correct the misconceptions about Finn and his plans.

Vivian has no idea how beautiful and how brave she is, and Finn delights in helping her realize that. For his part, Finn has never let anyone get too close for fear they’d hurt him, but the more he coaches Vivian, the harder he falls. But he has to keep reminding himself that she wants Atticus, not him.

I first became familiar with Laura Langa when I read her holiday novel that took place in Wilks Beach. I was so glad to go back to that setting, and I look forward to more books in this series!! It seems like a terrific small town.

Book Reviews: "Smile for the Cameras" by Miranda Smith

I don’t read a lot of horror because I hate being scared, but for some reason slasher films—particularly the classics from the 1980s and 1990s—work for me. That’s why I was excited to read Smile for the Cameras.

Ella’s big break in the movie industry was when she starred as the Final Girl in the slasher movie Grad Night. It became a classic, spawned many sequels, and made stars of its four leads and the young director.

But while the central role in a movie was a dream come true for Ella, something happened during filming that she’s been haunted by for the last 20 years. She and her costars vowed never to talk about it, and ultimately her guilt became too much to bear. She left the movie industry to care for her terminally ill mother in their upstate New York home.

After her mother’s death, Ella starts thinking about resurrecting her career. While there are a few promising roles she’d love, it seems like the only way she can land one of them is to agree to participate in the reunion documentary marking the 20th anniversary of Grad Night. Her three costars and the director will participate, so despite her trepidations, Ella agrees.

Of course, a reunion means the cast has to return to Blackstone Cottage, a cabin in rural Tennessee where the original movie was set. Ella is on edge almost from the moment she arrives, and while none of her fellow actors wants to talk about the secret they’ve kept hidden, she’s wracked with guilt. And when her costars start to die as they did in the movie, Ella may have to try and be the Final Girl once more.

This was a fun, campy, and slightly creepy read, which really captured the spirit of the 90s slasher movies. I found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, but I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. This could actually be adapted into a fun movie.

Book Review: "These Summer Storms" by Sarah MacLean

If all families got along perfectly and there was no drama, the fictional world would be a really dull place. Family dysfunction is one of my favorite fiction subgenres, and Sarah MacLean’s newest book delivered that—and then some.

Franklin Storm was a self-made billionaire and a technology mogul. He was also manipulative, power-hungry, and vindictive, and loved pitting his children against one another. Alice Storm, one of his daughters, learned this the hard way: she’s been estranged from her family for five years, ever since her father disowned her.

Franklin’s death comes as a shock to Alice, almost as much as her mother’s summoning her to Storm Island, the family’s New England compound off the coast of Rhode Island. She dreads confrontation with her mother and three siblings, and plans to stay until the funeral is over.

But Alice and her family discover Franklin has the last laugh once again. He’s created a challenge for his wife and children, each with tasks they must complete. Some are painful and some are physically demanding. If they all don’t complete their tasks, no one will get their inheritance. Alice’s task? She must stay on the island with her family for a week.

Being with her family again opens up old wounds and resentments, and she’d really like to just pack up and leave. But could she forgive herself if that negated everyone’s inheritance? Of course, there are secrets to be revealed, which clarify just how manipulative Franklin was. Alice doesn’t know whom to trust, not even Jack, her father’s handsome fixer.

These characters are pretty awful to one another, and at times I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep immersing myself in their world. But MacLean’s storytelling is so compelling, so melodramatic and twisty, that I couldn’t put it down.

Book Review: "Hungry Eyes" by Anthony McFly, translated by Nicola Clitheroe

“I don’t know anything about this guy, except that he lives in my street and in my mind.”

Thanks so much to Anthony McFly for sending me a copy of his novel, which was recently translated from the French by a friend of his. It was definitely a wild ride, and I wondered where he was going to take the story!

Amaury is a young man who lives a solitary life. He works hard on his studies and is anxious about the fact that he’s losing his hair at a young age. But what gets most of his attention is the handsome man who lives in the apartment directly across the street from his.

“…his inability to live in an enclosed space gives me full access to see deep inside the interior of his home.”

Amaury watches the man every day, and in fact, every night he turns off his lights so he can watch without the possibility of being noticed. He dreams of a life with his neighbor and hopes that one day he’ll notice him. One night, after watching the man getting closer to a date, Amaury decides to follow them, and winds up having an awkward yet eye-opening evening.

This was well-written and certainly a bit creepy. You don’t know whether to feel sorry for Amaury or worry about what he’s capable of. I definitely needed to read this in one sitting!

Book Review: "The Underdog" by Sagit Schwartz

WHOA. This was one wild ride! Thanks so much to the amazing Sagit Schwartz for sharing an ARC of her upcoming popcorn thriller with me!!

Liz dreams of being a filmmaker. A graduate of the American Film Institute, she showed early promise but never got the support she needed to get her movie idea off the ground. Swimming in debt thanks to student loans, she now works as a chaperone for the singing competition show, The Underdog.

Meanwhile, Norma has sacrificed everything for her daughter Cookie. But Cookie has repaid Norma by telling her she wants nothing to do with her. Cookie and her fiancé are starting their life together and expecting a baby, leaving Norma out in the cold.

Liz is assigned to pick up the show’s newest contestant, Jennifer. She is a patient at a psychiatric hospital who only communicates via singing, she doesn’t speak. Yet when Liz and “The Singing Patient” go to the airport to fly to LA, Jennifer escapes, and Liz is suspected of helping Jennifer in exchange for money.

Feeling abandoned by her daughter, Norma goes to LA to try and meet Svetlana, an orphan and contestant on The Underdog. She’s also determined to make Cookie regret banishing her from her life.

This book is a little like a roller coaster; once it starts picking up speed and the tension ratchets up, there’s no stopping it. I couldn’t wait to see how it all wrapped up…and maybe a sequel at some point?

The book will publish 10/14.

Book Review: "L.A. Women" by Ella Berman

Thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy of this recent release! This story of friendship, rivalry, and emotional scars was a slow burn yet compelling read.

In 1960s Los Angeles, two women met for the first time at a party. Lane was a writer with a penchant for telling the unvarnished truth; Gala was a socialite who seemed to find her way to every party and event worth her time, invitation or no. Each finds the other curious, yet at first they don’t realize how complex they both are.

Little by little, the two women develop a friendship. Lane values Gala’s intelligence and creativity; Gala believes that Lane has real writing talent. After the publication of Lane’s first novel, their relationship starts to weaken, because Gala suddenly becomes the toast of the town, leaving Lane in her dust.

Ten years later, Lane has the handsome husband and adorable children, as well as the beautiful house. And she’s finally found a way back into literary stardom: a book about Gala, tracing her meteoric rise. While excitement for the book is building, so are mystery and fear: no one has seen Gala for months. It’s almost as if she disappeared into thin air.

I love the nostalgic feel of the book; Ella Berman does a great job capturing the setting and the vibes of both decades. Both women have dealt with real emotional upheaval and pain, and both impact the decisions they make.

I didn’t find Lane or Gala particularly likable or sympathetic, but I was still interested in their stories. This reminded me a little of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The book was definitely an emotional one.

Book Review: "Sheepdogs" by Elliot Ackerman

What a fun, twisty romp of a book! (No, there are no actual sheepdogs in the book.) Thanks so much to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Skwerl (not his real name) was a CIA operative until a raid in Afghanistan went wrong and he went rogue, sharing details about it with the media. Now he’s had to pay back the government for his loose lips, and is hoping for something more exciting to come along.

Cheese, an Afghani pilot once known for his flying prowess, escaped with his wife to Austin, where he works the late shift at an Esso gas station. When Skwerl approaches him with a million-dollar mission, Cheese can’t resist. They need to “repossess” (err, steal) a luxury jet from a deserted airfield in Kampala and “return” it to Marseille, and they’ll receive their $1 million commission.

Of course, nothing goes as they planned. They find themselves with an unstable handler, they don’t seem to get paid, and then their handler winds up dead. Who was behind this job? And why do they suddenly find themselves in danger?

Their taking the plane has set an elaborate scheme in motion that both men are unprepared for. They want to know who was behind the mission in the first place, and as each new wrinkle reveals itself, Skwerl desperately tries to turn the situation to their advantage. It’ll take the help of Skwerl’s girlfriend Sinéad, who is a very successful dominatrix, an old CIA buddy of Skwerl’s, and an Amish client of Sinéad’s.

This was an entertaining and really compelling departure from my usual reads. It got a little technical at times, but the characters cracked me up, even as the tension ratcheted up. Is a sequel on the horizon? I’m in if so!

Book Review: "Every Step She Takes" by Alison Cochrun

Thanks so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of Alison Cochrun’s latest book! I will admit I might have squealed a little when I got an email offering me an ARC.

Sadie is nearing her 35th birthday and she’s spent most of her life running an antiques store, a family business she inherited from her grandmother. The business has taken so much time and effort that she really hasn’t dated—and while, to be honest, she hasn’t missed it—her sister and mother won’t let her give up on love just yet.

Sadie lets her sister Vi set her up on dates; she agrees to give every man a try, and to kiss them at the end of the date to see if she feels butterflies. But even though Vi insists she’s setting Sadie up with suitable men, none of them appeal to her, which makes Sadie wonder if something is wrong with her.

Wanting to escape the prospect of more dates, Sadie agrees to fill in for an injured Vi, who is a travel influencer, on a two-week trip along Portugal’s Camino de Santiago. When her first flight experienced severe turbulence, Sadie believes she’s going to die. The potent combination of fear, Lexapro, and red wine causes her to tearfully confess she might be a lesbian to her understanding (and beautiful) seatmate, Mal.

Of course, they don’t die, and (surprise!), Mal is on her Camino tour. (Another surprise: the tour is for queer women.) Mal offers to help Sadie experience the queer adolescence she never got to—but of course, the line between help and attraction blurs far too easily. At the same time, Mal has her own serious issues to deal with. Will the end of the tour signify the start of something real for them, or just goodbye?

I’m a fan of Cochrun’s and the journey of self-discovery she often takes her characters on. While there’s little secret about what fake dating often leads to, I loved the way both Mal and Sadie helped each other.

The book will publish 9/2.

Book Review: "Fonseca" by Jessica Francis Kane

This is one of those quiet books that sneaks up on you and before you know it, you’re sad when it’s over. I’m so glad I came across it!⁣

⁣ “I’m reminded of that old idea that there are only two kinds of stories: someone goes on a journey and a stranger comes to town. It seems you are living both. Isn’t that remarkable.”⁣

⁣ In 1952, the English writer Penelope Fitzgerald receives a letter from two elderly sisters, who apparently are distant relatives. The sisters have a sizable fortune thanks to a Mexican silver mine, and suggest that there might be an inheritance in store. They invite Penelope and her young son, Valpy, to their home in Northern Mexico.⁣

⁣ While traveling from England to Mexico in the 1950s is a complicated and arduous journey, the invitation couldn’t have come at a better time. The literary magazine that she and her husband Desmond publish is on the verge of folding, their financial situation is precarious, and his drinking is getting more out of control. An inheritance could be life-changing.⁣

Leaving her young daughter and husband behind, Penelope and six-year-old Valpy head to Mexico. Yet when they arrive, they discover that all is not what they expected. The Delaney sisters are mercurial (especially when drinking), and there seems to be a growing number of people who also have designs on the money. Penelope will have to deal with the machinations of others as well as her worries about her marriage, her children, and their future if the inheritance doesn’t materialize.⁣

⁣ This is based on a real trip that Fitzgerald took, which she then fictionalized a bit. The narrative is intercut with excerpts of letters from Fitzgerald’s real children. I hadn’t heard of Fitzgerald before, but this story really captivated me.⁣

Book Review: "For the Record" by Emma Lord

Mackenzie was a pop star, part of a trio called Thunder Hearts. She and her two best friends had the time of their lives performing songs she wrote.

Sam was the lead singer of Candy Shard, a punk band. When their agents thought putting the two bands together for a tour might work, they had no idea that the chemistry between Sam and Mackenzie would ignite. Their will-they-or-won’t-they act had fans rooting for them, but after taking a step towards something, it quickly fell apart, and shortly after, both bands did as well.

Two years later, Sam has traded punk for a more acoustic singer/songwriter style, but no label seems interested. While he dreams of a second chance, he’s also happy helping to raise Ben, his young son, whom he found out about around the time his band fell apart.

Mackenzie, too, is looking for a change. After some surgical procedures left her voice altered a bit, she’s not felt comfortable performing, except under a pseudonym who uploads songs online. Seeing Sam again reawakens the complicated feelings she had for him, a combination of rivalry, desire, and friendship. It quickly becomes clear that the only way they’ll both get their second chance is by writing and performing a joint album.

Collaborating again will require them (mostly Mackenzie) to put aside their negative feelings towards one another. As their relationship deepens, the same flames spark again, but both have secrets they’re not ready to share. And on top of that, have they both matured enough to have a real relationship?

Emma Lord’s books are really cute, and Sam and Mackenzie really do have great chemistry with one another. But interestingly enough, while this is an adult romance, it skewed a little YA for me—although that was totally fine. I loved the insights into their creative process and the banter.

Book Review: "Songs for Other People's Weddings" by David Levithan and Jens Lekman

David Levithan is one of my all-time favorite authors. I’ve had so many of his books, both YA and adult, on my year-end best lists, and this new one will join this year’s list for sure. The concept of this book is fantastic as well.

“There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of songs about falling in love, being in love. There are more about having your heart broken. But how many songs are there about loving someone and having the nature of that love change? How many songs are there about going from lover to friend, from sex to affection? How many songs are there about being happy alone?”

J is a Swedish singer of some renown. Because one of his songs essentially offered his services as a wedding singer, that’s become his gig. He interviews the couple to get a feel for their relationship and then writes an original song that he performs at their wedding. This job has taken him to weddings big and small, all over the world.

While he is writing about other people’s love stories, his own romance is on the rocks. His girlfriend has moved to NYC for work and the more time she spends there, the more she seems to be pulling away from J. She seems to resent any questions he has about whether their relationship has a future, and whether she’s planning to return to Sweden when her work is done.

As J gets invited to be part of couples’ special day—young and old, rich and poor, queer and straight—he starts wondering how to capture the essence of love for others when he can’t do so on his own. It requires both creativity and strength, and emotional maturity he’s not sure he wants to have.

This book was a collaboration between Levithan and Jens Lekman, a Swedish singer who actually has become a wedding singer. Lekman writes songs for each of the weddings, and you can actually listen to them by scanning a QR code in the book. This was such an enjoyable, romantic, thought-provoking, and emotional book, and the songs really deepened the feels.

Book Review: "The Cover Girl" by Amy Rossi

“The thing about being someone’s idea of beautiful was that because people felt comfortable looking at you, they assumed you felt comfortable in the world.”⁣

⁣ Birdie was 13, and she was living a fairly unremarkable life. Her parents’ marriage was unhappy and her mother often told her she had no personality, so she was lucky she was tall and reasonably attractive. Then one day, while shopping with her mother at a department store in NYC, Birdie was discovered by famed modeling agent Harriet Goldman. And in that moment, her life changed dramatically.⁣

⁣ In the mid 1970s, no one seemed to have concerns about a 13-year-old modeling and interacting with men much older than her. But over the first two years of her career, she came into her own, realizing that she could control what people saw when they looked at her. When she was 15, she posed for an album cover, and the 31-year-old rock star fell head over heels for her. ⁣

⁣ The rock star asked Birdie to go on tour with him, and her parents essentially sign her over to him, making him her guardian. Harriet warns her not to get involved with someone like him, but the excitement is too much to pass up. And when it ends, the experience leaves Birdie reeling.⁣

Some 30 years later, Birdie lives a quiet life outside the spotlight. She gets Botox, contemplates a face lift, and takes Pilates. And then she gets invited to a gala celebrating Harriet’s 50-year career. She doesn’t want to go, as they’ve been estranged for years, but she can’t not go. But doing so means she must finally confront all she lived through, as well as become comfortable with growing older.⁣

⁣ You really feel for Birdie and the many ways people mistreated her or let her down. It’s really quite difficult at times, but ultimately you hope she has the strength to confront her past. The book shifts between past and present, and while it moves slowly, it’s very well told.⁣

Book Review: "The Medusa Protocol" by Rob Hart

This was excellent! Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous made my year-end best list last year. The idea of a support group for former paid assassins who no longer wanted to kill was such a fantastic one, and the book was action-packed, funny, thought-provoking, and a bit emotional.

I eagerly anticipated this, the second book in the series. We return to the NYC chapter of Assassins Anonymous, but one of their own, Astrid (formerly known as Azrael, the Angel of Death), has gone missing. While it seemed likely that she either went back to her old life or her past caught up with her, Mark, the leader of the group and Astrid’s sponsor, wants to believe she’s okay.

When a pizza is mysteriously delivered to the group, they believe it’s a sign, because only Astrid liked olives on pizza. But when all hell breaks loose after the delivery, Mark knows he has to find her—wherever she may be. But he’s determined not to kill anyone along the way.

Astrid wakes up in a secret prison, hostage to a maniacal doctor who has been hired to plumb her memories. She needs to figure out how to get free without killing anyone, but will that be possible? And can she come to terms with her guilt over her biggest mistake?

“You know that saying, blood is thicker than water? It’s a misinterpretation. The full saying is: ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.’ It means the blood you choose is thicker than the blood you’re born with. The point is, family isn’t blood, it’s who you bleed for.”

Hart is such a fantastic storyteller. I love this series and hope there’s a third book in store. I’m always a sucker for chosen family stories; throw in some heart-pounding action and I’m sold.

Book Review: "Automatic Noodle" by Annalee Newitz

I really enjoyed this, although it’s definitely not one of my usual genres. I’m not ashamed to admit that my love of noodles is one of the things that drew me to the book. Thanks to my friend Matthew for reading this with me!

It’s 2064, in the aftermath of a brutal war between California and the rest of America. One day a group of deactivated robots awaken in the ghost kitchen where they all used to work in the rubble of San Francisco. With the war over, the robots don’t really have a purpose, and there’s still some in California that don’t think robots should be citizens.

While the group didn’t like cooking the horrible food they had to in their old restaurant, Hands misses their time as a chef for a food truck, while Cayenne loves tasting everything, even if they can’t eat it. They convince their friends, Sweetie and Staybehind, that they should open their own restaurant in the same space. Hands is fascinated by the art of hand-pulled noodles, and so Authentic Noodle is born.

Each robot has a purpose, and shortly after the restaurant opens, it becomes a smashing success online. But they’re determined to keep their identities secret, since there are many who would cause trouble if they knew the food was being cooked and served by robots.

Suddenly disaster strikes, when the restaurant is hit with a barrage of 1-star reviews online, reviews that hit on robot ownership and cooking. Their reputation is on the line, but they’re determined to find out who’s behind this.

Automatic Noodle is so creative and sweet. There’s lots of great messaging here about chosen family, fighting for yourself, and valuing the contributions of outsiders.

Book Review: "Seduction Theory" by Emily Adrian

“‘A virtue with which every writer should acquaint herself,’ Simone went on, ‘is humility.’ She did not smile. My mortification at her hands was ecstasy.”⁣

⁣ Simone and Ethan are the it couple of Edwards University’s creative writing department. Glamorous Simone is the star—the daughter of a famed figure in the literary world, her grief memoir was a huge success. She is a tenured professor; Ethan, less handsome and the author of a less successful novel, is a lecturer who only got the job because of his wife.⁣

⁣ The two have been together for years, having met in college. They have long conversations (both intellectual and not) and lots of great sex; their seemingly perfect marriage is the envy of many at Edwards. And then, for seemingly no reason, Ethan starts an affair with Abigail, the department’s administrative assistant. He’s wracked with guilt but can’t seem to stop until he has to confess before Simone finds out.⁣

⁣ Simone is definitely floored by her husband’s infidelity, but the truth is, she hasn’t been entirely innocent. While Ethan was away for the summer (when the affair began), Simone drew very close with Robbie, a graduate student and Simone’s advisee. The two women trained for a marathon, spent nearly every day and night together, and shared secrets, but their relationship, while never getting physical, gets emotionally intense, and Robbie, who is a lesbian, falls in love.⁣

But when Robbie feels rejected, she decides to write a fictionalized account of Ethan and Simone’s marriage—including all of the people involved—for her master’s thesis. How much is actual fiction and how much is truth? And how will Ethan and Simone react?⁣

⁣ This was an interesting story. I don’t know that I loved any of the characters but I found myself invested in the story. Because Robbie is the narrator, you see parts of the story through her eyes, so it’s shaped a bit by her bias. It was an interesting concept that was well-executed.

Book Review: "Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef" by Slutty Cheff

I’ve been wanting to read this for a few weeks, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I was today years old when I realized this is a memoir and not a novel! (That realization didn’t affect me; I clearly didn’t pay close attention to the blurbs I read!)

“There are two things in my life that are a constant reminder that pleasure exists: food and sex. And I am learning about the different forms they may come in.”

Anonymous chef and columnist Slutty Cheff quit her marketing job after a workplace relationship went sour. She decided the thing she enjoyed most was cooking, so she went to culinary school and eventually did a trial run at a London restaurant. The energy, the camaraderie, even the stress captivated her, and the trial run turned into a job.

She is quickly enamored of her job and craves more responsibility. While it’s hard to be the only woman working in the kitchen, she more than holds her own. But the 60+-hour workweek, coupled with late nights fueled by alcohol and drugs with her colleagues, exhausts her both physically and emotionally.

The book follows her love/hate relationship with being a chef and the whole restaurant culture. She gets overwhelmed by the pressure and the lifestyle, but misses cooking when she’s not doing it. At the same time, she gets involved with several men over time, and realizes that sex gives her the same high.

You know how much I like books about chefs, cooking, restaurants, etc., so this was definitely right up my alley. This is one of those books you shouldn’t read on an empty stomach, and at times, it’s quite steamy, so be prepared. It’ll make you think twice about staying until a restaurant is nearly empty, too!