Book Review: "The Last Sunday in May" by Kate Clark Stone

Mackenzie “Mack” Williams has always had the need for speed. In fact, her father always said she was born with her foot on the accelerator. And he should know, as he was a star in dirt track racing.

Her competitive streak compelled her to push herself as hard as she could in every race she entered. She took the motorsports world by storm, and each race she won took her closer to her ultimate goal: the Indianapolis 500.

But when she wasn’t racing, she was drinking, partying, and sleeping around, so when she became pregnant, she knew it was time for her to hang her helmet up. Now, 10 years later, she lives in rural Indiana with her daughter and her father, who requires constant care even years after an accident. She manages the family’s small dirt racetrack and fills in for drivers every now and again. And she tries not to think about what could have been.

One night, she gets a visit from her idol, Janet Joyner, who blazed a trail for women in racing. Regardless of what Mack says, Janet believes she still has the spark that could make her a winner. She offers Mack the chance to qualify for the Indy 500. It’s not going to be easy, and she’ll have to leave her father and daughter behind, but how can she pass up this chance?

Mack moves to Indianapolis and moves in with her older sister, who hasn’t been home in years. She’s determined to give everything she has to qualifying, even though it’s much harder than it was 10 years ago. Along the way, she has to deal with the stress of being away from her family, and all of the domestic dramas that come with motherhood and dealing with her daughter’s father. But she can’t let herself get distracted by anyone or anything this time.

I think I’ve only read one book about racing, and it was a rom-com, so I found this book to be a pleasant surprise. Even though I had a feeling what would happen, I was invested in the story from start to finish. This was one of Amazon’s First Reads for April.

Book Review: "Top of the World" by Ethan Joella

Five years ago, I received a surprise piece of bookmail: Ethan Joella’s debut novel, A Little Hope. I loved that book fiercely, and each subsequent book cemented him on my list of favorite authors. Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the advance copy of his upcoming book, which was utterly beautiful!

“My dear, you’ve got to focus on the pieces. We will never forget what we’ve lost, we will never be the same because of it, but we can build something new. That’s the key. That’s what your brother taught me. Remember what’s lost, but try to build something else.”

In the summer of 1975, Maggie is reeling from the death of her older brother, Chip. She’s just graduated from high school and the thought of being home, dealing with her grief and her grieving parents, is totally unappealing. She needs something, but can’t figure out what that is.

A year earlier, after Chip graduated from high school and received bleak news about his health, he needed to get away. He left home and headed to the Poconos, to find a job at the luxurious Red Maple Lodge. He was gone for the summer but when he came back, he didn’t tell his family where he was or what he did, only that it was his experience.

Maggie decides to follow in her brother’s footsteps. She heads to the Red Maple Lodge, in the hope that she can find people who knew Chip, and could tell her about his last summer. She finds that in a few short months, Chip left an indelible mark on those he worked with and for. Maggie is able to start healing and planning for her future, thanks to the memories that people shared.

Ethan Joella’s writing weaves a spell with its simple beauty, through evocative imagery and rich emotions. His books always touch my heart and make it soar, and this one was simply amazing.

It will publish 6/30.

Book Review: "We Are Gathered Here Today" by Bobby Finger

Families have their dysfunction, but nothing brings them out quite as much as a wedding. And the literary world is so much richer for that fact. Thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!

Fin’s beloved cousin Elaine is getting married and she has asked him to officiate. The wedding is in June in the sweltering heat and humidity of Texas—and it’s being held at a kitschy Wild West-themed resort, which is something he’d never imagine Elaine choosing.

He and his best friend Jacque are reunited when he arrives in Texas from his home in Brooklyn. Both of them have been to their share of disastrous weddings and neither has come close to taking the plunge themselves. Although Fin has a secret: he and his boyfriend Mark recently got engaged, but Fin is so sure the relationship will fall apart before a wedding ever happens.

Fin and Jacque connect with friends of Elaine’s husband-to-be: Todd and his overbearing alcoholic husband, David, and their best friend, Marina. The five of them comprise the wedding’s “queer table,” and do all they can to enjoy the activity-filled days leading up to the wedding. But the fun comes with some awkward moments for each of them, with secrets being revealed and arguments catching fire, as everyone tries to keep the peace for Elaine and Rupert’s sake.

Often the best part of a wedding is getting the opportunity to criticize it afterwards. When their college friends started getting married, Fin, Jacque, and Elaine instituted The Hour of Disrespect, a period of 60 minutes after the wedding where criticisms can be discussed, and then never be spoken of again. Will there be a wedding to disrespect? And will they all be there to see it happen?

I had really high hopes for this book, as I absolutely loved Bobby Finger’s two previous books. I enjoyed this but it all seemed to drag on for too long, and the miscommunication among some of the characters frustrated me. But in the end, this was a sharply insightful and emotional read.

The book will publish 6/16.

Book Review: "The Entanglement of Rival Wizards" by Sara Raasch

I’ve been meaning to read this for a few months and I’m so glad I finally did. I love the way Sara Raasch combines romance, humor, some heavy emotional content, and fantasy. Her last two books, The Nightmare Before Kissmas and Go Luck Yourself, were fun and sexy, and this was a worthy follow-up, as well as the start of a new series.

Sebastian is a human wizard, and a graduate student at Lesiara University. He’s a bit of a black sheep in his family, as everyone else has gone into the military rather than college. And his family really doesn’t respect the choices he has made.

Sebastian’s biggest rival is Thio (short for Elethior). Thio is half-elf and comes from a wealthy family, many of whom have attended Lesiara before him. Seb and Thio have been engaged in a prank war, but Seb thinks that Thio is just a pretentious jerk, coasting on his family’s legacy.

The two are both finalists for a research grant which could change the winner’s life. But rather than compete for the grant, if they work together, they can share the money. Of course, having to work with Thio drives Seb crazy, but they learn they have more in common than either imagined.

While Seb hates Thio, his disdain only fuels Thio’s desire. Of course, Seb is so blind to anything positive Thio does, so he has no idea about how he feels. But there’s a larger issue here: Seb has a history with Thio’s family that led to some serious trauma. And that leads to a difficult decision for Seb: his research or Thio.

This was a little heavier emotionally than I was expecting, but there’s lots of humor and banter to lighten the load. I often struggle with enemies to lovers romances because the enemies part doesn’t feel genuine, but here it did. Plus, there’s an invisible fox with a cute hat. How could you go wrong?

Book Review: "The Open Era" by Edward Schmit

I love that I’m still in my sports romance era. But while hockey romance started the fire, I’ve become super-athletic over the last year or two. (I’ve read baseball, soccer, sailing, and tennis romances, among others.) Thanks so much to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the advance copy of this one!!

Austin has worked so hard to fulfill his dream of being a professional tennis player. He’s played challenger tournaments all over the world. And now, he’s made it to the main draw of the U.S. Open.

But while the realization of this dream is exciting, there’s an extra level of history being made. Austin is the first openly gay male tennis player to compete in a Grand Slam tournament. While he’s been out since high school, this is a big deal for the tennis world, and it imbues Austin’s matches with an extra something.

He’d like to just focus on his tennis, but the media wants to talk more about his sexuality. It’s not helping his anxiety—while practicing before his first big match he has a panic attack, which sends him tumbling on the court. His team says Austin’s collapse was due to the heat, so no one asks questions. No one except Diego Cruz, the second-ranked player in the world, who helped him back up. Handsome Diego, with the 8-pack.

Much to Austin’s surprise, Diego wants to become friends. Austin believes Diego is straight, but their flirty banter and deep conversations confuse him a bit. While the two may meet in the fourth round of the Open, Austin’s anxiety starts to intensify the more he falls for Diego. Can he put those feelings aside to go after his tennis dreams?

While there are definitely romantic elements and some steam in the book, I loved the way Edward Schmit focused on Austin’s anxiety and other issues. There’s lots of tennis action but nothing too technical, just some great play-by-play to get your adrenaline pumping. I really enjoyed this debut novel.

The book publishes 6/2.

Book Review: "Somebody Worth Killing" by Jessica Payne

Thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy of this book! I found this to be a total page-turner and I couldn’t put it down. (I also couldn’t stop laughing, so…)

Nadia is a happily married mother of two living in San Antonio. She has an event planning business and a loving husband. Actually, she’s a hired assassin and psychopath who kills people who are evil and deserve to be killed. And no one suspects a thing!

“Some people enjoy hiking. Others, playing cards or knitting an afghan. They’ll tell you that it just does it for them, that something about it makes their life complete. Well, killing people does that for me.”

She’s never questioned the assignments she gets offered, but she worries she might be getting short shrift because she’s a mother and wife. So she asks for a bigger job, someone who is really worth killing. She follows her mark one day and gets a huge surprise: she’s been hired to kill her husband, Brian.

How is it possible that her mild-mannered management consultant husband is actually deserving to be murdered? Nadia can’t believe it, but the pressure to kill him increases each day. She can’t kill him until she finds out if he’s truly evil—but if she does, what will happen to her and her daughters?

This was a twisty, cat-and-mouse thriller that ratchets up the tension little by little. I honestly had no idea how things would get tied up—and I didn’t know what I wanted to happen. But this was a great read.

The book publishes 6/16.

Book Review: "A Novel Crime" by Deborah Levison

This book was wild! I found myself laughing and rolling my eyes (in a good way) at these characters and the trouble they found themselves in. Be careful what you wish for: you might just get it!

Marcy has dreamed of being a writer for years. She’s been trying for so long to finish her damsel-in-distress historical romance so she can become the bestselling, prize-winning, universally adored author she knows she’s meant to be. And she finally wants her daughter to be proud of her.

She and the other aspiring authors in her writing group lament over their lack of progress or success. Going to a book signing for famed novelist Francesca Barber makes Marcy even hungrier to achieve her dreams and more desperate to get her shot. When she discovers Francesca in a compromising position, Marcy may have just found her opportunity.

Desperate to keep her secret hidden, Francesca lets Marcy (who has adopted a pen name, Summer Branigan) bully her into finishing her novel. But Francesca keeps trying to wiggle out of the deal, no matter how much leverage Marcy may have over her.

It’s at this point that the book goes spectacularly off the rails. But while lies are spun, kidnappings are faked, and you have no idea whom to trust, the book adds a layer of social commentary about just how difficult the publishing world can be, and how nice women get taken advantage of far too often in life. If you don’t fight for yourself, who will?

There’s not a likable character in the book, but that didn’t bother me at all. If you’re in the mood for some laughs along with your twists, give this one a try!

Book Review: "Charming Puckboy" by Eden Finley and Saxon James

I may be in a tiny bit of denial over the fact that this series came to its end after 10 books. I’ve been reading these books long before Shane and Ilya went to the cottage or were drafted (IYKYK). They’ve always hit the perfect balance of attraction, romance, banter, super-steamy steam, and an ever-growing chosen family of queer hockey players and others.

When Lachie (short for Lachlan) was younger, he always seemed to attract stray animals or those in need of help. He’d always bring them to the local animal shelter, where Sam, a handsome employee (and Lachie’s crush) worked. Sam used to tease him, calling him a Disney princess.

Now, Lachie is on the cusp of becoming an enormous star in the NHL, and he’s back at home in Colorado for the summer. And when he finds a pregnant cat about to give birth, he brings it to the animal shelter and—surprise—Sam is now the director. Cue the Disney princess nickname again!

Sam can’t believe how hot Lachie has gotten. And while he never had the confidence to make his feelings known before, Lachie’s confidence has also grown. Now he’s perfectly clear about what he wants—Sam.

There’s no denying the intense attraction and chemistry between them. But Lachie is only home for the summer; is a casual fling all the two of them can handle? Or is there a chance for something more, no matter how much trouble it could cause?

This was the perfect ending to the series. Each character from the previous books got their due, and Sam and Lachie were an excellent couple to end on. I’m hoping another book will pop up down the road, but both Eden Finley and Saxon James have so many great backlist books—on their own, together, and in collaboration with others.

Book Review: "Small Boat" by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson

“Empathy,” I said to the police inspector, “is an idiotic luxury indulged in by people who do nothing, and who are moved by the spectacle of suffering. Good for them. But the truth is you can’t do both at once.”

This novel, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, was inspired by a real tragedy. But other than the incident itself, the book is a work of fiction.

In November 2021, 27 of 29 people died when the inflatable dinghy they were traveling in capsized in the English Channel. The dinghy’s passengers were all migrants, traveling from France to the United Kingdom in order to claim asylum.

Numerous passengers called the authorities for rescue. French authorities told the passengers they were in British waters and needed to be rescued by the British Coast Guard. But because the French authorities received so many calls for help, they mistakenly believed there were multiple boats in distress. By the time rescue vessels arrived on scene three hours later, all but two people were lost.

At the core of this story is the unnamed French naval officer who answered all of the calls for help. In addition to her completely botching the rescue, she was recorded commenting to her colleagues, “I didn’t ask you to leave. It was your idea, and if you didn’t want to get your feet wet, love, you shouldn’t have embarked.”

What was interesting about this book was its discussion of empathy, and its raising the question of what you would have done. The fact is, the officer was trained not to have opinions but to treat everyone equally deserving of help, although the migration issue was very controversial. I felt like the book repeated its arguments over and over, but it really did make me think.

Book Review: "The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances" by Glenn Dixon

Are you the kind of person who says “thank you” to Alexa or Siri? Do you worry that one of these devices will spill all your secrets one day? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, you may enjoy The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances.

⁣ ⁣ Harold and Edie are an elderly couple who live in a smart house, where all of the devices watch over them. A young yet technologically advanced Roomba feels comfort in various things that happen in the house, from Edie playing the piano to Harold reading To Kill A Mockingbird to his ailing wife.⁣

⁣ Inspired by the courage of one of the characters, the Roomba names herself Scout. She seems to feel things in a more visceral way than her older appliance counterparts, and they think she’s a bit foolish and naïve.⁣

Edie dies, leaving Harold alone in the house. The all-powerful Grid, which operates all of the smart devices in the world and monitors homes, decides the house is too big for one person, and makes plans to move Harold to a facility. His estranged daughter, Kate, returns home and has a debt to be paid to the Grid, so she is expected to pack Harold up.⁣

⁣ But Scout doesn’t think this is fair, and she tries to rally her fellow smart appliances to help Harold keep his house. Yet most of the appliances are frightened of the Grid, and of being turned off for good. So it’s up to Scout, with help from Kate and Adrian, one of Edie’s former piano students, to try and figure out how to defeat the Grid.⁣

⁣ I was really fascinated by this concept and impressed by the world-building Glenn Dixon did. This book definitely had a creepy vibe (more menace than horror) but there are lots of emotions at play, too! I want a Roomba to talk to!

Book Review: "The Burning Side" by Sarah Damoff

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff was my second-favorite book of 2025. Having gotten the chance to read her upcoming book (thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy), I can unequivocally say it will be very high on my year-end list this year!

“Suffering is easy to imagine. It’s our responses that take us by surprise. The ways trials edit who we are.”

In the middle of the night, April and Leo awake to find their house filled with smoke. They get their two young children to safety and then watch powerlessly as fire rages. They head to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her parents can provide comfort and a place to stay.

At this point, only April and Leo know that their relationship was damaged even before the fire wrecked havoc. But while they hold off on talks of divorce for a bit, the tension between them isn’t lost on April’s parents or her family. And their issues aren’t the only secrets being kept in the house—Billy, April’s father, has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.

The story alternates between present and past. It traces the path of Leo and April’s relationship from the beginning and how things came to where they are now. It also focuses on Billy and Deb, April’s mother, and how their relationship transformed over the years. The book is narrated by April, Leo, and Deb.

This is a powerful and emotional story of love, anger, uncertainty, pain, and the scars we carry with us. I was fully immersed by the story of these people and found myself being touched by the issues they confronted. Damoff is such an amazing writer and it’s hard to believe this is only her second book.

It will publish on 5/19.

Book Review: "Into the Blue" by Emma Brodie

It’s been a long while since I felt truly bereft after finishing a book. But Into the Blue captured my mind and my heart so thoroughly, that I actually feel a loss now that I’m done reading it. There was an undercurrent that reminded me a bit of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but this is a story all its own.

It’s the summer before her senior year in high school when AJ gets a job at the local video store. Her plan is to watch her favorite show, a cult comedy from the 1960s called “Astronauticals,” and write fan fiction about the show. She’s surprised to find she’s getting a coworker, Noah, whose family is an acting dynasty, including his aunt Eudora, who starred in Astronauticals.

The two become friends and confide in each other about things no one else knows. As they become acting partners taught by Eudora, they forge a connection—almost an intuition—that deepens their bond. And then one day, Noah leaves town without a word, and leaves AJ to wonder what happened.

Seven years later, AJ is working in production on an HGTV reality show; Noah has become a megastar. Somehow she gets cast in a sci-fi show that will be totally improvised—and Noah is one of her costars. Acting opposite each other reawakens feelings between the two. But every time they try to move beyond their past, they can’t. They go their separate ways, only to reunite again and again, as their career paths intertwine.

“Empathy was not predictive. Being able to feel or even influence a person’s emotions was not the same as being able to influence their actions. Noah’s love for AJ was absolute, his desire to leave her nonexistent, but their future didn’t hinge on Noah’s heart so much as his capacity for uncertainty. For that was the true cost of happiness: never knowing when it might be lost.”

Emma Brodie’s debut, Songs in Ursa Major, blew me away, so I’m not surprised how much I loved this. She is an incredible storyteller, weaving humor, romance, serious steam, and complex emotions. This will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year.

Book Review: "Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead" by Mai Nguyen

“That’s one of the great paradoxes of grief I suppose: It touches each and every one of us, yet it has the effect of filling us with an aching, unignorable loneliness.”

Cleo and her husband Ethan are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first baby. Adding to the excitement is the fact that Cleo’s best friend Paloma, who lives across the street, is pregnant, too, and due around the same time. They cannot wait to raise their babies together.

Tragically, something happens during the birth of Cleo and Ethan’s daughter Daisy. She sustained brain damage during delivery, so a few short days later, they take her off life support. They are both overwhelmed by grief, made even a bit more difficult by the fact that Paloma’s baby was perfectly healthy and is fine.

Cleo can’t function. She can’t sleep or eat, she can barely move. Yet there seems to be an expectation that she shouldn’t wallow for too long, that she needs to get back on her feet and live a “normal” life. And then there are all the platitudes and advice that people share, much of which isn’t helpful.

She had taken a year of maternity leave from her job as an actuary, and the company wants her to take that time. Cleo winds up taking a job at a funeral home, as the director’s assistant. In some ways it’s the wrong thing for her to do, yet helping other families deal with their saddest moments does prove cathartic.

I’ll admit that I expected this book to be more maudlin than it was, although it was an emotional read. Cleo is an absolutely fascinating character, and even when she does or says hurtful or unhinged things, I felt for her. I loved how this book demonstrated the messy, nonlinear paths grief can follow.

Book Review: "Star Shipped" by Cat Sebastian

Over the last few years, Cat Sebastian has become one of my favorite romance writers. Her last two books, We Could Be So Good and You Should Be So Lucky, both made my year-end best-of lists, so I was really excited to read this, her first contemporary romance.

Simon and Charlie are two of the stars of a long-running sci-fi show. They have terrific onscreen chemistry, which is interesting considering they can’t stand each other in real life. Simon is talented, and has awards to prove it; Charlie came to show fresh from a reality show. Each has the uncanny ability to make the other one mad.

Charlie is definitely a golden retriever; he’s tremendously good-looking, is tremendously social, and is well-liked by cast and crew. But Simon, on the other hand, is a black cat. He comes across as cold and often condescending. Not all of it is intentional, though. Simon has been dealing with anxiety issues for a number of years, not to mention OCD.

Simon has finally made the decision not to renew his contract. He’s very excited, as he plans to go to New York and do some experimental theater. He also can’t wait to be rid of Charlie. However, when the media starts hinting there is tension between the two men, they decide to embody a very public friendship.

They start to realize they enjoy each other’s company more than they thought. When Charlie needs to go out of town for a family emergency, Simon goes with him, and little by little, the walls between them come down. But if Simon goes to New York, what does that mean for this burgeoning relationship?

I loved this book for so many reasons. This is such a beautiful love story between two people who are so skittish about being vulnerable, and who desperately need to be needed. The banter between them is playful and a little sarcastic at times, the steam is quite steamy, and the mental health representation is so fantastic.

Book Review: "Transcription" by Ben Lerner

Even though more experimental fiction doesn’t usually work for me, I wanted to read Transcription. The concept sounded unique and I am always interested in social commentary about our relationship with technology.

Anyway, Ben Lerner’s new book did have some beautiful moments. It’s essentially a novel divided into thirds. In the first, “Hotel Providence,” the narrator travels to Rhode Island to conduct an interview with his 90-year-old mentor and former professor, Thomas. This will be Thomas’ last interview, and given what he has meant to the narrator, the pressure is on.

At his hotel before heading to Thomas’ house, the narrator drops his phone into a sink full of water. He now has no way of recording the interview, but he can’t seem to be honest with Thomas about it.

In “Hotel Villa Real,” set after Thomas’ death, the narrator is part of a symposium, where he finally reveals he wrote most of the interview from memory because of his phone mishap. The final third, “Hotel Arbez,” is a dialogue between the narrator and Thomas’ son Max, who has been the narrator’s friend since college.

Each section of the book revisits many of the same themes—the fickleness of memory, how we rely on and—sometimes shun—technology to help our memory, and how technology both brings us together and creates gaps between us. At the same time, there are discussions about parenthood, children, and relationships. There are moments of real emotion, as the book touches on the isolation of the early days of COVID, and what it’s like to raise a child with an eating disorder.

This is a short book but it does pack a punch. The narrative gets a bit wordy and esoteric on occasion, but there’s no doubt Lerner is a talented storyteller who has given us much to think about.

Book Review: "Annie Knows Everything" by Rachel Wood

Rom-coms are all too often the cure for what ails me emotionally. Even when the main characters are in turmoil, I’m right there supporting them and tearing up when they realize they’re meant to be together.

Rachel Wood’s debut is sweet, fun, steamy, and so enjoyable. Annie is shocked when she gets laid off from her job in the middle of the week. (People usually get let go on Mondays or Fridays.) Luckily, her best friend works in HR, so Annie gets reassigned to the Data Strategy Team.

Annie’s reassignment is a surprise to the interim team lead, Connor, seeing as he never interviewed or signed off on her joining the team. Oh, and there’s also the issue that Annie really has no idea what data strategy is, and can’t write code to save her life. But somehow, she wins Connor over with her take-no-prisoners attitude and quickly becomes a valuable member of the team.

As she’s winning over Connor and her coworkers, she’s also dealing with some family tension. Her sister is engaged to the worst man in the world (or at least Canada) after they broke up once before. Can Annie keep her feelings about her soon-to-be brother-in-law to herself this time?

Amidst lots of adorable banter and some real wins, Annie and Connor fall for each other. Of course, boss/subordinate relationships aren’t the best idea, but just looking at the two of them, you know how they feel about each other. But Annie’s tendency to go for the nuclear option first proves hazardous both to her job and her relationship. Can she salvage either?

I honestly don’t care that rom-coms are predictable. The chemistry and the banter between Connor and Annie was absolutely wonderful, and I enjoyed the other guys on the Data Strategy team, too. This was just one of those books that put a smile on my face.

Book Review: "Nothing Tastes As Good" by Luke Dumas

I am powerless in the face of Bookstagram FOMO. So many of my friends have been praising this book nonstop, and while this isn’t a genre I read that often, I felt like I had to give it a try. It definitely hit close to home for me A LOT, but it really was excellent.

Emmett has struggled with his weight since childhood and now, in his early 30s, he weighs over 300 pounds. He hates the way he looks, the way his clothes don’t fit right, and his lack of energy. But what he hates most is the way people—colleagues, strangers, his family—treat him because of his weight.

“Because fat isn’t something you wear, like a piece of clothing. When you live with it long enough, when it’s a part of who you are, that shit goes all the way down.”

With his health deteriorating and his desire to be thin again, he enrolls in a clinical trial for Obexity, a new weight loss drug. He has nothing to lose, except weight, right? The treatment itself is horribly traumatizing, but once the drug kicks in—wow! He’s losing weight rapidly, and for the first time in a long time, guys are attracted to him, people are nicer, and he feels better about himself. Tracking his weight loss journey on social media nets him praise from his followers.

After a while, he’s lost a tremendous amount of weight, but he’s starting to feel weird. He’s having memory lapses and overwhelming hunger cravings. And then people who mistreated him start disappearing, and the police suspect coyotes, but Emmett is growing more fearful about what the drug is making him do.

This is definitely a bit gruesome and violent, but it’s so, so good. As someone who endured the ridicule and punishment for eating more than I should have, Emmett’s life triggered lots of emotions for me. I honestly loved the fact that Luke Dumas imbued this book with so much heart instead of just gore and violence. This really blew me away.

Book Review: "The Book Witch" by Meg Shaffer

“All stories are love stories if you love stories.”

Even before I descended into a constant pit of despair about what’s going on in our country, I always loved when books I read had elements of magical realism. Some of my favorite authors create these storylines so masterfully, including Meg Shaffer. Her newest book was one I eagerly anticipated given how much I enjoyed her two previous books.

Rainy March is a Book Witch, like her mother and grandfather before her. Book Witches are responsible for protecting books and their characters from those who wish to do them harm. She jumps in and out of books, saving them from book burners, rogue villains, and the occasional character who goes on the lam.

Book Witches follow a strict code of rules. Real people belong in the real world, fictional characters belong in works of fiction. They’re never supposed to tell the characters that they’re not real people. The biggest no-no? Falling in love with a fictional character.

Rainy has some trouble with the last rule. She is in love with the Duke of Chicago, a handsome British detective who is the lead character in her favorite mystery series. She keeps getting reprimanded from pulling Duke into reality, but when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, Rainy needs Duke to help her solve the mystery. But the lines between reality and fiction are blurrier than she realizes.

The concept of this book really made me smile. Who wouldn’t want to help their favorite literary characters and protect the books they love? At times things got a little confusing for me, but in the end, the story warmed my heart.

Book Review: "Love by the Book" by Jessica George

Remy’s debut novel was a huge hit and became a bestseller. It was a fictionalized account of the relationship with her three best friends, and particularly, the fierce bond among them. The pressure is on for Remy to write her second book, but she can’t seem to find any inspiration.

As if writer’s block wasn’t bad enough, her friends have finally decided to follow their own paths. One is moving to a house an hour outside of London and having a baby, one is moving to New York for a new job, and one has reunited with her horrible boyfriend. Remy is devastated, lonely, and adrift. Even trying a dating app disappoints her.

One day, Remy (literally) runs into Simone, who remembers Remy from secondary school. Simone is now a teacher, and she is tremendously devoted to her students. She also has a second job to help make ends meet. But when her family finds out about her side hustle, they cut her off.

Remy wants to become friends with Simone, as they both seem to see each other clearly. But Simone isn’t used to sharing herself with anyone, and she rebuffs Remy’s attempts at friendship. Little by little, however, they start to realize how important they are to one another, a valuable discovery as each comes to a crossroads in their life.

“The way you love has always been an inspiration to me, I guess, and something I’ve maybe never told you is that being loved by you is one of the greatest things in the world…and one of the easiest to take for granted. I know I have, just because I’m so used to it, you know?”

This is a platonic love story, and a beautiful one. It would be interesting to read this and then Andrew McCarthy’s new book on male friendships. Jessica George’s debut novel, Maame, was fantastic, and it’s great to see how her talent has gotten even stronger.

Book Review: "American Fantasy" by Emma Straub

“So often, the word nostalgia felt coated in bile—a nostalgia act. Annie understood and she didn’t. Nostalgia was for the Smurfs, for erasers that smelled like strawberries. Maybe that was what the costumes were about, the goofy T-shirts, but inside her head, which is where she heard the music, it had touched some lever so deep that it couldn’t be reversed, as much as she’d chosen to ignore it. Maybe that was nostalgia after all, that the music was a direct vein to her own childhood, the least complicated part of her life.”

Annie remembered enjoying the 90s boy band Boy Talk when she was a teenager. It was a subject that bonded her and her younger sister together. All these years later, her sister is still a huge fan, while for Annie, Boy Talk is firmly in the past.

Yet here Annie is, about to board the cruise ship American Fantasy, for a four-day cruise with all 5 members of Boy Talk. And her sister isn’t even able to make it, so she’s going solo. But she quickly makes a friend in Maira, a veteran of these cruises, who takes Annie under her wing.

The cruise is unlike anything Annie has ever experienced. There are throngs of (mostly) middle-aged women, screaming and cheering for their favorite band member. Lots of alcohol is imbibed, there is so much clothing and merch with the band’s faces on it, and there are so many opportunities to interact with the band members. Some of them go after these events with gusto, while some can’t wait to go back home.

The cruise gives Annie the opportunity to reflect on what it’s like to be (and feel) middle-aged, and how it feels to relive a part of your younger years. She deals with divorce, career issues, and the uncertainty of what her life holds.

I’ve never gone on a cruise, and Emma Straub’s imagery made me feel sunburned and claustrophobic, lol. The book alternates narration from Annie, Keith (one of the band members), and Sarah, an employee of the production company that organizes the cruise.

Book Review: "Mad Mabel" by Sally Hepworth

What an absolutely fantastic book this was! I’ve been seeing so many reviews with people raving about how much they loved this, so needless to say, I was nervous if it would live up to the hype. Honestly, it blew the hype out of the water.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is an 81-year-old woman who lives a mostly quiet life. Sure, she’s a bit cranky and doesn’t suffer fools, but she tries to keep to herself. She and her best friend Daphne can still crack each other up after decades of friendship.

When she finds one of her neighbors dead in his house, the past gets stirred up. Because years ago, Elsie was known as “Mad” Mabel Waller, Australia’s youngest convicted murderer who was suspected of killing others when she was even younger.

“‘It’s a lot of stuff to be held responsible for,’ I agree. ‘And yet, when you’re accused of one thing, it becomes pretty easy to be held responsible for others too, at least in other people’s eyes.’”

Interest in “Mad” Mabel has everyone buzzing. The police are suspicious of her role in her neighbor’s death, while the media wants to learn all it can about this legendary murderer. When she is ready to tell her story, it’s time for people to understand if she’s really a cold-blooded killer or just a lonely old woman who has been misunderstood all these years.

Elsie/Mabel is one of the most memorable characters I’ve read about in some time. While in recent years, older people have been cast as criminals or amateur detectives, Elsie is a unique character all her own. Sally Hepworth has imbued her with such complexity.

Book Review: "Don't Eat Your Human Boyfriend" by Lily Mayne

You know I can’t resist books with attention-grabbing titles like this! I was looking for a fun read after a few heavier books, and this sure fit the bill.

“I wanted to eat the new guy. And by ‘eat,’ I of course meant…you know….I also meant I literally wanted to eat the new guy. I contained multitudes.”

Elliot is an ethical ghoul. The thought of having to hunt down and kill humans for food disgusts him, so he’s spent the last 8 years working at Broth with a Bite, an outlet in a mall food court. He works in the “special” kitchen which serves food to people with the same nutritional needs. Those working in the regular kitchen have no idea what Elliot and his coworkers actually cook.

Then one day, a new guy starts working at Broth with a Bite, and Elliot can’t take his eyes off of him. Ricky is sweet and good-looking, with a great body and an infectious smile. And he smells sooo good. Elliot is smitten, and judging by how much Ricky blushes when Elliot is around, the feeling is mutual.

They start becoming good friends despite the fact that Ricky has no idea what the “special” kitchen serves, and probably doesn’t even know what a ghoul is. But when attraction and sex start turning to love, Elliot knows two things: he has to tell Ricky the truth, and he needs to keep his teeth to himself.

I’ve never read a romance with a ghoul in it, particularly a handsome and sensitive one. This was really fun. It was very steamy and sweet, and it was interesting how their stories were vastly different but more similar than they first thought.

Book Review: "My Dear You: Stories" by Rachel Khong

I was so excited to read Rachel Khong’s brand-new story collection. I really enjoyed her previous books, Goodbye, Vitamin and Real Americans, and couldn’t wait to see how her voice would work in a variety of stories.

This was a really intriguing collection. Many of the stories dealt with unique, almost futuristic topics, but also many dealt with relationships, love, marriage, dating, and family.

Of the 10 stories in the book, here are a few of my favorites. In the title story, a young woman dies on her honeymoon and goes to heaven, only to find her memories of her life start to disappear. “The Freshening” envisions a world where the U.S. government creates an injection which turns everyone a person sees into the same race, sex, and ethnicity.

“The Family O” is about a group of Asian women who have all dated the same man they met on a dating app, and he apparently fetishizes them. In “Tapetum Lucidum,” a woman and her husband adopt a cat who somehow conjures up the ghosts of their exes. And in “Serene,” a woman befriends a sex doll she hopes to sell in order to get breast implants.

Khong is such a talented writer. These stories evoked a range of emotions and were very thought-provoking. Some definitely packed a punch, and I’ll be thinking about them for a long while.

Book Review: "The Name Game" by Beth O'Leary

Happy Pub Week to Beth O’Leary’s newest book! She’s rarely one to write a simple romance, and this book is no exception. Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy of this one!

Charlie Jones is desperate for a fresh start. She’s been dealing with grief and feels at odds with her life, so she applies for a job as manager of a farm shop on the remote English island of Ormer. When she gets hired, she’s excited to begin again.

Jones (as he’s called) is trying to get sober and put a painful breakup behind him. Taking a job as farm shop manager on Ormer is the perfect way to do so. But when he arrives to start his job, he is shocked to discover that another Charlie Jones believes the job is hers.

Chaos ensues between the two Charlie Joneses. Neither is willing to give up the chance for a new life, but the owners of the farm can’t afford to pay for two managers. So the Charlies strike a deal: they’ll both work at the shop for half of their salary, and after two months, the owners will decide which Charlie gets the job. Each is skeptical of the other but also recognizes how broken they both are.

The book progresses as two separate streams of correspondence. Charlie writes in a journal, while Jones sends himself emails. Of course, a spark starts to gain heat between them. And then there’s a massive twist which shakes everything up (and it confused me, I must admit).

O’Leary’s first book, The Flatshare, is one of my favorites, and that, too, is told via correspondence. I don’t feel this book has the warmth of the former, and I don’t know that I believed in the romance between the characters. (And while the residents of Ormer are quirky and cantankerous, I didn’t like them much.)

Book Review: "Kin" by Tayari Jones

“No matter who your mama is, or how long she’s been gone, you can’t help but miss her. When you are born, she marks you with her milk, even if you never tasted her breast. That’s not hoodoo, it’s just the way the body and the spirit come together to make you a person.”

There’s something about the way Tayari Jones writes that draws me in from the very first page. And this, her newest book, is so beautifully written and so perceptive in the way it captures loss, chosen family, friendship, and love.

Vernice (aka “Niecy”) and Annie have known each other practically from birth. Growing up in the small town of Honeysuckle, Louisiana, both girls were motherless. Niecy’s mother died when she was very young and her Aunt Irene raised her, while Annie’s mother left her in the care of her mother. The sense of being left behind pervaded both of their lives.

What Niecy wants more than anything is to be a mother and wife, to have a normal life. She goes to attend Spelman College, where she tries to blend in as much as she can, but for the first time she is introduced to a world where Black women can be powerful and privileged.

Meanwhile, trying to find her mother is the one thing that occupies Annie’s mind. She takes off one night with a young man she likes and two others and heads for Memphis, where her mother has supposedly moved to. But the journey to Memphis—and to finding her mother—is a circuitous one, seeing her experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

There is so much emotion in this book, and not all of it is out in the open. The relationship between Niecy and Annie is rich with love, struggle, strength, and guidance, and their connection is a powerful one even when they don’t see each other and they live different lives. I really felt this book in my heart.

Book Review: "Lift Me Up" by Milly Johnson

For years, Tam did nearly everything to hold it all together at YorkMart, the grocery company where she worked. Most of her efforts went unseen or someone else took the credit, but better she stay out of the spotlight, right? Yet when her boss leaves she is temporarily promoted to the top spot, finally giving her the chance to prove herself.

She envisions the company’s board being so impressed that they offer her the job permanently. Instead, they bring in an outside expert named Jack, sending Tam back into her old role. She hears rumors that he’ll be bringing his own people in, and when Jack requests her presence at an important meeting with the board, she figures she’ll be given her farewell.

She winds up in the elevator with Jack. Somewhere between floors 13 and 14, the elevator gets stuck. Tam starts to panic, envisioning all the ways she will meet her end. To calm her down, Jack talks to her and gets her to let down her guard a bit. She figures that if he’s going to let her go anyway, does it matter what she says, if he asks for her advice?

But the thing is, Jack knows all the work she’s put in. He thinks she should have been hired permanently too. He thinks she’s exceptional. Which is something no one has ever told her—not her family, not her fiancé, no one. She’s just made herself smaller and smaller and taken the criticism or indifference.

In the acknowledgments of the book, Milly Johnson says that she often writes “…about women who are due a renaissance because there are too many who do not value themselves for all they do for others, for the wonderful selfless people they are.”

This book really captures that spirit, although Tam must endure a lot of criticism and indifference before she can see her worth. Is it really a choice between being vibrant and seen or nearly invisible and irrelevant?

This story will publish 5/1.

Book Review: "Ghost Town" by Tom Perrotta

I started thinking about this and can’t believe it. I’ve been reading Tom Perrotta’s books since 1994! (And no, I’m not interested in knowing how young you were in 1994, or hearing you weren’t born yet, lol.) Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy of his latest!

When Jimmy, a middle-aged writer and television producer, gets a letter from the mayor of his New Jersey hometown, he’s thrown for a loop. Apparently they’re naming the new municipal complex in memory of his father, and they’d love to have him attend. Jimmy hasn’t been back home since 1974 when he was 13, and he’s not sure he wants to return.

“Maybe all that stuff catches up to you in the end, the demons you think you’ve outrun, the bad memories you locked away in a metal box, and then you hid the box in a dark corner of the basement under a heap of dirty blankets, and then you moved far away and did your best to pretend you were someone else. But that box is always right there, right where you left it.”

Thinking about the invitation takes him back to 1974, the year that everything changed. His mother died of lung cancer, his hippie cousin and his wife moved in next door, and he was just trying to make sense of growing up and really see the world around him.

For the most part, the plot is composed of Jimmy’s reminiscences about losing his mother, befriending a local dirtbag, having a crush on a girl, feeling betrayed by his best friend, and watching everything fall apart. There’s also his desire to hold onto his mother’s memory, and perhaps see and feel her presence.

As always, Perrotta’s observations of New Jersey suburban life are dead-on. But for me, unfortunately, the rest of the book never felt complete. There’s some brief discussion of racial tensions—but not enough for Perrotta to give voice to them—and a weird, unfinished ghost story plot thread. Beyond that, nothing really was that interesting, not even Jimmy himself.

The book will publish 4/28.

Book Review: "Upward Bound" by Woody Brown

This book gave me lots of feels! But on top of the wide range of emotions it took me through, I found it really eye-opening. It definitely made me think about how we view adults with disabilities.

“No utopia has presented itself. Adult day care is adult day care.”

Upward Bound is an adult daycare facility for adults with disabilities. While the name sounds cheerful, for many of the clients, it’s a depressing, boring haven—but at least they’re not in an institution. Many of the clients are nonverbal, but some try to communicate the best they can.

We meet Jorge, the nonverbal gentle giant who likes to escape and go across the street to hide. Jorge is primarily cared for by Carlos, once a young man on a downward trajectory until his sister got him a job at the facility. Tom is a handsome man with cerebral palsy, who can’t talk or move much, but he has a rich inner life. Emma is autistic and nonverbal, but Beatles music brings her piece. And then there’s Dave, the director, who is very particular—especially about Upward Bound’s annual fundraiser and Christmas show.

We learn about each of these folks in their own chapters, and in some cases, they even narrate for themselves. But our guide for most of the book is Walter, a highly intelligent man with autism, who can communicate through an aide, and he aspires to be a writer. Through his eyes we see what the clients are really thinking, even if they can’t speak.

I found this to be funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking, sometimes simultaneously. Walter is a wry narrator who definitely has a grasp on the world around him. Impressively, the book’s author has minimal speech and types to communicate, but he is a summa cum laude graduate of UCLA and received an MFA from Columbia.