Book Review: "A Good Animal" by Sara Maurer

Funnily enough, this is the second consecutive book I’ve read in which sheep farming is involved. What are the chances? Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy of this beautifully written coming-of-age novel!

For many young people, growing up in a small rural town can be confining, making them feel stuck in place. They dream about getting away, living a whole different life. But not Everett. He has grown up on a sheep farm outside Sault St. Marie, Michigan. It’s the only life he’s ever known and it’s the only one he wants.

Everett is biding his time, waiting to finish high school so he can get a job as well as raise and breed sheep. He dreams of one day buying the family farm from his parents and making good money from his animals.

Then he meets Mary. Mary has just moved to town with her father, who is in the Coast Guard. She’s moved around a lot and done what’s expected of her. But all she dreams of is getting away, going to art school in California, doing what she wants to do and being totally free to live her life her way.

The two fall for each other, even though Mary is clear that she doesn’t want to stay in Michigan. But for the first time, she feels seen for who she is. When they come to a crossroads, Everett wants a life with Mary in his hometown; she wants so much more. What decisions can they make for their future?

This is a very quiet, character-driven novel. It’s as much a love story about farming and raising animals as it is a romantic love story. There are a few graphic scenes in which nature and predators have an impact, but you can easily skim over those. This is a memorable debut novel, one that could have easily turned to melodrama, but I’m thankful it didn’t.

The book will publish 2/24/2026.

Book Review: "Beth Is Dead" by Katie Bernet

I’ve been thirsting for a good retelling for a while now, and this book was excellent!! Thanks so much to Sarah Barley Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy!

⁣ The four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth—are household names because their father wrote a book called Little Women. While the book is fiction, much of the plot hews close to reality, so the girls—and the public—accuse their father of exploitation.

On New Year’s Day, Beth is missing. She went to a party with Amy the night before, where they had a brutal argument. When Beth is found murdered, her sisters are determined to find her killer. And each feel like they could have been a contributing factor in her death.

While the remaining sisters console each other, they also go through periods of time where they consider each other as guilty. Yet there are a number of other suspects, too. Could it have been someone looking to punish their father, or perhaps one of the men in the sisters’ lives?

The book is narrated by all four sisters, shifting between past and present. (Beth tells her story from the past.) It’s really a twisty story; while I ultimately guessed whom the killer was, it took me a while to settle on a suspect.

I love the way Katie Bernet gave Little Women a modern twist while still retaining the traits of Louisa May Alcott’s original characters. I thought this really was a brilliant retelling—and you don’t honestly need to have read the original to appreciate this.

The book will publish 1/6/2026.

Book Review: "One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker" by Timothy Janovsky

My favorite movie of all time is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so when I was offered the chance to read an ARC of a spicy M/M romance retelling of the story, I was excited and nervous. Thanks so much to Harlequin Books and NetGalley for the opportunity!

The Amorina Chocolate Factory has been in Dario Cotogna’s family for generations. Since his beloved grandfather died, Dario has been running the business, paying close attention to sustainability issues. But when his grandfather’s will is read, Dario is shocked: if he doesn’t marry before his 32nd birthday, the business will pass to his younger brother.

Dario isn’t dating anyone, but his grandfather thought of everything. A global competition is launched, and five contestants will be chosen. They’ll fly to Italy and stay for a week, to get to know Dario and the chocolate business, and then he will choose which one he wants to marry.

Charlie has never been out of his Pennsylvania hometown, let alone the country. He lives in a dilapidated house with his parents and grandparents, and he’s just found out the bank is about to foreclose. When Charlie reads about the contest, he realizes this could be his ticket to save his family and perhaps pursue his own dreams.

Charlie’s competitors are all very different: Selina, a trans supermodel; Beau, a musician always up for adventure; Ansel, a German watch expert; and Michelle, a design student. As the week progresses, Charlie and Dario’s connection deepens, but both are hiding their vulnerabilities. Will true love (and chocolate) win?

I loved that while this book was similar to the original story, it wasn’t a true retelling. (Spoiler alert: no Oompa-Loompas.) But Dario and Charlie were terrific, sympathetic characters, and their encounters were quite spicy. Timothy Janovsky never disappoints me!

The book will publish 1/27/2026.

Book Review: "Close Call" by Elise Hart Kipness

I read the first book in the Kate Green series last year, the second book last month, and with this book, I’m now caught up. So now, Elise Hart Kipness, the ball is in your court! (Pun intended.)

Sports reporter Kate Green is now the co-anchor of a weekly TV show. She also has an Emmy under her belt. Her current assignment is to cover the U.S. Open, with particular focus on two American tennis stars—Lucy Bosco, the 10-time Grand Slam champion, who doesn’t suffer fools gladly and isn’t ready to quit yet, and 17-year-old Brynn Cole, whose bubbly personality is exceeded only by her talent on the court.

Tennis fans all over the world are waiting for the showdown between Lucy and Brynn. But it’s not going to happen, because inexplicably, Lucy pulls out before her first match.

Well, that’s the story, at least. It turns out Lucy gets kidnapped, and Brynn receives a picture of Lucy, bruised and tied up, and she’s told if she goes to the police, Lucy will die. And Brynn isn’t out of danger either.

The list of suspects is a mile long, and Kate helps the police with their investigation. It appears the kidnapper also has their eye on Kate, and despite her father’s pleas to stay out of the case, Kate felt a connection with Lucy because of her own sports background. Will they identify the perpetrator before it’s too late?

Kate is such a great character. She’s a fantastic reporter, which means she throws herself into the search for the truth, but she’s not superhuman. She’s flawed, and even a little petty. (Aren’t we all?) I’m a huge tennis fan so this really appealed to me, but it’s a terrific series even if you don’t like sports!

Book Review: "The Widow" by John Grisham

When John Grisham’s novels were first released, I DEVOURED them. I remember going to a signing the week The Pelican Brief came out, and I told him how much I loved it. He said to me, “Larry, I need a little breathing room, maybe don’t read so fast!”

Thanks so much to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of Grisham’s newest book. Billed as his first-ever whodunit, I knew I had to give this one a try.

An attorney in rural Virginia, Simon Latch doesn’t have much in the way of business. It’s mostly wills and bankruptcies, barely enough to make ends meet. His marriage is disintegrating, which is only adding to his tension. He needs a break to fall his way.

When Eleanor “Netty” Barnett, a widow in her 80s, comes to Simon, she wants him to redo her will. Unbeknownst to almost everyone, Netty’s late husband was worth millions, including a stack of shares in major companies. She wants to disown her two stepsons and ensure her money goes anywhere other than them. Simon smells a huge windfall, because the fees for handling her estate will be large. And he may bend the rules just a little bit in preparing her will.

When Netty is hospitalized after an accident, Simon discovers he doesn’t know the real truth about his client or her estate. And before he realizes it, he winds up getting arrested for murder. The only way he can get exonerated is to find the truth himself—before it’s too late.

Grisham is great at creating flawed characters, and Simon is definitely one of those! He’s self-serving and a bit crooked, but by the second half of the book, he started winning me over. There are lots of twists to be had here and I honestly couldn’t figure out how the book would end until it did.

The book will publish 10/21.

Book Review: "Heart the Lover" by Lily King

This was an utterly gorgeous book, full of incredible dialogue, powerful emotions, and some truly memorable main characters. It may have been my first book by Lily King but it definitely won’t be my last!

It was her essay that caught their attention first. Our narrator wrote a parody for her English Literature class, and it caught the attention of two of her fellow students, Sam and Yash. They’re best friends and roommates, studious yet fun-loving, and they’re house sitting for a professor on sabbatical.

It’s not long before she falls into a tumultuous relationship with one, while maintaining an intense friendship with the other. But as often is the case in these situations, the lines blur between friendship and attraction, passion and jealousy, resulting in a love triangle that threatens to wreck everything.

“Love is crushing. Love is something you let yourself feel at your own peril, despite your better sense.” “But where would we be if we didn’t feel it? I think it’s the only form of hope we have. For our survival, I mean. What good is any other virtue without love?”

Years later, she is a successful author, and she gets a surprise visit from someone from her past. Old wounds are reopened; emotions pivot between regret and relief. And when they are brought together again, it’s time to say the things they’ve kept to themselves.

I love books about intense friendships that last through the years—even when the connections fray from time to time. This was such a beautiful book about how we make a life after we think we’ve been destroyed, and how love endures, even in a different form.

Book Review: "I Know How This Ends" by Holly Smale

How would you live your life if you know what is going to happen? Margot is a meteorologist whose life was upended, both personally and professionally, when her 10-year relationship ended just before she got married. Since then she’s more than just a little unstable, and while she’s been dating, the men all seem to have red flags.

One day she has a vision of herself with a man she’s never met, but the vision makes her happy. And when she meets Henry, a single dad, she realizes she is happy and optimistic for the first time in a long while.

Yet as she continues to get glimpses of different aspects of her future, she isn’t sure whether to trust what she sees. But if everything she sees will come to fruition, should she pursue a relationship with Henry, or can she outrun her destiny?

“I’d thought I’d loved Aaron—so much, for so many years—but now that love seems…contained, somehow, like a storm inside a bottle. When inside me was all the weather—all the rains and the fires and the hurricanes and the clouds, the rainbows and the dews and the tornadoes and the halos—waiting to be unleashed. I just had no idea, until I was shown how much of everything I could be.”

As she tries to figure out how to navigate her hopes and fears, she also realizes she has to work on the next steps in her career as well as her relationships with her family and friends. And how can she tell Henry what she’s seen?

I really enjoyed Holly Smale’s previous book, Cassandra in Reverse, but this gave me all the feels. I love books which deal with fate and destiny, especially as it pertains to love and relationships. This really made me think, and I can’t wait to see what Smale does next!