Book Review: "Forget Me Not" by Stacy Willingham

Loss has a way of permeating our lives, no matter how long ago it occurred. For Claire, it’s been 22 years since her older sister Natalie disappeared shortly after her 18th birthday. The police found traces of Natalie’s blood in a man’s car shortly thereafter, and an arrest was made.

But despite the speedy resolution of her sister’s case, Claire has never gotten over losing her sister. Once Claire was old enough, she left her small South Carolina hometown and moved to New York City. She became an investigative journalist, helping others get clarity in their grief and loss.

Despite a successful career, Claire is passed over for a promotion and quits her job. With no real opportunities on the horizon, she’s starting to worry about money and her future when her father calls. He asks her to come home to South Carolina to care for her mother, who was injured in an accident. Claire is at a bit of a crossroads, so she decides to go home despite her estrangement from her mother.

It’s not long before Claire remembers why she left home, and she’s affected by the memories of Natalie that are stirred up. On a whim to get away, she takes a summer job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine grape vineyard on an isolated island not far from where she grew up. Natalie had worked there shortly before her disappearance.

At first, the peace of the farm and the physical labor is therapeutic. But when Claire finds an old diary hidden in the farm’s guesthouse where she’s staying, she begins to suspect that all isn’t idyllic at Galloway Farm. She worries that the owner, Mitchell, may be dangerous—and somehow, he may hold the key to what happened to Natalie all those years before.

The story shifts between the present and the past (in the form of diary entries). For some reason the diary was written in the third person, which was a little weird, but it definitely kept me hooked. I had some idea how the story would be resolved but there were some surprises, too. I did think the pacing was slow for a while until it picked up steam.

Book Review: "People Watching" by Hannah Bonam-Young

Prudence used to dream of leaving her small Canadian hometown to see the world. But when her mother is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Prue shelves her dreams in order to help her father. Regardless of what her father thinks, she’s perfectly content to care for her mother, work in her family’s gas station, and write poetry.

Milo comes to town in his ancient van. He and his younger sister have been asked to come help Nik, their older brother, get his brewery ready to open. Milo is a handsome adventurer who tends to go from place to place, leaving relationships as soon as his partners begin catching feelings. He hasn’t seen his siblings in a while, because memories of their traumatic childhood still haunt him.

As her mother’s condition worsens, Prue’s father wants her to consider leaving town and pursuing her future. When she meets Milo, his confidence and swagger, coupled with his sensitivity, disarms her. The chemistry between the two of them is intense, and while they develop a warm friendship, they also spend late nights with Milo tutoring Prue in casual sex lessons.

Milo’s relationship with his siblings and their shared trauma is really compelling, and Prue’s care for her mother and her father’s love is as well. But when the focus moves off of those storylines, the book loses its spark. And there are even storylines that get mentioned and never get brought up again.

This book is one of the spiciest I’ve read in a long while, and there’s also some poignant emotion. But I felt like the book didn’t know what it wanted to be—the sex storyline didn’t really mesh with everything else. I wanted to love this but it just didn’t work for me.

Book Review: "The Academy" by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

I didn’t go to boarding school and I didn’t want to, but I cannot get enough of boarding/prep school fiction. And while dark academia can be fun, nothing beats good old-fashioned drama.

Tiffin Academy has always been in the middle of the pack where boarding schools are concerned. Yet on the first day of a new school year, a huge surprise occurs: Tiffin has risen to #2 on the annual America Today rankings. That’s a 17-point jump, and it’s even a shock to Audre, the head of school.

The board president has invested a great deal of money in improvements—including a gourmet chef. But still, no one really understands how the school climbed so high in one year, especially given the fact that a popular student committed suicide the previous year.

Like many boarding schools, academics at Tiffin take a backseat to parties and gossip. The majority of the students are children of extremely wealthy parents and are used to getting their way. Yet into the mix comes Charley, a new student from Maryland—very rarely are new students admitted as juniors. But Charley is extremely smart and she’s utterly disinterested in the social games of her peers, which of course only intrigues her classmates more.

Over the course of one year at Tiffin, there’s lots of drama to be had. The new, beautiful Canadian history teacher has secrets to hide and finds herself infatuated with an older student. The TikTok influencer is struggling with her own issues while keeping up appearances. And then a controversial app seems to know what everyone is hiding and what everyone’s missteps are.

There are a lot of characters in this book; some you root for and some you dislike. Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter have created a juicy little world and I was there for every last backstabbing minute. There were a few threads that were brought up and never resolved, so is a sequel on the horizon?

The book publishes 9/16.

Book Review: "Loved One" by Aisha Muharrar

Poignant and powerful, Aisha Muharrar’s debut novel will stay in my mind for a long while.

“There was a queasy unease to treading new waters, building the compass as you sailed, every choice a guess. Except it was worse now. Because it was expected at eighteen, or even twenty-five, but at thirty, it was embarrassing.”

Gabe was Julia’s first love. They met as high school students in Barcelona and had a wonderful summer. But Gabe wanted to be a musician, and he didn’t want a relationship to interfere with his career, so they went their separate ways.

From time to time, they would run into each other in Los Angeles. Gabe became a popular indie musician and Julia became a sought-after jewelry designer. Their old feelings would resurface on occasion, but they always seemed to tamp them down. And then, tragically, Gabe died accidentally when he was 29.

Julia is overcome by the waves of grief she feels, especially since their relationship was left at loose ends before he died. As a favor to Gabe’s mother, she travels to London to meet the last woman he loved, to see if she could reclaim some of his belongings. But upon meeting Elizabeth, an icy, guarded restaurateur, both women become protective over their memories of Gabe and the secrets each holds.

The narrative shifts between the present and various memories of Gabe and Julia’s encounters. There is an elegiacal sadness in this book but it’s never maudlin. It captures the frustrations we might have when we wish we had said, or did, something to a loved one whom we’ve lost. This was simply gorgeous.

Book Review: "The Heartbreak Hotel" by Ellen O'Clover

This book seriously gave me all the feels. I had high hopes for this and it definitely delivered!

Lou isn’t surprised when her famous musician boyfriend breaks up with her. They’ve been together since college but they’ve been drifting apart for a while. She’s sad, obviously, but her biggest worry is that she’ll have to move out of the house they’ve been sharing in Estes Park, Colorado. She will not lose that.

The challenge is, she doesn’t have a job, so how can she afford the rent? But then she comes up with an idea: turning the house into a bed and breakfast where people can recover from their own heartbreak. Her landlord, Henry (whom she is surprised to find is a handsome veterinarian, not an old man) isn’t thrilled with the idea, but he reluctantly agrees to let Lou run with it.

It’s not long before the inn is a success. And while Lou is helping her guests, her own life is a mess, left over from her tumultuous childhood. The good news is that Henry keeps coming around, and they find themselves drawing closer. But Henry is keeping his own heartbreak hidden from view.

“I started the Comeback Inn to care for people—because the part of me that knows how to nurture others has always felt like the best and truest part. But as I breathe into the cross-stitched pillow cover, as my eyes burn with tears, I wonder if that’s all I’ll ever get to be, all I’m capable of. If the power I thought I held by being needed is just a weakness; if I’ve sought out sadness in others so I don’t have to confront my own.”

There’s a lot of emotion in this book—grief, sadness, laughter, anger, and happiness to name a few. And while pieces of the story hit a little close to home, I couldn’t get enough.

The book will publish 9/23.

Book Review: "The Sideways Life of Denny Voss" by Holly Kennedy

This was such a wonderfully special book with one of the most memorable narrators I’ve found in a long while. I’m so thankful to my dearest friend Amy for putting this book on my radar!!

“I guess that’s just how life works. Some days it’s like a fast-moving TV show and some days it’s not, and when things go sideways—like they usually do for me—you might find yourself going in a whole new direction, and when you’re doing life, going in that whole new direction, some things will change, but some things will stay a lot the same.”

Thirty-year-old Denny lives in Minnesota with his elderly mother and their deaf and blind dog George. While an issue at birth left him with some developmental challenges, he’s always felt loved, even when he hasn’t made the right choices.

Sometimes Denny has the best of intentions, but things tend to go awry. This has led to his arrest after kidnapping a neighbor’s ornery goose, and another time he unwittingly helped a bank robber. His challenges with finding the right words or expressing his emotions often get him into trouble.

But now, Denny is under arrest for the murder of a businessman in town who is running for mayor. And it certainly didn’t help that he was found with a sled full of guns, including the murder weapon. He swears he’s innocent, but can that be proven?

This book is full of humor, emotion, and charm, and it’s very heartwarming. Denny may cause chaos, but he also can be so empathetic and sweet. Check out the world from his perspective.

Book Review: "Definitely Better Now" by Ava Robinson

Add this powerful and emotional book to the long list of terrific debuts published this year!

Emma is celebrating one year of sobriety, a milestone she’s worked very hard to reach. She’s spent the last year in close contact with her sponsor, attending AA meetings, and doing little more than working, in an effort to keep from backsliding into old habits.

But staying sober isn’t easy when everything around you is going crazy. She’s finally starting to feel comfortable around her colleagues, and has been appointed to her company’s “Fun Team,” which plans the annual holiday party. She allowed her colleagues to set up a profile on a dating app—which leads to an awkward situation with a colleague. She’s even started a bit of a flirtation with Ben, her company’s IT guy.

She’s a little bit thrown when her mother tells her she’s moving in with her boyfriend (whom Emma didn’t even know about). Then her estranged father calls and wants to see her—and as an alcoholic himself, he’s always been dismissive of her journey toward recovery. But he’s not argumentative this time; rather, he’s hiding a secret from her.

This is a book full of humor, emotion, awkward moments and times you wish the characters would say what they mean instead of avoiding the truth. But more than that, this book shows just how hard it is to fight for yourself when everything around you is trying to knock you down.

Ava Robinson is a really talented writer, and this book felt tremendously self-assured for a debut. I’ll be looking forward to the next steps in her career!

Book Review: "The Break-In" by Katherine Faulkner

Whoa. I might need some Dramamine to help me with the motion sickness I’ve gotten from all the twists in this book! I had no idea how things would get resolved, but I wasn’t going to stop reading until I found out!

One afternoon, Alice is hosting her friends and their kids for a playdate at her fancy London home. Suddenly, a young man breaks in, screaming and heading for the room where the kids are playing. In a split second of panic, Alice hits him in the head and he dies.

The police determine Alice acted to defend her daughter and the other children and clear her of wrongdoing. But she cannot seem to shake the memories of that day, or the questions about everything that happened, which no one wants to answer?

Was this really just a random break-in, or was the young man looking for something in particular? Why does it seem as if everyone in her life is acting strangely, as if they have something to hide? Will she and her family be safe?

Alice starts getting strange phone calls and text messages, and threatening comments show up online accompanying articles about the break-in. She needs to know the truth, so she does some investigating on her own, with the help of a friend. But she has no idea just how tangled the truth is with all of the lies.

This was one of those books where you have no idea which characters to trust. Alice is a bit naive and does some things you want to slap her for, but ultimately, she wants the truth to come out. And there is a lot going on, but I was hooked!

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: "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: "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: "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: "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: "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.