Book Review: "The Romance Revival" by Christina Lauren

It’s always interesting when an author that’s well-known in a particular genre decides to try something new. That’s kind of the case with Christina Lauren’s new book, which mashes up romance with a bit of sci-fi and mystery. ⁣

⁣ Emery and Luca have been inseparable since he swept her off her feet at a wedding in Las Vegas. They married just a few months later, and they’re about to celebrate their third anniversary. ⁣

⁣ The thing is, Emery, who is a scientist, is a complete workaholic. She’s busy day and night, misses dates and dinners, and often feels miles away from Luca. And her work is top-secret, so she can’t even tell Luca the truth about what she’s doing. Being secretive is taking its toll, but she knows it’s just for a little while longer.

⁣ And then the unthinkable happens: Luca is killed in an accident as Emery looks on, helpless. She cannot lose him. So she injects him with a drug she’s been working on, in order to bring him back to life. It’s a complete risk and a violation of so many laws and ethics, but it works.⁣⁣

⁣⁣ Luca wakes up and is healing nicely. The one drawback is he has no memory of Emery or their life together. But this time, she’s determined not to waste a second. She hopes Luca will fall in love with her again—and she can turn over a new leaf in the process.⁣⁣

⁣⁣ The romance aspect of the book is top-notch. Luca and Emery have intense chemistry and the second chance they’re given is so lovely. But when the book shifts into mystery mode, I felt like it lost its appeal. The action sequences seemed formulaic and implausible, and I just wanted to read their love story. ⁣⁣

Book Review: "The Delivery" by Gregg Hurwitz

“What if you could have something that knows everything about you, everything you want, and could get it for you? While staying totally under your control?”

File this under “careful what you wish for, you just might get it!” This was a bit creepy and compelling, one of Amazon’s First Reads for June.

Rebecca and Mark have been trying to get out from under the grief following a miscarriage. But with pressure mounting from Mark’s boss and the needs of Maddy, their neurodivergent daughter, neither feels like they have a handle on their lives. So when they’re offered an opportunity to purchase a solution developed by a technology company, they take the leap.

Several months later, they take delivery of “Mr. Man,” an AI companion who looks surprisingly human. Mr. Man was grown from their family’s DNA, and he can anticipate their every need. At first, it’s a complete pleasure: laundry is done, dishes are washed, meals are prepared…

But then, as tragedies start occurring, they realize that Mr. Man not only fulfills requests, but he also takes care of things they’ve only talked about in passing. In some cases, they haven’t even clearly said anything, but it appears Mr. Man’s job is to protect them. No matter what.

Gregg Hurwitz is one of my favorite thriller writers, but I realized that I’ve only read his Orphan X series. So to experience his writing in a different genre was definitely a pleasure. I know sometimes I wish I had some help, but I’m good without an AI companion! (Trigger warning: animal cruelty but you can skim over it.)

This will publish 7/1/2026.

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: "Celestial Lights" by Cecile Pin

“I was born the day Challenger fell out of the sky, and I was born blue. At least, that is what I was told.”

Oliver was a smart, quiet, English child. His life began at a tragic moment for the world, but he was a dreamer, inspired by the things we didn’t yet know. His intellectual curiosity led him to study engineering, then to a Royal Navy submarine, and finally to a career as an astronaut.

Throughout his life, Oliver had trouble expressing his feelings, and many people found him cold. But he did fiercely love his parents, his wife, and his young son, even if his actions didn’t always convey that fact.

He is tapped to command a mission to the moon Europa, to see if the conditions there could ultimately sustain human life. It would require 10 years’ time, and during most of it, there would be no communication with Earth. Oliver cannot turn down the opportunity, even though it means he won’t be present to watch his son grow up, and the decision could end his marriage.

During the mission, Oliver thinks about the life-changing importance of what they’re doing. But as he looks back on his life and his family, he can’t help but wonder if the sacrifices will be worth it.

This was a beautifully written and profoundly thought-provoking book. Oliver is a complex character and I’m not sure I had him figured out by the end of the book, but I know that this will live in my brain for a long while.

Book Review: "Detour" by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

John Ward is a billionaire who is running as a third-party candidate for president. He’s funding a mission to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. The mission will lay the foundation for future settlements as the effects of climate change destroy Earth.

The crew of the mission is composed of three astronauts and three civilians. The astronauts are legendary and the hope is they will train the three civilians: Padma, the scientist whose research convinced Ward to form the mission; Stitch, a graffiti artist who won his seat in a lottery; and Ryan, a Washington, DC cop who helped foil an assassination attempt on Ward.

The mission will last two years. Ryan doesn’t want to leave his wife and kids for that long, but Ward promises him a $15 million paycheck which could change their lives. And although all six of the crew members are nervous about the mission, they move forward with it.

But when the ship starts circling Titan, things go wrong. The ship is rocked by multiple explosions which threaten their return home. Yet working together, they’re able to make it back to Earth and are hailed as heroes.

Upon their return, each person notices that their life isn’t quite what it was before the mission. They returned home to find things—and their loved ones—are strangely different, like they’re in the wrong multiverse. Ward has ordered that the crew members can’t talk to each other or the press. What happened on their mission? They’re not quite prepared for what comes next.

Science fiction isn’t my usual genre, but this sci-fi thriller was excellent. It’s the start of a series and I hope I don’t have to wait long for the next book!

Book Review: "Automatic Noodle" by Annalee Newitz

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Review: "The Bones Beneath My Skin" by TJ Klune

“Not until they feel a heart beating in a chest like I have. Not until I felt the bones beneath my skin. We’re not alike. Not really. We’re separated by time and space. And yet, somehow we’re all made of dust and stars.”

Three of TJ Klune’s books have been at the top of my annual best books list, so needless to say, this was an eagerly anticipated read for me. While it wasn’t quite what I expected, I still enjoyed it tremendously for all of its Klune-like magic.

In 1995, Nate has lost both of his parents, he’s estranged from his brother, and he lost his job as a journalist in Washington, DC. With nothing to do and nowhere else to turn, he travels to Roseland, Oregon, to his family’s summer cabin, which his mother left him in her will. He figures he can lay low there for a few months and enjoy the solitude while he plans his next steps.

But the cabin isn’t empty, as he had expected. Two people have been staying there: a man named Alex and a 10-year-old girl who says her name is Artemis Darth Vader. Nate doesn’t know what to make of either of them, but it’s not long before he realizes that Artemis is extraordinary, and there must be a reason why she and Alex are hiding.

When the truth is revealed, the book shifts into high gear and feels more movie-like, with bad guys appearing, chases, etc. But while all of the action and suspense are occurring, the bones beneath the story are still quiet and lovely.

Themes familiar to the Klune books I’ve loved are present here, too: found family, queer love, memorable children, and more than a touch of fantasy. While I would’ve loved more time with the characters themselves, I was hooked on this story and the magic Klune created.

Book Review: "Here Beside the Rising Tide" by Emily Jane

Happy Pub Week to this whimsical, wacky book! Thanks so much to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the advance copy.

“Life was a losing battle, really. Everything else out there in the vast beyond was so lifeless and empty. Mostly, a person had to look away. But there came a moment, or many moments, when a person had to extract their proverbial head from the sand and set aside their screens and remove their headphones and stand witness.”

When she was 10, Jenni and her new best friend Timmy were having an incredible summer on Pearl Island. They spent countless hours on the beach and in the water, setting off fireworks, and simply enjoying the freedom of not having any responsibility. They even helped a strange sea creature make its way back to the ocean. But suddenly, Timmy disappeared one day when they were in the water, and no one knew what happened.

Now, at 40, Jenn is the bestselling author of a smutty romance/action series. She’s also in the midst of a divorce from her self-help-book-addicted husband, with their two children caught in the crossfire. Her next book is overdue and she needs to escape, so she rents a beach house on Pearl Island for the summer, hoping she can keep her soon-to-be-ex at bay.

One night a familiar-looking boy comes out of the water. He says his name is Timmy, and he needs Jenn’s help to save the world. And things get totally crazy: shark attacks, sea monsters, even the return of the adorable sea creatures from their youth. At the same time, Jenn is attracted to a sexy contractor while trying to finish her books.

This is part sci-fi, part coming of age novel. It’s definitely all over the place, but it has such an enormous heart. I felt like it ran a bit longer than it needed to—there were lots of excerpts from Jenni's books and her husband’s self-help books that I could’ve done without. But Emily Jane drew me in with her storytelling for sure.

Book Review: "The In-Between Bookstore" by Edward Underhill

Darby moved to NYC to go to college and put some distance between him and Oak Falls, his small Illinois hometown. As a trans man, getting a fresh start was exactly what he needed, away from those who looked down on him.

Now, as he nears 30, he’s just lost his job, his rent is increasing, and he’s feeling rudderless. It feels like all of his best friends are making progress in their lives, while he’s not. When he learns that his mother is planning to sell his childhood home and move into a new condo, he decides to move back to Oak Falls.

So much has changed in Oak Falls since Darby left. But one thing hasn’t: In Between Books, the store where he worked in high school. In fact, when he goes into the store, the new releases and the newspapers are all from 2009. And the kid behind the counter seems so much like Darby at 16…could it be Darby?

As Darby tries to connect with his teenage self, he also tries to figure out where his life went off track, and how to fix it. He also encounters Michael, his best friend while growing up, whom he hasn’t seen since their friendship ended dramatically before Darby left Oak Falls.

I love time travel and time loops, and how characters learn from the past. But this book never really took off for me. I didn’t really feel like Darby learned much, and I felt like everything in the book was left fairly unresolved.

Edward Underhill has written three YA books that I’ve enjoyed, so I was looking forward to his adult debut. I like the way he writes, so hopefully his next book will have more of a spark for me.

Book Review: "Full Speed to a Crash Landing" by Beth Revis

I don’t read much science fiction, but when my friend suggested we buddy read the first book in Beth Revis’ new Chaotic Orbits series, I thought, why not? I mean, it was described as a “high octane sexy space heist,” so how could I resist?

Ada is a looter, trying to salvage anything she can from abandoned or wrecked spaceships. And while she found Roundabout first, she can’t profit from the spoils when she winds up with a giant hole in her ship and her spacesuit is running out of oxygen. She signals a nearby ship (obviously looking for loot as well) in distress, but it takes a long time for them to rescue her.

When she is finally saved by the crew of the Halifax, she is under scrutiny right away. They’re on a secret mission and really don’t want Ada tagging along, but she’s more than happy to take advantage of the luxuries aboard their ship.

While Ada tries to convince the crew to let her do the job she was paid for, the crew has other ideas. The captain of the ship isn’t actually the one in charge; it’s Rian, a handsome government agent who’s calling the shots. And he’s not convinced that Ada is an ordinary looter.

Rian fascinates Ada (and he’s great to look at), but she’s not sure what she’s up to. Who will win the battle of wills and flirtation to get what they want?

This was a quick read, partially because Revis didn’t do much world building to set the scene. Because it’s a novella, everything felt a bit rushed, and while I enjoyed Ada’s snark, it got to be a bit much after a while. I’m really curious to see how the story will develop, however.

Book Review: "Stealing Time" by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs and Norman Birnbach

What a fun romp this was!! Thanks so much to Get Red PR Books for the complimentary copy!

It’s 2020 and teenage Tori is pretty dissatisfied with her life. Her parents are getting divorced, her father is annoying, and the pandemic has motivated her mother to move the two of them from their NYC home to Massachusetts to live with Tori’s aunt until the world gets back to normal.

Just before she heads to Massachusetts, “land of Boston accents, inferior bagels, lousy pizza, and having to be driven everywhere,” Tori makes a shocking discovery. (Well, she overhears it.) Apparently her paternal grandfather (whom she’s named after) was accused of a colossal jewel heist 40 years ago.

As if that’s not unsettling enough, the next thing Tori knows, she’s in 1980. The world—and NYC, for that matter—is very different than what she knows. She finds herself becoming allies with a teenage version of her father, on a mission to stop the jewel theft and perhaps correct the course of their family’s lives.

Getting used to a world without cell phones and the internet is not something that Tori ever wanted to do. It’s good to feel like you can have an impact on the future. But will she able to make it back to 2020? And will she have to share her secret with the 1980s version of her dad?

I’m a sucker for a time travel book, and this was a fun adventure. There was humor, emotions, family dysfunction, and so much more.

Book Review: "Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend" by MJ Wassmer

It was going to be the perfect vacation for Dan and his girlfriend Mara: a newly opened resort on a remote island in the Bahamas. For the first few days it really does feel like paradise. And then the sun explodes.

The resort guests panic. They have no phone or internet access to see how their families back home are—and they can’t reach the airlines to try and get out of there, not that they know whether planes would still be able to fly. Plus, there’s the fact that without the sun, the temperatures will start to drop.

When the wealthiest resort guests stage a coup, anger erupts along with the panic and paranoia. The leader of the coup, the head of a fitness pyramid scheme, pretends to be folksy and faith-based, but she’s actually a dangerous threat. Supplies start to be rationed and tensions between classes intensify.

Dan has been content to let life go by, although he always wanted to make a difference. Somehow he is pressed into duty to fight for the non-wealthy guests, and although he’s a bit of a bumbler, as things get crazier, he starts to relish his role as hero. But what will that mean for him and Mara?

I thought this was a terrific concept and parts of the book are hysterically funny. But as things went further and further off the rails, the story went way over the top, and I found myself not caring that much.

Book Review: "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

What would you change if you could travel back in time?⁣

⁣ I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this in bookstores. I’ve always wondered whether it was worthy of all the attention, but I never actually knew what it was about. Once I saw there was an element of time travel in the plot, I decided to take the plunge.⁣

⁣ There is a cafe called Funiculi Funicula located in a back alley in Tokyo. The cafe isn’t much to look at, but somehow it’s been serving coffee for more than 100 years. What’s the secret to its success? In addition to coffee, the cafe serves up a chance for people to travel back in time.⁣

⁣ Of course, there are a lot of rules to time travel. Some make complete sense and some seem unfair, but the cafe’s employees don’t have any flexibility. Above all, the trip back in time has to be short—travelers need to return to the cafe before the coffee gets cold.⁣

⁣ This book follows four different sets of travelers as they seek to revisit a point in their past. Essentially it’s like four interconnected short stories, but there’s a lot of repetition, because the rules have to be explained every time. I was hoping this would be a bit more inspirational for me, but I’m still intrigued by the concept of getting to travel back into your past. ⁣

Book Review: "Mr. Breakfast" by Jonathan Carroll

Jonathan Carroll's new book is a little odd, but it's tremendously powerful and thought-provoking.

“The best thing in the world, the most anyone can hope for, is to wake up in the morning liking where you are, what you do, and, if you’re lucky, who you’re with. Ask or expect more and you’re a greedy fool.”

Graham Patterson is a stand-up comedian, but his career never seems to have gotten the traction he’d hoped for. He needs to figure out what his next steps are, so he buys a car and plans to drive cross-country, and hopes that inspiration will strike and lead him to success.

Along the way, he stops in North Carolina and gets a tattoo. Shortly thereafter, he starts seeing things that don’t make sense. It turns out that the tattoo is tremendously unique, and it will give him the ability to see his parallel lives. He can choose the life he is living, or see two other possible paths he could take, and he can stay in the life he chooses. But once he makes a choice there’s no telling what will happen.

This book is so fascinating and compelling. It looks at the choices we make and the impacts those choices have on ourselves and others. It’s also a story about connection, love, and finding what—and whom—you care about. Obviously there’s some suspension of belief that’s necessary, but I just loved this.

The Best Books I Read in 2022...

Well, Happy New Year! I'm actually a little in shock that it's 2023 already, although I'm more than happy to kick 2022 out the door. This was a really difficult year, emotionally, professionally (for the first quarter of the year), and personally, but thanks to 4 months of unemployment and 2 bouts of COVID, I got lots and lots of reading done: in fact, I read 372 books for the second year in a row! (That was on purpose—as I got closer to reaching my total from last year, I pulled out all of the stops to match that.)

Every year I pull together a list of the best books I read. It's really difficult to look back on a year of reading and narrow it down, especially when you've read as much I have. So I've put together a top 25, followed by a list of 20 books that were still too good not to mention. The title of each book is linked to my original review.

As always, I'd love your thoughts on what you loved reading this year!

The Top 25

1. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: A beautiful story about love and family and standing up for what is right, but also about the unfairness of society towards anyone who doesn’t fit a specific mold, particularly in the 1960s.

2. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: An absolutely fantastic, beautiful story about friendship, family, and second chances which will make me look at aquatic creatures a little closer the next time I’m at the aquarium!

3. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston: Take a love story, add friendship, grief, and self-discovery, and throw in some ghosts, and you’ll get this amazing book that totally stole my heart.

4. Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore: The Great Gatsby, but make it queer and YA. (And this is one of two Gatsby retellings on my list!)

5. Book Lovers by Emily Henry: This is a terrific rom-com but there’s so much more to it, as two people realize they don’t have to sacrifice their own happiness to be someone’s hero.⁣

6. A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella: Like the title says, it’s a quiet story, about love, about overcoming grief and taking tentative steps toward something new, and about our desperate need for connection, especially in times of trouble.

7. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle: Rebecca Serle’s books hit me in a place that few others do. She deals with grief and love and choices and desires, and bends the concept of reality slightly, which might not work for everyone, but it definitely works for me.

8. Look Closer by David Ellis: A twisty thriller that hooked me from the very start and never let go. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Ellis flipped the script time and again. If you love twisty thrillers that keep you guessing, pick this one up!!

9. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna: I wasn’t expecting a book to fill my heart so much. This book is so full of joy and love, of chosen family, diversity, and the feeling of being totally yourself for the first time, and it feels like a gigantic hug.

10. When You Call My Name by Tucker Shaw: This is such a beautiful book, one that so accurately captures the mood of 1990, the sadness, defiance, anger, and fear that pervaded the LGBTQ community at that time. It’s about the power of friendship, love, chosen and blood family, and finally finding yourself.

Book Review: "The First to Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

Sometimes it takes knowing you’re going to die to truly live.

It’s been a few years (five, to be exact) since Adam Silvera published They Both Die at the End. It was a gorgeous, emotional story of two boys who meet on the last day of their lives. But if you never read that or can’t remember it, that’s ok, because this is a prequel to that book.

It’s December 31, 2010. At midnight the world will change because Death-Cast will launch. It’s a service that calls people on the day they will die, in an effort to help them do and say all they need to before their life ends.

Orion figures he’ll be one of the first to get that call. He’s been living with a terminal heart condition and he’s been afraid to really live because he knows it could kill him. While at a crowded party in Times Square, he meets Valentino, a model who has just moved to NYC to launch his career and escape his homophobic parents.

The two boys feel an instant connection. And then shortly after midnight, a call comes that will change both of them forever.

Sure, this is a little predictable, but it’s just a lovely story. These two characters really stole my heart and left me a mess at the end. There are a few subplots that you don’t think will matter to the overall plot, but in the end, they do. (And there are a few Easter eggs for those who remember They Both Die at the End.

This is such a memorable book. Thanks to Storygram Tours, Epic Reads, and Adam Silvera for inviting me on the tour and providing complimentary copies of both books!!

Book Review: "Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel

A slow burn, but a mesmerizing, powerful story about connection, regret, love, music, and time travel.

Did you ever read a book and wonder how you might review it? Not because you aren’t sure how you feel about it, but because it’s so hard to describe? That’s the way I felt while reading this. I loved it, but describing it won’t be easy.

In 1912, a young Englishman has been exiled to Canada by his family after an awkward and inappropriate rant at a dinner party. After many stops and starts, he winds up in a remote town surrounded by a forest. When exploring one day, he looks up into a tree and hears the notes of a violin with the sound of an airship taking off. He doesn’t know what the sounds are or what they mean, but they shake him to his core.

Nearly 300 years later, a writer is on tour of Earth when one of her books about a pandemic is being adapted into a movie. The book contains a scene in which a man plays the violin in an airship terminal while ships depart. At the same time, there are concerns another plague may affect Earth.

Meanwhile, in 2401, a bored hotel detective living in a colony on the moon becomes obsessed with the question of whether life is real or a simulation. He volunteers for time travel and meets a young Englishman who thinks he’s losing his mind, a writer away from her family at the start of a plague, and a friend he’s seen at different stages of his life. Can he simply observe or will he change the course of time?

This is a gorgeous, thought-provoking book but it definitely won’t be for everyone. I love time travel and I love the way Emily St. John Mandel writes, so I was completely hooked.

Book Review: "Ice Planet Barbarians" by Ruby Dixon

Well, umm, this was interesting.

If ever there were a "Bookstagram Made Me Do It" book, it would be Ice Planet Barbarians. And now I can say that I was yesterday years old when I read my first piece of alien erotica.

Georgie often has weird dreams after a long day of work. But when she dreams of being abducted by aliens, it turns out it’s not a dream at all. She’s being held captive on an alien ship with a number of other young women, enduring harsh conditions and living in fear that they’ll be raped if they make a sound.

When the ship has engine trouble, their crew leaves its human cargo on an ice planet. Georgie, who is the de facto leader of the women, goes off to find shelter and food. But what she finds is Vektal, a 7-foot-tall blue alien who is immediately taken with her. He doesn’t know what she is, but she makes his chest purr, and he believes she is his mate. And he’s willing to show her just how taken with her he is.

Vektal agrees to help Georgie by helping the other women from the ship. But what will he want in return? And will he be willing to let her go?

The steam in this book is off the charts and the story is surprisingly funny at times. I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series but this was one I won’t soon forget!

Book Review: "She Wouldn't Change a Thing" by Sarah Adlakha

Would you change fate—even if it means losing what you love?

She Wouldn't Change a Thing was an intriguing story with a little bit of a Sliding Doors-esque feel, but it was very different at the same time.

Maria is a psychiatrist who never seems to have enough time—the demands of marriage, motherhood to two young girls, her third pregnancy, and her career leave her at wits’ end more often than not. Her husband wouldn’t mind if she didn’t go back to work after the baby is born, but she can’t imagine that.

One day Maria sees a new client who is clearly quite mentally ill. The woman fixates on a number of events, including a recent hurricane, but then makes claims about Maria’s life that disturb her. Shortly thereafter, the woman takes her own life, leaving a letter for Maria. But the police won’t let her see it until after the investigation is done.

And then Maria wakes up in her 17-year-old body. She wants to get back to her real life, but soon she realizes that she’s stuck in a time period just before a tragedy befalls her husband’s family. Should she stop it from happening, even though that could change the course of the rest of her life?

I’m always intrigued by books that involve time travel of some sort. I love the dilemma of wanting to change something without the butterfly effect occurring. My challenge with She Wouldn't Change a Thing, however, is that I found the plot a little too confusing at times and a bit meandering—there are a few threads that had to come together for it all to make sense for me.

Still, I love unique stories and if time travel intrigues you, definitely pick this up! (Other great time travel stories include Time and Again by Jack Finney, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.)

Book Review: "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir

Andy Weir's latest book, Project Hail Mary, blinded me with science.

I've been waiting to read this for a few months now, since I really enjoyed The Martian. So many friends have raved about it, and the book has appeared on a number of friends' year-end lists.

A man wakes up on a spaceship. He can’t remember his name or his mission, and somehow he’s the only one on the spaceship who survived. What happened? What’s his mission?

Little by little, it comes back to him. He’s Ryland Grace, a science teacher, and he was drafted into a multinational effort to save the world from a being that threatens the existence of humanity. He’s been asleep for a long time, and the window for him to act is rapidly closing.

It’ll take all of his scientific bravado plus help from one of the most unlikely of sources to save humanity. Will he prevail? Can the threat to our world be stopped?

Andy Weir is an excellent storyteller. This is definitely a story with heart and emotion and, of course, you’re hopefully rooting for Ryland to save the day. The thing is, however, this book has so much science that it made my head hurt.

Sure, you can skim some of it and some of it you can figure out, but after a while it just reminded me that there’s a reason I didn’t go to medical school and become a doctor, thus contradicting the requirement in the Torah that the oldest Jewish son practice medicine. (I kid.)