Book Review: "Happier Here with You" by Amy Gail Hansen

This book was an unexpected surprise! I selected this as one of my Amazon First Reads for June. I really loved it and hope more people find it!

Maggie is a food historian and director of a museum. She loves her job but it’s been hard recently, juggling work responsibilities with caring for her 5-year-old daughter Hannah. She doesn’t have time to spend cooking or relaxing, and as a widowed mother, she feels horrible about it.

One day, she gets a letter from her great-aunt Alice, inviting her and Hannah to visit her farm in Wisconsin. Maggie barely remembers Alice—for some reason she never visited through the years. But little by little she starts to remember the time she spent with Alice when she was very young, and how much she enjoyed the farm.

When she and Hannah arrive at the farm, it’s as if no time had passed for Maggie and Alice. Having the time to slow down and bake together and catch up relaxes Maggie and helps her recapture her love of cooking. And then she meets Brady, a handsome local chef, who reawakens her heart.

When Maggie offers to organize Alice’s box of family recipes, she makes a startling discovery. Apparently before Alice inherited the farm, it played an important role in history—and finding the details could open the door to a whole new chapter of their lives.

This book combines found family, food history and recipes, romance, and historical fiction. I loved the town where the book was set and found the characters really enjoyable.

Book Review: "Patient, Female" by Julie Schumacher

I first discovered Julie Schumacher when I read her absolutely hilarious book Dear Committee Members. In that book (and a few others afterward) she created a pompous college professor adrift and amidst bureaucracy.

Her latest book is a short story collection, and it really demonstrated the depth of her talent. While one story made me laugh out loud and a few others had flashes of sly humor, most of the stories had more of an emotional pull.

In “Passengers,” an overprotective mother worries about her daughter after an incident at school. “Hospital Bridge” is the story of a middle-school student who, after being forced into volunteering at a nursing home, starts gambling on bridge games with the residents. “How My Light is Spent” follows an instructor at a community college and her short story writing class.

Some of my favorite stories in the collection were “Slow Learner,” which told of a woman’s fascination at the connection between her autistic son and her dying mother; “Your Better Self,” about a couple who get gifted a trip to a wellness spa by their late neighbor; “Syllabus,” a hilarious story written as a syllabus; “Spin,” in which four friends play a game with real-life implications; and the title story, in which a professional patient runs into someone she used to know.

As with most collections, not every story is a home run. But Schumacher creates such vivid characters, and I know I’ll have a few of these stories running through my mind for a while.

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: "Brawler: Stories" by Lauren Groff

Lauren Groff is a hell of a writer. Each of her novels has been vastly different and compelling, and her short story collections always crackle with power. And Brawler, her third story collection, may be her best yet.

The nine stories in this collection all find a character, often a woman, at some kind of crossroads. In many cases, these women have suffered some kind of abuse or pain, or they feel compelled to do something horrible. The stories are set from the 1950s to the present, and all over the country.

Some of the stories took my breath away for one reason or another, but there wasn’t a weak one in the bunch. Among my favorites were “The Wind,” about a mother and her children trying to flee her abusive husband; “Between The Shadow and The Soul,” in which a long-married couple is tested after the wife retires; and “Such Small Islands,” which tells of a young girl left to the care of a sister she doesn’t remember—and the young girl doesn’t like to share.

More favorites included “Sunland,” about a young woman who has to care for her disabled brother; “Annunciation,” in which a young woman unintentionally causes a colleague to flee suddenly; and the title story, about a swimmer who has to care for her hypochondriac mother and likes to cause chaos.

At the end of the book, Groff shares a sentence or two about what inspired her to write each story, or the feelings she was trying to convey. It's a fascinating peek into her creative process. I really was wowed by this collection!

Book Review: "The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives" by Elizabeth Arnott

So many thrillers and mysteries employ the amateur detective as a plot device. They stumble upon a crime and are motivated to investigate despite having no experience. That concept takes an interesting twist in this fascinating debut; thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy!

It’s the summer of 1966 and California is in the throes of an unending heatwave. Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are an unlikely group of friends. But they are bonded by a unique characteristic they share—each housewife was married to one of California’s most brutal serial killers.

Each woman has dealt with the morbid curiosity of those around her, not to mention the suspicion that they’re not as innocent as they claimed to be. They must have known what their husbands were doing, right? They couldn’t have been that clueless.

Beverley tries to maintain control of her life as she raises two children. Elsie wants to be a reporter, yet she can’t seem to escape that she’s a woman and seen as a secretary. And Margot, who lost wealth and status when her husband’s crimes were revealed, would like to concentrate on partying and socializing.

But when a group of young women start getting murdered, the trio of friends are horrified—and they’re hungry for details. They realize they have a unique perspective in that they lived with murderers, so maybe they can help solve these crimes. But to do so requires courage and subterfuge. Can they keep their investigations secret?

I thought this was such a great concept for a thriller. The women were well-drawn and I liked the bond between them. I would have loved some more backstory about them, though. And while this was a bit of a slow burn, the pacing really picks up in the last quarter.

The book will publish 3/3.

Book Review: "Two Women Living Together" by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo

True confession: I seemed to have missed the words “The Bestselling Korean Memoir” in this book’s subtitle. I totally thought this was a novel until I realized this was an actual account of two women’s lives.

That being said, while the book definitely landed more on the practical side for me, I found it to be an interesting read. Each chapter felt like it centered on a valuable lesson or piece of advice.

Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo were two women living in Korea. Each had a career and friends they enjoyed. They also both lived alone, and loved it that way: the solitude, the independence, having their own space to do what they wanted.

Hana and Sunwoo became friends and realized they shared not only common interests and passions, but also philosophies about life and living. Plus, each had two cats. Yet as they approached their 40s, both women realized that there was something to be said for human companionship. Neither was in a romantic relationship and didn’t see that as a real possibility, so they made the decision to buy a house together.

This wasn’t a romantic or sexual partnership, nor was it two acquaintances living together until something better came along. This was creating a chosen family, integrating each other into their lives but maintaining their own identities as well.

The book recounts their decision, how they put it into action, and the things they learned. What it’s like to suddenly depend on someone else yet retain your own independence and individuality. How to reconcile chores and other household responsibilities. And perhaps most importantly, how to acclimate four cats into one household. This was funny, insightful, a bit moving at times, and really unique.

Book Review: "Dangerous Play" by Elise Hart Kipness

I read and loved Lights Out, the first book in Elise Hart Kipness’ Kate Green series, about a year ago. I have no idea why it took me so long to pick up the second book, but after devouring it, I can definitely say that it won’t be long before I pick up the third one!

Sports reporter Kate Green is back on the job after the resolution of a murder case that put her in danger. She has the plum assignment of covering the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team as they battle for Olympic glory. It’s an exciting opportunity, even more so for Kate, a former Olympian soccer player. And given her past relationship with Savannah Baker, the head coach, she’s hoping for some good scoop.

The last thing she’s expecting is a murder to occur in the bowels of Yankee Stadium, where the games are being played.

The victim is Alexa Kane, a famous jewelry designer. Years ago, Kate and Alexa were best friends, playing on the U.S. Youth National Team with Savannah. Things ended quite abruptly, leaving Kate feeling guilty. But even with their shared past, there’s no reason that Alexa should’ve been behind the scenes at the game.

Kate feels a personal obligation to figure out who killed Alexa, and why. Doing so reawakens old memories. At the same time, she’s embroiled in a power struggle at the network, and she’s still digging into an old case involving her father, an NYPD detective. What is she in danger from?

I really am loving this series. Kate is a terrific character—tough yet vulnerable at times—and I can’t wait to see more of her interactions with her father as she digs more into his case. Like I said, I’ll be picking up the next book soon!!

Book Review: "Saving Face" by Mansi Shah

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Review: "You Killed Me First" by John Marrs

John Marrs has been on my list of authors I’ve been wanting to read for a while now. Intrigued by the description of his newest book, I thought it was time to give him a try. This was an utterly wild, twisty book that kept me shaking my head, so I know I’ll be diving into Marrs’ backlist!

This is the story of three women: Margot, Anna, and Liv. Margot and Anna are neighbors and friends. The arrival of Liv and her family shake things up for the two women. Liv is gorgeous and wealthy, and becomes the envy—and irritation—of her neighbors.

While three women appear to become close friends, each is preying on the other’s weaknesses. Each woman has secrets they’ve kept hidden; what the others know and what they’re willing to do with that knowledge makes everything a bit more interesting.

Eleven months later, a woman awakens to find herself in the middle of a bonfire—and she’s trapped. Will she be able to escape, or will someone save her before she dies in the fire?

Shifting back and forth between the months prior to the bonfire and then the months after, this is one crazy ride. A definite suspension of disbelief is required, that’s for sure!!

It’s hard to write a review without giving too much away. But I couldn’t stop reading this. I didn’t want to put the book down at all, and devoured it pretty quickly. All I can say is, wow!

Book Review: "Beautiful Ugly" by Alice Feeney

I know I’m a huge outlier here, as I’ve seen so many rave reviews for this book. But despite an immensely promising start, this absolutely didn’t work for me.

“Marriage is made of a million beautiful and ugly moments stitched together into a shared tapestry of memories, all of which are viewed and remembered slightly differently, like two people staring at the same painting from opposite ends of a room.”

Grady is an author who is expecting to hear some exciting news. He’s eagerly awaiting the arrival of his wife, Abby, so they can share the moment together. When he calls to see how far away she is, she tells him she’s seen a body lying in the road ahead. Although he begs her not to stop, she does anyway; when he arrives at the scene shortly afterward he finds Abby’s car still running, her purse and phone on the passenger seat, and Abby nowhere to be found.

A year later, there’s not been a sign of Abby. Grady has completely fallen apart; he hasn’t been able to sleep or write since that night. With his financial situation becoming worse by the day, Grady’s publisher encourages him to get away to the small Scottish isle of Amberly, where he can hopefully be able to focus on his writing once again.

Amberly is definitely isolated. When he arrives Grady is sure he has spotted his missing wife, but he becomes convinced it’s grief and too little sleep that is making him see things. But strange things keep appearing in—and disappearing from—his cabin, and the island’s residents definitely seem to be hiding some secrets of their own.

I found the characters all really unlikable and it took a long while for things to start heating up. The twist was wild but didn’t quite sit well with me, and I felt like the book veered in a direction I didn’t enjoy. But don’t pay me any attention if you’re intrigued!!

The book publishes 1/14/2025.

Book Review: "Smile and Look Pretty" by Amanda Pellegrino

Honestly, I’m almost embarrassed how long I’ve had this book hanging around my stack. I’m so easily distracted by shiny new things (and books), lol. But I was in the mood for a little workplace drama (since I don’t have any in my new job), so I finally picked this up.

Cate, Olivia, Lauren, and Max are best friends with big dreams. But in order to achieve them, they’re all working as assistants to some movers and shakers in the entertainment world. Their bosses are all awful—a cross between Miranda Priestley and the bosses from the Horrible Bosses movies. All four women are constantly stressed, working way too much and not getting paid well for all the work they do.

They get together every Friday to commiserate. And the more they talk about their respective situations and share their frustrations about being overlooked and mistreated, the angrier they get. So they decide to air their grievances on an anonymous blog.

It doesn’t take long for the blog to catch fire. More and more women anonymously step forward to share that they’ve had the same—or worse—experiences. And as the blog continues going viral, they learn that someone is trying to figure out who is behind it. Is the validation of their treatment worth the risk to their futures? Can they actually take down their sleazy bosses?

I enjoyed this book a lot. The camaraderie between the women was great, and even if they seemed a little naïve at times, the characters were generally appealing. The tone of the book shifted to more female empowerment and courage, and that was great.

Thanks to Park Row Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. If you’re looking for a great backlist read, pick this up!

Book Review: "Behind Every Good Man" by Sara Goodman Confino

Three years ago, I read Sara Goodman Confino’s first book, For the Love of Friends. I immediately fell for her ability to tell a story with immense humor and heart. Now, having just read her fourth book, which publishes 8/6, I can honestly say that she’s one of my favorite writers.

It’s 1962, and Beverly is the perfect wife, taking care of the house and her two young children, while making life easier for her husband, Larry. She even makes cookies for Larry’s office once a week. And when she drops by with the cookies on a different day than usual, she finds Larry, umm, entangled with his secretary.

Men have needs, you know. That’s Larry’s excuse (and he blames Beverly), but he figures she’ll forgive him and move on. Nope. She throws him out of the house and decides to get even. Since Larry is the campaign manager for one of Maryland’s senators, she decides to work for Michael Landau, the earnest young candidate running against the incumbent. Of course, Michael’s campaign manager doesn’t like that she’s after his job…

Larry tries to intimidate Beverly into letting him move back home, but she knows what his obligations are to her and the kids. And despite the friction between her and the campaign manager, she does help transform Michael into more than a long-shot candidate, encouraging him to reach out to female and Black voters at a time when both were taken for granted.

Beverly wants Michael to win, but her interest in him is more than political, and the feeling is mutual. Despite their mutual attraction they do all they can to focus on the campaign, not each other.

The characters in this book are flawed, funny, and fantastic. I devoured this book, and thank Sara for the gifted copy. (She signed the book and apologized to me for making the character named Larry a bad guy.)

If you’ve never read her books, you should!

Book Review: "Friends with Secrets" by Christine Gunderson

There’s that old adage that you never really know what a person is going through until you hear it from them. This book is certainly an example of that!

Nikki used to be a news anchor for a major network in DC. She misses the thrill of a breaking story, of having a purpose—not to mention the paycheck. Now a stay-at-home mother for four kids 5 and under, she always feels one step behind and completely a mess. It doesn’t help that with an infant, she barely sleeps.

Ainsley has the picture-perfect life. She’s married to the handsome heir to a candy bar company, she is always perfectly put together and volunteers for everything, and her husband is running for governor. But few know the life Ainsley fought her way out of, and what she had to do.

When the prestigious private school they send their kids to hires a new basketball coach, it seems like a huge win. He’s a former star athlete and philanthropist, and he will push the kids to reach their full potential. But when Ainsley meets him, she realizes she knows him from her former life—and he could be dangerous.

With nowhere else to turn, Ainsley confides in Nikki, who could use a hot story to try and get another news job. They’re both willing to do whatever it takes to expose the coach and protect their kids, no matter what it takes. But it may prove hazardous, because some will fight to protect themselves at any cost.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be more about rich women behaving badly, and while there are elements of that, this is more a celebration of female friendship and resilience. It illustrates that “having it all” means different things to different people. This was funny, poignant, and even a bit suspenseful.

Book Review: "The Sicilian Inheritance" by Jo Piazza

If you read a ton of books set in Italy, can you be considered an honorary citizen? Asking for a friend.

Sara’s aunt Rosie was one of her favorite people. She was an absolute dynamo, fun-loving and wild, but smart as hell, accomplishing anything she set her mind to. Rosie’s death leaves Sara devastated, and at a time when her marriage and her career have both fallen apart, the loss knocks her for a loop.

She’s completely unprepared for Rosie’s dying request that she travel to Sicily, where their ancestors are from, and scatter her ashes. Rosie also left her the deed to a plot of land in Sicily, and she asks Sara to research whether it truly belongs to their family. Oh, and one more thing: Rosie wants Sara to look into the murder of her grandmother, Serafina, in the early 1920s.

When Sara arrives in Sicily, she is taken by the beauty of the island, but she quickly realizes that nothing is what it appears. She isn’t sure whom she can trust, there’s doubt about whether her family actually owns the land—and if they do, whether she can lay claim to it—and there are all sorts of conflicting stories about Rosie’s grandmother. The more she digs, the more danger she’s in.

The narrative shifts between Sara in the present and Serafina’s in the 1910s and 1920s. The story is part mystery, part historical fiction, but it’s a fascinating look at how women find power and can thrive despite the barriers they face. I did feel like one narrative had more closure than the other, though.

I’ve read a few of Jo Piazza’s books—one of her own and two she co-wrote with Christine Pride—and I really love the way she writes. I enjoyed this a great deal, and thought it was cool it was based on a story from Piazza’s family.

Book Review: "Women! In! Peril!" by Jessie Ren Marshall

Do you ever wonder if your sense of humor is so different from other people’s? I often feel that way when I read a book that’s supposed to be “funny” or “zany,” and I’m sitting there thinking, “do I have no sense of humor?”

Jessie Ren Marshall’s debut story collection, Women! In! Peril!, has been labeled “ferociously feminist.” Indeed, the 12 short stories each have women at their center—either from the present or the future, real or robotic, in a variety of situations. The stories deal with issues from queerness and motherhood to relationship woes and cultural identity.

Some of the stories I enjoyed the most were “Annie 2,” about a sex bot who hopes not to be returned, and “My Immaculate Girlfriend,” in which a woman tries to figure out if her girlfriend really has a miraculous pregnancy.

I love short stories—at times it’s amazing how an author can give a novel-like feel in a short number of pages. At times though I feel like they leave me hanging, and just a little more might give me resolution. I felt a little bit more of the latter with this collection.

Book Review: "Nobody Gets Out Alive" by Leigh Newman

Leigh Newman's debut collection, Nobody Gets Out Alive, is a collection of stories featuring women at their toughest, dealing with the wilds of life.

I always love discovering books thanks to Bookstagram friends. This story collection, longlisted for the National Book Award, was recommended by two friends whose reading taste is so admirable, so I figured, how could I lose?

The collection takes place in Alaska, one of my favorite settings for books, and the stories follow women dealing not only with the wildlife and the sometimes-unforgiving climate, but also with the challenges and pain associated with love, loss, and relationships. Some stories are set in the present, some in the not-too-distant past, and one is even set in the early 1900s.

Newman’s characters are tough, independent, smart, and sensitive, which makes reading about them really appealing. A few of the stories feature the same characters at different points of their lives.

As with any story collection, I loved some more than others. My favorites included “Howl Palace,” about an older woman dealing with financial challenges and the mortality of those she loves; the title story, about an engaged couple dealing with the advances of others; and “Alcan: An Oral History,” which follows five different women outrunning their problems.

Let’s hear it for book recs from friends!!

Book Review: "Assembly" by Natasha Brown

Assembly may be short, but it's also powerful, thought-provoking, and relevant.

When you go to a bookstore, are you a focused shopper, picking up what you came for and nothing else, or are you a wanderer, looking at displays and shelves to see what catches your eye? While I’m a combination of the two, I definitely lean toward the latter, which is how I encountered my most recent read.

In this book, the unnamed narrator is a Black British woman who has risen to a position in the financial world (although her success is attributed to quotas in the eyes of some). She is smart, wealthy, and wants to question the world around her but knows it’s best not to make waves.

She’s been invited for a weekend at the country estate of her boyfriend’s family. She doesn’t have expectations for this relationship, as she thinks she’s just a diversion; at some point he’ll marry the white woman his family expects. As she takes the train up to the estate, she ponders her own mortality, as well as racism, sexism, and her place in the world.

I tend to be a person who likes a traditional narrative, and this book is anything but. At times I found it a little hard to follow but there’s no doubt that this story packs a punch. It reminds me a bit of Ali Smith in terms of the power that can come from few words. Quite a debut!

Book Review: "The Deal Goes Down" by Larry Beinhart

In Larry Beinhart's new book, a retired detective finds chaos after a random meeting on a train.

“The woman on the train asked me to kill someone. I liked the train. I didn’t especially like the woman.”

Tony is an ex-private eye living a fairly solitary life in the Catskills. His house is about to be foreclosed upon, and it seems like more of his friends are dying than he'd care to think about.

He meets a young woman on a train to New York City. She proceeds to drink a few cocktails and then she tells him how her wealthy husband is abusive and cruel. As they progress further on the trip, she offers him money—a lot of money—to get rid of her husband.

Tony knows he shouldn’t have anything to do with this, and figures when the woman sobers up she’ll forget they even had the conversation. But she doesn’t, and the money she’s offering could help him get control of his life.

Of course, he has no idea what a web he’ll wind up getting tangled in, including an attorney who wants to hire Tony to “take care” of other abusive husbands of wealthy women, a former business associate who wants a cut of the money, and federal agents. And that’s even before he has to travel overseas to rescue a woman.

I picked up this book because I liked the cover and the description. I didn’t realize that this was the fourth book in a series, so I definitely felt I was missing some pieces. And I felt like the plot took some strange tangents every now and again. But Tony is a fascinating, complex, flawed character, and I’d be interested in starting the series from the beginning.

Book Review: "Carrie Soto is Back" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Was it worth the hype? Yes, yes, a million times, yes!!

“My ambition has long felt oppressive. It is not a joy—it is a master that I must answer to, a smoke that descends into my life, making it hard to breathe. It is only my discipline, my willingness to push myself harder, that has been my way through.”

Carrie Soto was raised by her father, a former tennis player, to become the greatest player in the world. She was singularly focused on this goal, a ruthless competitor who made no friends and absolutely hated losing. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she rose to the top of the game, winning a record 20 Grand Slam titles, becoming #1 in the world, before retiring.

Known as “The Battle Axe” while competing, she lives a fairly lonely existence, with few friends and no real romantic relationships. But in the mid-1990s, as she watches a new women’s tennis star’s meteoric rise, Carrie starts to get hungry to play again. And when this player, Nicki Chan, ties Carrie’s record of 20 grand slams, Carrie decides it’s time for a comeback. But can she play the kind of tennis she needs to at age 37? And can she win one more Grand Slam to take the record?

Taylor Jenkins Reid has long been one of my favorite authors, and I have been eagerly anticipating this book for months. It’s a fascinating, emotional, totally compelling story, and what impressed me so much was that she created an entire world of 1970s-1990s tennis; she didn’t just drop Carrie into the middle of the real players.

I absolutely devoured this book and now I have to wait perhaps a year for her next!!

Book Review: "The Women Could Fly" by Megan Giddings

Megan Giddings' newest book is utterly unique, powerful, and thought-provoking.

Thanks so much to BookSparks and Amistad Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book as a part of #SRC2022!!

Jo’s mother disappeared 14 years ago, and no one ever knew what happened to her. Did she leave for a fresh start somewhere else? Was she abducted, or worse, murdered? Or were the rumors true, that her mother was a witch? In a world where expectations are that you’ll tow the line—especially women—the idea of having a witch as a mother is a dangerous prospect.

Now Jo is 28, only two years away from the state-mandated deadline that women marry by the age of 30 or register to be monitored. But Jo isn’t interested in getting married, although the idea of giving up her freedom certainly doesn’t appeal.

When she gets the opportunity to carry out a request from her mother’s will, it takes her to another place entirely, and she feels a connection to her mother she never expected. But beyond that, she realizes who she is and what she wants for the first time.

This is a fascinating social commentary on the role of women, made even more timely by what’s been happening in the U.S. lately. Even though the idea of witches may seem like this book is fantasy, it’s really much more contemporary fiction. And it’s tremendously well-written!!