Book Review: "Destination Funeral" by Paige Harbison

I don’t know if I’d ever want to get stuck in a time loop. That being said, though, I sure do love reading about them!! Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. Paige Harbison has done it again!

“Does it really matter if you make a mistake, I wonder, as long as you know it’s a mistake?”

Babe Bennett was larger than life. Everyone on Mercy Island had a story about her. When she died, the reading of her will and her memorial service summoned her two daughters, Didion and Sammie, and their two closest friends, Matt and Austin, to the island.

Estranged from her mother for the last several years, Didion has to see her sister and her friends for the first time in a while. There are a lot of hurts and resentments that have cropped up, not just for Didion, but the others as well. How could they go from being inseparable every summer to not speaking at all?

When they learn that Babe has left her summer house, Birdsong, to all four of them, they have to decide what to do with it. Her will stipulates that they have to spend a weekend all together, with no phones or internet access. And then they discover that they keep waking up to find it’s Saturday, so the weekend will never end. It’s up to them to find their way out of the time loop—and maybe confront all the things left unsaid for so long.

This was a funny and emotional story. There were so many issues they all dealt with. I will say that Didion is a hard character to warm up to, but once she got out of all of her spirals, I felt for her.

The book publishes 7/21.

Book Review: "The Lowe Job" by Grace Alexander

I thought this was absolutely great. Such gossipy, soapy fun, but with some serious themes thrown in. Grace Alexander hit her debut novel out of the park!⁣

⁣ “It started with a blow job. They had aspirations for it to become the most notorious blow job of all time. It was a lofty aim. They knew that realistically they were never going to beat that blow job—you know the one—but the least they could do is try.”⁣

⁣ Lili Lowe is a beautiful and intelligent young woman who wants a career in politics. Her intelligence is often discounted because of her looks, and she is valued by her boss, who is a member of Parliament. One day she is caught by the paparazzi giving her boss a blow job in his car. A scandal erupts that threatens to ruin her life, while her boss seems to escape reasonably unscathed.⁣

⁣ But Lili has a hidden asset: her mother, Lydia. Once a ruthless talent agent, Lydia has a plan to milk the scandal for all it’s worth. Her machinations lead to media opportunities, endorsement deals, and a reality show called The Lowe Job. Lili, Lydia, and her three other daughters become household names—whether they want to or not.⁣

The book follows the Lowe women through the ups and downs of post-scandal life, and also traces the past of each of them. Lili’s three sisters—ambitious Stevie, ethereal Iris, and distraught teenage Katie—each have their own reactions to their newfound fame, and each has their own issues to deal with.⁣

⁣ I really couldn’t get enough of this book. It definitely had some very pointed commentary about the double standard that exists between men and women when a sex scandal erupts. These are not totally likable characters, but I was hooked on their stories.

The book will publish 6/16.⁣

Book Review: "Marion" by Leah Rowan

“People do wild things when they think they’re going to lose the person they love most in the world.”

This book was so good! You’ve probably seen that I’m a fan of retellings or books that give a different slant (sometimes radically different) from the original. And while this is a retelling of Psycho, it’s so different that you can read this without having seen the movie and you won’t be at a disadvantage.

When Marion discovers that her older sister Lauren has been abused by her husband, she immediately goes into protective mode. Their mother had worked with abused women for years, and tried helping them escape their situations. But when Lauren downplays the abuse and goes home to her husband, Marion knows she needs to protect her.

She heads to Saratoga Springs with plans of getting Lauren out of her marriage. (Her plans are bolstered by the $100,000 dollars she took from work.) Yet on the way upstate, her bus breaks down in New Paltz fairly late at night. The only place in town with a vacancy is the Billings Motel, an outdated place run by a quiet, handsome man named Norman.

Norman is charming, and he even cooks Marion a meal. When she gets back to her room, she decides to take a shower…and then the curtain pulls back to reveal Norman…with a knife. Marion refuses to be the victim in this situation, and she fights back—hard. After stabbing him to death, she realizes she has to clean up her mess and get up to her sister’s. But that plan gets waylaid quite a bit.

There are lots of twists in this book that I didn’t see coming. Marion is a fascinating character—part vigilante and part victim. I wondered how things would get tied up and I was fairly satisfied with the ending. I can’t wait to see what Leah Rowan does next!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Review: "Served Him Right" by Lisa Unger

I do love it when a thriller or mystery keeps me guessing until the end! I’ve been seeing this one all over the place and I finally had to see what the buzz was about.

Ana is through with her ex, Paul. So through, in fact, that she and her friends are going to gather for an “ex-orcism,” where they all delete him off all of their social media and every other form of communication. In the middle of their girls’ brunch, the police show up. It seems that Paul has been found dead.

It’s not long before the police find out that Ana definitely had motive to murder Paul. But she swears she is innocent, and it appears that Paul had a long list of people who might’ve wished him harm. Yet when Ana’s best friend Iggy, who was also at the brunch, becomes seriously ill as a result of poison, everyone—including Ana’s older sister Vera—starts to suspect Ana.

It turns out, however, that lots of people are hiding secrets. As the police start closing in on Ana, she and Vera are both working on trying to clear her name. But their investigations put them both at risk, and stirs up tensions with a secret group of people with their own axes to grind.

There are a lot of characters who narrate the book, and the story shifts between Vera and Ana’s childhood and the present. I liked learning about natural methods of healing and enjoyed the book’s message about how much harder women have to work and how “perfect” they must be in order to succeed.

Book Review: "Little One" by Olivia Muenter

“…knowing your decisions were influenced by things that were bigger than you doesn’t make them lighter or easier. In the end, we have to live with the choices we make.”

Catharine grew up on a farm in Florida, which grew into a sort-of commune. The children all went to school together, everyone had responsibilities, and the focus was on eating healthy and building a strong community away from outside influences. Her father was the leader, a magnetic man, who for years seemed to have total control.

But little by little, his grip seemed to be failing. He required stricter commitments and sacrifices, and became increasingly paranoid. After trauma and tragedy affected the shrinking community, Catharine felt it necessary to escape.

Ten years later, Catharine has built a brand-new life, far from the farm and the stifling control. She’s never confided in anyone about what happened during those years, or how she found the strength to escape. But when a journalist contacts her asking if she’s the Catharine who lived in a “cult” in Florida, she tries to take control of the situation. Until it appears that the journalist knows more than she thinks he does.

Catharine decides to speak to the journalist, who claims to have another source with information about what went on. She hopes that her being (somewhat) forthcoming might help her find her sister, who left the farm shortly before she did. She also hopes to keep her own secrets safe.

The book shifts between past and present. It’s so compelling, emotional and a bit creepy. I usually don’t like stories about cults but Olivia Muenter’s storytelling definitely drew me in and didn’t let go.

Book Review: "How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder" by Nina McConigley

“To have freedom, there is always a fight. Sometimes you lose part of yourself. Sometimes you gain something altogether different from what you thought. And sometimes which side is right and which side is wrong gets all muddled together.”

You know me and books with cool titles! This is one of those books that deals with a very serious subject but tries to put a humorous spin on it. It’s an interesting approach but I think it lessened the overall power of the story.

Agatha and Georgie are sisters growing up in rural Wyoming in 1986. Their American father is often absent, working for an oil company. When their relatives—their uncle, aunt, and young cousin—arrive from India, they are very excited to see family and learn more about their Indian culture.

But shortly after their family arrives, both sisters are repeatedly molested by their uncle. He warns them that if they tell anyone, no one will believe them and he and his family will have to go back to India, which will devastate their lonely mother. So at that point Agatha and Georgie decide their uncle has to die.

Their plan to kill their uncle is juxtaposed with a look at how this changes the relationship between the sisters. The plot also meanders through anecdotes of their family’s history, India’s independence, the history of Wyoming, the oil industry, and other topics, and is intercut with magazine quizzes about love and other emotions.

When the book focuses on the actual story, it’s very powerful and emotional. But all of the detours quickly frustrated me. One or two might have been interesting, but after a while, I just wanted the book to stop being clever and coy.

Book Review: "Chasing Stardust" by Erica Lucke Dean

This sweet, funny, and moving book really warmed my heart. Many of us have imagined what our parents were like when they were younger, but how many of us get a first-hand look?

Zoey is devastated when her beloved mother dies of cancer. She has spent the last few years caring for her, putting her own future on hold while her older sister stayed in college. She knows it’s time to focus on moving forward, but she has one last task to complete for her mom.

Her mother has asked Zoey to spread her ashes following a path between Tennessee and California. Apparently it’s the path her grandmother followed in 1972: David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour. Her grandmother G-Lo was more than a groupie—she and the singer slept together, and that’s how Zoey’s mother came to be.

With her mother’s ashes and her diary in hand, driving her grandmother’s old Cutlass, she’s ready to hit the road. But from the very start she gets into trouble and the car breaks down outside Nashville. At an all-night diner she meets Dash, a handsome young man who’s apparently fleeing his domineering father’s expectations. Dash is more than willing to be a partner on this journey.

“How do I explain that I’m having a hard time reconciling Mom’s memories with my own…that with every word I read, my perception of her changes, dredging up emotions I can’t begin to understand. That I’m caught between this unquenchable desire to know everything about her past, and the fear of what I’ll discover if I spend too much time looking.”

As the trip continues, Zoey learns about her mother, grandmother, and herself. I love road-trip books and thought this was an utterly enjoyable read.

Book Review: "The Frequency of Living Things" by Nick Fuller Googins

“I decided right there to play it safe: one full week to detox from my sisters. Because family and opioids really aren’t so different. Both can make you feel great until suddenly they don’t.”

Even though she’s the youngest, Josie has almost always taken care of her older twin sisters, Ara and Emma. Josie is a scientist, organized and levelheaded (at least when it comes to other people’s lives). Her sisters are musicians, so Josie often pays their rent, schedules their doctors’ appointments, and helps with issues related to their band.

The band, Jojo and the Twins, were once a huge, Grammy-nominated success. But their second album remains elusive, and it’s been years since they opened for famous bands. Their lack of progress in recent years is definitely related to Ara’s problems with addiction and dealing with trauma from an assault. Emma feels as if she’s to blame for the assault, so she’s essentially been enabling Ara’s addiction.

But when Ara winds up in jail, it throws Josie and Emma in a tailspin. Emma decides that the band will record a jailhouse album and hopes that preorders will help pay Ara’s bail. But for the first time, Ara decides she wants to kick her drug habit and her reliance on her sisters, both of which are easier said than done.

Their mother Bertie is a famous lawyer and fighter of injustice. She was too busy building a better world for her daughters than actually mothering them. When she is asked to help Ara, she has to decide whether to come back into her daughters’ lives or let them fight their own battles.

I love books about family dynamics and drama, and this one had a lot of it! It’s a powerful read that evoked a lot of different emotions in me. I felt like the book meandered a bit as it provided background into the characters, particularly Bertie, but the story really moved me.

Book Review: "Beth Is Dead" by Katie Bernet

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

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

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

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

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

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

The book will publish 1/6/2026.

Book Review: "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: "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: "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: "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 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 Float Test" by Lynn Steger Strong

“What is the feeling that tells any of us, even after we’re grown-up and know better—know it’s likely that they’ll hurt us, maim us, leave us flayed open—to check in with the people with whom we share DNA?”

I’ve said this before, but I cannot get enough books about family dynamics and dysfunction. Relationships that fray and knit themselves together—often multiple times—are fascinating to read about. (Much less fascinating to live through, of course.)

When the Kenner family matriarch dies unexpectedly, all four of their adult children convene at their parents’ home in Florida. Jenn, the oldest, is a wife and mother who is always there to take care of everyone—even if she resents it. Fred is adrift; she’s a writer who has lost the ability to write and is at odds with many of the people in her life.

The youngest, George, is sad about the end of his marriage but has other issues to deal with. And Jude, the narrator, has flown in from NYC, and must deal with the fact that she hasn’t spoken to Fred—once her favorite sister—in several years.

As with any family gathering, there are plenty of secrets everyone has kept hidden, hurts and resentments they’ve tried to forget, and at least a handful of fond memories to lean on. But there are also big questions to be answered, particularly what went wrong between Fred and Jude, and why did their mother keep a gun in her underwear drawer?

This book was really well-written; there were many quotes I noted. My issue was that I didn’t find the characters particularly sympathetic, particularly Fred, and she’s the character most of the book focuses on.

Book Review: "Every Sweet Thing is Bitter" by Samantha Crewson

Add this to the rapidly growing list of fantastic debuts in 2025! While bleak at times, this book was tremendously thought-provoking and powerful.

“No matter how many years separate me from that day, there is no new beginning. Nothing changes. Absolution is a myth. Some sins you must pay for again and again and again, as long as you live.”

Providence hasn’t been back to her hometown in 13 years, when she put her car in reverse and inadvertently ran over her mother. Her mother survived, but Providence was sent to jail, guilty of a felony. She was told never to come back to town, but now her mother has disappeared mysteriously, ostensibly on the way home from a Bible study class.

While the last thing Providence wants is to constantly be reminded of her transgressions, she hopes that her return might help bridge the gap between her and her sisters. But of course, it also means confronting Tom, her abusive father, who bullied everyone into turning a blind eye to his faults.

As the search for her mother continues, Providence discovers that in many ways, things have gotten worse since she left town. Her sisters resent her for what she did to their mother, but at the same time, they want her to make their father pay for his abuse. Should she sacrifice herself for the chance to save her sisters?

I love books when there are secrets and resentments uncovered at every turn. This was an emotional exploration of guilt, forgiveness, love, loyalty, and the cycle of violence that preys on us. I couldn’t put this down!

Book Review: "Rabbit Moon" by Jennifer Haigh

This was such a powerful and emotional book, one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Claire and Aaron’s 22-year-old daughter Lindsey is teaching English in China. When they get a call telling them that Lindsey was hit by a car in Shanghai, they’re both devastated and confused, because as far as they knew, she was working in Beijing.

Lindsey is comatose and her parents come to Shanghai to sit with her and pray that she wakes up. Both Claire and Aaron, who got divorced a few years earlier, want to understand what happened to their daughter. The hit-and-run happened in the early hours of the morning and there were no witnesses.

The book follows the couple in the days following the accident and also traces both the end of their marriage and the erosion of their relationships with Lindsey. We also see Lindsey’s life in China and the secrets she kept from her family, as well as the perspectives of her best friend Johnny and her younger sister Grace, adopted from China as an infant.

This is a book about family, the bond between sisters, and the desire to be loved. It’s also a book about cultural identity, found family, and the things we wished we had said before it was too late.

I’ve read a number of Jennifer Haigh’s books and I’m always dazzled by her talent. I loved the way the disparate elements of this story came together, and I loved how much Haigh’s storytelling drew me in.

Book Review: "The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits" by Jennifer Weiner

This is definitely the type of story I love! Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advance copy of this.

Growing up, Zoe always craved the spotlight while her younger sister Cassie was painfully shy. But Cassie was a musical genius, and when she does Zoe a favor and performs with her at a Battle of the Bands concert, the duo catches the attention of a talent scout.

It’s the early 2000s, and the sisters quickly get signed to a recording contract. Their ascent is nearly meteoric, and once they start releasing original songs, their fame grows, especially with those who feel seen by their songs.

And just as everything is going well, a tragedy occurs and the band breaks up. Cassie disappears from the public eye—not to mention her family—while Zoe gets married and raises her children, living a comfortable suburban life. But when Zoe’s daughter Cherry wants to pursue a musical career, Zoe discourages her, but doesn’t really explain why.

As Cherry pursues her dreams, she decides to find her Aunt Cassie. In the process, she unearths secrets and misunderstandings that have festered for 20 years. What caused the band to break up? Why did Cassie disappear?

The narrative shifts between the early 2000s and the present, and among Zoe, Cassie, and Cherry. I love the way Jennifer Weiner writes, and I was completely drawn into this story.

The book will publish 4/8/2025.

Book Review: "Don't Tell Me How to Die" by Marshall Karp

Believe the hype, y’all! This book was totally not what I was expecting but it was utterly fantastic. Now…to write a review that doesn’t give anything away!

Maggie loves her husband tremendously, has two great kids, a sister who’s her best friend, and an incredibly fulfilling career. Not bad for a 43-year-old!

She’s spent her adult life waiting for a bombshell to drop. Then she finds out she’s dying, and has only a few months to live. It’s not really a surprise, as her mother died when Maggie was 17, and she and her sister knew it was possible that they could inherit the disease she had.

Before Maggie’s mother died, she asked her daughters to look out for their father. She knew the women in town would descend upon him, wanting to claim him, and he would be too grief-stricken to resist. That nearly happened, but Maggie got wise in the nick of time.

Now, facing her own impending death, Maggie would like to find the woman to take her place, to care for her husband and kids. She wants to be sure to protect her husband from anyone with ulterior motives. She knows if she tips her hand, she could leave her husband and kids open to manipulation. But time is running out.

You may think this book is primarily a family drama, and while there are some elements of that, be ready to be thrown some curves. I’ve never read any of Marshall Karl’s books, but given how quickly I devoured this, I certainly will be jumping into his backlist! This really was that good.