10.10.2026 - Every Story is a Love Story

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Imbolo Mbue.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Three years ago, Wolo’s wife was killed in a tragic car accident, along with any hope of their future.  Now living a quiet life, he receives a letter from Victoria, the woman behind the wheel of the car involved in his wife's accident, asking to meet with him.  His family begs him to ignore it, but he eventually meets with her.  He begins to wonder if the road to healing can be shared.

This was a beautifully-written story about grief, loss, and forgiveness that will make you think about those important themes in a different way.  It's also about family, and the narrative goes back and forth in time as we learn the story of Wolo and Yoma.  It was a bit of a slow book, but one I was glad to have spent time with.

10.9.2026 - The Paris Files

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin | Pamela Dorman Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Eva Jurczyk.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Genie doesn't have a great track record with romance, but that doesn't stop her from falling hard when she meets Jacob.  They agree to meet in Paris and rent a wonderful apartment and begin planning their life.  Everything is wonderful, until Jacob disappears.  Genie knows Jacob would never leave her, but her story doesn't quite hold up when talking to police.  Just what happened?

I love the creative way this story plays out, completely through police interviews, records, and audio transcripts from all the people involved.  Of course, everyone's got a different take and the reader is left wondering who or what to believe.  I kept changing my mind as to just what was happening and couldn't have been more wrong!  I couldn't read this one fast enough, plus I loved the Parisian setting and food descriptions.

10.9.2026 - Where There's Smoke

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the second book in the Coldren County series by Rachel Louise Adams.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Dolores is recently divorced and relocates to rural Wisconsin to work as a medical examiner and to be closer to family.  She's quickly pulled into a case when a body is found at the local slaughterhouse, and the case brings her FBI friends to town.  Someone is willing to go to extremes to stop them from finding the truth about the slaughterhouse murder.

I loved the first book in this series, No Rest for the Wicked, and this one was just as fabulous.  While I'd highly recommend starting with that one, you don't need to have read it to enjoy the follow-up.  The story is definitely gross and dark, but the characters shine brightly.  Both Dolores and Kate, a new FBI agent, are strong women who also have issues they are dealing with.  It's a tense and gripping police procedural, full of small town secrets and family drama.  Can't wait to see what's next for these characters!

10.7.2026 - Home for the Homicides

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this first in a series novel by the wonderful duo of Elle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by the cast of Angela Dawe, Colin Donnell, and Patti Murin.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season and it’s the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth—after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn't exist?  Holly and Mark must solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes—and there's only one spot.

This was just plain fun and I loved it - just the Christmas-themed names are worth the price of admission!  I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book, and the audiobook narration just made it all the better.  It's definitely a mystery, but on the lighter side due to all the Christmas shenanigans.  It's a bit bawdy and I can only imagine how much fun these two authors had writing this one.  It's the first in a series, so I'm waiting for the next for sure!

10.7.2026 - Counting Down to You

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine | Dell for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Emily Stone, always a must read for me.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Christmas was always the favorite time for Ali and her best friend, Robyn.  They would exchange Advent calendars filled with challenges the other had to complete.  But this Christmas, Robyn is gone.  She left Ali one last calendar with a promise to open in December.  The first challenge sends her to the Alps, taking a sabbatical from her job, and agreeing to work as a guest relations manager for a hotel for one month.  An inadvertent selfie with a stranger at the airport leads her coworkers to think she's dating her boss.  It gets complicated from there.

It's never too early for Christmas books, right?  Not when they are written by Emily Stone.  I loved the challenges that Robyn left for Ali, knowing her well enough to get her out of her comfort zone and moving towards a life without her best friend.  There's also some family drama here, as Ali hasn't spoken to her brother in a long while.  The romance angle was perfect, and was a good contrast to the themes of loss and grief.  I loved that the author included some challenges at the end for the reader to possibly undertake this holiday season.

10.7.2026 - Bad Words

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Rioghnach Robinson, this month's Good Morning America book club pick.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Parker Navarro’s debut novel sold at auction for $1.2M and was set to cement his career as an actor.  Then City Magazine book critic Selina Chan’s scathing review made it the flop of the decade.  Four years later, his new book is his shot at redemption;;for Selina, reviewing him again is a professional risk she can’t refuse. When her second takedown ignites a viral feud, both their fortunes shift overnight. But as the literary world feeds on their public sparring, a quieter dialogue begins - one that challenges everything they thought they knew about success, sincerity, and each other.

This is a novel that hits on a lot of points.  As a book lover and reviewer, you can see how easy it could be to get caught up in book blurbs, celebrity book picks, bestseller lists, and let them guide your opinion of a book.  This book explores both sides of that part of the literary world - author and critic - as well as the unfortunate issues of social media weighing in without the full story.  In addition, this is a wonderful romance as well, feeling real and nuanced, and I was rooting for both these characters.  There's also a discussion of family expectations and discourse, mental health, race, and culture.  This would be a perfect book club pick as there is so much to talk about!

10.6.2026 - The Memory of Borrowed Books

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Meg Anderson.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Claire is the librarian in the coastal town of Foxhollow Bay.  When the town announces the plan to shut it down, her life begins to crumble.  One night, while wandering the stacks after hours, she discovers a door that shouldn't exist, and a secret room lies beyond filled with books no one else can see.  Each book pulls her into memories of those who have passed through the doors of the library, and she knows she must do all she can to save the library.

This is a love story to the power of books and libraries in particular.  It's a reminder that every book can be special to someone at a moment in their life, and the library holds the power of more than just books alone.  It's also a story of the power of community and friends to help us when we need them the most.  A wonderful debut and I'm anxious for more from this author!