5.20.2026 - Dissection of a Murder

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dutton Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Jo Murray.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Leila Reynolds is a young barrister, just handed her first murder case.  The prosecutor is also her husband.  The victim?  A well-known and respected judge.  The defendant?  He insisted on having only her to represent him, but he's not talking.  She'll soon be fighting for both her client and her marriage.

Wow - what an amazing debut.  No wonder it was picked for the next season of Apple TV's Presumed Innocent.  I loved how the author gave us insight into the legal world, which as a former barrister she knows all too well, all the while presenting us with such a twisty legal thriller.  It is full of tension and suspense from the beginning and I was riveted.  There are chapters from the mysterious POV of "Witness X," just to keep things interesting.  Go into it as blind as possible - and be sure and read the book first because you know it's always better!  Highly recommended!

5.20.2026 - Forty Love

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Zibby Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Jane Costello.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Jules is trying to cope with her empty nest, as her 19-year-old daughter heads out for a summer trip with a friend.  Plus, things aren't feeling stable at her job, and she worries about money.  Then her old school crush, Sam, returns from the USA decades after leaving.  She can see him playing tennis at the club next door from her bedroom window.  Full of anxiety, she's talked into joining an amateur women's tennis team desperate for players.

I love books that show middle-aged women in a strong light, able to take life's struggles and keep moving forward.  This is a story of second chances, made possible with the help and support of a strong woman support group.  These women encourage each other to make changes in their lives, plus there's romance in the air of course!  The story is full of humor, hope, and courage - all traits that are definitely needed as we age.

5.18.2026 - The One Day You Were My Husband

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Viking/Penguin and Pamela Dorman Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Rosie Walsh.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Carrie is a newly-qualified doctor in London when she meets Johan, who has brought an accident victim to the hospital.  They fall fast and Carrie agrees to meet him in Thailand during a work break.  They get married on the beach, but during the wedding, Johan is arrested and taken away.  She calls on her activist mother for help, but he can't be released.  Years later, Carrie is now married to Robin and they have twins.  But everything changes when Carrie sees Johan's name online and realizes he's out of prison and never contacted her.  She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened all those years ago.

This one kept me completely glued to the pages and I was so surprised at the twist - really made me take a huge pause!  Don't read too much about the plot so that you get no spoilers.  There is a lot going on here - Carrie's relationships with her divorced parents and her sister, her home life, and the pull she feels towards Johan even after all the years apart.  You can feel her desperation at just wanting answers, no matter where they lead.  This is a thrill ride, but also an emotional one and I loved it!

5.17.2026 - Both Can Be True

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the sophomore book by Jessica Guerrieri, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Helen Laser, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Rebecca Lowman, and the author.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Mare and Frankie are two sisters in their late 30s, navigating motherhood, marriage and life.  Mare is the mother of a neurodivergent preschooler who never feels like her husband steps up.  Frankie is a bookstore owner, now sober, raising two teenage daughters.   Their husbands go on a camping weekend and come across a body they later believe to be Brie - a woman from their town and Frankie's AA circle.

I loved Guerrieri's debut, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and her latest is just as powerful.  Told from the differing POV of the two sisters, we see how they each struggle with past trauma, caregiving, and who they are outside of being wives and mothers.  It explores all those questions that women feel - is it wrong to want more even when we're happy?  Can we love our husbands but still feel trapped?  What happens when cracks appear - who is there to support us?  Add alcoholism as a way to cope and we see all those careful plans start to crumble.  The author is forthright about her own struggles with alcoholism and her sobriety, which adds such realism to her books.  There is a mystery here, but this is a strong character-driven story of women struggling with all those "both can be true" situations. I mostly listened to the audiobook because the cast was top notch and just added more depth to the story.  I loved this one!

5.16.2026 - Mist and Malice

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing | Thomas and Mercer, and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the second in the Haven Thriller series by Rachel Howzell Hall, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Inger Tudor.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

PI Sonny Rush is pulled into a new case when Honor Butler shows up at her door scared to death.  Honor tells Sonny a horrifying story of what she was forced to do.  Only hours later, a missing man is found dead in the forest near Sonny's cottage.  Are these two cases related?  Is the town of Haven corrupted?

This book follows immediately after the events of the first book in this series, Fog and Fury, so reading that one first is a must.  Sonny is a wonderful character - flawed, funny, trying to move on from her past, and trying to do her best for her mom, who is struggling with dementia.  You can feel her stress coming off in waves.  The small town of Haven is a character in itself, with the fog hanging over the area keeping its residents secrets close.  The mystery is well plotted and the tension high, and I'm looking forward to more in this series!  The narration was great and pulled me even more into the story.

5.15.2026 - The May House

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Jillian Cantor.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Raised by their single dad in Chicago, three sisters spend one week in May every year with their maternal grandmother.  When she passes away, the adult sisters inherit the California beach house  on the condition that they return every May to spend one week together.  The sisters are now spread across the country and aren't always close, but they make sure to reserve that week to spend together.  But one year, the oldest and most dependable, doesn't show.  The other two begin questioning just how much they know about their sister's life.

I loved this story and how it's told from multiple POV in a nonlinear style from the sisters' childhood to 2019 when Julia doesn't show.  Along the way, we learn about each of the sister's lives and loves, the secrets they hold, the fears they have.  It's so atmospheric, and when you read the author's note, you'll learn that many of the locations are real, giving it such an authentic feel.  Plus it has nostalgia, romance and a wonderful guy next door.  This is the perfect book to read on the beach this summer!

5.14.2026 - Accumulation

Many thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for gifting me a digital ARC of this creepy novel by Aimee Pokawatka.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Tenn, Ward, Anders and Aisling have moved to New York for Ward's job.  Ward hopes that Tenn's dream house will help the fact that she had to leave behind her friends and her job as a filmmaker.  But the house just isn't right.  Ward is too busy with his job to help and the kids are struggling as well.  

Creepy dolls?  Ghosts?  Is the house haunted or is it all in Tenn's mind?  This book is creepy good, but where it excels is in the thoughts it brings up about motherhood, parenthood, loss of self, gaslighting.  Mothers everywhere will be able to relate to having to put their job and life on hold to be able to take care of everyone else.  I loved how there was repetition in conversations - take out the trash, run the dishwasher.  Plus, all the house weirdness and the trouble with the kids.  Kept me glued to the pages!