7.8.2026 - The Man

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Laura Sims.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

It's the 1960s, and Judith Stanley wants to do something just for her.  She takes a photography class at the local junior college, and when she shows her professor, Paul Sorenson, her work, he says that she is extraordinary.  He wants her to consider publication, but she refuses.  But she begins receiving strange phone calls and knows that someone is following her - his shadow shows up in every picture.  She's sure that her attacker from the past is back.  

This book was wonderful in all the best, creepy ways.  You could feel the fear and tension pouring off of Judith, as she tries to pursue her passion.  She's unaccustomed to the praise she receives from Paul, but is frightened and not willing to take things further.  In the second part of this book, things have taken a turn, and we see how quickly ambition can take over our morals.  It left me questioning just what was real and what wasn't, and the ending just added to that feeling.  It's a psychological suspense novel that will leave you looking over your shoulder.   I loved this author's previous book, How Can I Help You, and this was another winner.

7.7.2026 - Habits of the Sea

 

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

The night Clay Lockhart's wife dies, a violent storm tears their home and the land beneath it away from the Scottish coast, sending it adrift into the Atlantic.  Thirty years later, 12-year old Ellie discovers the fabled floating island and finds Clay still living in the farmhouse on the hill.  When the island vanishes overnight, no one believed that Ellie saw the island and she even questions herself.  But decades later, the island resurfaces.  Ellie, now in her 30s, returns, determined to uncover the truth.  What she finds is Clay, who hasn't aged a day.

This book is a lot of things - a mystery, a romance, magical realism, climate control warning - but it is all wrapped up perfectly with such beautiful, lyrical writing.  It's magical, mystical, and I was entranced from the beginning.  Clay and Ellie's story is the central part of the book, and it's definitely a love story for the ages.  It's a book that will break your heart, but yet it still feels hopeful, that life and love will outlast everything.  I truly felt transported while reading this and was sorry when it was over.  Don't miss it!

7.7.2026 - Pretty Dead Things

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me a digital and audio ARC of the new book by Kelsey Cox, narrated by a talented cast.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Twenty-five years ago, Isabelle Whitmore vanishes without a trace.  In the present, Isabelle's sister, Ingrid, returns home just in time for a construction crew to start digging up the ranch owned by Isabelle's boyfriend, who was always suspected of the crime.  The pagent girls and now pagent moms, and the same toxic relationships fester.  Everything comes to a boiling point as an ice storm brings down the power grid during the pagent, trapping everyone inside.  

The full cast on this audiobook made this a real listening treat, to go along with a wonderful, twisty story told from two different timelines, including a cold case disappearance from decades ago.  Taking place in small town Texas, where the girls are mean and the pageant life is all important, it’s filled with so many potential suspects.  So of course it’s also filled with over-the-top situations, but that ending?  Mind blown.  After Cox’s wonderful debut, Party of Liars, definitely no sophomore slump here.  The perfect summer thriller is here!

7.6.2026 - Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Avid Reader Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing debut novel by Ben Reeves.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Travis is Death in the modern world. He doesn't look like the Grim Reaper; instead, he's young and handsome, wears jeans and a T-shirt and lives in a small town.  He's a watcher whose job is to offer people comfort in their final hours of life.  He remembers each death he witnesses.  Then he meets the neighbors across the hall - single mother, Dalia and her young daughters - and he loses some of his detachment.

Oh my goodness, this book.  I sincerely hope that readers don’t pass this book by because it is sad.  It is sad and a reminder that death will come for all.  But it's such a beautiful look into ordinary lives and what's meaningful at the end.  Of course it's a reminder to appreciate life while we have the privilege to have it, but it's so uniquely written as to go beyond those platitudes.  In between the main story of Travis's burgeoning feelings for Dalia and her family, we get little glimpses into some of the deaths that he witnesses.  It's also interesting that Dalia is a midwife, bringing new life into the world as Travis shepherds them home.  These stories are indeed sad and yet so comforting to those who grieve, reminding us that life is all the more precious because it is not forever.  I'm hoping that we all have a Travis to be with us as we begin life after this one.  A remarkable debut that I'll be thinking about for a long time.  Highly recommended.

7.5.2026 - The Great Wherever

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the debut novel by Shannon Sanders, with the audiobook narrated wonderfully by Keylor Leigh.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Aubrey is grieving the recent loss of her father as well as the end of a relationship.  At 32, she's working multiple gig jobs and struggling to survive in Washington DC.  When she learns that she has inherited a shared stake in a Tennessee farm from her father, she's hoping it will help get her out of debt.  But when she meets with the relatives with whom she now shares ownership of the farm, she discovers the backstory of the land.  The wishes of the Black man who bought and owned it ended up dividing the family and drawing attention from outsiders.  

Okay, first, this book makes me feel that everyone really needs to prioritize inheritance issues, because what we want may not be what happens.  I really liked the combination of the supernatural narration of this complicated family drama along with the story of the characters in multiple timeframes.  Plus, the snarky humor from the deceased as well as from Aubrey made for lighter reading portions.  The subject of Black land ownership was eye opening, as always with these historical racism themes.  I felt that the audiobook production was great and the narrator brought life to the story and voices - even the dead ones!  Anxious to read more from this author.

7.5.2026 - The Last Time We Saw Her

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books | Emily Bestler Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Jaclyn Goldis.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars rounded up!

A group of family and friends have gathered in Portugal's Azores to honor the tenth anniversary of Sydney, who went missing and is presumed dead after a summer camp trip.  One of the friends is making a documentary about the incident, and the others are grudgingly going along with it.  Sydney's sister, Olivia, an author whose stories bear a marked similarity to the incident, has always been silently accused of her sister's death but was never charged.  When one of the group is killed, they realize that nothing has been resolved and the past is far from dead.

This was an atmospheric, tense read, with a closed case coming back after a decade.  There's plenty of family drama and toxic friendships here, both present and past, to keep things interesting as well.  There are a lot of characters' POV to keep track of, and I didn't always do a great job of that, but it was well written and the twists kept me intrigued throughout.  

7.4.2026 - All the Lies We See

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | Intrigue Ink Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book in the wonderful Jess Lambert series by Christina McDonald.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Detective Jess Lambert is days away from the trial of the woman accused of killing her daughter when she wakes in a seedy hotel room with no memory of how she got there. On her phone is a viral video showing Jess calmly shooting the woman in cold blood.  Jess has no other choice but to run, and she must find out who's behind it all.

This is a wonderful police procedural, and Jess is such a wonderful character.  I've read and loved all the books in this series, but of course I lose all memory once I read them, so this could easily be read as a stand alone.  But it's a great series, so start at the beginning.  McDonald writes gripping police procedurals, typically with a touch of the supernatural, and it works so well.  Just an extra creepy feeling amongst all the tension.  But this book takes all that to a different level, because of the explosion of AI into our lives.  It's frightening to think how easily Jess' situation could happen to any of us.  And people believe what they see.  Scary stuff but makes for a great thriller!  Can't wait for more in this series!