6.19.2026 - Little Wonder

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Thousand Voices (Jenna Bush Hager's new imprint) for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book, also an Oprah's Book Club pick for the spring.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

We meet Song in a small town Chinese village, living with her parents, brother, husband, and son, River.  Money is tight so her husband travels for construction work, and they reunite only once a year.  River is gifted with perfect pitch and soon becomes a piano prodigy.  Song and River travel to Beijing, but get separated at the train station.  We follow along for the next six years, in alternate POV from Song and River, as they try and make their way back to each other.

What a beautiful but heartbreaking story.  The characters truly come to life and you can feel the anguish from both mother and son.  While it's sad, it's also very hopeful as a variety of characters open their hearts to help.  It's a fascinating look into the Chinese culture, especially as the pandemic hits, and the disparity of the wealthy and the poor in society.  It's an immersive read and you will see the pollution in the air, smell and taste the food, see the sights, and hear the beautiful music.  Bravo!

6.18.2026 - The Frenzy

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House | Hogarth for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest work by Joyce Carol Oates.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

This is a fabulous selection of short stories - the perfect combination of dark, creepy, tense, intriguing - that each left me both satisfied and wanting more.  Since I'm not always a huge fan of short stories, that's saying something, but these are by Joyce Carol Oates, so enough said.  It's like she looked into our collective dark side and explored just what might happen, so they feel very real.  While they aren't interconnected, the tension just continues to build throughout the collection.  Wonderful!

6.18.2026 - The Butler

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Podium Entertainment for gifting me a digital ARC at the first book in a new series by a favorite, Clare Mackintosh.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

In Cannes, France, Baxter is a butler who caters to the ultra wealthy.  His latest assignment has Alec Prescott hosting his ex-wife, his much younger lady friend, his son and wife, and a couple of Hollywood friends.  But before long, nothing is going well.  A guest is found dead and Baxter has to help the police figure out who is responsible and just who he can trust.

Combine an Agatha Christie type locked-room mystery told by one of my favorite thriller writers and you know you are in for a treat.  It's always fun to see unlikable characters behave badly and then get just what they deserve, and these guests are certainly a wild crew.  Everyone has secrets - even Baxter, who is a fabulous character.  This is a short book, perfect for curling up and binging on a rainy day.  Can't wait for more in this series!

6.17.2026 - Somebody Worth Killing

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Jessica Payne.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Nadia Davis is living the dream as a successful working mom, two adorable little girls, and a devoted husband.  There is the little fact that she works as a hired assassin.  But she has a moral code - she will only kill people who deserve it.   So when Nadia finds out she’s been “mommy tracked” by her assassin’s agency, she demands an important mark…somebody worth killing.  But be careful of what you wish for - she just may know her latest target.

Okay, hands down, this was such a fun book that you must read this summer.  If you love dark humor, can relate to the fact that a woman's work is exhausting and never done, this book is for you.  Payne skillfully takes you along as Nadia experiences the dread of receiving a call from school about a sick kid while figuring out the best way to kill someone without being detected, so that you are laughing along while feeling completely understood.  Plus, it was suspenseful and kept you guessing about just what was happening and what secrets everyone was keeping.  Do I dare hope that this is going to be a series?  Please?

6.17.2026 - Murder at the Spirit Lounge

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Jess Kidd, and the second in the Nora Breen Investigates series.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Dolores Chimes, a famous medium, arrives in Gore-on-Sea, and invites a select group for a reading.  But things go terribly wrong, and Dolores loses her life.  Then one by one, the other sitters die.  Nora finds herself chasing a serial killer before the sixth sitter, Detective Rideout, is next.

Jess Kidd is a wonderful writer and this series is so good.  Set in the 1950s, Nora is a former nun living at Gulls Nest boarding house.  Just as in the first book, she finds herself investigating along with Detective Rideout, and sparks continue to simmer between them.  This leans towards a cozy mystery and there's plenty of humor, but there are real themes of past trauma throughout.  This one kept me guessing until the smart end and I'm now anxiously awaiting more in this series!  You could read this as a standalone, but do yourself a favor and read Murder at Gulls Nest first!

6.16.2026 - Arrivals and Departures

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Amanda Eyre Ward.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Each member of the Perkins family has problems.  Lee, a glamorous reality-TV star, is struggling with her mental health in the spotlight.  Reagan, her younger sister, has fallen for a romance scammer and vanished overseas.  Cord, their charming brother, is one drink away from losing it all.  And their mother, Charlotte, still longs for the love she let slip away a decade ago, a lover who sailed off with her heart to a remote island in Greece.  When Reagan disappears, Lee flies to Athens to try and save her family.  

This is a look at different mental health issues affecting this family, as well as the lure that social media scams have that can be devastating in so many ways.  It's past trauma rearing its ugly head.  But it's not a bleak book - there's humor, honesty, and hope around each corner.  I didn't find myself connecting strongly with these characters, but I enjoyed spending time with them among the beautiful Greek islands!

6.15.2026 - A Year of Marvelous Ways

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Sarah Winman.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Marvelous Ways has lived alone alongside a winding creek near the rugged Cornwall coast for nearly all her life, and has recently taken to spending her days sitting on the steps of her caravan with a pair of binoculars. She is waiting for something, but she's not sure what.  Francis Drake, a young soldier has seen too much of life and death, and washes up in Marvelous's creek, broken in body and spirit.  Marvelous will come to his aid, and an unlikely friendship will grow between these two solitary souls, as they share their stories and dreams.

This was another beautifully written story by Winman, author of Still Life.  Her writing is so lyrical and magical that it leaves you feeling otherworldly.  This book will really have you thinking of the ways that people are put in our lives for reasons that we can't always see.  It's the story of friendship, love, loss, and new beginnings.  There's a touch of magical realism here as well as no quotation marks, so you need to pay attention!