6.2.2026 - The Last Time We Drowned

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Cosmo Reads for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Saratoga Schaefer.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Charlie is broke and desperate when her bookstagram account lands her the offer of a lifetime - join Empress, a yacht/houseboat off the Florida Keys turned influencer paradise.  She'll not only be paid well, but she'll have a group of internet stars to help her forward her account.  It's the perfect distraction too after Charlie's former best friend betrayed her in the most terrible way.  But things on the ship are not what they seem and cracks soon appear - or is Charlie imagining everything?  Enter a hurricane to make it all even worse.

This is another taut thriller by Schaefer and I loved it.  There's always something about a locked-room mystery, a remote location, and a storm that will get me every time - plus mean girls!  This is also a peek into the drama and underbelly of the influencer world, where all that matters is your latest stats.  I thought I knew where this was going, but the big twist really got me.  Be sure to add this book to your summer reading list - but maybe stay off the water!

5.31.2026 - Hunger and Thirst

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Zando | Tin House for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Claire Fuller.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

in 1987, after childhood trauma and years in and out of the care system, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job in the postroom of a local art school, a bed in a halfway house, and some new friends, including wild-child, Sue. When Ursula is invited to join a squat at The Underwood, a mysterious house whose owners met a terrible end, she can’t resist the promise of a readymade, hodgepodge family.  Thirty-six years later, Ursula is a renowned, reclusive sculptor living under a pseudonym in London when her identity is exposed by true-crime documentary-maker who is digging into an unsolved disappearance.  But it is not only the filmmaker who has discovered Ursula’s whereabouts, and as her past catches up with her present, Ursula must work out whether the monsters are within her or without

I'm not sure I've read a book that gave me such creepy, unsettling feelings from page one to the end.  I was questioning everything and everyone, never convinced what was real and what wasn't.  It's that kind of book, where timelines are slippery and intermingle as Ursula looks back over the events of the summer of 1987 as an accomplished adult.  The writing is amazing as you would expect from this author, and it kept me engaged throughout, with that dark, gothic feel so prevalent.  It also brings up topics of childhood trauma, mental illness and the care system for minors, which in this book will make you mad and understand the characters a bit more.  I felt for young Ursula as she wanted so badly to fit in and belong.  And that ultra-creepy house was practically a character itself.  Be sure and check this one out if you like your reading on the dark side!

5.31.2026 - Road Trip

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by the queen, Mary Kay Andrews, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Kathleen McInerney.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Maeve and Therese Dunigan are sisters but they couldn't be more different and have been estranged for years. The death of their mother brings them back together to face a huge debt on their family home instead of the money they were hoping for.  It was in the will that the sisters use money for a trip to Ireland, and when they find a painting that could be worth millions, it was a potential way out of both their financial troubles.  So it was off to Ireland where they begin investigating.

This is a different setting from Andrews' typical Savannah beaches, but it was still the perfect summer romp and won't disappoint!  It's so atmospheric as the two make their way through Ireland, trying to get along as well as determine if there really is a curse on their family.  It's a trip full of laughs, charm, romance, and intrigue.  What else could you want?  I'm a big fan of Kathleen McInerney, and once again her narration was perfect and I ended up listening to most of this book.  Definitely pack this one along for your next road trip!  

5.28.2026 - Girl's Girl

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House | Dial Press for gifting me the debut novel by Sonia Feldman.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Fifteen-year-old Mina’s whole world is her two best friends, Margaret and Eleanor.  After an unexpected kiss, the established dynamics of their trio quickly unravel. Everything that was once shared openly, from clothes to secrets, now feels impossibly fragile. Loyalties shift and tensions simmer across the long days of this pivotal summer, where the girls have nowhere new to go and everything new to feel.

This was a wonderful debut really exploring the coming-of-age experience of young women and their friendship experience.  Having two close friends naturally sets up painful dynamics.  It was also a good look at differing mother/daughter relationships, and Mina's thoughts about her mother were funny and felt so real.  I liked how the story was told from the vantage point of adult Mina, looking back on that summer.  It's nostalgic in the best of ways, when teenagers are just trying so hard to fit in and friendship is everything.  Being from Ohio, I loved the relatable feel and setting.  Great debut - can't wait to read more from this author!

5.28.2026 - Blunt Instrument

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penzler Publishers | The Mysterious Press, and Highbridge Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this first in a new series by Amy Bloom, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Hillary Huber.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars!

Dell Chandler lost her job as an English professor and is now working as a private detective, when she is called to investigate the death of a not very well-liked professor at Cromwell University.  The university is trying to keep things quiet and avoid the media, so Dell needs to solve the murder before the police do.

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with Bloom's books - either they are a 5 star or they are less than.  This one was less than, but I am still interested in reading the next in the series because there's lots there to build on, especially since the ending was rather abrupt.  Plus, I liked the academic setting.  The audiobook narration by Hillary Huber was wonderful as always, and kept me listening when I may have otherwise stopped.  

5.26.2026 - The Midnight Train

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Matt Haig.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were.  For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life., on his honeymoon in Venice.  Before he gave it all away.

This is listed as part of the Midnight world, after the wonderful The Midnight Library.  Their themes are similar, but they are different books so no worries if you haven't read the first (but you should!).  This is just a beautifully-written story that will have you rethinking your life choices.  I always say you should try and live your life so that you don't have any regrets, although after a life, we all have them.  Wilbur is not always the easiest character to love, but he's had a tough life and is just trying to do his best.  Things always look different when we look back.  It's also a book about books, which I always love.  Never stop reading, live your best life, read this book.

5.26.2026 - Murder By Design

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing | Thomas & Mercer, and MB Communications for gifting me both a physical and digital ARC of the new book by Lee Goldberg, and the first in a new series.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He used to work for the LAPD, but since his injury, he works as a consultant as well as an insurance investigator.  Bixby solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible.   Wally is a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.  Their first case looks like an accident - a woman falls down the staircase at a mall - but Bixby is certain she was murdered by design.  He must now prove his theory.

This was so much fun!  If you, like me, enjoyed watching Elementary years ago and seeing the world differently through Sherlock Holmes' eyes, you'll absolutely love this one.  It feels like a class whodunit.  Bixby is not a very likable character, but Wally has enough personality that the two make a great team.  Their dialogue is so funny, but the true star in this book is how the mysteries are solved with just a different eye to the world.  Goldberg certainly did his homework, and even the author's note and acknowledgments were fascinating.  I can't wait for more in this series - soon please!