5.11.2026 - Come Back to the World

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing | Lake Union Publishing, and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by a long-time favorite, Catherine Ryan Hyde, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Frankie Corzo.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Amelia is a journalist and expert in American literature, specifically the author EL Swann, who vanished 40 years ago after the success of her first and only novel.  Amelia receives a picture leading to the possible whereabouts of Swann, and decides to take a trip to Mexico to investigate with her young son, Jaden.  Jaden is the one to break through to the elderly woman, and they form a tight connection.

There's no one better at writing characters and dialogue that pull at your heart without being too sappy, and leave you wanting to do just a bit better in your own life.  As in most of her novels, the author explores relationships between unlikely characters and usually involve an animal or two; in this case, wait until you meet Francisco the donkey.  Plus, she's so wonderful at giving a voice to children's thoughts.  This book showcases found family, the courage it takes to be in the world, and the respect we need to show each other.  The quote "When people show you who they are, believe them" is apt here - we all handle situations differently, and we need to  absorb that.  The narration was wonderful and totally immersed me into this story.  As always with her books, this one is highly recommended!  

5.10.2026 - The Calamity Club

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for granting my wish to read a digital ARC of the first book by Kathryn Stockett since she wrote The Help - it was worth the 17-year wait!  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

It's 1933 in Oxford, Mississippi, and times are extremely tough for almost everyone.  We meet Meg, an 11-year-old who is taken to the Orphan Asylum because her mother never came back from a trip to the store.  Meg is one of the "big girls" at the orphanage, deemed unadoptable, and woman in charge singles her out for the worst treatment.  Birdie travels to Oxford from her small town hoping to get a loan from her married sister, Frances, in order that the home she shares with her mother and grandmother won't be taken because of the taxes due.  Frances volunteers at the orphanage, and Birdie is enlisted to help with the books, where she meets Meg.  This meeting sets up the rest of the story.

Wow - this book is a commitment at 650 pages, but it is well worth the time.  Plus, the time will fly as you are transported back in time.  There are a lot of tough subjects here - racism, sexism, poverty, abuse - but the humor portrayed within softens all those rough edges.  It's the story of how women take back their power to try and make better lives for themselves however they can, even when the chips are stacked against them.  They all fight back against the labels that have been attached to them, and it is inspiring.  Meg and Birdie are both wonderful characters that will capture your heart, but the rest of the supporting cast  are just as wonderful (with a few exceptions!).  Highly recommended!

5.9.2026 - The Anniversary

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Alex Finlay, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Ari Fliakos and Brittany Pressley.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

In 1992, two 17-year-olds' lives are changed and forever intertwined.  Quinn is from the wrong side of town and is arrested after he tries to break up a fight.  Julies is high school royalty, who survives a brutal attack by the "May Day Killer" - a serial predator who strikes every May 1st in midwestern small towns.  Over the next decade, their lives are revisited every May 1st, as secrets unravel and the May Day Killer is still out there and hurting young women.

Fabulous!  I loved how this novel played out, forwarding one year with each of the main characters, slowly spooling out all the backstories and secrets they carry.  Their lives are very separate yet slowly veer together as time clicks by.  The tension was high throughout and I felt strongly towards both of these main characters.  Plus, the 1990s nostalgia was perfect!  The narrators did such a good job bringing these characters to life and the story was the better for it.  Another wonderful thriller (maybe my favorite?) by Alex Finlay!

5.8.2026 - The Mediator

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing | Thomas & Mercer, and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me a physical, digital and audio ARC of the new crime fiction novel by Robert Bailey, perfectly narrated by Ann Marie Gideon.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Max Ringo was once a star at an elite law firm.  Then a car accident left her addicted to painkillers.  Fresh out of rehab, she is making her comeback as a mediator, and is appointed to handle a high-stakes divorce.  But then the husband kidnaps her teenage son, Nathan, and tells Max that she either settles the case on his terms or her son dies.

This book takes place over three days, as the suspense and tension kept ramping up hour by hour.  Told from multiple POV, we get the backstories of what led this couple to divorce as well as all the power struggles involved.  .Max is a great character - flawed, but trying to do her best for herself and her son.   Her addiction was handled respectfully - any one of us could find ourselves in such a situation.  This is the first book I've read by this author, but I'm anxious for more.   I always like a good legal thriller and this was all that and then some - plus, it's the first in a series starring Max Ringo and I am completely on board for more!  The narration was great and I had no issues differentiating characters.  I enjoyed listening to it when I couldn't be reading.

5.7.2026 - Ash

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins | Mariner Books, and HarperAudio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this debut novel by Louise Wallace, perfectly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and Natalie Beran.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Thea is a vet in a rural practice, called back from her maternity leave early.  But the animals aren't causing her to be overwhelmed, it's everything else in her life.  Then a weather event causes everything to change.

I loved this short novel but am so glad that I had the opportunity to both listen to it (and the fabulous narrators) and read it.  In between the story are "figures," mostly poetic type musings, and hearing them spoken added so much.  The weather event was eerily similar to the pandemic reactions (no toilet paper available!) and the dark ash falling on top of everything else in Thea's life was just so symbolic.  This is such a unique and powerful look at all the demands of being a working mom of very young children.  

5.6.2026 - Five

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of this unique novel by Ilona Bannister.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

The narrator quickly introduces us to five passengers waiting for a train, and tells the reader that one is about to die from the oncoming train.  We are then introduced to the characters' lives to understand who they are and what has led them to the station at this particular time.  The time ticks down as the reader tries to guess which character will die.

Wow - this one was so unique and intense.  As you meet these unlikeable characters and learn their backstories, you begin thinking about which of them deserves to die, which will then have you questioning your own morals.  The genius of this book is first making you care about these characters and their foibles, easily putting yourself and others into similar positions.  It's so easy to judge others for their behavior.  I loved the format of the author/narrator talking to the reader, counting down the minutes, using dark humor and perfect plotting.  I couldn't put this one down.  

5.6.2026 - The Wish

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for gifting me a digital ARC of the new contemporary novel by Heather Morris.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Jesse is fifteen, but spending her days in the hospital with a terminal illness.  She just has one wish - a video experience of her life.  Alex is a virtual reality games designer and the one picked to make Jesse's wish come true.  

Heather Morris is famous for her wonderful historical fiction novels, but you can feel how important this contemporary fiction novel is to her, a reflection of her over 20 years of work in the social work department of a hospital.  She knows firsthand the impact that such a diagnosis has on the patient and family members.  While this book is sad, it's also hopeful.  One of my favorite lines - It only takes a moment to die; the rest of the time we're living.  While this was a very moving story, there are very important life lessons within.