4.2.2025 - The Dream Hotel

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon for gifting me a digital ARC of the March Read with Jenna Pick by Laila Lalami.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Sara is returning home from a business trip abroad, when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside and inform her that she will soon commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming her husband. For his safety, she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.  Yet when she is transferred to the retention center, where she is kept with other dreamers trying to prove their innocence, she learns that the strict and ever-changing rules keep extending their stay.  A new resident arrives and leads Sara onto a scary new path.

This book is chilling, because it doesn't take too much of an imagination to think about how easily we give our personal information out and how it could be used against us, especially if you add racial profiling into the mix.  Imagine if you were judged by your dreams too.  Lalami's writing pulls the reader into this new reality and you feel the fear and desperation of Sara and her fellow captives, pulled away from their families and lives with no foreseeable end to their nightmare. But you also see the women’s resilience and strength.  Fascinating read.

4.1.2025 - Insignificant Others

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Sarah Jio.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Lena is convinced that her perfectly planned life is going just as she wants, right down to knowing that her boyfriend of two years is going to propose to her at dinner.  When he instead breaks up with her, she flees back to the safety of her beloved Aunt Rosie's house on a Seattle island for a break.  She falls asleep the first night in Rosie's guesthouse, only to wake up the next morning in Paris with another man.  Each morning when she awakens, she's in a different place with a different man.

Haven't we all thought about the what if's?  What if we would have stayed with that high school/college/first job boyfriend?  What would our life look like?  This novel was an absolute joy exploring that thought - it was hilarious (the baby scenes!) and poignant to watch Lena explore all these other lives she might have lived.  I liked how some main characters (best friend and her husband and Aunt Rosie) were stalwarts through all her lives, just a bit different in each life story.  The perfect magical realism story that will have you reflecting on just what's important in life.

3.31.2025 - Making the Best of What's Left

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Judith Viorst.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

I have loved all of Judith Viorst’s books, from reading her children’s books to my boys to her decade poem books that I’ve bought for myself and others, so I couldn’t wait to read her latest.  Judith reflects on her life in the Final Fifth, as she terms the period from age 80-100, and living after the loss of her husband.  There are heartbreaking and heartwarming stories, as well as much good practical advice and her trademark humor, honesty, and practicality.  As the caregiver for my mom who’s in her 90s, this one hit home on many fronts.  Highly recommended!

3.31.2025 - Follow Me

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Amazon Publishing for gifting me both a physical and digital ARC of this debut book by Elizabeth Rose Quinn.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Adrienne Shaw feels like she is the only one who really believes that her twin sister, Chiara, who went missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, never left the resort.  The authorities found nothing, and she feels her brother-in-law is useless.  Adrienne decides to go undercover at the next influencer retreat to see if she can find any answers.  

While this is all a bit over the top, this was an entertaining story with a very relevant storyline.  Especially for moms who are struggling, it’s impossible to measure up with all the Instagram/Facebook perfect pictures and stories.  Adrienne is single and childless and it’s funny to watch her try to fit in with these “perfect” mothers.  Plus, it’s a good mystery to try and figure out exactly what happened to Chiara.  Will absolutely pick up more books from this debut author, plus the film rights have been optioned by Amazon MGM Studios!

3.30.2025 - The Murder Show

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Tor Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest mystery by Matt Goldman, narrated by Dan Bittner.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Ethan is a show runner for The Murder Show, but when a writer's strike shuts down work, he returns to his family home in Minnesota to try and come up with an idea for his next season.  His high school friend and backyard neighbor, Ro, is now a police officer.  The two decide to try and investigate what happened to another high school friend, Ricky, who died in a hit-and-run accident.  But they may be in for more than they bargained for.

This book felt realistic, mainly due to the fact that Matt Goldman is a screenwriter himself.  Ethan and Ro thought the investigation would be a good subject for the next season of Ethan's show, plus it would bring them closure on what really happened to their friend.  I liked the characters and their relationships, and enjoyed following along on the investigation.  The narrator was great with all the voices, and added to the enjoyment of the story. 

3.29.2025 - The Sirens

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this intriguing book by Emilia Hart, beautifully narrated by Barrie Kreinik.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4 stars!

 

In 2019, Lucy is being cyber-bullied by a secret boyfriend who shared pictures of her without her knowledge, and the authorities don’t believe her.  When she awakens in his room in the middle of the night with her hands wrapped around his throat, she flees to her sister’s house.  Jess isn’t there, but Lucy stays in her house awaiting her return.  In 1999, we learn Jess’ story of always feeling different, until a teacher takes a special interest in her.  In 1800, Mary and Eliza are forced onto a convict ship from Ireland to Australia, taking them away from all they know. Trapped, they begin to notice changes in their bodies.

 

This is a wonderful magical realism book, highlighting sisterhood, women’s strength and resilience, as well as generational trauma and family secrets.  That’s a lot to wrap your head around in these different timelines, and the book was a bit slow for me at times.  But the beautiful writing will transport you to another world and the power of water and the sea to transform.  The narration was gorgeous too and pulled me into the stories of these sisters.    

3.28.2025 - The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Koehler Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful historical fiction novel by Randy Susan Meyers.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Annabel Cooper wants to save the world. She begins her mission in 1964 as a part of Freedom Summer in Mississippi, trying to register Blacks to vote.  She meets her first love and his disappearance ignites her fight for justice even stronger.  Later, she and her husband as well as four other couples form a Boston political group, living together with all their children.  But as the parents' pull to become more active gets stronger, they move the children to a farm in Vermont, cared for by one of the group members.  Annabel's daughter, Ivy, wants to be normal and misses her parents.  A disaster changes everything.

I love how this book explores the mother/child relationship amid all the political and societal changes from the 60s to present day, as viewed from both Annabel and Ivy.  The parents had the best of intentions - to fight for what they believed is right while keeping their children safe and away from the turmoil.  But we know what is said about good intentions.  This book languished too long on my TBR shift; it was a thought-provoking and sometimes heartbreaking read.