7.22.2026 - The New People

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Andrea Uptmor.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Newlyweds Emma and Rachel move from Chicago to a conservative Indiana college town when Rachel, a best-selling novelist, gets a job as a tenure-track professor.  Emma is struggling in her job as an adjunct professor at the college, desperate for something to call her own.  The house they bought cheap when the housing bubble burst and the recession hit, seems to have a new issue daily, and Emma feels a strange presence in the house.  Maybe it's because they aren't alone.  Charlotte and Dirk lost the house to foreclosure and are secretly living in the attic above the garage.  Charlotte is desperate to make the new people leave.

This book was fabulous and it's hard to believe it's a debut.  Told from the alternating POV of Emma and Charlotte, it is an emotional read, without ever veering into maudlin or sappy territory.  I felt so invested in these characters, and felt especially bad for Charlotte and Dirk.  They are representative of so many stories from that time, when greed ruled and individuals didn't matter.  It's definitely an exploration of grief and loss, but it's so much more.  It's filled with bright spots, humor, empathy for others, and the ending had me crying happy tears.  I loved this book and highly recommend it - I'm here anxiously awaiting for more from this author!

7.22.2026 - Indie Darling

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the new book by Lauren Nossett with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Amara Jasper.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Kelly Williams is a private investigator in Nashville who only takes women for clients.  Her latest client, Sarah-Faith, comes to her after receiving threatening messages, and Kelly soon realizes that she is better known as Seraph, the lead singer of the indie music sensation The Garden Snakes.  After an incident at a performance, Kelly is soon pulled into a dangerous web of secrets and lies.

So creative and inventive - I loved the Nashville music scene as well as the lyrics that give hints to the story.  This one is a little hard to review without inadvertently giving anything away, but it's a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.  Then, once you're done reading, be sure and check out the author's website for a final clue!  Kelly was such a great main character - I'd love to see this be the start of a series featuring her investigations.  The narrator did a great job voicing all the characters.

7.22.2026 - Deadly Does It

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the second in the Mason & Mann Mystery series by Abbi Waxman.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Mason and Mann are on a new case - one that hits close to home.  Mason's AA sponsor is in danger, but investigating the reasons could put the detectives in trouble as well.

The first book in this series, One Death at a Time, was so fun and I was eager to dive back in.  I would recommend reading that one first but it's not completely necessary, as enough details are given.  This book has the humor, crankiness, and smarts of the first and we get some backstory into Mason and her family as well, plus following along with the latest mystery.  The perfect summer mystery book!

7.20.2026 - The Half Life

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Rachel Beanland.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Eileen is still mourning the death of her brother in Vietnam when she meets Paul, a Navy officer.  Soon afterwards, he gets orders to report to the Mediterranean island of La Maddalena, where Paul will be heading up Radiological Controls aboard a submarine tender.  Rather than be separated, they quickly marry and Eileen finds herself newly married in a country where she doesn't speak the language and the rules for a Navy wife are long.  She soon becomes involved in the local politics and meets an Italian journalist, who awakens her in many ways.

I really enjoyed this look at a woman in the 1970s who is just on the cusp of figuring out who she is.  I couldn't help but relate it to my mom who got married quickly when my dad was being sent to France in the late 1950s.  The pressure on being perfect in a situation where you don't know the language or culture had to be so difficult.  Eileen was a strong woman, trying to keep her marriage going, but discovering that there's a big world out there.  Beautifully written and a personal story (be sure and read the author's note), it was told in the form of a written letter to a person unknown until the very end of the book.  That person may have learned more than she wanted to!  Very entertaining and informative as only the best historical fiction is.

7.20.2026 - Destination Funeral

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest novel by Paige Harbison, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by the author.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

When Babe dies, her two daughters, Didion and Sammie, and their two friends, Matt and Austin, are summoned to Mercy Island for the reading of the will.  Didion arrives and realizes that all the old resentments and hurts traveled along with her.  What should be a quick weekend takes a twist when they wake up and it's Saturday - again.  And then again.

Told from Didion's POV and from two different timelines - the present and summers past - we gradually learn exactly what happened to break all these people apart.  While at first I wasn't a fan of Didion's character, I gradually changed my mind and found her relatable.  Any daughter who has had to step up to family responsibilities will understand her complicated feelings and will be more compassion towards her.  I was a huge fan of Harbison's previous book, The Other Side of Now, and she once again did magical realism to perfection.  It never felt hokey to me but instead was a wonderful way of peeling back all the layers.  Extra kudos because the author once again narrated the audiobook and did it to perfection, showing her great range of dialects.  Perfect book for this summer.

7.19.2026 - The Story Keeper

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, HTP Books | MIRA Books, and Harlequin Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the new historical fiction novel by Kelly Rimmer, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Siho Ellsmore.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Fiona Winslow once called Wurimbirra home, and after her uncle's death, she bought it with the hope of restoring it.  She quickly learns that the townspeople consider the house haunted, and she begins wondering when strange things happen.  When she finds a book, The Midnight Estate, in her uncle's library, she is plunged into a tale that seems to mirror her own.  

This is a book-in-a-book story done so well – I was equally invested in both storylines and was anxious to get back to both.  The creepy, possibly haunted, Gothic mansion in Australia with a graveyard in the back was the perfect setting for this mysterious tale.  I felt emotionally for so many of these characters in both stories – this book was a testament to the power of the stories of those before us that have shaped our lives.  Another great read by this author, and the narration was perfect!

7.18.2026 - The Last to Drown

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Noelle W. Ihli.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Kaia is going on a women's rafting trip as a way to honor her deceased husband.  But now all she feels is dread.  Because there are stories about what happened at Camas Creek seven years ago, when a rafting guide murdered a group of rafters on this same stretch of water.  The true-crime community has never stopped asking questions.  Apparently for good reasons.

Noelle Ihli is now a must-read author for me - each of her books has been a non-stop thrill ride.  But this one had me so gripped from the first page that I'm not sure I breathed well the whole time.  I just couldn't put it down because it was so intense.  The descriptions of the white water rafting were so frightening - good thing that's not on my bucket list!  Besides all the action, I felt very connected to these characters and invested in their stories, especially Kaia.  If you like high-intense books, this is a must read!