5.12.2026 - The Foursome

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins | Mariner Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest historical fiction novel by Christina Baker Kline.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

It's 1839 when Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins from Siam (now Thailand), arrive in Wilkes County NC.  They are wealthy after their circuit as oddities, and they quickly buy land and start building.  Sisters Adelaide and Sarah Yates, daughters of a once-prominent local family scarred by a scandal, are drawn into their orbit.  Addie sees marriage to Chang as her way of reclaiming her future; Sallie is less sure.  But their lives soon become entangled.

As you would expect from this author, this is a wonderfully researched book, made personal by the fact that the Yates are distant cousins.  Natural curiosity leads anyone to ponder just how this marriage and its subsequent 21 total children worked, but the book never veers into salacious territory.  Instead, we are privy to the emotional side of this coupling and the inevitable squabbles between spouses, brothers and sisters.  It's beautifully written, leading you to explore the unimaginable feeling of being tethered to someone for life.  This is also a story of the period, of slavery and the Civil War.  It's a fascinating look into these people as well as these issues.  Highly recommended.

5.12.2026 - Mercy Hill

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Hannah Thurman.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

The Cross sisters have lived their entire lives on the sprawling grounds of Mercy Hill, the Raleigh mental hospital run by their formidable mother, Lisa. Since childhood, JJ, Caro, Mimi, and Denise have been inculcated with their mother's mission: they'll work alongside her to protect Mercy Hill from the fate of other state hospitals across the country, which are being gutted and closed, one by one.  But Mercy Hill faces great scrutiny and Lisa pushes her children even harder.  

I truly enjoyed spending time with this book and the Cross sisters.  Told from the viewpoint of Denise, the youngest, and taking place in the late 1990s-early 2000s, this is a coming-of-age story as well as a look into mental health treatment.  My heart hurt for the way Lisa pushed her girls - skipping grades in school, following a path long laid out for them to become doctors to continue work at Mercy Hill.  Neither parent was aware of the bullying happening at school nor the secrets the girls kept.  This is a very character-driven novel and it's so interesting to see how the girls, raised the same way, handled the pressures and expectations differently.    Wonderful debut and I'm looking forward to more from this author!

5.11.2026 - Coyoteland

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this novel by Vanessa Hu, narrated wonderfully by Ina Barrón.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4 stars!

 

El Nido is a privileged community in the hills east of Berkeley.  Jin Chang moves there with his wife and daughters hoping for a new start.  However, he has a secret to make it big in real estate.  Jin’s daughter, Jane, knows he’s keeping a secret but she’s struggling to fit in at school.  In the wake of a coyote attack, Jane and Tasha, one of the only Black girls at school, bond.  They hatch a plot to expose the town’s hypocrisies. 

 

This takes place during the time of Covid, and I am one who appreciates a Covid storyline that adds to the atmosphere of the book – and it works great here.  Because this is a slow burn character study about racism, classism, entitlement – all those things lurking under the surface of the shiny world we may present to others.  Add in wildfire smoke in the air and the atmosphere mirrors all those societal problems.  My only issue is that I sometimes had difficulties keeping up with the characters.  Ina Barrón is one of my favorite narrators and she did a great job, but this may have been better served with a cast.  

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.