2.19.2026 - Run on Red

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for gifting me a digital and physical copy of this thriller by Noelle West Ihli.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Laura and Olivia are on their way to a college party, driving through a very rural area, when headlights appear behind them.  It soon turns into a chase and a battle for survival.

Short synopsis, but this is a thrill ride from the very beginning and best to go into blind.  It felt like the scariest kind of movie, where young girls find themselves in scary situations and you're screaming at them to behave differently.  Although I'd probably be doing the same things, although hopefully my cellphone would be charged.  It's a short, intense read that kept me glued!  The physical copy is gorgeous, with sprayed edges, and a shiny cover - rereleased from a self-published novel, which I think is wonderful.  Read this with the lights on!

2.19.2026 - The New Neighbors

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Claire Douglas.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Lena is struggling after the end of her marriage as well as her impending empty nest once her teenage son leaves.  New neighbors move in next door and she starts becoming obsessed that they are planning a crime.  No one believes her because the couple are older and well respected.  But with a secret in her own past, Lena just can't let it go.

I am always up for a good neighborhood drama.  Who hasn't wondered just what those neighbors are doing behind closed doors?  Told from different POV and timelines, this is a slow-burn look into Lena's past as well as her current obsession.  Told in three parts, there are plenty of twists that kept me turning the pages to find out just what was happening with the neighbors and what happened to Lena in the past.  Another intriguing thriller from a favorite author!

2.18.2026 - Evil Genius

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio | Ecco for gifting me an audio ARC of this wonderful book by Claire Oshetsky, narrated by Kimberly Farr.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

It’s 1974 in San Francisco and 19-year-old Celia Dent phone company employee keeps telling herself how lucky she is to be married to Drew, a man who says he loves her. But Celia’s contentment with her little life is shattered when a woman she knows is murdered in a love tryst gone awry.  Celia wonders just what that would be like to feel so passionately.  Soon, her thoughts become darker.

This was a new-to-me author and I just loved this book - genius indeed!  I'm sure it says something about my personality, but I just love dark, sharp humor in a book.  Plus, this one was so nostalgic, taking the reader back in time when working for the phone company was considered a lifetime job.  And not cellphone companies back then to be sure!  It was a different time for women specifically, and we see Celia growing in her desires for a better life.  Celia is such a great character and I loved to see her grow and change.  The narration was fabulous - wildly entertaining!

2.17.2026 - So Old, So Young

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster | Gallery Books | Scout Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this novel by Grant Ginder.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Six Friends.  Five Parties.  Twenty Years.  Six college friends come together at five parties over twenty years - what changes, what stays the same?  

While this is a story about the millennial generation, anyone can relate to looking back over your life, wondering how this decision or that brought us to where we are, and whether that's for the best or not.  No matter how hard we try, maintaining close friendships and relationships over a long period of time isn't always easy or possible.  I liked how this book was laid out - from the present in the prologue, to going back to that first college party, then moving forward.  We hear from the POV of the different characters who sometimes view the same happenings very differently.  This is a very character-driven novel, and some characters are more likable than others, but it's hard to overlook the themes we all face as we look back at how young we were, yet how old we felt then, and how old we are now.

2.17.2026 - When I Kill You

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by B.A. Paris, with the audiobook narrated perfectly by Georgia Maguire.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Nell has escaped her past by moving to London.  She’s now in a new relationship with Alex, frustrated only by the fact that she doesn’t see him enough.  However, she also feels that she’s being watched and is convinced that she didn’t really escape her past, and that someone is out for her.  Told through past timelines as well as from journal entries, we learn just what happened in the past to make her so afraid.

I’m a fan of this author and this was another good thriller.  I do have to say that Nell was so frustrating as a character because she kept making dumb decisions and putting herself in dangerous situations.  It was like a slasher movie where you’re screaming at the girl not to go into the basement!  But that didn’t keep me from racing through the book to see how it was all going to work out.  I alternated between reading the digital copy and listening to the audiobook so that I could figure it out, which I never did!  This is a tense thriller that will have you doublechecking to make sure you aren’t being followed.  The audiobook production was great, and Georgia Maguire once again was pitch perfect.

2.17.2026 - Good Daughtering

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dey Street Books, and Harper Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this important book by Allison M. Alford, PhD, with the author also narrating the audiobook.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

The place of daughters in families is something that is not really thought about - until it is.  I think this is an important book, although it will hit every woman differently based on where they are on life’s spectrum.  I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the kinship shift throughout our daughtering life and as our parents age.  When I started this book, I was at the end of that spectrum caring for an elderly mother, so those portions were more impactful for me personally.  I have two brothers who were more than happy to let me take care of all parts of her care.  She just died and now I'm dealing with all the paperwork myself too.  These are roles that the daughter (or typically the elder daughter) seem to inherit without question.  Thoughtful, well researched, and a very valuable read.

2.16.2026 - How to Get Away With Murder

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the debut book by Rebecca Philipson, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Michael Geary and Tamsin Kennard.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

DI Sam Hansen has been on a mental health break suffering from PTSD when a 14-year-old girl is murdered in a local park.  She jumps at the chance to prove she's still Scotland Yard's most successful homicide detective.  One of the only leads is a copy of a self-help book found in the victim's backpack called How to Get Away with Murder by Denver Brady.  Brady claims to be the most successful serial killer of all time and details his methods and victims.  

Wow - what a creative and well-written debut!  The story plays out in alternating chapters between the investigation into the murder and Sam reading the how-to book a chapter at a time.  This book-within-a-book guide to murder is filled with dark humor and nothing too gory, which blends perfectly with the more serious police procedural chapters.  Sam is a great, relatable character and her interactions with both her trainee, Taylor, and her found dog, Toni, were an added bonus.  And the ending?  Chef's kiss!  Plus the narrators were great - Geary's voice was perfectly creepy, while Kennard does her normal great job voicing Sam.  Can't wait to read more from this author!