4.11.2026 - The Name Game

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Beth O'Leary.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Charlie Jones (he likes to be called Jones) has just arrived on the small island of Ormer to take a job as manager of a farm shop, only to find another Charlie Jones has just arrived for the same job.  It's agreed that they will both have a trial at the job but will have to share accommodations.  Both desperately needed a new start but just who is the real Charlie Jones?

What a fun, confusing premise and the perfect set up for a romance, although one with some heavy subject matters.  I really enjoyed how the back stories were presented - Jones wrote emails to himself (To Charlie Jones, From Charlie Jones), while Charlie kept a journal.  Plus there's a twist at the end that you certainly won't see coming.  Very atmospheric and I'm now anxious to go for a bike ride around a small island, stopping for some of those treats!   I'm always a fan of O'Leary's books, and this one is wonderful as well.

4.11.2026 - The Girls Trip

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Ally Condie.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Hope, Ash, and Caro met on line during the pandemic for a bookclub.  They decide to meet up in real life for a girls' trip, not telling anyone where they are going.  They each have secrets - Hope is a famous actress; Ash owns a flower business and her marriage is failing; Caro is a doctor who lost a patient.  Then an accident on their trip leaves one of them lost.

Told from each of the three women's POV, this is a page turner with plenty of questionable people and actions circulating to keep you flipping the pages.  There are also mystery POVs to keep things interesting and sometimes a bit confusing.  I liked the remote setting, but can't imagine hiking in this type of an area with my cellphone locked in a box away from me and no one knowing where I was!  Definitely themes of female friendship and the things we are able to hide behind our digital screens, even from ourselves.  

4.10.2026 - Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Atria Books for gifting me both a physical and digital ARC of the new book by Mai Nguyen.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Cleo Dang and her best friend, Paloma, have done everything together and are now both married, neighbors, and expecting their first child at the same time.  But Paloma comes home with a baby and Cleo does not.  

This is a profound look at grief, one that will gut you but will also have you laughing out loud in spots.  We get a front row seat to Cleo's unimaginable pain and her struggle to exist.  We see the value of community when Cleo takes a job as an assistant at the funeral home that took care of her daughter, Daisy.  We also learn the things not to say to someone who is grieving.  This is a completely personal novel, as the author experienced losing her first daughter four days after her birth.  Heartbreakingly beautiful.  

4.9.2026 - The Book Witch

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest wonder by Meg Shaffer.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

No synopsis here because I'm afraid I would give something away.  Do you love books, authors, characters?  This is the book for you.  Once again, Meg Shaffer has made a totally immersive world for book lovers.  It has so many different themes, twists, and turns that just keep you enthralled.  I love the line - "All stories are love stories if you love stories."  This is a book for those who love stories and realize their importance in our lives and world.   It's magical and just like her previous books, highly recommended!

4.8.2026 - Yesteryear

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House | Knopf for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing debut novel by Caro Claire Burke, just selected as the Good Morning American Book Club Pick for April.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Short synopsis - Natalie is a Christian mom influencer/trad wife, showcasing her perfect life on a farm with her husband and kids.  But reality is much different of course.  So when Natalie wakes up one day in 1805, can she really make it as a pioneer woman?

This book is worth all its hype - it's just so good.  It's on the long side, but once you start, you won't be able to put it down.  I'd stay away from any spoilers so you don't ruin your reading experience.  It will be the perfect book club pick because there's so much to unpack here.  It's turning an eye to the darker side of social media and its effects on children being a part of things without proper consent just for more likes.  The writing is perfect - dark humor, biting satire, suspenseful, and mind-blowing.  I loved it - so hard to believe it's a debut novel.  Don't miss this one!

4.7.2026 - American Han

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this novel by Lisa Lee.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Jane Kim and her brother, Kevin, are growing up in San Francisco in the 1980s, trying to keep up with their parents demands.  But in 2002, Jane is not going to her law school classes, and Kevin, a police officer, is distant and spiraling.  Their parents have changed too - they are separated, her dad with a new job, and her mom stresses over her aging face.  

Probably every child on earth strives to please their parents just as their parents want them to achieve, but some cultures do that in spades.  The stress to have perfect grades, be the best tennis player, and to look and act a certain way would wear on the hardiest of souls.  You can see the cracks in this family form early and grow wider.  It was a multilayered, thoughtful book, told from Jane's POV, with mostly unlikable characters, yet ones that you can't help wishing peace and healing.  

4.7.2026 - Dog Person

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books | Delacorte Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Camille Pagán.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Harold is an aging dog, living with heartbroken Miguel after his partner, Amelia May, died.  Amelia May tasked Harold with making sure that Miguel found love again after she was gone.  But that's going to be hard.  Miguel rarely goes out, not even to the bookstore the two owned together, that's now in danger of going under.  Harold is running out of time.

Sorry - I'm not really a dog person - but I was converted literally at least by the narrator of this novel, Harold.  Harold is so insightful into his human's minds and knows what's best for them, even if they won't listen.  This is a heartwarming story, with plenty of laughs, but it's also an exploration of grief and loss.  Above all, it's a story of found family, second chances, and reinventions.  I am always a fan of books that feature bookstores and reference books, and this one has that in spades.  It's set in the time before ebooks were a big thing, and it's interesting to see how small independent bookstores may have dealt with that change.  Plus, you will fall in love with Harold.