5.6.2025 - My Friends

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by the one and only, Fredrik Backman.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Twenty-five years ago, a group of teenagers find refuge from their tough home lives and spend long summer days on an abandoned pier.  They find their humans.  Out of that summer, a painting emerges in the present time that will find its way to Louisa, also a teenager escaping from her life.  A journey to discover the story behind the painting ensues.

Fredrik Backman has done it again - I'm not sure if I could pick a favorite, but this could be it.  There are a lot of tough subjects to deal with here, but I found myself laughing out loud on the same page that caused my eyes to tear up.  Told in dual timelines seamlessly, as one of the friends tells Louisa the story of the painting and the friendship group.  I felt like I was sitting next to them on the train, engrossed in a story.  It's a love story to both art and friends, and their power to heal and transform us.  It's perfection and a must read once again from Backman.

5.6.2025 - The Names

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House | Viking | Pamela Dorman Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing debut novel by Florence Knapp, and a Read with Jenna May 2025 pick.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 5 sparkling stars!

Can a name change the course of a life?  Cora sets off with her 9-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son’s birth.  Her husband, Gordon, insists that the family tradition be continued by naming him Gordon.  But when she gets to the registrar, she hesitates.  Thus follows three alternate and alternating versions of their lives, shaped by her choice of a name.

 

Oh, my goodness, did this book touch me on so many levels.  The way the stories unfold, told through the three versions of Cora’s son, moving forward every 7 years, is so unique.  We also see how each different version of him affects all those around him.  There are some characters that are in each version, such as Maia, his sister, and Lily, but they are also different shades.  The domestic abuse storyline is also a character, showing how everyone is affected, not only in the moment, but forever.  However, it’s still a very hopeful novel, one that shows the power and resilience of people, and the way love can change us.  This is a must-read book and the fact that it’s a debut leaves me in awe.  I literally was so engrossed in it that the rest of the world faded away.  Characters and situations felt so real that it was immensely powerful.  The illustrations are beautiful as well.  I can’t wait to read more from this author, but this book is just spectacular no matter what may come down the road.  

 

5.5.2025 - Parent's Weekend

 

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 Alex Finlay, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Brittany Pressley.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4 stars!

It's Parents’ Weekend at a small college in northern California.  All the parents are gathered at dinner but none of their children show up.  As time clicks by, panic sets in.  The students are from very different backgrounds and all of the families have secrets.  

I always look forward to Alex Finlay’s latest book.  This one even has a returning character in FBI Agent Sarah Keller, although it’s definitely a stand-alone read.   I loved having both the digital and audio files of this book to seamlessly go back and forth and any audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley is perfection.  The story unfolds through multiple POVs and timelines.  I found it a bit confusing with so many characters, but easily fell into the story and mystery.

5.4.2025 - Home of the American Circus

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Gallery Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by a favorite, Allison Larkin.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Freya leaves her just-getting-by-life in Maine and returns to her hometown of Somers, NY, to live in the house that she inherited from her estranged parents.  She tries to lay low, but it's a small town, so she soon encounters all her old acquaintances, and most especially, her niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the falling-apart house.  As they work to fix the house and their relationship, they have to learn to live with what happened long ago.

Another fabulous character-driven novel by Larkin that will draw you in until you can't look away.  Freya is such a wonderful character - flawed but deeply set on being just the right person for the people in her life, especially Aubrey, giving her what neither received.  It's wonderfully atmospheric, and although it has covers some dark and painful topics, it feels hopeful and bright.  It's a beautiful story of second chances, stopping generational trauma, and loving people for who they are.  At over 400 pages, it never felt long or slow to me; instead I kept wanting to return to Freya and the family she created for herself.  Loved all the bits about Old Bet as well.  A must read!

5.2.2025 - I Want You to be Happy

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and FaithWords for gifting me a digital ARC of this inspirational book by Pope Francis.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Pope Francis shares wisdom and encouragement to help readers seek true happiness - and reminds us what true happiness is and is not.  I savored this book, reading bits and pieces throughout Lent, and will refer to it often.  While I'm Catholic, that's not a necessity for appreciating this book.  Pope Francis points to scripture, but also uses quotes from sources such as The Lord of the Rings to stress various points,  RIP Pope Francis.

5.1.2025 - Hello, Juliet

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer | Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Samantha M. Bailey.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Ivy Westcott had her 15 minutes of fame as a casemate of the popular TV show, Hello, Juliet.  But that bubble popped quickly after a viral video caused her career to implode; only to have a documentary a decade later cement her fall.  But she's hopeful that a top-secret reunion episode can reunite her with her friends and give her and her mom financial security.  But the show has been haunted by secrets from the beginning.

This is a very binge-worthy book - I just wanted to sit and read until that explosive end that I sure didn't see coming.  Told in Ive's voice in dual timelines, we characters you just can't quite trust, yet each felt real and fleshed out.  You could feel Ivy's angst about just not fitting in or being good enough, but desperate to make it in Hollywood.  Bailey uses mixed media to show us just how quickly social media is ready to exploit all our flaws.  It's suspenseful and twisty.   Go into this one as blind as possible and enjoy the ride - it's a good one!

5.1.2025 - The Staircase in the Woods

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House | Del Ray for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Chuck Wendig.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.  Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something a mysterious staircase to nowhere.  One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears.  Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. 

This is a creepy, suspenseful story, weaving past and present timelines together so that we get a hint of how this group of friends finds themselves in a similar situation once again.  None of the characters are real likeable but that doesn’t mean you won’t be cheering for them; they are products of their pasts like we all are.  I loved some of the comparisons between a body and a house, what each absorbs, what each takes and gives.  A story that explores friendship and family, mixed in with a supernatural mystery.