10.7.2025 - To Die For

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow | Harvest for gifting me a digital ARC of this unique cookbook by Rosie Grant.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Food is a nostalgic thing that brings families together, so much so that some people immortalize their recipes on their gravestones.  Rosie Grant researched this phenomenon and now shares 40 of the recipes she has found, each accompanied by a story and pictures of the food, family, and gravestone.

What a beautiful concept and it was perfectly executed.  I was enthralled with the stories and the pictures and the recipes were the proverbial icing on the cake!  I also appreciated the respectful way everything was presented, with helpful hints on preserving your own legacy for your family.  I enjoyed Rosie's own personal connection to the Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC and thought the community activities there were wonderful.  This book didn't make me sad; instead, it is a beautiful tribute to family connection through food.

10.6.2025 - Wanting Daisy Dead

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas and Mercer, and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Sue Watson, and narrated perfectly by a full cast.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Twenty years ago, student Daisy Harrington went out for the evening and never came home. Her body was found a week later. The killer was caught. Case closed.  Now, on what would have been her 40th birthday, her five university housemates are invited to a weekend gathering.  They don't want to go but it's made clear if they don't, that their secrets will be revealed.  Because the man convicted of Daisy's murder is innocent, and one of the five knows just exactly who killed Daisy.

Well, that was fun!  I started reading the book but switched over to the audiobook, produced with a full narration cast, which I always like.  This is definitely a locked-room type mystery, with all the housemates assembled together, each having secrets, with one of them a killer.  They all had a different motive to want Daisy dead, but which one wanted it more?  Told through all the different housemates' POV as well as from the podcast interviews, I was guessing the killer throughout the book.  None of the characters are likable, but that just adds to the fun.  

10.5.2025 - Good Days Bad Days

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing | Lake Union Publishing and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest novel by Emily Bleeker, with the audiobook dually narrated by Aasne Vigesaa and Eric Altheide.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Charlie McFadden was fifteen when CPS removed her from her hoarded home.  Her mother, Betty, chose her collection of junk; her father, Charlie, chose Betty; neither chose Charlie.  Decades later, Charlie's dad pleads with her to come home to say goodbye to her mother who is now confined to a memory care center, and help him with the house.  She hasn't seen either of them since then, but needs a break from her personal life and makes the trip.  

This story touched my heart in so many ways.  The title is perfect for anyone dealing with someone with dementia, and Charlie's conflicting emotions made you feel for her.  Told from the present in Charlie's POV to the past from her dad's, the story plays out so that we understand just how everyone got to where they are.  It's a story of family secrets, generational trauma, mental illness, and eventually hope.  The audio narration was great, and I always appreciate a male and female narrator when called for.  Highly recommended!

10.4.2025 - The Hitchhikers

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this thriller by Chevy Stevens, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Lindsey Dorcus and Moniqua Plante.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

It's 1976, and Tom and Alice set out in their RV for a road trip to reconnect and smooth the sharp edges of their grief.  When they meet a young couple at a campground, they offer to give them a ride to the next town.  And discover too late what a bad idea that was.

I'm a big fan of Chevy Stevens and this book shows why she's a must-read author for me.  From the very beginning, you can't help but relate to Tom and Alice, trying to do the right thing only to have it turn completely wrong.  There are plenty of twists and turns along the way on this road trip gone wrong, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!  I liked the nostalgic feel of the story as well.  The audio narration was great, adding another layer of tension into the story.  Loved the ending.

10.4.2025 - How Bad Things Can Get

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this thriller by Darcy Coates.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Welcome to mysterious Prosperity Island, where an influencer and his fans have assembled for a five-day dream party full of games with big money prizes.  However, the island has a past - it was once home to a mysterious cult with only one survivor.  One of the party attendees, Ruth, has a secret connection to the cult and things soon go terribly awry.  

A creepy island, cult, influencers, and disappearing people - what's not to love?  Coates is a master of building suspense until you just can't look away.  It very much had that locked room feel, with the island keeping everyone trapped.  Plus, the do anything for likes influencer theme pushed things to the next level.  This is creepy season - the perfect time to dive into this read!

10.3.2025 - Heart the Lover

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Lily King.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Jordan (the nickname given to her by her friends) is in the fall of her senior year of college.  She meets Sam and Yash, star students in her 17th Century Lit class, and best friends living off campus in the house of a professor on sabbatical.  The two invite Jordan into their world and she starts to discover herself.  But as graduation comes and goes, the choices made by these three will alter their lives forever.  Decades later, her past comes crashing into her present, and she must confront her past.

Following on the heels of Writers and Lovers, although not mandatory to read that one to enjoy this one, this book explores our youth and the bonds and decisions we make that shape our future.  The beginning is academic heavy as the friends explore their intellectual side as well as their romantic entanglements.  But decisions are made that can't be taken back, and those decisions haunt the future as well.  This book moves on to explore the decades afterwards and comes full circle in the end.  Trust me - this one will definitely pull at your heartstrings and have you thinking about your own decisions and their impact.  The writing is gorgeous and I was engrossed throughout.

10.2.2025 - Ring of Salt

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Avid Reader Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing memoir by Betsy Cornwell.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

After finishing her education in the US, at age 24 Betsy Cornwell leaves behind her abusive family and heads to Ireland to fulfill her dream of becoming a novelist.  She falls in love with the beautiful country, and life seems idyllic when she meets and elopes with a charming man.  But her fairy tale soon becomes a nightmare and she finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage with a newborn baby.  She flees once again, but this time with the help of a community, and starts again.  Can she make her dream come true to use her writing to not only buy a home of her own, but to offer support to others as well?

This is such a powerful, must read, book for women especially, but anyone dealing with the trauma of domestic abuse.  Betsy is so honest in her retelling, but never venturing into the lurid, or compromising others.  This book details not only how she put her son first to get out of a terrible situation, while still being concerned for others in her situation.  It reads almost like a suspense novel, because I was holding my breath in so many places, just hoping and praying for good outcomes.  Even more important is the focus on community to help us when we need help, to be there in unimaginable ways, and for us to be there for others as well.  There are so many passages I highlighted with words of wisdom that hit home.  Plus, this is a love story to Ireland and you’ll definitely want to visit after reading.  Don't miss this one!