Chose this to read for the "book about a book, library, or bookstore" prompt in this year's Reading Glasses (Glasses Glasses) Challenge, and with a cover like that, can you blame me?

This is tense, dual-narrative suspense, very character-driven, with characters who are kind of unlikable for different reasons in the driver's seat. It follows Roach, a bookseller obsessed with true crime, as she fosters an additional obsession with Laura, a new bookseller at her store. Laura is everything Roach isn't--stylish, popular, and connected to a true crime case in a highly personal way--and her reproaches of Roach's attempts to get close to her only make Roach more desperate to learn about her.

At times this book struck me as deeply sad because Roach reads like one of those characters who are probably autistic but not explicitly described as such, and her attempts at getting close to Laura seemed to me misguided in the way of someone who does not understand social norms and whose life is organized around their special interest. This is exaggerated for creepiness, and goes beyond the pale in service of the story, but there were still moments where I felt genuinely sorry for Roach and wanted her to get a therapist and break up with her horrendous boyfriend.

Sadness and moments of sympathetic cringe aside, this was exactly the addictive read that I needed to start my July after a lackluster June. Recommended for readers who like uncomfortable books you can't look away from.