Many thanks to my partner @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook.  

 

Giddy.  Blushing.  Craving tacos.  Swooning.  (Rinse & repeat.)

 

That pretty much sums up my experience with The Love Wager.  What am I, a schoolgirl with a crush?   (I mean… maybe?  Jack🔥)

 

Sometimes a book arrives at just the right time and hits all the right buttons. Apparently @lynnpainterkirkle knows the way to my heart (and my stomach).  

 

Listen… I’m a <goner> for good banter. The wit.  The sarcasm. The CHEMISTRY.  It all started when Jack called Hallie “TB” (🤣😍🥵) and never let up.  

 

This was a total fast-paced, binge-worthy read that I didn’t want to put down.  I started this one while juggling 3 other books.  Guess which book I finished first?  (Spoiler: it was this one!)

 

Here’s the thing… this book could’ve gone all wrong for me:  Too many tropes (one night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating, one bed).  A few inconceivable plot holes (Hallie doesn’t know Jack’s full name until after the HEA.).  And a third act breakup that, like *all* third act breakups, was stupid.  

 

But somehow, none of those things mattered in the end.  Maybe it was the awkward meet-cute.  Maybe it was the friendship they developed.  Maybe it was just Jack, the perfect book boyfriend.  Whatever it was, it was a complete and total treat.  

 

This book is best paired with a big, cheesy grin and a plate of tacos.  Seriously, you’re going to want to have tacos on hand.  (The smile will come naturally.)

 

🎧 While I’d like to have a copy of this for my shelves, I enjoyed it solely in audio format.  The narration by both Kristen DiMercurio and Zachary Webber was excellent.  OH but Webber… his portrayal of Jack had me like putty in his hands.  His depiction melted me and made me belly laugh.   I’m adding Webber to my list of favorite narrators, particularly when it comes to book boyfriends.  

 

Many thanks to my friends at @spiegelandgrau for the #gifted copy of this book.  

 

I grew up in Georgia.  Peaches are a way of life for us.  There’s really nothing like that first bite… juice dripping down your chin, the sweetness hitting your tongue… 

 

But in the middle of the juiciest, sweetest crop of peaches, there’s always the potential for one that is underdeveloped, with less robust flavor.  

 

Like most things in life, the difference between the two is reliant on timing and opinion.    

 

For me, Go As a River was much like that peach that needed a bit more development, and it failed to live up to its hype for two main reasons:

 

🍑 In a story about hardship and overcoming, I want to feel the story as though experiencing it first hand, deeply connected with the main character.  Lacking in dialogue and created with broad strokes, I found Victoria to be very one-dimensional.  And because she fell flat to me, I found it hard to empathize with her or appreciate her growth throughout the storyline.      

 

🍑 But most concerning for me was the unnecessary addition of an indigenous character.  Diverse characterization is important when purposefully used to create awareness and necessary perspective.  Instead, this representation tokenizes the indigenous and simply provides a platform for racial slurs and a white character’s growth.  

 

This book made for thoughtful conversation in my buddy read with @backporchpages @bookmarked.by.becky @chicagobooklover and @thats.one.for.the.books.

 

While this wasn’t as juicy and sweet as I’d expected, it’s worth noting that my opinion is the outlier. 

Many thanks to my friends at @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the #gifted copies.  

 

With history primarily focused on the impact of men, I’m always intrigued to learn about the women hidden behind the men’s shadows.  

 

Epidemiologist Dorothy Hortsmann was smart, determined, and passionate about finding a cure for polio.  With a nation in peril… many people dying or paralyzed by a disease running rampant… Dr. Hortsmann persistently sought a cure.  

 

Based in research, the look at Dorothy’s resolve for science is worth attention.  I was fascinated by the discoveries, the theories, and the surprising timeline (with its many interruptions).  Coming out of the covid pandemic, the part of this story steeped in history felt eerily resonate.  

 

Given that this is historical fiction, I expected liberties to be taken with Dorothy’s story.  However, I found the fictitious additions, primarily the romantic ones, inauthentic to the time and person.  

 

Given that, the spotlight on Dorothy’s worthy accomplishments felt dimmed and made the overall book less impactful.  

 

Many thanks to my friends at @forgebooks and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.  

 

Sasha’s father chose prison (and the bees?) over her when she was just eleven.  Now as an adult, she must return to her childhood home to try and make sense of what happened all those years ago.  But when she arrives, the home is full of squatters, and Sasha must learn to fit in without raising suspicion.  

 

Speculative fiction dealing with the impact humans have on the planet fascinates me.  While science clearly proves that our environment is ever-changing, the varied fictitious interpretations of how that could unfold captivates and terrifies. 

 

In Dalton’s The Last Beekeeper, we are introduced to a world without pollinators.   A world on the precipice of collapse.  It’s a premise that I was quickly drawn into yet fearful of.  

 

Found family is one of my very favorite tropes.  That deep-seated desire for connection.  Love given by choice.  So watching Sasha and her roommates ease into a rhythm and come to rely on each other seemed natural and heartwarming.  

 

But unfortunately, I felt like that storyline sidetracked the one of the bees.  With too much going on, the plot became overwhelmed and stalled. 

 

I was most interested in the mystery behind the bees and the way that impacted society.  Yet it wasn’t fully fleshed out.  The secrets.  The outrage.  It all felt swept aside.   

 

And because of that, I didn’t feel as deeply impacted by the potential devastation of civilization and a world without pollinators.  

Chilling. Fast paced. I’ll be suspect about children’s drawings forevermore.  

 

This book had been sitting on my TBR shelf way too long.  And after seeing rave reviews on IG, I was eager to buddy read it when @bookmarked.by.becky queued it up.  

 

The first 2/3 of this book was wholly unputdownable.  Leaving everything else on pause, I plowed through the first 250 pages in one sitting.  The writing took hold.  The storyline was propulsive.  And I easily devoured the ongoing suspense.  

 

Of note:  the creepy artwork throughout was a unique add-on that heightened the suspense.  Macabre.  Beautiful?  I was fully invested in seeing the story play out.  

 

Alas… the last 1/3 of the book… didn’t work?  It seemed as though Rekulak felt the pressure to nail the ending within a certain amount of pages, and because of that, his writing and plotting suffered.  I needed an “AH-HA” moment.  But instead I felt, “well, ok.”  

 

If you can suspend the need for a tightly wrapped ending, this is a bingeable thriller (horror?) with a disturbing premise.  

 

Many thanks to my partner @simon.audio for the #gifted audiobook.  

 

Clever, unique, and irreverently fun!  

 

In the early days of Holmes’ singing/songwriting career, he knew that to “make it” meant to create a spectacle.  And from there, his hit song about cannibalism, Timothy, was born.  (You’ve more likely heard his “Pina Colada” song named “Escape.”)

 

So it’s really not all that surprising that his current best seller is (shockingly!) based on a prestigious school that teaches its students the fine art of… murder.  

 

To be honest, I was drawn to this story because Neil Patrick Harris, a forever favorite, is one of the narrators.  But I quickly found myself immersed in this quirky education full of dry humor and nostalgic of the 1950s.   

 

The first half of the book reads at a slower pace.  But as the second half kicks off and the education of three students is put to the test, the speed picked up.  And the ending… chef’s kiss.  

 

Best paired with a pina colada, this book is imaginative and smart.  A humorous read that is surprisingly full of heart.  Throw this one in your bag for a fun escape.  

 

I solely listened to this one on audio.  The powerhouse narration by Neil Patrick Harris and Simon Vance was stellar.  Vance’s pretentiousness and Harris’ multifaceted voices kept me hanging on each word.  I highly suggest grabbing this on in audio format.  

 

“When a man dies from a bullet entering his chest, it's a homicide. When a man dies from a meteorite landing on his head, it's a tragedy.  Don't use bullets. Use meteorites.  Don't commit a homicide. Commit a Tragedy.”

 

Many thanks to my friends at @tornightfire and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.  

 

Vivid.  Grotesque.  Intense.  This is quite possibly the most thoughtfully disturbing book I’ve ever read.  

 

Synder’s note from her editor read, “Lucy, WTF is wrong with you? Good grief that story was messed up.  Thanks, I think.”

 

That pretty much sums up my thoughts.  

 

What the hell did I just read?  And WHY did I keep reading??? 

 

I was completely disturbed.  I was horrified.  There were times I thought I might vomit.  And often, I couldn’t even understand the depravity of what I was reading.  

 

YET… I couldn’t look away.  I didn’t want to look away.  I was fully immersed in this horrific world and had to watch every gory detail play out.  I binged this book (as fast as my buddy Becky would let me.)

 

It’s worth noting: This read isn’t just shock and awe.  My friends and I had a truly great discussion over this book.  Beyond the outrageous,  this book was incredibly thought provoking.  With symbolism and theming that ranged from religion to reproductive rights and carnal desires, our conversations solidified this read, in all its obscenity, completely worthwhile.  

 

The book is broken into three sections, almost like connected novellas, each told from a different point of view.  My favorite of the sections was the first, which is based off of Snyder’s Bram Stoker award winning short story, “Magdala Amygdala.”  But in the last section, we get Baby Greogory.  So it’s not to be counted out.  

 

To be sure, this book is *not* for everyone.  It’s gruesome, it’s erotic, and it’s downright disturbing.  

 

But it’s also a book I keep thinking about… whatever that says.  

Many thanks to my friends at @prhaudio for this #gifted audiobook. 

 

Beach Read was my introduction to Henry.  I was new to the genre, new to her writing.  But I was immediately drawn in.  I drooled.  I swooned.  I felt feverish.  It was an all-around hit for me, and Henry became an auto-buy author after feeling the same over People We Meet on Vacation.    

 

So I expected her latest book to embody everything that makes me happy, especially considering its name.  It included many of my favorite things:

 

💕 Forever friends

💕 One last trip together

💕 Lots of reminiscing

💕 Seaside setting

 

But… I couldn’t get past the excessive miscommunication.  The entire premise and whole storyline centers around one miscommunication after another, between both friends and lovers. For the complete storyline, I kept thinking, “Just ASK!!!”  “Just TELL him/her.”   The book as a whole could’ve been executed in two simple conversations.  Instead it struggled on for 400 pages

 

But most frustrating for me was the unhealthy look at mental health.  Representation matters.  And when it comes to something like mental health, it is imperative for it to be a quality representation.  This was not that.  I imagine therapists reading this and screaming, “NO!!!” 

 

What did work:  Narrator Julia Whelan!!!  Her narration is always top notch.  And I’ll be hearing her depiction of Wyn in my dreams.  🔥

Many thanks to my friends at @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook.

 

“Because nobody sniffs out wrongdoing like a Chinese mother with time on her hands.”

 

Heartwarming and hysterical! Grab a cup of oolong and let this laugh-out-loud funny, cozy mystery envelop you!

 

When a dead body is found in Vera Wong’s World Famous Tea House, the lonely owner is thrust into a search to find a killer.  With eccentric methodology… Vera’s best interrogation technique involves the usage of a food coma… she is determined to solve the mystery in which the police seem oblivious. 

 

I absolutely adored Iona Iverson last year… eccentric main character, quirky troupe of secondary characters, and a heartwarming storyline that kept me turning pages.  

 

As I read Vera Wong, I had that same uplifting feeling.  Found family is my catnip, and it didn’t take long to see how this unconventional group would come together.  

 

Sutanto created a unique cast for this novel, but it was Vera who really stood out!  Nosy and overbearing, the meddling Chinese mom had me laughing out loud and rolling my eyes.  Vera was a HOOT, and by the end of the book, I wanted her to give me some advice too.  

 

If you’re in the market for a witty read that’s heartfelt, look no further!  

 

🎧 I listened to this one on audio, and Eunice Wong’s narration captured Vera’s essence and brought her to life in a vivid portrayal!  To be fair, she gave a distinct, enjoyable voice to all of the characters.  But to me, Wong’s voice will forever be Vera Wong.   

 

Many thanks to my partners @celadonbooks and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.  

 

This was my first book by North, and I went in expecting to be <fully> spooked.  Unfortunately, I think I came away more confused than anything else.  

 

A serial killer.  A philosophical conundrum over fate.  Two things I love.  One of my friends told me that this storyline had the makings of a perfect read for me.  And she was right! The premise of this book is diabolical and thought provoking.  

 

And yet.  Was it the large cast of characters penned with broad strokes?  Was it the muddled transitions between POV?  I flew through the 30-40% eager to watch the unfolding.  But somewhere along the way the plotline started lacking and confusion began to set in.  

 

For me, the nail in the coffin was the HUGE plot hole in the ending.  (I asked numerous friends that I know are close readers… none of them could answer the gaping, central-to-the-story question.)

 

I can see where North’s writing draws people in, and I’m definitely going to give The Whisper Man a go.  But unfortunately, my first foray into North’s portfolio was a miss.  

 

🎧 The audiobook narration by Rosalie Craig quickly pulled me into the storyline.  Her nuance and tone were pitch perfect for the suspense.   But, I often found myself confused unless I had the physical book in hand.  (To be fair:  I often was confused even with the physical copy.)