booklistqueen's Reviews (634)

When an extremist Russian billionaire runs for president, he promises he will recover the Amber Room, a priceless piece of Russian art looted by the Nazis and lost during World War II. To stop his political ascent, CIA spymaster Frances Coffrey is tasked with finding the Amber Room first and finds the perfect man in Aubrey Argylle, a lonely man with a unsavory family history. Argylle must train and integrate into an already formed CIA team that is recovering from a disastrous mission. Can they find the Amber Room first? And is there a reason why so many things are going disastrously wrong?

Argylle is the most overhyped book of 2024, largely due to its marketing tactics. No, it was not written by Taylor Swift, which should have been obvious from the start based on its hideous cover. Instead, Argylle is ghostwritten by Terry Hayes and Tammy Cohen to kick off Matthew Vaughn's new film, Argylle, which showcases the author Elly Conway finding out her spy novels are actually real.

Setting preconceived notions aside, Argylle is an okay thriller combing a spy plot with a treasure hunt. The book is not particularly memorable or original but it's a quick action-packed read. Besides the marketing setting up flawed expectations, Argylle's biggest flaw is that the premise leaves you with nagging questions because the overarching plot makes no sense. Why exactly is the CIA even doing this mission? What do they hope to achieve by finding the Amber Room first? If they do find it first, what exactly is the plan?

 Every time an assignment comes in from the mysterious Mr. Smith, Evie takes a new identity and learns everything she can about the town and its people. Her newest mark: Ryan Sumner. But Evie connects with Ryan in a way she hasn't in a long time. When a woman shows up using Evie real name, Evie must do everything she can to stay one step ahead of her boss and complete her mission. Especially after what happened last time.

After being mostly disappointed with 2023's selection of thrillers, First Lie Wins was exactly the great thriller I needed. Elston throws you into a delicious cat-and-mouse game between Evie and Mr. Smith. With relatable characters and plenty of twists, First Lie Wins keeps you on your toes from the very first page to its clever ending. 

As a seven-year-old, Sam adores her absent father and all she wants to do is climb trees. As Sam matures, she struggles to fit in and be noticed while shying away from attention. Wanting to forge her own path, she is caught between her mother's plans, her father's disappointment, and her climbing coach's attention.

Goodman's coming-of-age novel describes the struggles of always feeling like an outsider. Sam's voice provides a powerful narration of the pain balancing her desires with the weight of others' expectations. Full of well-developed characters, Sam does an excellent job painting Sam's troubled home life through subtext, adding convincing realism to the story.

With the gods fighting again after centuries of sleep, eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to keep her family safe. Her mother is fighting addiction, her brother has disappeared from the front lines, and Iris hopes a promotion as a columnist at the Oath Gazette will help. When Iris sparks up a magical correspondence with a stranger, she never imagined her secret pen pal would turn out to be Roman Kitt, her archrival at the paper. But she can't deny the connection she feels, even when Iris enlists to be a war correspondent on the front lines.

Rebecca Ross presents an adorably fun young adult fantasy duology that mixes Greek mythology and World War 1 that hooked me from the start. The enemies-to-lovers story was rather obvious yet still so rewarding. For the most part, Divine Rivals reads like a historical fiction book, so it took me a bit to get the feel of the fantasy world. The cliffhanger ending was so compelling that I immediately went out and bought the second audiobook, Ruthless Vows, which shifts much more into the fantasy side of the story. 

Hospice nurse Hadley Vlahos's memoir shows palliative care teaches as much about how to live your life as how to die. Vlahos recounts the most memorable patients she's worked with and how they each affected her life: a woman who never questioned her faith until death, a man seeing visions of his late daughter, and a young patient regretting how much she cared about others' opinions.

Although hospice is a major theme, don't expect an informative look at hospice care. If you don't know much about hospice, Vlahos does a good job explaining the purpose of hospice and correcting the false impression that hospice is just the last few days of life. However, The In-Between is firmly a memoir centered on Vlahos herself, focusing on how her encounters with patients changed her own life. More spiritual than religious, Vlahos recalls the coincidences she can't explain, believing there is a thin line between this world and the next. Though I wish the author had gone a bit deeper, I found The In-Between to be an enjoyable and uplifting read.

Hiding from her past, Cass has made a home for herself among the expats at Koh Sang Resort in Thailand. When Cass starts getting threatening notes, she fears her past is coming back to haunt her. A recently arrived travel influencer, Brooke has gotten close to Cass and her friends but she has her own secret agenda for being on the island. After two accidental deaths on the island, Cass and Brooke begin to wonder if the two cases are connected.

Ochs' debut novel is a run-of-the-mill vacation thriller, a slow-burn mystery that ends with plenty of action and some unexpected twists. Although Cass and Brooke were decent narrators with an intriguing connection between them, neither were particularly likeable. The other expats, on the other hand, felt underdeveloped and forced. However, the hot topic of conversation about The Resort is the controversial epilogue. You'll either love it or hate it. Personally, I thought it detracted from the book.

From the author of Code Name Hélène, comes a new novel based on the true story of a fearless midwife determined to find justice. In 1789, Martha Ballard is asked to determine the cause of death of a man found buried in the ice. As a local midwife, Martha knows all the town's secrets, including that this man was one of the men accused of a heinous rape four months ago. As the rape trial nears, Martha believes the two cases are connected and her detailed diary ends up as pivotal evidence that might tear the whole town, and her family, apart.

A delightful historical mystery featuring a strong heroine, The Frozen River is an excellent choice for any book club. Lawhon helps you feel not only the powerlessness and inequality women faced at the time, especially in the court of law. Sadly, the rape trial was an actual event which was even more horrific in reality than in the novel. Yet, Martha's capable and compassionate work as a midwife and as as a wife and mother was inspiring and informative. 

 Having grown up in a loveless home, teacher's aide Lucy Hart would never wish that upon a child. That's why she would desperately love to adopt Christopher, a seven-year-old orphan in her class, if only she had the means. When her favorite author holds a contest, Lucy finds she is one of four finalists given the chance to win the only copy of his last book. Fighting off book collectors and dealing with the handsome but grumpy illustrator, Lucy's dreams might just come true. But the author has one final twist that might make Lucy regret her wish.

The Wishing Game was so good that I literally could not put it down once I cracked it open. Meg Shaffer offers a heartwarming and sentimental read with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory vibes, but more grounded in reality. While keeping it light, The Wishing Game still touches on trauma, especially childhood trauma, and overcoming grief and reminds you that you can still pursue your dreams even as an adult. 

In 1976, Dana, a young African-American writer, finds herself inexplicably sent back through time to a pre-Civil War plantation in Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy, she finds herself back in Los Angeles. Over and over, Dana finds herself returning to the plantation whenever the boy is in trouble, which she realizes is where her ancestors lived. As her stays in the past become longer, Dana becomes entangled in the plantation and is forced to make harder and harder choices to survive. Octavia Butler's genre-bending novel is a must-read among time travel books.

I can see why Octavia Butler is considered one of the best writers of her generation. A genre-bending novel, Kindred combines the "what if"s of the best science fiction with deeply-researched historical fiction. Kindred is brilliant top to bottom: a gripping premise, compelling narrative, memorable characters, and nuanced themes. Butler thought-provokingly dives into the complexity of slavery's dynamics, leaving the reader plenty to ponder on racism, both historically and today. 

 Fox spirits are known to to be cunning and clever creatures who lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful humans. In 1908, Snow leaves her den in the grasslands to seeking vengeance for her lost child, a trail that will lead her from China to Japan. Meanwhile Bao, a detective, investigates the death of an unknown courtesan found frozen in the snow. As Bao follows Snow's trail, they both meet friends and foes and navigate the truths and myths about fox spirits. 

Yangsze Choo presents an enchanting premise with gorgeous magical realism rooted in Chinese mythology regarding foxes. Yet, the story itself was felt lacking. Choo's narrative is slow to develop, which would be fine except the plot is also anticlimactic. The combo leaves you wanting more: more development, more emotional connection, and more resolution.