booklistqueen's Reviews (634)

 One of the wealthiest women in the world, Dava Shastri is used to getting her way. When she is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Dava gathers her entire family to her private island, and then leeks an early press release announcing her death. Instead of accolades, Dava is stunned to see articles revealing hidden secrets, which she now must explain to her children and grandchildren.

Dava Shastri's Last Day just didn't strike the right cord with me. Although the premise is spectacular, the execution was so full of unlikeable characters that it was difficult to feel an emotional connection to the story. Dava, herself, was an intriguing character: selfish in her personal life yet truly invested in making a difference in the world. Dava's obsession with her legacy made her a poor matriarch to the family, which showed in her four children who were extremely hard to like. 

During the summer of 1977, Vix Leonard's world changes forever when she is swept into a world of unimaginable privilege after she becomes best friends with Caitlin Summers. For years they are inseparable, growing up together and spending each summer on Martha's Vineyard. Even though they haven't been close in years, Caitlin begs Vix to be her maid of honor at her wedding. Vix agrees, hoping to discover what caused the rift between them that summer long ago.

For her August book club pick, Jenna Bush Hager picked an old favorite as the perfect beach read about female friendships. I was less enthralled with Judy Blume's adult novel than Jenna. Summer Sisters starts as an erotic coming-of-age story with a stereotypical cast of characters. By the second half of the novel, Vix matures more than Caitlin and her teenage boyfriend, creating a push and pull that shows the destructive side of childhood friendships.

Alison has always hated Christmas, but her holiday season gets worse when her mother calls and tells her she only has a few weeks to live. Wanting to repair their relationship, Alison agrees to take in Mavis despite Alison's traumatic memories of her abusive alcoholic mother. Instead of healing the relationship, Alison begins to realize her mother is not who she thought. Suspecting her mother is possessed by a demon, Alison must decide how far she is willing to go to save her family from this nightmare.

Jennifer McMahon has penned an atmospheric slow-burn horror story that will give you chills. At first, Ali discards her worries since everything is just a shade off, desperately wanting to believe she's imagining it. By the time Ali realizes the truth, everyone now thinks that Ali is the problem, setting up a cat-and-mouse psychological game that keeps you on edge throughout the second half of the novel.

Ten teenage influencers are invited to a remote island to film "In Real Life," a reality show where they live unplugged for three weeks. With several friends-turned-enemies invited, the influencers quickly realize that the producers are looking for maximum drama. When the production crew fails to show on the first day and one influencer dies, they realize they are trapped on the island without any way to escape. A mysterious "Sponsor" is pulling strings backstage, revealing their secrets to the entire world as more influencers end up dead.

People to Follow was an over-the-top young adult thriller that was still an addictingly good read for me. At first, I had to make a cheat sheet of all the characters but, once I sorted them all out, I was completely hooked. Worley masterfully manipulates this isolation thriller, adapting the And Then There Were None trope to a younger generation of readers. With plenty of drama and a few excellent twists, People to Follow has all the delicious beach read vibes that make it a quick fun read.

 A popular food blogger, Hollis Shaw's life is not as picture-perfect as it seems. When her husband is killed in a car accident after an argument and her daughter pulls away, Hollis decides to try a "Five-Star Weekend." She gathers her best friend from her teens, 20s, 30s, and midlife together for a weekend on Nantucket. But the perfect weekend might turn sour when her friends don't all get along and her childhood friend invites Hollis's first love along.

I generally avoid most standard beach reads, but I figured it was time to give Elin Hilderbrand a chance. And I'm very glad I did. I found The Five-Star Weekend to be a delightful look at midlife and how female friendships impact our lives. With well-rounded characters, you get glimpses of the different work, marriage, and health issues that affect women. Although I would have preferred a more nuanced ending, The Five-Star Weekend wraps up with a hastily put-together happily-ever-after which is characteristic of the beach read genre. 

Violet Sorrengail is all set to live a quiet life among her books until her mother forces orders her to become a candidate for the highly competitive dragon riders. But dragons usually prefer to kill rather than bond with weak humans like Violet. With half the competition willing to kill her to improve their odds and the other half hating her because of her mother, Violet must use all her wits to survive the war college.

Fourth Wing has taken the book world by storm this summer, claiming a place atop the New York Times bestseller list for most of the summer. From the very first page, Yarros throws you into the action and the intensity never lets up throughout the entire book. Reminiscent of Veronica Roth's Divergent and Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses, fantasy readers will love this adult fantasy romance with heartstopping action and an enemies-to-lovers storyline with plenty of spice. I devoured this book in two days, and my only complaint is that there was way too much Twilight-style pining between Violet and Xaden. Luckily, you don't have to wait long for the sequel: Iron Flame comes out in November. 

After losing his job in the Great Recession, Clay Jannon takes a position as a night clerk at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. However, something is odd about this particular bookstore. The customers are sparse and never buy any books. Instead, they "check out" obscure large volumes written in code stacked on perilously high shelves. When Clay's curiosity gets the better of him, he finds a secret society determined to solve an ancient mystery that promises eternal life.

More The DaVinci Code than The Magicians, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is an enjoyable tale full of quirky characters. With little character development and overly used tech talk, the story never dives below surface level. You'll either be completely charmed by the imaginative setting or find this to be a completely forgettable read. 

 In the first book of her Flesh & False Gods series, Chloe Gong pens a new adult fantasy inspired by Antony and Cleopatra. Every year, the kingdom of Talin hosts a series of games, battles to the death where those skilled at jumping their minds between bodies usually win. In hiding after murdering her parents, Princess Calla is determined to kill the corrupt king and winning will be the perfect chance to do so. But she finds an unlikely alliance in Anton and must decide who she is really fighting for - her lover or her kingdom.

Gong's newest fantasy series builds an intricate world whose complexity made it hard to follow. In contrast, Calla and Anton's characters could have used more development, and their naive motivations bothered me. Although the action was consistent throughout, the Hunger Games-style competition didn't have the suspense and tension that you'd expect. However, I will say, the ending was superb. 

 Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe were best friends as children, though life hasn't come out quite how they thought. When their former friend Poppy invited them to a remote island for her bachelorette party, they are stunned to see how gorgeous and successful she's become. With lavish accommodations but no cell service, their tropical vacation quickly turns into a nightmare where past secrets refuse to stay buried.

Just from the publisher's description, you know She Started It is going to be over-the-top, yet Gilbert takes the drama to a level too hard to swallow even for a guilty pleasure revenge thriller. Flashbacks quickly reveal that the four mean girls made Poppy's life a living hell in high school, making the whole premise of begin invited as bridesmaids (and them accepting) impossible to swallow. Add in completely unlikeable characters with unrealistic motives and a big twist that I guessed early on, and I can only recommend She Started It to someone who wants a shallow but fast-paced summer read. 

In 1956, Marion learns that being a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall is much more demanding than she imagined. When a bomb explodes in the theater, Marion urges the police to try a new technique: psychological profiling. As she gets caught up in the investigation, Marion realizes that she might be putting herself and those she loves at terrifying risk.

With a cutesy yet predictable plot, The Spectacular had an intriguing storyline about the Rockettes that keeps you engaged. Unfortunately, the writing was disappointing, constantly overexplaining backstories and telling the story instead of showing. Combine lackluster writing with uneven pacing, and The Spectacular was just an okay read.