booklistqueen's Reviews (634)

On New Year's Eve, Eve's husband Q dies by suicide. While you learn more about Eve and Q's relationship, Nwabineli's debut novel focuses on Eve's complicated emotions after her husband's death. From shock to anger to depression, Eve navigates her grief with the help of her Nigerian family and a group of loyal friends in this powerful story. Nwabineli does an excellent job with such a heavy topic, delivering a powerful but not emotional read. I felt like an outside observer of Eve's grief, appreciating its complexity and ever-shifting tone without being drawn in myself.  

Two hundred years ago, Filomena Fontana cast a curse on her sister and, ever since, no second-born daughter has ever found love. Now two such cursed daughters head to Italy with their great-aunt to help her find love on her eightieth birthday and finally break the curse. Much more fun than I was expecting, The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany was a cute family drama perfect for a book club choice, discussing self-fulfilling prophecies and complex family dynamics while luxuriating in the glories of Italy. 

Ten years ago as a college student, Quincy Carpenter and her friends went on a vacation and the group was slaughtered, with only Quincy surviving. Although dubbed by the media as one of the "Final Girls," the sole survivors of mass killings, Quincy, Lisa, and Sam have never met. When Lisa dies by suicide and Sam seeks her out, Quincy questions Sam's motives. Now Quincy must finally dive into her missing memories of the past to keep it from repeating. Perfect for readers who want scary books that aren't too scary, Final Girls is a solid thriller with slasher vibes throughout, but Sager saves the full-on actin sequence for a big bang at the end. 

 A year ago, Aaron Falk traveled to the South Australian wine country to celebrate the christening of his godson, his friend sheriff Raco's son. But the event was canceled when Raco's sister-in-law vanished that weekend, leaving her baby asleep in the stroller. Now Falk has returned for the rescheduled christening, noticing cracks in this once well-knit group prompting the disclosure of long-kept secrets.

Although I loved the first Aaron Falk mystery, the second book in the series had almost nothing to do with Aaron Falk's character. Not so with this third book. Aaron Falk is front and center as he gets caught up in the mystery and reexamines his own life. I will say, the beginning of Exiles was a struggle. I had a hard time getting into the setup and was often confused by the initial flashbacks. However, once I was into the mystery, I thought it was perfectly executed, slowly peeling away clues layer by layer.

 In an uncertain world, former First Lady Michelle Obama teaches strategies to help you find hope and balance. Instead of cliche affirmations, Obama digs deep into the conversation about difficult topics and finds practical wisdom to help readers cope. With insightful stories and usable tools, Obama hopes to empower readers to find connections in an ever-changing world.

I was not interested in Michelle Obama's newest book, fearing it would be another cliche celebrity self-help book. However, I wasn't going to turn down a free copy, and to my surprise, I found I had completely misjudged Obama's book. First off, Obama is an excellent writer and completely relatable, which I should have known since I loved Becoming. Instead of tips and tricks, Obama shares wisdom as if from an aunt - life lessons that have helped her cope with life's uncertainties.

Too many books and not enough time? Kam Knight explains the tools and tricks you need to begin speed reading. With short chapters and practice exercises, Knight teaches you how to retrain your brain to read faster without sacrificing your reading comprehension. Although I'm a naturally fast reader, I would love to be able to read even faster. Knight's book was a perfect explanation of how to read faster - usually by focusing on space or chunks of text and removing sub-vocalization. His methods definitely work and I could see an immediate improvement. Unfortunately, the book won't automatically make you a speed reader - you have to actually practice the skills over time. 

 How well do we really know our mothers? Andrea thought she knew everything about her mother - who lived a quiet life in their small beachside town. Until a trip to the mall erupts in violence and shatters everything Andrea thought she knew. Before she was Laura, her mother was someone else, and, on the run, Andrea must piece together the clues of her mother's past.

Pieces of Her starts with a bang, immediately grabbing your attention with a stunning opening scene. Andy made an interesting heroine, her constant internal monologue made her realistic, but also drags the pace down. However, I thought the mystery was entertaining and left me pondering what I would do in Andy's situation. 

 While protecting a judge getting death threats, new US Marshal Andrea Oliver can't resist investigating a cold case connected to her father. In 1982, the judge's daughter Emily was part of a close-knit group of friends, until she is raped and becomes pregnant. Not knowing who the father is, Emily suspects her closest friends but is killed on prom night. Now Andrea is determined to use her powers to find out what happened to Emily

In a sequel to her domestic thriller Pieces of Her (which the publisher conveniently forgot to advertise as a sequel), Andrea Oliver gets her first assignment after graduation. The mystery itself was solid, keeping your interest with chapters reflecting Emily's backstory. However, Andrea's bizarre relationship with her "boyfriend" set my teeth on edge. I feel like there will be a third book coming soon. 

In the conclusion of Novik's spellbinding dark academia trilogy, El must deal with the aftermath of her grand graduation breakout. Though she escaped the Scholomance, she grieves Orion who was left behind. However, a brewing enclave war threatens the lives of everyone they saved and El must return to the Scholomance when she begins to uncover the true nature of the enclaves. Although Novik ties up the series well, the slower pace and elaborate world-building weren't my favorite. 

 After a childhood of being ignored by his family, William Waters finds refuge playing basketball in college. When William meets Julia Padavano, a lively girl extremely close to her parents and three sisters, he quickly becomes a part of the close-knit Padavano family. Although cracks start to appear in the family, William never imagined he'd be the wedge to drive them apart. 

I think I might call it already. I think I've already found the best book of 2023. I liked Dear Edward, but Hello Beautiful is on a completely different level; it's just that good. Ann Napolitano's March release is the ultimate book club book. She hits on so many different themes, but in completely relatable and realistic ways. The depth of the characters in Hello Beautiful was astounding; you feel the characters come to life. A homage to Little Women, Hello Beautiful gorgeously describes family and sisterhood, mental health and forgiveness, in such a way that you will never forget this story.