Meet Me on the Bridge was a totally mixed bag for me. I enjoyed this author's iteration of the multiverse, with Julia (the FMC) repeatedly going back to one 24 hour period in May of 2023 to alter the outcomes. Julia's grandmother was also a treasure, and Alex (the MMC) was adorable. But this book was really dark for the women's fic genre, getting progressively more disturbing as it went on. On this note, I felt it took too much from the old Aston Kutcher movie, The Butterfly Effect. And I felt it was longer than necessary as well. 

I selected this as an Amazon first read and as part of a Bookstagram project for which I'm reading women's fiction with time travel/multiverse tropes. This one won't be at the top of the list. 

Sociopath is a memoir from a perspective that is usually maligned in literature. Patric Gagne has known she was different since a very young age, and this memoir details much of her childhood, college years, and her early years of adulthood. 

I found this very immersive and felt empathy for Gagne, who struggles to feel empathy. She spends a lot of time explaining what the overwhelming apathy feels like for her and her struggles to avoid that feeling in an acceptable, safe way. The second third gets a little repetitive, but I still found it enjoyable. And the final chapter and epilogue bring the book together in a way that highlights the possibility of a full, healthy life for people that our society wants to ostracize. 

I took a lot away from reading this- namely more understanding of people who the mental health field is failing. I recommend reading! 

The Body Keeps the Score is an impressive work of nonfiction explaining how trauma shows up in the body and various therapeutic modalities that have been shown to be effective in reducing the impact of trauma. 

While this book is long, I felt engaged throughout and thought it was accessible for those outside the world of psychiatry and counseling. There is a good balance of data and stories from patients. As you would expect, the content is heavy and if you have a history of trauma, it will probably come up in reading this book. Proceed with care and a plan for taking care of yourself while making it through this important book. 

My only complaint about this book is numerous references to obesity as an outcome of trauma. I'm not disagreeing with this necessarily, but data wasn't referenced and it wasn't unpacked in a way that assured me that there was not anti-fat bias at play. 

Middletide is an atmospheric mystery and a strong debut novel by Sarah Crouch. The story begins on a misty morning as two fishermen trespassing in a private lake for it's large trout and they are shocked to see a body hanging from a noose. Told in a nonlinear fashion, we slowly learn about Elijah Leith, the owner of this land and the author of a flopped novel. 

This book is full of strong but not overly verbose descriptions of the Pacific Northwest, and the small town atmosphere added to the mood as well. The murder mystery moves slowly, and ultimately ends with courtroom scenes which I enjoyed. This is a story about second chances, and earning back trust. The characters are fleshed out enough to be believable, and I felt enough was left unsaid that as readers we could infer plenty of emotion. And while the end probably won't shock you, the journey to get there was quite well done. There was plenty of tension and I was even distracted by a red herring here and there. 

My complaints about this book are minor, but worth noting. I counted several instances of fat phobia, namely that the female love interest "had a runner's body" which is in other parts of the book described as lean and lithe. There is NO SUCH THING as a runner's body. If you run, you have a runner's body. Full stop. Also, there was reference to a woman Eli barely recognized because she had "gained fifty pounds." This wasn't said with shame or explicit judgment, so I'm on the fence about it because bodies change and that's okay! But with the runner's body trash, it counts. Also the end leans a bit religious, which is not my bag, but seems worth noting for other readers. 

All We Were Promised is the story of three young Black women in Philadelphia during the 1830s. Philadelphia was home to many free Blacks at this time and it was also a volatile community with so many people of different political beliefs in close proximity. This story begins on this note, as Charlotte- a teenager who has been living free for four years since running away from slavery in Maryland- observes that the day seems just right for a riot to break out. 

Charlotte's circumstances are unique, she is working as a housemaid for her father who now passes as white and has a budding woodworking career. Next we meet Nell, the daughter of an affluent Black family who is expected to marry soon but is instead focusing her time on the abolition movement. And third, we read from the perspective of Evie, a young woman who is enslaved to Kate who has brought her up to Philadelphia on vacation. 

The three women's lives intertwine and they take on a monumental task. I liked the character development in this book, especially by the end when we learned more about James who has been passing. However, I felt the book had consistent pacing issues. It was a slow start, a somewhat steady middle, and then a very drawn out and slow ending. I also felt that the words servant, maid, and slave were used interchangeably and they are certainly not equivalent. The beginning of the novel avoided the word slave when it would have been entirely appropriate and would have conveyed the gravity of the situation. I also felt that chattel slavery was portrayed in a way that hid the violence and horror, almost putting rose colored glasses on it but not quite. I will say this tapered off as the book went on and the descriptions, while not graphic, were true to the reality of the horrors of the time. 

I look forward to what Lattimore publishes in the future because the bones of this book present a talent for telling a story with ample historical research and accuracy. 

The Woman in the Garden is a puzzle like mystery that follows Eustacia Rose. Rose was a Professor of Botanical Toxicology and lives alone in London with an extensive and dangerous rooftop garden. The professor's life now revolves around tending the garden, buying black market plants, and using a telescope to "scientifically" document the lives of neighbors. While gazing, Rose focuses on the apartment of a young woman who is visited by numerous men, whom she nicknames after different poisonous plants. And the illegal plants aren't the only secret that the Professor is keeping close. 

When the aforementioned young woman, Simone, is pushed into a car by one of these men, Eustacia Rose decides to take matters into their own hands because it's clear the police don't care enough. What follows is a tense mystery that slowly unravels in ways I didn't see coming, while I enjoyed looking back to see the clues the author planted. 

I flew through this book and enjoyed the unique, floral writing that so well described various rare plants and their effects. The dynamics between Eustacia and an elderly neighbor, the investigating officer, and an old colleague were especially endearing. This read well as a standalone, but it is second in a series and the ending made me very anxious to read the third... but it wasn't a cliffhanger! 

I highly recommend this for a mystery that's a little outside of the box with an androgynous main character, a Sapphic crush, and an intricate mystery that steadily unravels. 

Unraveling Oliver is Liz Nugent's debut novel. I've been reading through her backlist since enjoying Strange Sally Diamond last year. In this character driven novel, we learn about Oliver in reverse. Oliver is currently in his late fifties and has done something wretchedly violent, much to the surprise of his friends. That is, until they begin reflecting on his past. 

The writing style is familiarly Nugent's brand and you can see the bones of what she does in her more recent books. Part of the fun of diving into an author's backlist is seeing how they've grown and changed as a writer, and Nugent has certainly developed and evolved- taking her signature disturbing character driven style and making it more tense and snappy. 

This book was quieter than others I've read from her and while there was a mystery and some tension, it did not read like a mystery/thriller. Because I know her style, I saw the reveals coming and it was enjoyable to see how she had planted the clues and then unfolded them later. 

I don't think this is a must read. But if you like dark character studies and the question is someone born awful or turned that way, then this is a book that might really work for you. 

When Cicadas Cry is an atmospheric mystery set in rural South Carolina. When a white woman is found brutally murdered, a Black man is found kneeling over her body. This man, Sam Jenkins, asserts his innocence and the quest to prove it begins. But soon two cold case murders from over thirty years ago come to the attention of Zach Stander, the lawyer defending Sam Jenkins. Untangling the past and present is complicated and dangerous as family alliances and old secrets are strong in these isolated communities. 

The strengths of this novel are its descriptions of the scenery and way of life in the deep South, and the narrator artistically brings each character to life. As a resident of the South, I am picky about Southern accents and even regional differences and his vocal abilities were impressive. The combination of the character development and writing with the audiobook was a great experience. I loved the main cast of characters and Sam's grandfather is just incredible. Zach was not as evenly developed as I would have liked, but I enjoyed his perspective and character. 

However, I have several issues with this novel. My antennae went up early on when there were frequent references to the motto "Heritage, not Hate" in regards to the Civil War. The question was repeated, "Is so and so on the side of heritage or hate?" Ya'll, there's no such thing. If you are flying the stars and bars, that's hate. I'm not willing to debate this in the year 2024 and this was my first clue that the author and I wouldn't see eye to eye. And unfortunately, the final twist and the resolution of the mystery was uncomfortable and offensive. There were a few lines intending to make it socially palatable... maybe? If so, it didn't work. 

I had high hopes for this To Kill a Mockingbird inspired story, and I am ending the reading experience disappointed. I would love to read a similar story by a Black author with the lived Southern experience. Those books exist, so I'm off to find some.