The Museum of Human History is both beautifully written and poorly executed. This story is about people near a fictional island that has been the focus of much attention from scientists and historians, and it is also the story of a girl who has been sleeping since she nearly drowned 25 years ago. 

Told in a sort of vignette style that introduces the reader to many different characters, it would seem that the timeline will be straightforward because each chapter begins with a date but that is not the case. Bergman plays with time throughout many of the chapters in a way that I think was intended to be haunting, but I found it mostly confusing. 

I thought about DNFing, but I stuck through because the writing was technically beautiful and the characters were beautiful and tragic. I agree with other reviews I've read that the ending seemed rushed and haphazard. I'm not sure how to rate this one because some things were so nice and others were a big disappointment, so I've landed in the middle. Take that for what you will. 

Only If You're Lucky is a mysterious story of Margot, a college sophomore who is grieving the tragic death of her best friend shortly after high school graduation. Margot's first year at a small Southern private college went by without incident but also without meaningful connection. She has agreed to live with her roommate again next year, but she flakes out on that plan when a charismatic girl named Lucy invites her to live with her and a few other girls in a house next to a popular fraternity house. 

We follow Margot's perspective as she lives with Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole and their lives closely intertwine with the boys of Sigma Nu. Early in the story, one of the brothers is dead and then the timeline alternates between past and present to slowly reveal his tragic death and the secrets many of the characters are hiding. 

This was clearly the immersive writing on Stacy Willingham with a chilling Southern atmosphere, which she does so well in all of her novels. However, the characters and plot of this one deviates from her first two novels which keeps it fresh in my opinion. I can see some readers disliking this one as it focuses on high school memories and college experiences, but I enjoyed remembering the big feelings of that time in this creepy, secretive plot. Also in Stacy Willingham style, not much happens until the 75% mark, but then you probably won't put this down and she certainly kept my interest to that point where everything starts coming together quickly. 

I didn't find this one totally shocking, but I found it very satisfying. If  you've liked this author in the past, this is definitely worth a try. 

Way. Too. Long. 

While I liked this better than First Born (which really ticked me off), I have decided I’m done with Will Dean. The female characters feel so unrealistic or perfectly idealized. Or both. 

Slight spoiler: 

This reminded me of Murder Trending which I found much more tight, concise, and fun. 

Ruth is a preacher's daughter in small town Louisiana, where trouble is brewing when a beaten skull is discovered in the swamp. Long in love with Everett, Ruth has many secrets including her fantasies of leaving Bottom Springs and falling madly in love with a handsome man. Oh, and she's got lots of ideas in her head from reading purloined copies of Twilight as a teenager- needless to say it's a book that would not be tolerated in her evangelic household and town.  And are there vampires? What's the source of the true evil? 

The story of Midnight is the Darkest Hour begins quickly and Ruth narrates so well what it feels like to be a lonely teenager in a strict home with little affection. But soon, more terrors are found in the swamp and Ruth feels obligated to find answers before the authorities. I think Winstead does a great job moving this story along at a steady and engaging pace, and while the end didn't surprise me I loved how she got us there. 

Read this if you love isolated Southern settings, Twilight (or you did love it long ago), and a wicked fun thriller that plays with the edge between reality and superstition. I thought this was delightfully fun and that it played with dark themes in a humorous way. The audiobook narration captures the Southern affectation so well, I think my only complaint is when I couldn't tell if the narrator said "evangelism" or "a vandalism." ;) 

The Memory of Animals is a pandemic story about a small group of vaccine study volunteers who end up among the last on earth in a quick, tragic turn of events. Told with interspersed letters, we learn primarily about Neffy who at 27 has found herself directionless and jobless. She's left behind someone special to take part in this dangerous trial for the vaccine has not yet been tested on any humans and it will involve an exposure challenge. 

I like a pandemic story, so I felt this had a lot of promise. However, what I found left me wanting and disappointed. This story drags and drags, quite the accomplishment since the book is just over 270 pages. The ending was rushed after so many 50 page chapters of almost nothing happened and repetitive memories of Neffy. And the memory of animals? Totally unexplored. Hinted at in maybe two sentences in the whole book. 

I wish this hadn't been a mess, because there's so much that could have been done better in this premise. 

Joan Johnston is a mess. She's a poorly performing massage therapist mired in grief from the death of her boyfriend. She's in trouble with her boss, she's broke, and she's seriously unhappy. 

But slowly, things start to change for Joan. Enter the book within a book trope, Joan meets a huge bestselling romance author at work and gets roped into a project to help her. And wouldn't you know it? Joan rediscovers her way with words and love for writing. 

Full of love, grief, heartache, a little bit of romance, and a fresh twist on a book within a book, Super Bloom is a delight. I flew through this in about 24 hours, unable to put it down and desperate to see how Joan turned out in the end. 

The First Day of Spring is a haunting story of a young girl who at about the age of eight commits murder for the first time. Chrissie is holding this secret close while her neighborhood falls apart in grief and the search for answers. 

Told in alternating timelines, I loved the character development in this book. If you were a fan of Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild or you enjoy the evil child trope, this book is an excellent choice. I will say it lands much more in the category of literary fiction rather than mystery or thriller, but the dual timelines and the gradual reveal of past details and the dilemmas in present keep it taut and compelling. 

I'd hate to say too much about this one, so I'll just say read it if the titles and tropes mentioned appeal to you. 

No One Can Known is a dual timeline thriller about three sisters who harbor secrets around the double murder of their parents years ago. Since the night of the murders, Emma, Daphne, and Juliette have been estranged for unclear reasons. Now, over ten years later Emma must return to the family home when she and her husband are both suddenly out of work and broke. 

Returning to the small town of Arden Hills brings all kinds of stressors for Emma. She is forced to recall just how much she is uncertain of about the murders, and there is the not insignificant fact that to protect her sisters she told lies and was nearly convicted of the crimes. Many in town still believe she is guilty. 

Alternating between past and present and the perspectives of all three sisters, I think this narrative gets a bit lost in the weeds and the long character list makes it confusing for even the most attentive reader. I was intrigued enough to keep reading, but I never felt compelled with this one. It is a middle of the road thriller with half baked character development in my opinion. 

I have enjoyed Kate Alice Marshall in the past, so I'll probably read from her again but I think this is one you can skip. 

Oh Shark Heart, I was told you would be so amazing. So I purchased you, unwilling to wait for a library copy. And the hype caught up with me, this book doesn't live up in my opinion. 

Shark Heart gets major credit for attempting to tell a fresh story about grief and connection and saying goodbye, but I wish we'd spent longer with one set of characters or the other. Just when I felt so connected to our first set of characters (the lovers who discover just after getting married that the man is going to not so slowly turn into a great white shark), we are quickly vaulted back in time to a different set of characters. I just felt like I didn't get enough depth in either story, and then the end felt so rushed. I would have stuck around for more if it was good! 

There is so much potential here and it is just not fully fleshed out in my opinion. I'll read from this author again, hands down. I hope the next book has this element of creativity and newness with more time with the really fascinating characters. 

Neruda on the Park is a story of Dominican families in an area of NYC that is facing gentrification. If you were a fan of Olga Dies Dreaming, definitely pick this one up. And if Olga Dies Dreaming didn't work for you, I think there's a very strong chance Neruda on the Park will be a better fit. Read on for why.

Neruda on Park has a beautiful emphasis on the characters impacted by gentrification, focusing on characters in different generations without getting caught up in too much of their own personal drama. We have an older character,  Eusebia, who schemes about little ways she can bring down the developers. Meanwhile her daughter, Luz, is a struggling attorney.- struggling with the unrealistic, imbalanced demands of the job and her own desire for connection to family and community. And then Luz goes and falls for one of the white guys working on the development project. 

There are some mildly spicy scenes, but this book still falls solidly into the literary fiction category. I really liked the depth and dimension of all of the characters and the love for Dominican culture was abundant. I can't say a bad word about this book.