The Book of Cold Cases is a dual timeline and perspective thriller set in 2017 and the 1970s. Shea is a medical receptionist in 2017 who has a true crime website in her free time called The Book of Cold Cases. Beth, a sexy and mysterious woman, was accused of multiple murders in 1977 and has now approached Shea in the present timeline. Beth Greer has never spoken to the press since she was acquitted. Why is she speaking now and why is she speaking to Shea?

As this story progresses, we find out that Shea has hidden trauma of her own that fuels her anxiety and her interest in unsolved crimes. Beth confides in Shea and slowly Shea unravels the unsolved murders from four decades ago. Interspersed with ghost elements and some romance with a PI, The Book of Cold Cases hit the right spot for me as a thriller that was so much fun and well paced. 

I did guess each of the twists in this book, but it did not detract from my enjoyment. I'm not a big fan of ghost stories, but I think Simone St. James balanced realism and speculative elements very well. I look forward to reading another of her books soon. 

Amen Maxine is a tight, concise novel from Faith Gardner set just far enough into the future to be both believable and disturbing. Rowena is a new mother and her husband Jacob works for a tech company named Jolvix. Rowena is struggling with postpartum anxiety. To support his wife, Jacob brings home a new personal assistant device for Rowena that includes predictive technology. 

Soon Rowena's anxiety has reason to increase exponentially, Maxine- the device- predicts that Jacob will attempt to kill her. And I'll say nothing else about the plot because this short novel works best if it has the element of surprise. Equipped with believable technology dilemmas, a horrifying mother in law, and a far away best friend and mother, Amen Maxine is a delicious psychological thriller that is out of the box and unlike other releases. Give it a try, especially if you have Kindle Unlimited! 

In the Dream House is a creatively told memoir about the author's experience in an abusive relationship with her female partner. Written in vignettes, each titled "The Dream House as...," this memoir balances symbolism with stories of the terror of an emotionally abusive and controlling partner. In this way, the author also creates balance for the reader while discussing extremely heavy topics. 

I loved listening to this and it is narrated by the author. Her voice enriched the experience, and I recommend that format. I stayed away from this book for so long because of the heavy content, and I'm so glad I finally read it. I think you should too. 

Emily and Kristin are best friends and travel partners. Every year they go backpacking, but this year their trip to Chile goes terribly wrong. Emily comes into their room to blood and broken glass and Kristin says she had to defend herself. We Were Never Here is a sneaking story of two friends who have now killed twice, and it will latch on to you until the end. 

Emily spends much of this novel investigating Kristin's past and trying to determine if her best friend is a troubled killer and if she can trust her at all with these secrets that could destroy them both. Ultimately, I think you should know nothing else before beginning this book. This book draws its tension from the familiar best friend relationship and the age old question, how well can we know anyone? This thriller may not shock you with never heard before twists, but I think it will draw you in and keep your interest. It is a good time. 

Kevin Wilson has written another incredibly charming and completely different than the run of the mill book. After being a big fan of Nothing to See Here, I was excited to pick up this novel. My expectations were met and then some. This novel evokes nostalgia for the magic of adolescence, a time filled with plenty of tough transitions. 

Frankie is a misfit teenager when she meets Zeke and a deep and sudden friendship blooms. Together they fixate on a co-written sentence that then gives birth to art that they anonymously plaster all over town. The author's development of their characters and their separate but conjoined experience of this fame-adjacent secretive experience is really special. 

As the story continues, we see how the experience of creating this art that was never accredited to them impacts Frankie's adult life. And that's the meat of the story, how can secrets be good and bad, how do the decisions of our distant past effect our relationships today. There was nothing I disliked in this book, and the author's note at the end made me love it even more. Inspired by a special friendship that is now tinged with grief, Kevin Wilson has written a truly special novel here and I hope you will read it. 

DNF quick and early for blatant fat phobia. Reviews confirm this is not worth reading. 

The Final Gambit is the third book in the Inheritance Games trilogy. I really enjoyed this one and it may be my favorite of the three. In this book, I think the balance of character development, mystery, and plot pacing was very good. I won't get into much summary because it is the third in a series, but I liked how everything got wrapped up but in a way that left the author the ability to write more later on. I didn't notice plot holes and the pacing was well done- the story moved at a good clip but it didn't feel rushed to bring things together at the end. 

This was a really unique collection of short stories and poems. Perhaps it is because I've never read a middle grades short story collection, but I found this really fun and different from my usual middle grade reads. Some of the stories were more poignant while others were more humorous; there was a good balance. My favorite part was the poem about a school bus. I loved how each story had its own narrator. I definitely recommend this. 

Once Upon a Fever is a YA dystopian pandemic story with fantasy elements, but don't let that scare you away if that doesn't immediately put it on your TBR. Set in London, Peyton and Ani are sisters. Their father is a methic- the medical professional term in their society. Unfortunately, their mother is sick and is existing suspended in water until a cure can be found for her disease. 

Peyton wants to grow up to be a methic as well, and Ani is the rebellious younger child who is more worried about now than the future. When Ani discovers a boy with Midas Fingers locked away in her father's hospital, she is determined to free him and find out what is going on. 

The plague is caused by emotions and manifests differently based on what the person feels in excess, so this dystopia won't feel too close to what we've been living for the last several years. The characters are determined and loveable, while also realistic- which isn't always the case in YA. Pick this up if you like a mystery and an adventure story. 

Are you looking for a middle grades book about finding yourself, found family, handling major life changes, and discovering queer identity? This book does all of that perfectly in a way that honors the seriousness of each topic while also staying fun and uplifting. 

Our main character Dalia is twelve, her parents are recently divorced, she's lost her best friend, and she's obsessed with rollercoaster... videos. But she's never ridden a rollercoaster. When her dad springs some big news on her in a less than ideal way, Dalia sets off on a trip that she is dreading for the company but gleeful about because she will finally ride her first rollercoaster. Armed with a new friend, Dalia gets brave and tries new things all around- not just at theme parks. She explores her own identity with the deft help of some older teens who have walked the same path. 

This is a new favorite middle grades for me because it is just so fun and loveable. I especially love that the author emphasizes the family that we chose, and calls out bad behavior from adults that Dalia should be able to trust. Add this one to your list or get it for a young person in your life.