Thanks to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the copy of this ARC!

Rich kids behaving badly in Martha’s Vineyard and a cast of shady characters? Yes please.

In a locked-room ode to Agatha Christie, Katie Cotugno introduces us to Holiday (the new Hercule Poirot) and her childhood friend, Michael/“Linden.” I didn’t expect this to be a male POV (Linden’s), so that definitely threw me off in the first few chapters as I expected Holiday’s POV. Linden goes to stay in Martha’s Vineyard at his friend’s house when that friend’s enemy ends up lying facedown in the pool. Cue the whodunnit mystery! I found this absolutely bingeable - all the characters were kind of terrible, and I wanted to find out who really pushed Greg in the pool via amateur sleuthing. This is a short, compulsive read and one that is PERFECT for your beach bag for the summer. I’d also make note that while this is YA, it’s definitely older YA due to content (partying / sex / drugs / alcohol / lots of F-bombs).

Read if you:
- like locked-room mysteries
- want a cast of shady characters
- enjoy rich kids behaving badly
- want a bingeable read
- need a read for the beach / pool

Thanks to Putnam for the copy of this book!

When the town of Redford, Georgia's benefactor passes away, his grandson, Carter, comes into town. Jess, a romance editor who grew up in the small town and forms an instant connection with Carter - and luckily he has to stick around for a little longer than expected. Turns out the benefactor made his inheritance into a game that the whole town is expected to participate in. Everything shuts down for these (pretty absurd) games to take place, and romance starts blooming. This was a fun read, but maybe a little immature. It read almost a little YA to me - the characters seemed like they were more late teens/early 20s than their actual ages in the book. It was fun and escapist, which is definitely Lacie's MO with her romance novels!

Read if you:
- like small-town settings
- want multiple POVs and storylines in a romance
- need an escapist read filled with silliness

Thanks to Flatiron Books for the copy of this book!

When I read "vampires + Addie LaRue vibes" I knew I had to pick this book up. While there isn't a strong romance storyline like there is in Addie LaRue, The God of Endings is a strong character-driven story about a women who is turned into a vampire by her grandfather at a young age when she's on the brink of death. He says, "This world, my dear child, all of it, right to the very end if there is to be an end, is a gift. But it's a gift few are strong enough to receive. I made a judgment that you might be among those strong few, that you might be better served on this side of things than the other. I thought you might find some use for the world and it for you. But if not, my sincerest apologies for the miscalculation."

As we follow our vampire, Collette LaSange in the 1980s timeline, we get flashbacks to her childhood a century and a half before and her reflection on her grandather's words throughout her life. She struggles to source her food while also presenting as "just your regular, everyday art teacher", to be a vampire while also caring for small children, and to continue on with life when she longs for the silence of death.

I enjoyed this read. It's definitely for a particular type of reader, and is a slow and winding story that I believe is best read over the course of a week or two - which is also how I read Addie LaRue. I loved the reflection of the impact we can have on the world and our impact specifically on children. I absolutely loved the ending of this, too!

Read if you:
- Enjoy character-driven stories
- Like vampires
- Loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
- Want to take your time with a read

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy of this ARC.

This sequel to The Kind Worth Killing (which you absolutely have to read first!) was a fun venture back to Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner. I loved the plot of this one and how Lily was incorporated into Henry’s newest case. Lily’s return and the ending of this book were absolutely the best part, but I did also love our villain’s journey as a serial killer from childhood to the present day. The middle of this dragged a bit for me and I definitely could’ve used more Lily because she’s the best, but still a story with an engaging plot line!

Thanks to Let's Talk Books Promo and Berkley for the copy of this ARC.

Chanel Cleeton is one of my absolute favorite historical fiction authors - her books are always a win for me! The Cuban Heiress is based off of true events of the SS Morro Castle in 1934, and is told in dual POV between Catherine (a "NY heiress" who is really a fraud) and Elena (actually an heiress who is supposed to be dead). This book had a dark air of mystery, forbidden romance, and a serving of revenge. It was thrilling to watch the events of the past mirror events of the present on the cruise ship. I binged this in one sitting - it was such a page-turner!

Read if you:
- need a good book for your beach bag
- loved the Titanic movie
- enjoy when women get revenge

I’ve never been more sure that I am not a cat person.

3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for the copy of this ALC and Celadon Books for the ARC.

This was such a unique work of historical fiction. I loved that we started in WWII with a really gutwrenching situation: a couple in London deciding to send their child to live in the United States so that she can have a childhood. But as years go by and Bea spends more time in the US, where is her real home? Who is her family? All involved have conflicting, hard feelings and I thought Laura Spence-Ash did a great job of exploring these throughout the War. This was all in Part 1. After that, we fast forward a few years and while I enjoyed how all of the characters grew apart and back together through many events, I didn't particularly love how it all played out. So in the end, this ended up more as a "like" than a "love."

Absolutely LOVED the narration by Ell Potter. Highly recommend listening to this audiobook!

Read if you:
- want a bit of heartbreak
- enjoy character-driven stories
- want historical fiction that's not too heavy on history

Thank you so much to Chloe Liese for the copy of this ARC.

I am deceased. This entire series is just so good, but OH MY GOSH Ziggy and Sebastian are everything. You know I love to see a redhead MC, and pair that with a tattooed bad boy hockey player? Yes ma’am.

The first few chapters of this book are hysterical - where Ziggy and Sebastian find themselves in a bit of a predicament - which leads to fake friendship and lots of not-fake feelings. Chloe does a great job with representation in this book (autism, Celiac disease, bisexuality and pansexuality), but the part that squeezed my heart to bits was the hope that Ziggy and Sebastian had in each other to do the hard things and grow. It was so stinkin beautiful. Seeing the best in others and wanting to be the best version of yourself for someone else gets me every time and makes for the best of the best romances. And so does a guy who will dress up as a romantasy hero - wings and all.

Don’t worry - there’s also great friendship, sibling relationships, and of course, the A-frame to round out the romance and create Bergman perfection.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for the copy of this book!

I always love Rachel Griffin for witchy vibes and this is my absolute new favorite of her books. I loved the darker tone of this book and the entire setting that she created for this atmosphere. This book had me absolutely captivated in Tana’s story - I was feeling her feelings and the weight of her decisions, and really hoping she’d choose the harder path she knew was for her. Her best friend and oh my gosh her DAD were just my faves. They added to the story in a big way and just loved her for being a little rebellious and true to herself. The love story in this one was perfection, and with the magic system just made for such a compelling read. This will definitely be a Witch Week 2023 feature and a book I’ll come back to again!

Read if you:
- loved The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
- enjoy mysterious and brooding MMCs
- need witches and forbidden magic

Thanks to S&S Book Club Favorites for the copy of this ARC!

The Only Survivors is a really great locked room mystery told from multiple points of view in with dual timelines. In the past timeline, our group of characters are part of a group of high school seniors on a service trip that crash into a ravine. They are the only survivors. Each year, they get together to commemorate that night… Or to keep an eye on each other. This year, things get weird and tension grows until we find out which character has been speaking a little too freely outside the group. I really enjoyed this book with the red herrings, clues dropped, and the multiple twists. I loved how the timeline went back and forth to make the story fall in line. This is definitely a great book for a vacation read!

Read if you:
- like a group connected by an event in the past
- enjoy locked-room mysteries
- vacation in the Outer Banks
- ruminate over who you’d save if your car started sinking in water