Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the copy of this ARC.

"We all have an animal double, Englishman."

Things I know I love: gorgeous book covers and Silvia Moreno-Garcia books.

This is a take on The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells and I loved going into the book knowing that I could totally trust Silvia to take a classic and build on it to make it an amazing new work of literature. You definitely do NOT have to have familiarity with the classic story, and can just Google the background if you really want to... that's what I did!

This book was enthralling. The setting of Yaxaktun for Dr. Moreau's hybrid animal experiments was set up so well, balanced perfectly to keep the funding coming in and the hybrids out of sight. Carlota, his daughter, is the obviously the shining star and I just absolutely loved her and found myself cheering for her the whole time. The book is told between her POV and that of Montgomery, and Englishman who ends up working for Dr. Moreau, and together we get a sci fi / his fic / horror combo novel that is hard to put down. While many parts were predictable, I was excited to keep reading to see them play out and was impressed with Silvia's writing at every turn.

Thanks to Avon Books for the copy of this ARC.

Mhairi McFarlane remains one of my favorite authors. She writes such amazing, emotional fiction SO well, and Mad About You is no exception. Here, she delves into hard topics about power dynamics in relationships - but that’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to give too much away. Our MC, Harriet, had such fantastic character growth over the course of the book and I grew to really love her. I do wish there was a little more in-book romance instead of just alluding to it, but I am so glad Mhairi wrote such an enjoyable book that centers around a really difficult topic that needs to be represented in literature.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and The Book Club Cookbook for the copy of this ARC.

Other Birds is a cute “found family” story about a group of people all living at the Dellawisp. Each has an emotional and/or tragic past, but together at the Dellawisp, they find each other and deal with the ghosts of their past… literally. I was very intrigued by the setting of this novel, but never felt very connected with or invested in the characters themselves. It also read a little on the YA side, so I think if especially for YA readers who like paranormal or magical realism storylines, this will be a big winner.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC!

Lucy Checks In is a women’s fiction novel focused on Lucy, an almost-50 hotel manager whose reputation is in shambles after the hotel owner took all the money and ran. While she wasn’t involved, it’s prevented her from getting a job… until she gets an offer to rehabilitate a hotel in France. There, we get a lovely hotel renovation story with found family and a side of romance. It did feel a little shocking and rushed toward the end of the book compared to the slower and more lackadaisical first half. But, my favorite part of this book was Lucy’s relationship with her nieces and they ended up in a great place at the end so it all worked out.

Thanks to Celadon Books for the gifted ARC!

The Viral Underclass is a much-needed book detailing the interaction of inequality and viruses, particularly HIV and COVID-19. Dr. Steven W. Thrasher clearly has an extensive background in HIV research and uses this knowledge mixed in with race and class data to build a case showing the structural issues that make low-income, non-white individuals more susceptible to viruses. I really appreciated listening to the case studies that Thrasher chose to drive his points home and help readers view viruses in a new way. Biology is NOT the only indicator for spreading or surviving viruses, and in fact solving issues like racism and classism could immensely improve the health of our most vulnerable population.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever for the ARC and ALC.

The Hookup Plan was a really pleasant romance read, well balanced in hard situations for character development and light & fun romance progression. I am always hooked by a strong woman MC and London is not only a pediatric surgeon, she speaks her mind, has strong female friendships, is a great older sister, and goes for what she wants. Absolutely loved her. Drew balances her out well, and watching them reunite after knowing each other in high school was really enjoyable. Marissa Hampton did a wonderful job narrating this book and I really loved listening to it!