A cute and delightfully witchy read perfect for the cold snap we're having in Knoxville right now. Isidora is torn away from her demon summoning and poltergeist wrangling to solve a magical mystery plaguing Thistle Grove, and to make matters worse it's with her sworn enemy Rowan Thorne. While Payback's a Witch focused on an arcane competition with a side of love, I really enjoyed the cozy mystery take for this book. It's so fun how Lana Harper mixes her romance, magic, and plot but manages to make each book different. Oh and of course the lovely Irish accent thrown in every so often didn't hurt either. There were moments with a little steam, but it's primarily focused on the mystery and the burgeoning romance between Issa and Rowan - who by the way is SO cute!! In this case, I'd recommend reading the series in order so as to not spoil some of the events of book 1 (so lawful, I know), but this one definitely doesn't suffer from Book 2 syndrome.

*Thank you to PRH Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review*

It's a lot. Full of racism and homophobia, Razorblade Tears isn't for the faint of heart. While many may describe it as a thriller, I think it's more aligned with a crime drama. I definitely got some Breaking Bad vibes throughout. Ike and Buddy Lee are mourning the deaths of their sons when they decide to go after the murderer themselves. It's a story of revenge and redemption and touches on difficult topics like incarceration, death of a child, and transphobia. The mystery itself unfolds nicely, though it felt a bit rushed at times.

This is the definition of dark academia, perfect for reading by candlelight on a chilly night. Comparisons to The Secret History are fair, though I found If We Were Villains to be far more readable. At times I forgot we were Illinois, the vast countryside and old brick buildings leading me to believe we were at a prestigious theatre academy in London. Told in alternating timelines in 3 acts, the comparison of it to a theatre production isn't lost on me. The cast is often quoting Shakespeare to each other as they navigate through their fourth year at Dellecher and its strange traditions. The masked plays felt oddly hedonistic to me, and especially strange given the Shakespeare pieces they chose. Through this, we follow Oliver as he struggles to make himself relevant amongst his peers while in the current timeline knowing that he served 10 years in prison for an unknown crime. As the story unravels and mental states begin to deteriorate, we get some of the most interesting group dynamics I've seen written in awhile. Is it basic to love this book? Probably. But having a literary fiction book that's actually enjoyable to read? Priceless.

WHAAAAAAAT.

I usually don't enjoy And Then There Were None retellings, but this was a very fun take on it. It's full of flashbacks, atmosphere, and a mysterious person tormenting the houseguests. And while I guessed the perpetrator of the murders with ease, I didn't see the second twist coming! I feel like on the reread, I'll see all of the foreshadowing. My favorite part was the ominous poems throughout and now fitting the respective deaths were. Plus with it being set in the early 2000's, there are some added stakes to being that isolated. (And people have top of the line Nokia flip phones soooooo)

An unsolved murder from the 1970's meets a true crime blogger with her own shadowy past... basically a recipe for me loving a book. Add in a creepy old mansion on near a cliff and it's perfect for spooky season. I really enjoyed the flipping in POVs, it felt like a cliffhanger in the best way each time we switched narrators. Throughout the book, you never know who you can trust or if anything you're hearing is even real. It's unreliable narrators to the extreme, but it all wraps up so nicely. I loved the narrators for this too, the thrill of the mystery coming through in their voices. I'm now firmly in the camp that all of Simone St. James books should be enjoyed on audio (though you may end up grabbing the book towards the end because HOOOOOOOOOOOLY SHIT)

*Thank you to PRH Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review*

So I think this one might be my favorite? It was just so FUN and we'd gotten to see Gretchen and Colton individually in the previous books. Plus we get to see recurring characters like Liv and Alexis. And since we've already gotten to know Gretchen and Colton a little, we get to go DEEP into their plotlines. While I wish we'd focused more on Gretchen's law practice, I enjoyed the whiskey angle as well. Plus it doesn't hurt that it's a teensy bit Christmas-y! And as always, Lyssa brings the steam and the DRAAAAMA. Overall a really solid romcom that you could totally pick up as a standalone.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This was seriously FUN! After a bit of a thriller slump, I was pleased to find that this book hooks you from the get go. An elusive secret society at a New England boarding school is linked to Maren's roomate's disappearance and she decides to infiltrate their ranks. It hits all of the boarding school thriller vibes for me - dark academia, deadly games, and a plot that had me questioning everything. I did find some of the characterization a bit lacking, especially with Remington, and there were a few plot holes... but man it was entertaining.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Delicious, cinematic, artsy, and trope-y in the best way. For those of y'all who read and loved The Charm Offensive and wondered what Alison Cochrun would do next, here's the perfect follow-up. I relate to Ellie so much, what with having Generalized Anxiety Disorder, being afraid of failure, and lacking confidence in art. And ultimately this book boils down to FEAR. And that fear is something I feel on a daily basis. In contrast, Jack is completely fearless and poetry in motion. Add in a super elaborate fake dating plotline, a toxic parental relationship, and the CUTEST graphic novel and it's just... perfection. Take me to Portland stat!

*Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Dark humor to the extreme, this is a BOOK. And I've been recommending it to everyone I know because it's really dang good! It's hard to boil it down to a genre, but fantasy/horror seems to fit the best. We follow Peyote Trip, a mid-level employee of Hell as he tries to seal the deal on the final Harrison soul. But simultaneously, we get insights into the lives of the Harrisons on Earth and the deaths that plague their past. Told through the perspectives of Peyote and the Harrisons, you get a dark and thrilling story that will leave you contemplating mortality and morality. It's shadowy, sardonic, and just superb. It's the best BOTM pick I've grabbed in awhile!

It's Christmas Parks & Rec and I loved every minute of it. You get the warm fuzzies of the holidays, but it's evenly cut with acerbic wit and the festival planning plotline. Oh and a fair amount of steam, OH MY! Even some of the scenes mentioned in passing were giving me heart palpitations. It's balanced so nicely with the Hallmark-y small town vibes and the Holly Ridge/Winterberry Glen rivalry. ANNNND a third act break-up that actually made *sense*. My heart.

Cole reminds me SO much of Ben Wyatt, what with his mad accounting skills and general grouchery, but Blaire is the hero of this story. Her love of Holly Ridge and the holidays as a whole made this grinch's heart grow a few sizes. I'll take a peppermint mocha and sugar cookie to-go please.

*Thank you to Rachel for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*