This book was pure perfection and I know it’s super early in the year but it will most definitely be in my top books of 2024, it’s just that good! It was such a unique take on a surprise pregnancy trope with Eve already being pregnant when the book begins. It follows her throughout her entire pregnancy and was one of the most accurate portrayal of pregnancy, impending parenthood and all the anxieties and stress that can bring. Not sure I’ve ever read more of a slow burn romance, I’m talking it takes until almost the end to get there but the journey was so amazing I didn’t care one bit. Shep was just such a good guy, I was half in love with him myself by the time I finished the book. It also had a super fun NYC setting, incredible secondary characters, and so much character growth that was truly beautiful. Absolutely adored it! 

This told via two perspectives, Cass who has made a permanent home on the island and Brooke, a travel influencer on vacation. Right away you realize that not only do Brooke and Cass both have some sort of secrets in their pasts, half of the residents on the island do as well. Cass has a group of friends turned family who all seemed to flee to the island to escape something in their pasts as well. So there’s plenty of secrets and skeletons in closets and I was so confident I knew how things would play out and I was wrong. I loved the setting of this beautiful island hiding deadly secrets that gave everything an unsettling feeling. It was a constant guessing game for me and the final twist was a really good shock. I’m definitely impressed this was a debut, if you like a slow burn that actually pays off in the end try this! 

Overall rating: 4/5

If you like drama filled books with a side of suspense this was a pretty solid read. There’s a large cast of characters and two timelines but I was able to follow along fairly easily and sometimes a huge cast works for me and it did here. The setting was great and super atmospheric and the isolation and being cut off from the outside world added tension. There are thought provoking themes about parenthood mixed in with the drama and some of the reveals were a pleasant surprise.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series and when the hints were dropped about Maren and Tuck I was even more intrigued. Tropes included age gap, nanny/boss, and surprise pregnancy and when I tell you this combo had me hooked, I mean I was all in. From the start their connection and pull towards each was so strong and the way they interacted was everything. Their open and honest communication brought such a sense of maturity that I appreciated. Maren’s relationship with Tuck’s daughter, Katie was about the cutest thing ever, so sweet and special and the way he loved his girls was 🫠🥰 You get southern charm, swoony and hot romance and a idyllic small town that I’ll move to tomorrow. Love this series so much and already dying for book three! 

I don’t always love an amnesia plot in a thriller but when it’s done right it can be pretty damn good and it was done right here. It probably helped that I loved Lucy’s character, her sense of humor was hilarious, she’s all about the darkness and dry wit and she made me laugh. The podcast thing has been done before but this brought up some new questions which was nice. It explored the responsibilities that hosts of such podcasts have and it really made me think. It was also bingeable and addictive and had a creep factor that I appreciated. Really solid thriller! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this one and am so happy I’ve only read a few of the authors books so I have her extensive backlist to look forward to. She’s really good and I adored everything about this and had the best time reading it. You get grumpy and sunshine, small town, opposites attract and a side of hockey. It was funny too, read the first chapter and try not to laugh at Fox and Josie’s first interaction. The town itself was also a trip, the residents bring the stereotype about small town meddling and gossip to life in the most hilarious way. Despite its humor there was some serious depth and emotion that I really appreciated too, a great balance that tugged on my heartstrings. Josie was the kind of character I want as a real life friend and Fox was just delicious. Together they were perfect for each other in every way. Obviously I loved it! 

As much as I’m a Kristin Hannah fan I’m not a big historical reader but I took a chance on this one and damn, was it worth it. I knew very little about the Vietnam War and even less about the women who served during that time and was floored by how informative and eye opening this one was for me. The research and care here was impeccable, (the authors note is a must read for some backstory on just how careful she was in writing this) and I was blown away by how well written this was. The characters are beyond life like and truly leap off of the pages and Frankie’s journey was incredibly touching and raw. I’ll stop rambling because I could go on for days, but this is a must read and the audio version is narrated by queen Julia Whelan so obviously it’s amazing. An easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️