Oof. I knew this book would be upsetting going in, but I honestly didn't plan for the feelings of fury and frustration it also evoked.

You most likely remember the news story. Jennifer and Sarah Hart, two white moms, adopted 3 biracial and 3 Black children and, after years of reports of abuse, drugged themselves and their kids and drove their minivan off a cliff in CA, killing everyone. This comprehensive and compelling book explores this tragedy through the lens of the children's birth families and the many failings of the foster-care and adoption systems. Asgarian shows off her immense journalism talents with this riveting nonfiction read.

In this book, readers are introduced to the birth mothers of each trio of kids. We hear about the addiction and mental health issues that brought them to a TX court system that favored terminating parental rights (and denying fit relatives custody), while ignoring and excusing years of allegations of abuse by the Hart parents. We hear about the older sibling who wasn't adopted and his spiral into addiction & incarceration. We hear about a white TX judge who hired his cronies, while saying shockingly racist things to the parents of color who appeared before him in court. We hear about how the birth parents weren't told that their kids were dead. We go with Roxanna as she works with Jennifer's devastated-yet-empathetic father to give parts of the ashes of 5 of the kids (Devonte's remains were never found) to their birth parents.

From every angle, this story is heartbreaking. How systemic racism and socio-economic inequality affected the birth families. How even reporting on the Hart murder-suicide crafted a narrative that rationalized their actions as those of two "overwhelmed" mothers. But, most importantly, how 6 young lives were the casualties of systems and laws that put punishment over help and bureaucracy over humanity. Markis, Hannah, Devonte, Jeremiah, Abigail, and Ciera are the true victims in all of this.

If you like reading books that shine the light on the humans behind headlines, this is a must-read.

The buzz about the book is big—and with good reason. Ann Napolitano once again (lovingly) rips out readers' hearts with this emotional, hopeful family saga inspired by Little Women.

Julia Padavano is one of four sisters in a close-knit family in Chicago. At college she meets William Waters, the emotionally damaged son of parents who, devastated by the death of William's sister when he was a baby, were incapable of forming an attachment to their son. This emotional abandonment has made it easier for William to be embraced by the determined Julia and her loving family.

Julia is the determined sister who has her whole life (and boyfriend William's) planned out; Sylvie is the quiet reader who puts herself second to her sisters; Cecelia is the brash artist who has a strong bond with her twin, Emeline, the natural mother of the quartet. All four are close and welcome William with open arms. But emotional damage from the past rears its head and fractures start to develop.

Napolitano is an expert at highlighting the specificities and complexities of life to draw you in to her characters' lives and loves. This one absolutely affected me with the emotional moments, and I really loved the idea of a family welcoming someone whose own family was severely lacking in emotional support.

For Dear Edward fans, this is another profound, emotional story you'll love. And quick note about the audio version. Maura Tierney narrates this one, and I loved listening to her! She played one of my favorite TV characters ever (Abby Lockhart, ER), so I was thrilled to hear her voice again.

Thanks to @netgalley and @thedialpress for the free eBook in exchange for an honest review.

This mesmerizing novel explores how three women—from the same family over five centuries—learn to use magical powers to fight back against the patriarchal worlds they inhabit. In 17th-century England, Altha is on trial for witchcraft after she's found at the home of her long-ago friend when her husband dies. Violet, Altha's granddaughter, lives in her father's estate in the English village of Crows Beck. A lover of insects and nature, she's kept under careful watch by her father, who worries she'll exhibit the same strange behaviors as her mother. And, in modern day, a pregnant woman named Kate is on the run, after leaving her abusive husband. She finds refuge in her great aunt Violent's cottage in Crows Beck.

Each of these women's stories are powerful, with themes of trauma and abuse fueling their growth into their abilities and their self-confidence. Unlike other "witch" stories, this one is more literary-fiction-ish, which I really liked. Hart's descriptions of animals and nature are especially vivid and add to the moody, magical feel of the book.

I did my usual read/listen mix with this one and the three narrators who speak the women's stories are especially engaging.

If you like magical stories about witchy women finding their powers (and using them to smash the patriarchy), this is a good one!

I'll be honest. I'm not normally a huge thriller fan, but this smart, fast-paced novel kept me entertained throughout.

Bodie Kane is a professor and podcaster who is invited to go back to her high-school boarding school to teach a class. While there, she starts seeing an old murder case in a new light. In the spring of Bodie's senior year, popular theater star Thalia Keith was murdered--and Omar, the Black athletic director was accused and convicted of the crime. In present day, one of Bodie's boarding school students starts reexamining the case and questions emerge. Did the wrong person get convicted? And, if so, who did kill Thalia?

This novel is not only a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but it also touches on weighty subjects like racism, sexual assault, and the allure and problematic nature of true crime when it comes to women as victims. Why do so many women love true-crime stories, when many (many) women are the victims of violence by men? Makkai doesn't shy away from exploring this subject--and the execution is engaging, enlightening, and thought-provoking. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it for thriller fans and those who don't usually gravitate toward the genre.

Let's put it this way, there's no chance I'm not going to read a book about a middle-aged female pirate who's coerced into heading back out on the high seas. Add to that some fun supernatural elements, a love-hate relationship, interesting commentary on faith and fallibility, and a huge, tentacled creature lurking in the ocean and you get one fun, quirky swashbuckling adventure.

Once a famed pirate who sailed through the Indian Ocean during the Crusades, Amina al-Sirafi now lives a quiet life with her mother and daughter away from the danger and drama. Yet when a wealthy woman comes and beckons/threatens Amina to find her wayward granddaughter, our heroine tracks down her old motley crew, liberates her beloved ship, and heads out on the rescue mission.

Chakraborty's mastery of fantasy fiction is on display here. The world building is terrific—the rescue mission balloons into a fight to save the world and the various characters, settings, and theatric scenes all gel together wonderfully. Amina is a joy. Fierce yet tender, devout yet sinful, wise yet snarky, she's the perfect character to build this story around. I loved how she showed off her prowess as a pirate, while also admitting to realities (a bad knee, the fear of not returning to her daughter, etc.) that held her back.

The supporting characters are great, especially Amina's not-quite-human estranged husband. Their banter has a love-hate spark that pops off the page. As the narrative goes from one scene to another, you can't help but get immersed in the trials of this vibrant leading lady and her crew. My one quibble was the page count—as good as the story is, I'm not sure it needed to be 450 pages, particularly since this is the start of a trilogy.

That said, I really loved this book! It has action, supernatural shenanigans, emotion, fun feminist elements, sword fights, and an engrossing story that will absolutely compel me to buy and read the next two books. If you're a fantasy fan who loves a strong, sassy female lead, you'll enjoy this book!

From the description, this one sounded like it was right in my wheelhouse. A fantastical story of a 14th century Indian woman named Pampa Kampana, who is divined with the power of a goddess to create a city where women have the same agency as men. And written by the amazing Salman Rushie? I mean, what lit-fiction book nerd (me!) wouldn't pick this up?

Rushie's superior writing talents are on full display and the story is fascinating and well-executed. I like how it is framed as the translation of an ancient epic tale. The main storyline--the building of a city from the ground up and its eventual tarnishing by the ego, corruption, and capacity of evil of human nature has shades of the creation story from the Bible. And it's expansive as a metaphor for life itself--the bad that humans are capable of breaking through and diminishing the beauty and goodness of the human experience. I especially liked Rushdie's focus on the patriarchy and how it still managed to affect a society with females in traditionally male roles (army, leader, sexually liberal).

I think that fact that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would has more to do with me than the book. I may have had too high of expectations so nothing short of a literary masterpiece would do? It's good, there's no doubt about that. I just think I was expecting it to blow me away, which it didn't.

This propulsive debut pays homage to the classic movie Taxi Driver, but updates it to take place in today's ride-share culture. Guns's novel also speaks to the many issues bombarding the lives of today's young millennials.

Damani Krishanthan is the bisexual daughter of Indian immigrants who spends her days driving through an unnamed city giving rides to both regulars and new customers. She's unafraid of the work and outfits her car with knives, bleach, air fresheners, a crowbar, and anything else she'd need in an emergency. She spends her off-time lifting weights, hanging with her gig-work buddies, at the Doo Wop nightclub, and taking care of her mother, who's out of sorts since Damani's dad died of a heart attack while working his fast-food job. She zips through a city besieged with continual protests for the various issues of today, though Damani herself seems to only be on the peripheral of the anger and more concerned with lifting weights, listening to self-help podcasts, and making sure she and her mom don't get evicted and have enough food to eat.

Enter gorgeous, white activist Jolene. Damani is immediately smitten. Yet as they get closer, the cracks in Jolene start to show, particularly her white-privilege-tinged activism, which puts Damani and her gig friends (all people of color) in danger. By the end, Damani is sporting the mohawk of Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle and ready to finally let out her confusion, anger, and desperation.

Guns's commentary on capitalism, the immigrant experience, activism, and ALL the issues affecting the younger generations of today is absolutely affecting in a fun and sharp way. This book wasn't a 5-star for me, but you certainly will enjoy how Guns brings today's issues to the helm using a classic film's structure and Damani's distinct and powerful personality.

I enjoyed both the written version and Priya's own terrific narration of the audiobook. Thanks to @netgalley and @doubleday for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

The plot may be a common one—a woman who was just broken up with by her partner deals with the emotional upheaval by shutting down & eventually finding her new self—but the different ways authors approach it are what make readers enjoy the stories.

In her new novel, Tara Conklin leans heavily on humor & quirkiness to relate how Darcy Clipper, a sheltered 29-year-old, ends up coming out of a depression & using people in her hometown community of Murbridge, MA, to build her up after her husband Skip leaves her for another woman.

After retreating to her childhood home in Murbridge (and realizing her parents have up & moved to a retirement community in AZ without telling her), Darcy stays holed up in the house, eating canned food from her parent's pantry & getting her only "human" interaction from the funny, rude, sad, and intriguing messages the other residents of the town leave on the community message board. She also talks to Fred, the fern she had growing up—which is no longer in her house.

At first it's endearing and funny, but then it just becomes a bit too frivolous—all without much serious emotional reflection and change. I felt bad for Darcy, but, more often, I lost emotional investment in her challenges because of the constant community board postings, drafted emails, and chatting with phantom plants. I felt horrible for her, but I couldn't get too emotionally attached to her journey since she seemed to default to humor instead of actual emotional assessment and change.

I really wanted to love this one—but, unfortunately, I didn't. As a main character, Darcy just seemed too one-dimensional. The story does have its moments of humor and heart, but somehow it didn't gel together to be a completely satisfying read or even a distinct take on a well-worn but still viable girl-loses-partner-but-finds-herself narrative.