

Review of The Names by Florence Knapp
Knapp's novel explores three life paths for a set of characters, all set into motion by the naming of the youngest child--whimsical,...
Jun 26


Review of The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr
Carr's newest novel is a captivating series of character studies within a tightly knit Irish seaside community in the late 1900s. While...
Jun 25


Review of Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
Run for the Hills is the most recent Kevin Wilson gem; his quirky characters are irresistible, and his heartwarming story is messy,...
May 29


Review of The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
Jennifer Weiner's newest novel offers a behind-the-scenes peek at the music business, songwriting, and the pressures of fame, layered...
May 7


Review of Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
In Hall's Broken Country , characters do their duties, find wondrous love, feel heartbreak, suffer tragedies, sometimes act impulsively,...
Apr 1


Review of The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
This middle-grade writing collaboration inserts a clever young protagonist into the behind-the-scenes World War II British codebreaking...
Feb 6


Review of The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Much of The Safekeep feels claustrophobic, quiet, and hopeless, but unexpected shifts late in the story turn accepted histories on their...
Jan 9


Review of Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Blue Sisters explores three surviving sisters' messy paths into and out of grief after the loss of their fourth sister Nicky. They make...
Nov 26, 2024


Review of Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch
In the first book of Blake Crouch's haunting mystery trilogy, secret agent Ethan Burke tries to grasp the shifts in time, widespread...
Nov 21, 2024


Review of Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Intermezzo is one of my favorite Rooney novels yet, exploring complicated families, grief, unconventional relationships, forgiveness, and...
Oct 24, 2024


Review of The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
I loved this summer-camp setting, the slow build of mystery in two timelines, the privilege and working class disparities, the eventual...
Oct 9, 2024


Review of Bear by Julia Phillips
The author of Disappearing Earth offers a story of bleak prospects, poverty and illness, a sister bond with fault lines ready to crack...
Aug 15, 2024


Review of The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
The Whalebone Theatre begins with offbeat children's performances on a lazy, decadent English estate in the 1920s and builds to the...
Feb 21, 2024


Review of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
Lex Croucher's queer medieval rom-com--the author's debut young-adult novel--is an absolute gem; it's full of excellent banter and lots...
Feb 13, 2024


Review of The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power #1) by V. E. Schwab
Schwab returns to the world of the four Londons in the first of a wonderfully paced new series featuring established characters, their...
Jan 25, 2024


Review of Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Emily Tesh's debut novel is a space opera about war, duty, brainwashing, escaping limitations, and reinventing oneself--with fascinating...
Nov 2, 2023


Review of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Patchett's Tom Lake is a heartwarming, poignant Covid-era bonding session between a mother and her three grown daughters as Lara recounts...
Sep 27, 2023


Review of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Jimenez's rom-com frequently had me laughing, made me tear up a little, and kept me hooked on the fake-dating, will-they-won't-they...
Jun 6, 2023


Review of The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
The premise and setting of The Secret Book of Flora Lea are captivating. I was distracted by what felt like overly dramatic dialogue and...
May 9, 2023


Review of Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful explores family bonds, broken connections, forging through pain, allowing for unconventional routes to...
Mar 22, 2023