Lewis immerses three disparate female characters in the often lawless mayhem of the Gold Rush in the Yukon, where a tragic death binds together their fates. It's 1898 and in Canada, the frenzy of the Gold Rush has taken hold of the frigid Yukon. Three women in Dawson City are trying to find their way. Kate is a journalist who has hurried hundreds of miles to town after an urgent letter from her sister. Martha's hotel is under threat from a local bully buying up all the proper

Fitzgerald recounts various scenes from his gritty, disrupted childhood, shares the chosen family he forms working long-term at a bar, explains his body dysmorphia, and tells the reader how he tries to be a good person in the world. I found his stories intriguing, but for me the essay format made the book feel somewhat disjointed. In his memoir-in-essay-form Dirtbag, Massachusetts, Isaac Fitzgerald traces his life from his unlikely conception (his parents were married...but t

This slim work of nonfiction packs a punch; Alexander (also the author of the exquisite memoir The Light of the World) delves into matters of race, inequality, history, art, and the power of poetry. I found myself wishing for more pages and deeper explorations of these pivotal issues. We send signals across vast distances, hoping to connect. Dr. Elizabeth Alexander draws her book's title from the quote above, which is from a 1968 poem by Muriel Rukeyser. In this slim work of

Benjamin's speculative fiction sets two members of a heartbroken couple in an unforgiving climate, facing an unexplained phenomenon, and seeking the impossible: to turn back time and undo a tragedy that upended their lives. This is intriguing--as well as science-heavy, unique, patiently paced, and without a neat and tidy ending. In Chloe Benjamin's haunting, beautiful novel Under Story, Laurel is a biologist who studies fungi and is running from her past. She's hurting, and s

The Taipei sights, sounds, heat, and tastes are the stars of Kuang's novel. Much of the study-abroad language immersion program felt expected; I most appreciated Lily's eventual examination of her own family's history and heritage and how she fits into it. Lily Chen is a college student who travels to Taiwan to study in an intensive language program along with many other Chinese American students. Lily and her roommate misjudge their living arrangements and suffer through unr

In this dual-timeline historical fiction-fantasy-magical realism-witchy story, Martin explores the Suffolk witch trials of 1645 and builds a link between one of the accused and a modern-day woman coming into her own mysterious powers--who just might be able to save both women, within their own times. "All women have magic in them." In Madeline Martin's dual-timeline novel A Time of Witches, Lilith lives in present-day Savannah, Georgia, and Sybil lives in 1645 Suffolk, Englan

I was most interested in the fascinating premise and the exploration of guilt and responsibility after a terrible accident. I didn't enjoy the peeks into the future, which for me took the drama out of the fraught events that drive the story. And I was disappointed to have easily guessed the facts at the heart of the minor mystery. But I love Chris Bohjalian and many of his other books, so I'll happily read his next novel. Mira Winston is 18 years old in 1978, hitting golf bal

At times this debut novel about an octogenarian and mistaken identity was too cloyingly sweet for me, but Fred's stumbling through life after grief and loss is poignant, and the story of mistakes and redemption is undoubtedly heartwarming. Frederick Fife is a widowed octogenarian living in Australia whose spark for life has dwindled significantly since the death of his beloved wife. He's a day away from being kicked out of his apartment (his wife's long cancer treatment bankr

The premise of this novel hooked me, and the relatively slow pacing throughout felt suited to an insular island life that exists outside of time. It's ultimately romantic to the nth degree, with damning climate-change effects that felt somewhat abrupt. The stormy night Clay Lockhart's wife and children die, he flies into a raging grief, and seemingly as a result of the power of his pain, his home and the land beneath it break from Scotland and float into the sea. When Ellie M

The tone of this historical fiction novel was at first too earnest for my taste, but ultimately I was intrigued by the real-life basis of the Halifax Explosion and the intersecting stories of two women coping with the local accident and crisis, the effects of World War I, societal limitations placed on women, judgment around single motherhood, finding and losing love, and more. I thought I understood what love was, but now I know what it’s not. It’s not being swept off my fee

The Romance Revival is a departure for Christina Lauren; we get a couple who has drifted apart and gets a second chance, but a futuristic, science-fiction twist is key to the plot. The relationship is one to root for, and I really liked the minor mystery, supporting characters, and new direction for the writing pair. Scientist Emery Finch has always been hyper-focused on her top-secret career, but when she fell for landscaper Luca, she fell hard. Their passionate married life

Vera Stein fits the bill for summertime escapism; some small moments didn't resonate with me and the pacing didn't always flow, but the retirement community setting is surprisingly sassy and fun for this second-chance romance that blossoms amid retired B-list Hollywood types. "Just because something is offered doesn't mean it's worth taking." Vera Stein has been working below her abilities as an assistant for her college friend, actor, longtime crush, and sometime hookup Brod

The promising premise (normal-everyday romance with a show-business background) unfortunately didn't translate to a story that worked for me; the execution of this romance felt melodramatic, cyclical, and unsatisfying, with details that didn't ring true for me as a reader. AJ is a high schooler in 2000, dreaming of writing for Saturday Night Live, but working at her local video rental store and writing fan fiction with an audience of a few dozen. Then Noah walks in as a new h

Horror isn't my favorite genre, but a medieval-set quest and a battle between good and evil is an irresistible setup for me. I was intrigued by the latter elements while nervously cringing through the former. It's 1348, and Thomas, formerly a knight but now fallen in with brigands, encounters Delphine, a young, innocent girl whose father has died of the Black Death, which is ravishing France. Thomas almost immediately falls back into his honorable past persona, protecting Del

The premise of this novel is irresistibly cute as two writers find themselves living and writing about endless romance tropes, but the tone shift and the story's veering into poignant tragedy surprised me and felt out of synch with the beginning of the book. Katie and Tyler were childhood neighbors and friends, on the verge of young love, then devastated, bound together, and pushed apart by a shared tragedy. Years later, they are completely estranged. Katie is a ghostwriter f

This is a story about sisters coping with past trauma and resentments trying to find their way back together, with a missing-persons story in the background. The tone of the novel felt difficult for me to settle into, but I appreciated the realistically complicated elements of addiction, abuse, and neurodivergence. “True crime scratches that itch,” she says. “It gives shape to the darkness. It makes the senseless feel—if not understandable, at least real. Like I’m not crazy f

Rabid middle-aged fans of the 90s boy band Boy Talk converge on a ship for meet and greets, photo ops, and collective love for their idols. Annie's own trip down memory lane is unexpectedly hedonistic, joyful, and full of chance encounters as she considers her life. Maybe that was nostalgia after all, the music a direct vein to her childhood, the least complicated part of her life. A shortcut to happiness. The American Fantasy ship is headed out on a four-day voyage, and its

Operation Bounce House is a fast-paced, bizarro, humor-filled science fiction novel featuring robots, AI, videogames, creativity, plenty of trash-talking, and a scrappy fight for a planet. Colonist Oliver is a rancher working alongside his sister, playing in a mediocre band called The Rhythm Mafia with his best friend, and courting his serious girlfriend. Communication and travel between Earth and his planet, New Sonora, should soon be established again, and Oliver and friend

I wanted more character development and fantasy elements from this second book in the series, but I liked the "twist" of the interconnectedness of the two main points of view. The first installment in the Shield of Sparrows series set up an overlooked princess who became a heroine; deadly monsters being treated unfairly; an enemies-to-lovers romance; and shifting loyalties. This sequel is told through split points of view. We hear from Odessa Cross, the Princess of Quentis, w

Fortune delivers another entertaining summer read in this story of best friends, being jilted at the altar, a revamped honeymoon, miscommunication, second chances, and satisfying resolutions to all emotional, romantic, and professional challenges. Frankie and George, her best friend since childhood, were once so close they tattooed each other's names on their bodies. But they've been on the outs for a year or so. After Frankie’s wedding is called off, the two of them go on Fr