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

I loved McAllister's first twisty, clever, surprising mystery. This novel left me wanting more plausibility, more development, and more reasons to feel invested in the story of three siblings making morally questionable choices and doing a poor job of sticking to the plan. Siblings Joe, Cathy, and Frannie work together (at the vet practice their mother started), they live very near each other, they have weekly traditions, and now they are vacationing together at their jointly

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

Sullivan's debut dystopian romantasy novel presents a fraught futuristic world where an elite group rules through laws around eugenics. I found myself wanting more worldbuilding and more depth for our main character in this first book in the series. Ariel Sullivan's futuristic world is centuries past a catastrophic world war that eliminated much of the human race, and things are run by an elite group of powerful people called the Illum. They mandate all marriage and procreati

The premise of Missing Sam was a slam dunk for me, and I appreciated the couple's strengthened bonds after unimaginable trauma. But the story jumped around and told more than it showed, and I didn't feel an emotional connection. After married couple Sam and Ali have a silly jealousy-spawned fight after a party, Sam wakes up for a solo morning run instead of inviting along Ali, as she normally would. One unlucky circumstance leads to another for Sam, and when Ali wakes up, Sa

The first in Holland's ocean-focused young adult fantasy series leaves much of the story for later books, and I was left wanting more. I was intrigued by the curse, the ocean quest, and the explorations of moral quandaries around the use of the ocean's resources, but I was less interested in the extensive swooning over a likely enemy. The people of Kirkrell have always hunted magical whales--it's the only way to protect themselves from the finfolk, water fae who threaten thei

I feel Grinch-like panning this widely beloved story, but for me the sweetness was cloying; the tale slowed to a snail's pace as Allen explored every thought, possibility, and detail; and the twist felt jarring and was revealed too late to carry emotional weight. Theo, an elderly stranger, appears in the small town of Golden, Georgia, recognizing and appreciating locals' gifts and making them feel seen, sometimes for the first time. He admires the various portraits of locals

I've loved the other three books I've read by Lily King, but I didn't connect with the Heart the Lover characters and didn't believe in...

I liked the unlikely modern-day friendship and depth of connection, and I love a best-friend story, but the past timeline and immense,...

I love the way Fortune builds a summer tableau, but the reasoning for this forbidden love didn't hold up for me, and I was frustrated by...

The glamorous setting of Capri is the star of Saltwater . I struggled to care about the characters' sense of life-and-death stakes...

Mayer's memoir focuses on straddling two cultures without feeling fully integrated into either; the various frustrations, injustices, and...

I loved the premise of Creation Lake , and I was captivated by the mocking, ruthless, fickle freelance spy "Sadie." But the story and...

I was hooked on the story of a team of young women fighting for admittance to a guild, their bonds, and their adventures. But the...

The fantasy-science-fiction novel Moonbound spans time and splits into several stories, for me never quite gelling into a coherent tale I...

Wilson overcame tough childhood circumstances before setting her sights on becoming a performer, and her memoir celebrates her...

Barbara Brown Taylor is one of my favorite authors, but this slim, early book of hers didn't offer the candid, thought-provoking, wise...

Only If You're Lucky centers around a group of South Carolina college students who don't truly know each other--and the unpleasant...

I loved Enid's complicated, loving mother-daughter relationship as well as her best-friendship. But I was distracted by what felt like...

I didn't feel drawn into this novel of the horrifying serial killing of children of color in a small Virginia community and the...