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The gods' war provides the structure for the book's main conflict, but the story feels primarily focused When one main character becomes a war correspondent and the other comes to the front, they create a deep

friendship between two young outcasts in small-town Monta Clare, Missouri: Patch, a pirate-playing young man disparate-seeming story that soon emerges, beginning with the premise of a serial killer whose actions haunt our main There are deep betrayals, long-term mysteries, and, finally, many revealed truths (some of which you may anticipate, including the biggies). might be real, and this didn't sit comfortably with me after the early devotion illustrated between our main

Readers will likely have a clear sense that our main character is prepared to burn it all down on her Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson In Ava Robinson's debut novel, she offers an appealingly imperfect main Our main protagonist knows little about her situation or location, yet persists in her quest for answers and builds a rich inner life filled with wonder. forty women (one is a young girl, our main protagonist Yet I was intrigued by the post-apocalyptic, puzzling situation and by the main protagonist's persistence

This is another whodunit winner from Wendy Walker: a character-driven mystery with a neurodivergent main I loved Charlie as our main protagonist. I appreciated the choice to have main protagonist Charlie be neurodivergent--and to name the book about

I loved the headstrong, powerful but untrained main character Nahri, the complex cultural backgrounds uncertain as well; and the pacing left me feeling somewhat unsettled, moving from event to event without gaining

of empathy might have unraveled the increasingly devastating whirlwind of conflict between the two main Kingfisher writes my favorite kind of fantasy novel: a wonderfully oddball main protagonist, a strange imagines richly imagined fantasy worlds, and within them she slots fantastically imperfect and wondrous main Desai offers an ambitiously meandering tale in which many issues stretch out, increasingly twisted and fear, missteps, danger, and obtuse elements whose significance only in the end become clear(er) to our main

I was taken with the main characters of the past storyline here: a young boy at a children's home and love an Alaska storyline) and the polar bear-focused parts of the story, it felt far afield from the main

overused from use in other stories (a tough, closed-off investigator, broken by her past; a strong, kind man unrequited love for her; the general outline of the disturbing situation at the heart of the book’s main

much as book one, but Faizal keeps the pace moving and progresses the bonds and affection between the main

Doesn't Find You; and I'm listening to a historical fiction mystery based on a real-life 18th-century Maine Maine setting? Check. Female character in the medical profession? Check. The Frozen River ticks so many Bossy boxes, I knew this one had to zip to the top of my to-read list. It's 1789, and in a rural Maine community, a local man turns up dead--frozen into the river. Many aren't sad to find that he is no longer a belligerent threat in town.

The playful tone and clever main protagonist in Olivia Waite's science-fiction novella make for an appealing More Olivia Waite Olivia Waite is also the author of the Feminine Pursuits series and many other stand-alone

other Hawkins novels I've read, the story's relationships, hidden truths, and setting feel like the main The Heiress has a satisfying ending that also retains some of the story's intrigue among the main characters

Cain is savvy, street-smart, and living in the capital. chosen one" quest in which characters discover and use their power, and in different ways, Arienne, Cain Each of the three main protagonists begin to understand their own power--and when their paths intersect

SecUnit is a fantastic main character; it's grumpily and charmingly obsessed with keeping its people Lora Beth Johnson hooked me immediately with the premise of Goddess in the Machine and with main protagonist she's ready to be reunited with the team, which includes her mother and the rest of her family, plus many But Divya is too busy crafting strong female main protagonists (complete with working mother guilt, which A mysterious prisoner from the front arrives who could be friend or foe, and our main protagonist Talin

fiction rom-com is a funny, poignant, and sometimes frustrating deep dive into the emotionally stunted main Baby steps are hard-won progress for the often-clueless main protagonist.

I like a story driven by a female investigaor of a main protagonist, and in this small-town mystery and

She expects to manage this job--whatever it may turn out to be--without much difficulty. This was smart and intriguing, a fast and compelling read, with a main protagonist I was rooting for,

In one timeline, an abused wife makes a stand for a whimsical name suggested by her daughter Maia, Bear While I feel resistant to Knapp's placing of the weight of the main characters' fates on Cora's shoulders Each timeline produces a vastly different boy, a significantly shaped sister Maia, drastically different

In Ava Robinson's debut novel, she offers an appealingly imperfect main character making missteps and

I'm a huge Amy Bloom fan, and while I appreciated the strong main female character here and the World I'll Be Right Here  tracks decades in their lives, including victories, pain, unorthodox choices, and beautiful In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss , Away , Lucky Us , Come to Me: Stories , and A Blind Man

Six Great Bossy Literary Fiction Reads I read so many read literary fiction books last year, I'll need This book was one of My Very Favorite Bossy 2024 Reads . 02 Wellness by Nathan Hill Flawed main characters But when the boss's daughter begins tinkering with precious resources, our main protagonist is swept fiction rom-com is a funny, poignant, and sometimes frustrating deep dive into the emotionally stunted main Baby steps are hard-won progress for the often-clueless main protagonist.

opera August Kitko and the Mechas from Space, about deadly AI robots coming to destroy space--until our main pianist, is tasked with saving humanity; and I'm listening to This Other Eden, historical fiction set in Maine group of underdogs saving the day. 03 This Other Eden by Paul Harding Back in 1792, a formerly enslaved man Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife found a safe haven on an island off the coast of Maine. scratch and claw to subsist--yet they remain on their island, safe from the judgment and danger of the mainland

Dragon Heart Legacy series; and I'm reading Flying Solo, Linda Holmes's light fiction caper set in Maine without being spotted by the Russians who have hacked the city's cameras and who are out to kill the man tension with Keegan. 03 Flying Solo by Linda Holmes Because I'm back in my old stomping grounds of Maine , it seems like the perfect time to read Flying Solo, a Maine-set title that's been on my to-read list In Flying Solo, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown, stinging from her recently canceled wedding

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Rebecca Serle's upcoming novel in which the main protagonist receives of love-life predictions, Expiration Dates; I'm reading Amy Tintera's upcoming novel, in which the main protagonist may or may not have murdered her best friend and is tracked down by a podcast investigating Daphne Bell meets a potential love interest, she receives a mysterious slip of paper that details how many

Abby Jimenez layers tough situations and messy complications into her rom-coms, and here, her main protagonists Xavier is a young veterinarian who feels grumpy, exhausted, and as though he may be losing faith in humanity But Xavier's painful past and Samantha's challenging present might make a future for the two impossible

Elizabeth Strout examines the range of characters from her many books and their intersecting stories, In small town Crosby, Maine, acclaimed writer Lucy Barton and attorney Bob Burgess walk and talk about Bob is defending a man accused of a terrible crime: killing his mother, a mean, reviled lunch lady long But the young man, a self-taught artist, is counting on Bob and an unorthodox approach to figuring out

could have been a treacly story about old friends reliving the past and coming back together after many Some of main protagonist Mikey's revelations and growth aren't completely satisfying, but the tone and

Evie Beaulieu becomes obsessed with marine life and diving when as a young girl she tests her father's crafting art as her only constant; two friends at an elite Chicago high school, a privileged young man Each of the main characters drives the story in a different way, and I was invested in the struggles

The Everlasting involves jaunts through multiple versions of the same story, as our fantastic main protagonists

Strangers grew out of a "Modern Love" essay and is her account of her pain, confusion, and reemergence This is gorgeous Niall Williams literary fiction, centering around an Irish country village, a young man It's necessary for the reader to sustain a suspension of disbelief so that this hole in our main protagonist's The main protagonist (who is not named) in Charlotte Wood's literary fiction Stone Yard Devotional  is Each of the main characters drives the story in a different way, and I was invested in the struggles

I loved the Ottoman Empire setting, the strong female main protagonist, and the complications and sometimes Main protagonist Ismae escapes an arranged marriage, arrives at a convent, and is ultimately trained She finds that she may be the only hope to save her war-torn country. King , surprising revelations, shifting alliances, opaque political machinations, and enmity between main which offers wonderfully flawed characters, plot twists and revelations, great banter, and endings you may

Flawed main characters Jack and Elizabeth try to find their way back to an emotional connection in this

Not everyone is who they seem, and someone the group trust's may have let greed and deception compromise The main protagonists' tendencies and personalities have room to shine in book two of the Thursday Murder I listened to The Man Who Died Twice  as a library audiobook.

James doesn't lay out neat endings tied up with bows, but there is promise and hope for each main protagonist

Listen for the Lie offers a fascinating story structure, dark humor, and deeply flawed characters as main liberate France during the war, surprising facts begin to surface about the sisters' past--and they may fiction rom-com is a funny, poignant, and sometimes frustrating deep dive into the emotionally stunted main Baby steps are hard-won progress for the often-clueless main protagonist. Main protagonist Frankie signs up to leave her idyllic, privileged Southern California life--and the

While the roadblock issue of not swimming is easily resolved (in convenient fashion, so that the two main I received a prepublication version of this title (which was published May 20) courtesy of NetGalley

Raybourn is masterful at providing a captivating main character with depth and flaws; a tantalizing attraction /sexual tension between her two main characters, and dialogue that makes me laugh out loud--all set against

Veronica Speedwell series of historical fiction mysteries, Veronica remains a strong and unorthodox main But evidence indicates to Veronica that Alice may have been murdered.

Grant's thriller is set in the wilds of Idaho, with a wilderness expert of a main character who has fought to trust others and be vulnerable--and who may find herself deeply betrayed again. estranged old friend Janessa goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Emlyn must team up with the man

ICYMI: This series by Naomi Novik introduces vain, strong-willed, talking dragons, their complex, wonderfully Temeraire is young, greedy, vain, and outrageously loyal to Will, and Will is attempting to civilize Naomi Novik is also the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted

tableau, but the reasoning for this forbidden love didn't hold up for me, and I was frustrated by a main

novel explores early Edinburgh surgical schools, questionable methods of obtaining study subjects, a main

There's a health crisis and solution that involves the two main characters in key ways and which complicates Then Florence's beloved father dies, and she returns to her hometown for the first time in many years please see The Dead Romantics. 06 Happy Place by Emily Henry Six longtime friends gather for one last Maine I was impatient with the prolonged lack of communication but loved the main characters' interactions For years they've taken annual trips to their friend Sabrina's cottage in Maine with the rest of their

In Tochi Onyebuchi's fantasy mystery, main protagonist Boubacar is a war veteran and a private investigator He must delve into his own past connections and dredge up painful, complex past dynamics and loyalties

Lora Beth Johnson hooked me immediately with the premise of Goddess in the Machine and with main protagonist she's ready to be reunited with the team, which includes her mother and the rest of her family, plus many I loved the main characters' fashion, banter, and stubbornness. imminent demise of the human race that the robots seem perched to enact serve as a catalyst for the human main May finds herself willing to surgically alter her facial features for a sum that might keep her family

Six Great Bossy Mystery Reads I didn't read as many mysteries last year as I typically do, but here are She's Barbara Van Lear, the daughter of the owners of the camp where many local residents work. Listen for the Lie  offers a fascinating story structure, dark humor, and deeply flawed characters as main full review of The Return of Ellie Black . 06 Sleeping Giants by Rene Denfeld I was taken with the main love an Alaska storyline) and the polar bear-focused parts of the story, it felt far afield from the main

Morris offers some revenge-fantasy satisfaction, but there are some grave casualties in the world of our main Like her main protagonist, Wanda M. Morris is an attorney.

the past feel light years away, because Rocky's menopausal rage threatens to undo any joy she might gain This summer they head to Maine to camp, fish, and hike. Maine, like other states across the country, has been swept by a secession movement, but Jess and Storey When she finds that she's pregnant, she begins a winding path to figuring out her life that mainly entails nontraditional, loving, zany family flips traditional views of unplanned, young pregnancy through the view of a main

mystery on a magical ship full of uncertain alliances, deadly vendettas, and a sassy and flamboyant main relationship and has no interest in one--she doesn't have time for frivolity when she's chasing so many novel explores early Edinburgh surgical schools, questionable methods of obtaining study subjects, a main Cain is savvy, street-smart, and living in the capital. Each of the three main protagonists begin to understand their own power--and when their paths intersect

Marske doesn't skimp on presenting multiple magical elements, which I loved--and she includes many detailed , saucy, passionate encounters between our main characters. (This reminded me of the measures taken by the main protagonist in another book I recently read, A Study