Slow to start, but because I’ve read books by this author before, I knew that the first bit of the book was for character building and that the suspense would come later (and it certainly did). Every time I thought I had all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, I was thrown a curveball and left completely stunned. Lisa Foley’s books are by far my favorite psychological thrillers and this one was great! A little bit of a darker, grittier read, but still very enjoyable and gripping.

A powerful story that truly opens one’s eyes to the different forms of abuse and mistreatment faced by some (and how these can go unaknowledged both by the victim and those watching).

I’m biased to any story set in Scotland, but this was such an interesting and unexpected one. I did not anticipate how much the lore of the region would play, and it was a great surprise.

I’m a HUGE Amanda Lovelace fan, so I came in with big expectations and was not disappointed. So great! Collection of 3 Fairytale inspired books in one. Not sure what the final one is inspired by but still great! I read Flower Crowns and Fearsome things right before this and it was lacking, so this restored my confidence in her works. Great read!

This historical fiction takes place during JFK's campaign for president. An ex-cop reporter involving the CIA, the cold war, the mob as well as politics

Jennifer Weiner's latest book that does not take place on the Outer Cape but in Philadelphia and New York in August of 2023. The main character of the book is Abby Stern who is a "larger" person that struggles with criticism from her Mother as well as society. Abby is also an avid biker who ends up leading a 14-day bike trip on the Empire State Trail from NYC to Niagra Falls. Among the fifteen riders on the trip is Sebastian whom Abby had a one-night-stand with two years earlier. The rest of the book centers around Abby, Sebastian, and Abby's current boyfriend, Mark. I enjoyed the book as well as the different stories of the characters on the bike trip.

A beautifully written story that portrays important and realistic issues; the issues being both relatable and gut wrenching at times, powerfully showing the ups and downs of teenage drama, social dynamics, trauma, mental pressures, and finding yourself while accepting your differences.

Daniel Silva’s book is as usual an interesting spy book. Gabriel Allon is an interesting character.

While the book had the main character gaining great benefits from meditation, astrology readings, and yoga, none of which are my thing, the story included these things in a humorous way which made the book enjoyable. It’s the story of a year in the life of a 30 year old woman who, as the title suggests, finds 30 things she likes about herself. I really enjoyed the book.

I have mixed impressions of and feelings about this novel. I found the plot intriguing, and enjoyed Serafina's narrative voice in her alternating chapters, as compared to Sara's, which disappointingly tended to fall more often into cliché turns of phrase. I understand the need to set the characters' "voices" apart and distinguish the eras in which they are living, but wonder if this could have been done with a bit more finesse for Sara's chapters. Some plot revelations were telegraphed and therefore more predictable, while others felt more satisfyingly surprising. At times, the events and interactions themselves seemed to draw on stereotypes, though I appreciate that the author appears to have researched the book quite thoroughly. There were also some unexpectedly graphic passages in the book, so readers who are especially sensitive to intimate and/or violent imagery may wish to be aware of this before reading. Overall, though it would be missing a meaningful modern dimension, I think I might have preferred this as a purely historical fiction novel, set entirely in Serafina's time period. All that said, I would still be interested to read other novels by this same author, in the hopes that they are more of the quality of Serafina's chapters than Sara's.