Tag: books

Darling Girls By Sally Hepworth

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

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Ready for a wild ride? Because Sally Hepworth is about to take you on one with Darling Girls. This is one twisty thriller, my bookworm friends. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were all told how lucky they were to end up at Wild Meadows with the lovely Miss Fairchild. Turns out that lady was bananas with a capital B. At first, it’s just Jessica, but she’s joined shortly after by Norah and Alicia, and the three form an unbreakable bond. It grows stronger when Amy arrives, as does Miss Fairchild’s crazy factor. The girls manage to engineer a breakout, but there are consequences to crossing a crazy lady. Like suddenly, poof, no Amy.

Years later, Jessica owns her own house-cleaning business where she steals pills from her clients, Alicia is a social worker trying to help foster kids like herself, and Norah is still always in trouble. The girls are called when a body is discovered buried in the basement of Wild Meadows, forcing them to rehash memories they thought were long buried.

The book is told from multiple POVs, from Jessica, Norah, Alicia, and an unnamed narrator, and bounces between the past and the present.

It’s really hard to write spoiler-free reviews of thrillers because I don’t want to inadvertently give anything away. But I’ll say this: that last chapter came out of LEFT FIELD for me. Not because I didn’t suspect who the unnamed narrator was (I did), but because I totally bought the original story. Not that it made me feel any better about it, but holy cow, Miss Fairchild is a psycho.

On sale now, you can grab your copy here. It’s available in KU and also as BOTM.

As always, I encourage you to read this book and form your own opinions, just as I have. Thank you to the author Sally Hepworth, the publisher St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book.

You’ll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

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So, the month of June has been one big romance rabbit hole for me. I needed a nice police procedural to mix things up. Lucky for me, Allison Brennan just released the first book in what looks to be an exciting new series.

Margo Angelhardt is a private investigator in the middle of a family spat with her mom and siblings, who own Angelhardt Investigations. Margo has split from them and is running her own operation. She’s hired by Brittany to prove that her husband, Logan, is having an affair. Margo tracks Logan to his meetup with Jennifer, where she encounters her siblings Jack and Tess, who are running surveillance on Jennifer for stealing company secrets. Things get sticky when Margo and Angelhardt Investigations are forced to work together for the sake of their clients. Throw in the fact that Margo has a psycho cop looking for her (she has a side hustle helping abused spouses get out of bad situations) and that nothing is what it seems, and you have a classic Allison Brennan mystery.

The book is told in multiple POVs, primarily from Margo, Tess, and Jack. We also get the POVs of Peter Carillo (the cop), The Thief, and Theo Washington (a side character who works for Margo), to name a few.

I love this book for so many reasons. First off, Allison Brennan is a story-crafting goddess. I know that when I’m looking for a good police procedural whodunit cop PI book, I won’t be disappointed if I pick one of hers. I am also a huge fan of series. I don’t like getting attached to characters and then never hearing from them again. This book perfectly sets up the series. Margo’s dad is in jail for murder, and his refusal to fight the charges is what causes the Angelhardt family split in the first place. Our book ends with Margo coming back into the family fold and setting up the rest of the series.

On sale now, you can grab your copy here

As always, I encourage you to read this book and form your own opinions, just as I have. Thank you to the author Allison Brennan, the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

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GUP is back and he’s abroad! Patrick, Maisie, and Grant are bouncing around Europe as their dad prepares to remarry.

Set five years after the events of The Guncle, Patrick is trying to teach the kids about love as they struggle to accept their dad’s new soon-to-be wife.

The Guncle Abroad is chock-full of everything that I loved about the first book and more. The Guncle Rules are back, along with Guncle Love Languages.

Once again, I laughed, I teared up, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

The Guncle Abroad captures the essence of what it means to be a family, with all its imperfections and beauty.

Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley and the publisher Putnam Books for giving me this opportunity to read an ARC copy, especially because I loved The Guncle so much.

The Guncle is out now and you can grab your copy here.

The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

🫑/5

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Part romance, part women’s fiction, The Seaside Sisters is an ode to sisterhood in all its messy forms. Sisters Hannah and Sara are mourning the loss of their mom, while their Aunt Maddie is grieving her sister. What better place to do that than on the Cape?

Set on Cape Cod for one summer, Maddie attempts to save her marriage, Sara struggles to find her place as a working mom and wife, and Hannah just wants to get her next book written after a breakup.

Cape Cod is my happy place, so I’m always delighted when it’s the setting for a good book, especially with our annual summer vacation there coming up soon.

I loved this book so much and really identified with Sara and her struggle to be seen and appreciated. This was my first Pamela Kelley book, but it won’t be my last.

As always, I encourage you to read for yourself and see how you like it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Thank you to the author, the publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for sending me and ARC copy. It’s on sale now and you can pick up your copy by clicking here.

A Pie To Die For By Gretchen Rue

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

🌶️/5

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While I do my best to ensure my reviews are spoiler-free, I may inadvertently reveal information that could help you connect plot points. So, here’s my TL;DR spoiler-free review: A cute cozy mystery set on an island with touches of romance and magic.

My latest cozy read is my first venture into Gretchen Rue’s storytelling, “A Pie to Die For.” This book marks the beginning of her new series—a blend of cozy mystery, a touch of romance, and a dash of magic. Este March runs the family-owned Lucky Pie Diner, situated on Split Pine Island, a quaint island town in Northern Michigan. The island buzzes with activity during the tourist-packed summer season but is essentially isolated from the rest of civilization through the winter.

Each pie Este bakes holds something special. But, notably, two “lucky pies” are baked daily, promising unparalleled fortune to those who eat them. Everyone is on the hunt for these lucky pies, yet only Este knows which ones carry the magic. She honors a family tradition by keeping it a secret, although she’s been known to steer someone she feels could use a bit of luck towards one of these extraordinary pies. Conversely, there are those she believes should never receive a special pie, as they are simply not deserving.

The mystery in “A Pie to Die For” revolves around a valuable piece of property Este owns, a determined real estate developer who wants to seize it, and a new, unreliable produce man who fails to deliver and then turns up dead.

When all signs point to Este as the person of interest, she finds herself in a predicament. Determined to clear her name, she hasn’t been formally charged or implicated in the crime. Nonetheless, in a small seaside community, rumors spread quickly, and Este keeps stumbling upon clues.

I absolutely love this book. There’s something about cozy mysteries that just resonates with me. The premise of “A Pie to Die For” is particularly charming, and I found it to be a swift, enjoyable read. I had my suspicions about the real culprit and spotted several red herrings, but I didn’t piece everything together until the very end, which is always a satisfying conclusion. Gretchen Rue has crafted a solid four-star book. I eagerly anticipate reading more of her work in the future and continuing with the rest of the series.

On sale now, you can grab your copy here.

Thank you to the author Gretchen Rue, the publisher Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.