⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Freida McFadden’s The Coworker takes a simple setup—a missing employee—and turns it into a devious psychological maze. Dawn Schiff is the office oddball: awkward, punctual to a fault, and obsessed with routines. When she suddenly vanishes, her bubbly coworker Natalie Farrell is the first to notice—and the first to realize something’s very wrong. As police and colleagues start digging, Natalie’s version of events begins to crack, and the truth becomes far murkier than anyone expected. McFadden keeps the tension high with alternating points of view and short, punchy chapters that make it nearly impossible to stop reading “just one more.” The twists land hard, especially the mid-book reveal that flips everything […]
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A Thrilling Ride with Fade In by Kyle Mills
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kyle Mills delivers high-octane action, global stakes, and a protagonist who’s as broken as he is dangerous. In Fade In, ex-Navy SEAL Salam “Fade” al-Fayed wakes from a coma to find himself recruited by a shadowy billionaire-run outfit and thrown into a race against a viral catastrophe that could wipe out civilization. The pace is relentless, the action cinematic, and the villainy chilling. Mills adds emotional depth too—Fade’s inner turmoil and his willingness to keep walking into danger make him a fascinating hero. The writing is taut, the plot twists sharp, and the moral gray zones deliciously murky. On the downside, some of the side characters could’ve used more flesh, […]
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A Love of Books Amid War and Ideology
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars) Madrid, 1934. Bárbara, a young German woman fleeing the rise of Nazism, opens a small bookstore in Spain—a sanctuary for dreamers as political tensions mount. When the Spanish Civil War erupts, her bookshop becomes a fragile refuge for hope and love, even as hatred threatens to consume the country. Her passion for literature and her relationship with a young Republican keep her fighting for a future built on words instead of war. Mario Escobar’s research is excellent, and I appreciated the Spanish Civil War setting—a refreshing departure from the many WWII novels I’ve read. The story’s message about the power of books and human resilience is uplifting. […]
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Waves of Regret and Renewal: A Quiet, Haunting Debut
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Set against the mesmerizing Croatian coastline, Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje is a cinematic and emotionally resonant debut about love, loss, and the fragile nature of possibility. The novel follows Ivona, a woman whose life has stalled while her ex-husband, Vlaho, has moved on. Despite the passing years, she remains tethered to the past—until a new relationship forces her to confront what she’s lost, what she left behind, and what she might still reclaim. Hilje, writing in English as her second language, crafts prose that is crisp, atmospheric, and quietly powerful. The Croatian coast becomes more than a backdrop—it reflects Ivona’s inner tides of longing and regret. Reading it […]
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Murder, Mischief, and Jazz: A Roaring Twenties Whodunit
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) Songbird by Gail Meath is a lively blend of mystery, humor, and romance set in the glitzy, dangerous world of 1920s New York. Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, no-nonsense private eye with a loyal German Shepherd sidekick, Ace, whose bark may be worse than his bite. When a famous playwright dies under suspicious circumstances and a missing manuscript worth a fortune disappears, Jax and Ace are on the case. Enter Laura Graystone, a rising Broadway star who gets pulled into the investigation—and into trouble. Together, the trio races through smoky speakeasies and backroom deals in search of the truth before the killer strikes again. Meath captures the […]
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A Whirly, Swirly Lesson
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I read What to Do with Your Whirly, Swirly Thoughts with my grandchildren, ages 3 to 11, and this review reflects their opinions as much as mine. The message is wonderful—kids learning they can control their thoughts instead of letting worries or mean ideas take over—and Jennie Allen presents it in a faith-based, encouraging way. But my grandkids struggled with the nonlinear layout. Bits of text scattered around the pages made it hard for them to follow, and the lack of smooth flow caused their attention to drift. That said, the illustrations by Nadia Gunawan were a hit—bright, whimsical, and full of heart. Despite the confusing structure, we had […]
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A Noble Message Wrapped in a Forgettable Story
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow’s debut picture book, Princess Paris Finds Her Purpose, aims to teach kids about kindness and purpose through a royal Dalmatian on an African safari. The idea is sweet—Paris loses her crown and learns that true royalty comes from serving others—but the execution falls flat. I read it with my grandchildren (ages 4–11), and they all agreed: the story felt too basic and not very original. The illustrations didn’t impress them either; they were fine but nothing special. Overall, it’s a nice concept with a good Christian message, but the storytelling and art don’t quite rise to the level of the lesson. It might work […]
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Secrets, Shadows, and a Vanished Girl in the Adirondacks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) The God of the Woods is an atmospheric and tragic mystery that transported me straight back to my own camp days in the 1970s—the bug spray, the creaky bunks, and the secrets whispered after dark. Liz Moore’s novel is a haunting literary mystery set in 1975, when thirteen-year-old Barbara Van Laar disappears from her family’s elite summer camp in the Adirondacks. It’s not the first tragedy to strike—the girl’s brother vanished years earlier—and soon the line between victim and culprit blurs in a web of privilege, power, and buried secrets. Moore captures the claustrophobic tension of a small town divided by class, where the wealthy Van Laars employ many locals who […]
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Amy’s Picks and Pans, Issue 39
This month’s reading list took me all over the world—and a few centuries, too. I unraveled a murder mystery in Italy, chased spies through Switzerland and Lithuania, wandered the streets of York and London, and even made stops in Georgia and Alabama. Between the historical fiction, a clever middle-grade adventure, a heartwarming picture book, a bit of magical realism, and a guide on how to stay Rapture-ready (just in case), it’s safe to say my literary passport is full. Buckle up—this month’s reviews are quite the trip. Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Shadow By Brian Freeman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars) Electrifying Action: Brian Freeman Delivers with The Bourne Shadow Brian Freeman’s The […]
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A Heart-Wrenching Tale of Friendship, Survival, and the Darkness That Divides Them
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. Thirteen-year-old Patch Macauley, a one-eyed misfit with a good heart, becomes an unlikely hero when he stops a kidnapping. But his act of courage sets off a chain of events that will scar the town—and everyone who loves him. By the time the police arrive, Patch has vanished, leaving behind only a bloodied T-shirt and a whole lot of questions. Over the next twenty-five years, his best friend, Saint Brown, can’t let go of what happened. Her search for answers takes her from small-town Missouri to the FBI, where her past still shadows every step. Meanwhile, Patch endures […]
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