⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 glowing stars!) If you’ve been waiting for a book that grabs your heart, twists it around, and leaves you breathless in the best possible way—Broken Country is it. This novel has everything I love: an aching love story, rich emotional layers, and the kind of tension that keeps you turning pages way past bedtime. Clare Leslie Hall’s American debut is set in the wilds of the English countryside and tells the story of Beth, a woman torn between the life she chose and the love she never forgot. The narrative shifts between past and present, slowly revealing the legacy of first love—and the secrets it left behind. And […]
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Funny, Quirky, and Totally Entertaining!
Vera Wong is back, and she’s nosier than ever. In Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man), Jesse Q. Sutanto serves up another delightful cozy mystery with a side of dumplings and unsolicited advice. This time, Vera stumbles upon a case involving a drowned influencer with more aliases than a spy. While cat-sitting for her son Tilly and his detective girlfriend Selena, Vera finds a file in Selena’s briefcase about the mysterious death. Naturally, she takes it upon herself to investigate, because why let the professionals have all the fun? What follows is a hilarious, heartwarming romp through San Francisco’s Chinatown as Vera inserts herself into the lives of her suspects—who […]
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The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers: Grit, Guns, and God in the Gold Rush
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5 stars) I normally wouldn’t pick up a book like The Lady’s Mine, but it was a book club selection—and I’m glad I gave it a chance, even if it didn’t completely win me over. Set in the rugged mining town of Calvada, California, Francine Rivers introduces us to Kathryn Walsh, a fiery suffragette exiled from Boston by her stepfather. She inherits her late uncle’s newspaper and quickly finds herself shaking up a corrupt and chaotic community. The setup has all the makings of a satisfying Western: a gutsy heroine, a brooding saloon owner (hello, Matthias Beck), and the kind of moral showdown that’s become a Rivers signature. I […]
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Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr: A Hot Mess in More Ways Than One
You know that feeling when you pick up a book that should be amazing… and then it just kind of punches you in the face with bad decisions? Welcome to my experience with Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr. On paper, it sounds like a slam dunk: a young journalist chasing down a stolen masterpiece tied to Nazi lootings. Art! Secrets! Betrayal! I was ready for a high-stakes thriller that kept me up at night. Instead, I got a melodrama that kept making me mutter, “Oh, come on.” Let’s start with the audiobook. Oof. The narrator, who is originally from Italy, had a strange tonality that didn’t match the American […]
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A Lush Return to India That Takes Too Long to Get Going
★ ★ ★ ½ Alka Joshi’s Six Days in Bombay kicks off with a bang—a famous painter dies under suspicious circumstances, and Sona, a young Anglo-Indian nurse, is suddenly the prime suspect. What follows is a globe-trotting journey from Bombay to Europe as Sona tries to clear her name and untangle the truth about Mira Novak, the enigmatic artist who changed her life in just six days. The setup is rich, and the premise has real intrigue. Joshi brings exotic locations to life with her usual flair. But where The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur gripped me from the start, this one took a while to warm up. The first third drags, bogged […]
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A Stirring Journey of Faith, Friendship, and Finding Peace After War
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Long Way Home by Lynn Austin is a beautifully written novel that tugs at the heart and offers a hopeful message about healing after trauma. Set in the wake of World War II, the story follows Jimmy Barnett, a shell-shocked veteran confined to a VA hospital, and Grace, a quiet young woman determined to uncover the truth behind his silence. As Grace digs into Jimmy’s past, she uncovers a moving tale of love, sacrifice, and the unseen wounds soldiers carry home. The book also weaves in a second powerful storyline: that of Gisela Wolff, a young Jewish woman trying to survive the horrors of Nazi Germany. Her family’s journey—from […]
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She Writes About Killers. Now She Might Be One
Talk about twists and turns—The Writer is a wild ride from page one. It checked all my boxes: tense, gripping, fast-paced, and flat-out fun for anyone who loves thrillers. The plot is a maze. Just when you think you’ve cracked it—boom—another twist hits. Patterson’s name is everywhere, and let’s be honest—some are hits, some are misses. But teaming up with J.D. Barker? Total win. The story opens with a bloody crime scene, a true-crime author covered in blood, and one big question: did she do it? NYPD Detective Declan Shaw thinks it’s an open-and-shut case. The deeper he digs, the murkier it gets. The pacing is classic Patterson—short chapters, punchy […]
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Wish You Were Here Starts Strong, Then Takes a Hard Left
Jodi Picoult is a smart writer, no doubt about it. Wish You Were Here starts off strong, with Diana O’Toole heading to the Galápagos solo when her surgeon boyfriend Finn stays behind in New York to deal with COVID. Stranded on Isabela Island with no luggage, no Wi-Fi, and no plan, she finds shelter with a local woman and bonds with a troubled teen named Beatriz and her (very available) dad. Diana begins to rethink her carefully plotted future. The first half is beautifully written, full of rich detail and emotional weight. The island setting pops, and the early pandemic backdrop is all too real. Picoult’s research shows—whether she’s describing […]
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Secrets, Lies, and Baby Bumps: A Twisty London Thriller
Greenwich Park starts with prenatal yoga and ends with a punch to the gut. Katherine Faulkner’s debut is a twisty domestic thriller that unwraps like a baby shower gift with something sinister inside. Helen is pregnant after years of loss, married to a charming architect, and living in a dreamy Victorian home. But when she meets Rachel—a chain-smoking, wine-guzzling hot mess at her prenatal class—her carefully built life cracks. Rachel latches on fast. She’s fun, unpredictable, and clearly hiding something. So is everyone else, apparently. We get multiple narrators (Helen, her chic sister-in-law Serena, and Katie, a dogged reporter), all tied together by a dark event from their Cambridge days. […]
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Heartache, Hope, and Healing, Along Route 66
4.5 stars Vanessa Miller tackles a brutal chapter of American history with honesty and heart in The Filling Station. Sisters Margaret and Evelyn flee the devastating Tulsa Race Massacre, finding refuge at the Threatt Filling Station along Route 66. Miller shines a necessary spotlight on Greenwood, Oklahoma, and its violent destruction, a tragic event overlooked by many history books. Margaret, practical and cautious, struggles with shattered faith. Evelyn dreams of escape and a brighter future. Both women feel vividly real, their flaws and strength equally believable. Miller carefully shows how trauma shapes them differently, making their journey toward healing messy but meaningful. Some plot points land predictably, yet strong character […]
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