⭐⭐⭐✨ Ann Napolitano’s Within Arm’s Reach is a tender, multigenerational portrait of an Irish-American family in New Jersey, told through the alternating perspectives of three generations of women. Catharine McLaughlin, the strong-willed maternal grandmother, carries the family’s history and grief; her daughter, Grace, juggles a shaky marriage and the demands of motherhood; and Grace’s daughters, Lila and Meghan, navigate adolescence, first loves, and the slow pull toward independence. Napolitano’s prose is intimate and perceptive, revealing the small moments and unspoken tensions that shape family life. The shifting viewpoints show how the same events can be interpreted in vastly different ways, depending on where you stand. It’s a quiet novel, more […]
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A Haunting Farewell for Maisie Dobbs
⭐⭐⭐⭐ In The Comfort of Ghosts, Jacqueline Winspear gives Maisie Dobbs one final case—and it’s a poignant one. Set in post-WWII London, the story centers on four adolescent orphans squatting in a crumbling Belgravia mansion. Traumatized, street-smart, and fiercely loyal to one another, the teens are under the watchful eye of a wounded ex-soldier and a troubled nurse. When Maisie is asked to intervene, she uncovers secrets about the house, the young squatters’ pasts, and a wartime murder that still casts a shadow. As always, Maisie brings empathy as much as intellect to the investigation. Alongside her inquiries, she’s grappling with big life decisions—about love, family, and her future. Familiar characters […]
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Apocalyptic Chaos Meets Personal Redemption in This Gripping Faith-Fueled Thriller
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I’ve been watching and waiting for Christ’s second coming, so this was a timely read. Vanished by Dr. David Jeremiah is a high-stakes, end-times thriller that hits on both a global and personal level. John “Haggs” Haggerty leads a military unit tasked with stopping pandemics before they spread—but as disasters pile up, it’s clear the world is heading toward something far more cataclysmic. Plagues, earthquakes, wars… the signs are everywhere. But Haggs’s real battle is closer to home. He’s grieving the collapse of his marriage and struggling to stay connected to his adult daughter. The emotional weight he carries makes his fight for redemption feel real and relatable. Jeremiah blends action […]
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Beautiful Setting, Bewitching Premise… But Just Okay
⭐⭐⭐ The Amalfi Curse was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, especially after loving Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary. But this one didn’t quite land for me. The setting? Gorgeous. The writing? Lyrical. The story? Well… here’s where things get murky. I’ll admit, I should’ve paid closer attention to the synopsis. Witches and magical curses aren’t really my thing, and the sea-witch storyline just didn’t hold my interest. The dual timeline (1820s and present day) had promise, but the pacing lagged in spots, and I never fully connected with the characters—especially in the historical chapters. I seem to be the odd one out here—early reviews are glowing, and fans […]
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A Late-Night Legend Gets Lost in the Spotlight
Growing up, I was a huge fan of Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show—it was appointment viewing for my dad and me nearly every night. So I was eager to read Carson the Magnificent, but I ended up bitterly disappointed. What should’ve been a thoughtful biography of a man who defined late-night television for decades came off more like a stream-of-consciousness love letter. Zehme’s writing is over-the-top and ostentatious, with paragraph-long tangents stuffed with trivia—some of it interesting, most of it repeated. The structure is a mess, and the organization, or lack thereof, makes it hard to follow. I slogged through overly long sections that felt more like filler than insight. Worst […]
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Backstage Pass to Heartache and Harmony
⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits is a nostalgic and emotionally rich novel about fame, fallout, and the ties that fray—but never quite break. In the early 2000s, Zoe and Cassie Grossberg skyrocketed to stardom as the Griffin Sisters: one the spotlight-loving starlet, the other a shy musical genius. Then, just as quickly, they disappeared. Twenty years later, they’re not speaking, and Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, wants to know why. This is a book about what happens when the beat goes on but the harmony breaks down. The sibling dynamic is messy and believable, full of old grudges and buried affection. There’s just enough behind-the-scenes music drama to keep things […]
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More Romance than Rocket Science
⭐⭐⭐-1/2 Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere follows Joan Goodwin, a quiet, brilliant physics professor who stuns everyone—including herself—by joining NASA’s Space Shuttle program in 1980. The setup hints at a high-flying, STEM-driven narrative, but the story spends more time grounded in Joan’s personal relationships: her bond with her niece, her complicated family ties, and a romance that becomes central to the plot. Reid’s writing is as strong as ever, and the ensemble cast of fellow trainees is engaging. There are moving moments and thoughtful themes about identity, love, and finding your place in the universe. But I was hoping for a deeper look at what it meant to be one of […]
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Mob Queen Is Fierce, Gritty, and Gloriously Unapologetic
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved Virginia Hill. Fierce, determined, and headstrong, she bursts off the page in Erin Bledsoe’s Mob Queen—a gutsy, gripping dive into the glitzy but treacherous world of 1930s organized crime. From the moment Virginia flees a violent marriage in Georgia and tumbles into Chicago’s mob scene, the stakes are life and death—and she rises to meet them with swagger and smarts. Bledsoe doesn’t sugarcoat the brutality. Mob violence is graphic and unsettling, and Virginia grows increasingly at ease carrying out the family’s dirty work. It’s a humanizing portrait of a woman who finds agency in a world that rarely offers it. Her relationship with Bugsy Siegel is steamy […]
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Run for Your Life: A Debut That’s Brave, Bold, and a Bit Bumpy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5) Eve J. Chung’s Daughters of Shandong is a powerful debut inspired by her grandmother’s real-life escape from Communist China. It follows teenaged Hai, her mother, and sisters after they’re abandoned by Hai’s father during the civil war. The women face violence, hunger, and betrayal on their harrowing journey from Shandong to Taiwan. Chung nails the setting and stakes, giving readers a vivid, emotional ride. Hai is a strong narrator—young, naive, and surprisingly resilient. I had a hard time putting the book down. Chung brings urgency and heart to the page, especially in scenes of political persecution and gender injustice. The themes of survival and sisterhood pack a punch, and the author’s […]
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Sweet Story, Slow Burn: A Seaside Tale That Takes Its Time
⭐⭐⭐ Marty Wingate’s The Orphans of Mersea House is a quiet, character-driven novel set in a post-WWII English boarding house. Olive Kersey, now orphaned and jobless, lands a position as housekeeper at Mersea House, run by her prickly childhood friend Margery. The arrival of young Juniper—spirited, bright, and disabled by polio—adds a welcome jolt of energy to the otherwise uneventful household. The best part of the book is its cozy, coastal setting and its gentle exploration of found family, resilience, and second chances. Olive is likable, and her growing bond with Juniper is touching. The supporting cast includes a few charming oddballs, and Wingate captures small-town postwar life with warmth and […]
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