Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith

July 1, 2025

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith

The four Endicott siblings have been estranged for several years. When sister Jude, a well-known actress, summons them to meet in North Dakota on short notice, they are all curious enough about why, that they drop what they are doing to travel there in the middle of winter. 

Disappointing. Based on the title font and colorful cheerful cover and the blurb that it was “joy-filled,” I was expecting a happier story. Instead it was a tear-jerker with uber drama. There was enough foreshadowing that I had a pretty good idea where the plot was going, although it took a long time and loads of stupid ideas to get there. I know a lot of readers really liked this book and the travel sections were okay, but overall I found it depressing, especially the ending. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

June 30, 2025

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

Eden Bennett is the producer of Garden State Goddesses, a reality show based around a group of rich women who spend all their time sniping at each other, when they’re not treating everyone else like crap. 

Another mystery based on reality TV, this one on a franchise like the Real Housewives. Usually I enjoy books that are campy and have quirky characters, and this sounded like it would be a fun read. But it was a real slog and I skimmed most of the book. I’m not a fan of reality TV, and I don’t watch the Real Housewives but I know the basic formula. Nothing really happened for the first 2/3 of the book, then finally one of the characters got murdered. Can’t get those hours back. Not recommended.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey, who aren't anymore housewives than I am

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

June 29, 2025

Love letters to a serial killer by Tanya Coryell

Hannah is a 30-something woman working at a dead end job and searching for direction in her life. The guy she thought was her soulmate dumps her, her BFF gets engaged, and she’s on probation at work. After four women’s bodies are found in Atlanta and a man is arrested, Hannah becomes obsessed with following the story through social media sites and connects with other true crime junkies. On a whim, she begins corresponding with William, the accused man, figuring that he’s in prison in another state and can’t hurt her, right? When she loses her job, she decides to go to Georgia for the trial, only to find there are a bunch of other women there, like groupies. But when another woman is murdered during the trial, the case is dropped, and Hannah and William move in together. What could possibly go wrong? 

You know right from the start, from the minute you read the title and see the cover art, this is going to be full of bad decisions and it’s not going to end well. Just accept that and move on. The accused serial killer is a lawyer, handsome, wealthy, and charming - big surprise, right? - think Ted Bundy (those of you who are under 40 can google his name). Hannah, the main character, is a brainless idiot, TSTL, no question about it, trying to figure out if William is the killer after they move in together. I was pretty sure where the story was going, and at 85%, found out I was right. If I had escaped from/been released by/been rescued from a serial killer, especially one that I knew was still out there, I would have PTSD for the rest of my life. 

(There is a name for the syndrome where women are attracted to violent criminals and men in prison: hybristophilia. It seems like the more violent the crime, the more women are attracted. Hannah displays aggressive hybristophilia, where a woman actually makes contact with the prisoner and tries to help them, combined with boredom over her mundane life, the appeal of a long distance relationship, and the whole fantasy of the situation. It’s more common than you would expect, and there are a bunch of websites for prisoner dating. I am SO creeped out.) 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Ted Bundy, the stereotypical charming handsome serial killer

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

June 26, 2026

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Four friends spend the last summer of their childhood together, taking refuge from their brutal home lives, giving each other a reason to dream, to love, to go on. One of the teens paints a picture that turns out to be a true work of art. Twenty-five years later, another teenager with a desperate background is determined to discover the story behind the painting. 

The latest novel from one of my favorite authors. It’s about bad ideas and everlasting friendship, the kind of memories you can only make with your friends when you are 14. A beautiful and heartbreaking coming of age story. Just go read it.

An old ocean pier, a place to make memories

Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan

June 26, 2025

Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan

Max is a lawyer, part-time poet, and a mixed race trans woman. At 30 years old, after a break up with her longtime boyfriend, she falls down a flight of stairs at a New Year’s Eve party (and she wasn’t even drunk). Upon waking up in the hospital, she thinks it’s time to stop partying, settle down and be an adult. But she isn’t sure how to go about it. After she meets a man named Vincent, a British-Chinese man, she thinks she may be on the right track, but Vincent has his own set of baggage.

Someone described this as sad girl lit, which is pretty accurate. The main character, Max, is a mixed race transgender woman in a new relationship with a British-Chinese man. Both have their share of baggage (there are several scenes in the story of people packing suitcases), causing Max to wonder if we should judge people by who they are today or who they were in the past. Adulthood should come with a warning label. Complex themes include love, loss, identity, trans people, race, millennial angst. Love the cover. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Pile of baggage, just like the people in this book

North Woods by Daniel Mason

June 25, 2025

North Woods by Daniel Mason

In the 18th century, a young couple flee from a Puritan village, and build a small cabin in the woods. Over the next few centuries, a variety of people call it home across the cycles of time, history, and nature.

Humans come and go, nature is forever. Lovely book, the story of a house and the surrounding land and the people who called it home. If someone asked me what the book is about, I would have a hard time explaining it. The narrative is a blend of stories, poems and songs, letters, news stories - some sections are more compelling than others. I loved the author’s two previous books so I wasn’t surprised to be sucked in immediately by this one. I recommend the audiobook, which has a full cast reading the various sections. Recommended for its beautiful writing to readers of literary fiction, although readers who prefer a more straightforward plot will probably not enjoy it.

An 18th century Massachusetts farmhouse