The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

August 20, 205

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

Vic Kemp's four adult children have always been obsessed with him. A neglectful father, he left them to the care of a series of au pairs while he drank, had affairs, and painted commercially successful but not critically acclaimed paintings. At the age of 76, he shocks his children by marrying a woman 50 years his junior who he met online in a chat room and had known for only four months. Shortly after the marriage, Vic is found dead at the family's Italian vacation house, drowned in the lake. The four siblings rush to Italy to find out what really happened, and more importantly, to find his will and his final painting that was supposed to be his masterpiece.

I really enjoyed the author's first two Harold Frye books as well as Miss Benson's Beetle, but this story was very disappointing. It was billed as a mystery but it's a family drama about four adults in their 30s who are completely emotionally dependent on their artist father, dealing with the fallout from his sudden death. I almost DNF at 35% because the story was so slow moving and there didn't seem to be much more to say about any of them. I did a lot of skimming after that. The story gets a little more interesting at about 65% and is essentially over at 75%, at which point it becomes a different story and goes on for another 100 or so pages before it finally fizzles out. If you like The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, you might like this too. Otherwise, can't get those hours back.

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

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

July 10, 2025

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

Lila Pereira is an unconventional mother, focusing on her career as the executive editor of a major newspaper and leaving the raising of their daughters to her husband Joe and household help. But her youngest daughter Grace yearns for a regular mother who goes to PTA meetings, bakes cupcakes and takes her to soccer practice. After Lila's death, Grace receives a letter that Lila left her, telling her to go find out what really happened to Lila's mother, who disappeared when Lila was a toddler. Grace realizes how little she actually knows about her mother's family and wonders if you can ever know yourself if you don't know your past.

Part 1 is Lila and Joe's story, and I loved it. But the last 2/3 of the book is mostly about Grace, the youngest daughter, a real whiner and completely unlikeable, probably the least interesting character in the book. When I first started reading it, I thought it would appeal to readers who enjoyed Ann Patchett or Ann Napolitano, but the last two thirds morphed into something more like Sally Rooney, with a bunch of characters under 30 who are completely self-centered and unaware (putting your life on hold for five years to start a podcast???? Or "I can't ask her to marry me until she gives me the signal"???? What does that even mean????). It takes until around the 85% mark for the search for Lila's mother to begin, and then it is anti-climatic. Disappointing.

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

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.

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

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

June 19, 2025

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Catalina is a senior at Harvard, an aspiring writer who has worked a variety of unpaid internships, trying to figure out where she belongs. Born in Ecuador, she was sent to the United States to live with her grandparents following the death of her parents. Searching for love and romance, Catalina harbors a secret that can impact her future.

DNF at 51% - this was all over the place. It was like the author had a bunch of different stories that she just lumped together into one long stream of consciousness piece with no real plot or storyline, just a "year in the life." Did not care for the main character - extremely self-focused with no character growth, immature and pretentious at the same time. Actually, I didn't care for any of the characters. FYI, this is NOT dark academia - dark academia is Donna Tartt's The Secret History and others like it. The subject matter is important (the experiences of the undocumented living in the U.S., South American history and culture) so it's unfortunate that I found it so unreadable. Fans of the style of Sally Rooney or Dolly Alderton will probably enjoy it.

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

Ecuador

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

June 4, 2025

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Sybil is a lifelong letter writer, even in the modern age of email. She is divorced, a mother and grandmother, and a retired lawyer. She has a disease that she is hiding from her children, that is causing her to lose her eyesight. Sybil is enjoying her retirement until she is asked to speak at the funeral of her former law partner. Following the funeral, she begins receiving anonymous hate mail from a disgruntled litigant.

I loved this! It is definitely the best book I’ve read so far this year. It’s literary fiction and completely written in the form of letters. Sybil and I would have gotten along well since I’ve read all the books that she mentions in her letters. Blindness seems to be a metaphor for a lot that is going on in the novel. Will appeal to readers who enjoy Ann Patchett and Fredrik Backman. Highly recommended. 

The Default World by Naomi Kanakia

June 1, 2025

The Default World by Naomi Kanakia

Jhanvi is a trans woman living in San Francisco. Unfortunately she is very masculine looking: over six feet tall, broad shouldered, muscular, swarthy, with a prominent jaw and brow bone. Jhanvi knows she is going to need some serious surgery and drug therapy in order to successfully present as a woman. She learns that some major tech companies have insurance that will cover gender correction surgery, so she starts hatching a scheme to find someone to marry her. Some of her San Francisco acquaintances live in a communal house known as the Fun Haus and earn a lot of money, so her backup plan is to figure out a way to con them out of some of it.

The main character is a transgendered woman who wants to complete her transition who is unfortunately morally bankrupt. That doesn't have anything to do with her gender or her sexuality - she's just a shady person who will use anyone. She doesn't have a job (because even though she graduated from Stanford, working is boring), so she decides to try to scam one of her acquaintances (who graduated from Stanford with her, have good well-paying jobs, and work long hours) into marrying her for their medical insurance - she doesn't care if it's a man or a woman. The people she's living with aren't much better. Unnecessarily complicated, with unsympathetic characters. I did feel sorry for Jhanvi at a few points, like when she catches sight of herself in a mirror and thinks, I'm a man in a dress, I look like a man in a dress. BTW, the default world is what the rest of us call the real world. It's the people and place where, if you need help, people actually help you, stand by you, and support you. They are your real family and community - but there are rules, values, morals, principles, and goals attached to them.. Not sure who if anyone I would recommend this to.

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

Bruce Jenner who became Caitlyn Jenner, one of the best known trans women in the world

Oye by Melissa Mogollon

May 31. 2025

Oye by Melissa Mogollon

With Hurricane Irma bearing down on Miami, Luciana's family is in a panic: Luciana's grandmother, her Abue, refuses to evacuate. Normally Luciana is relegated to the sidelines and everyone ignores her, but now that her sister Mari is away at college, Luciana is pulled into the family drama. Luciana is just trying to graduate from high school and figure out her sexuality. Meanwhile, Luciana's mother is treating their evacuation like a family road trip. But then Abue receives a devastating medical diagnosis and comes to live with them, taking over Luciana's bedroom.

This was like eavesdropping on a really long phone conversation. The story is told through a series of mostly one-sided phone calls between Luciana and her older sister. While I enjoyed it, I can see where some readers would be put off by the format. There are some parts that are hilarious - the family saga is like a telenovella, entertaining if somewhat confusing at times. Luciana's grandmother is great - even though she has been diagnosed with cancer, her main concern is getting her roots touched up and keeping in contact with her boyfriends while she is in the hospital, while at the same time keeping her nosy sister out of her life. The audiobook is excellent. Recommended for readers who like quirky contemporary novels.

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

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

May 22, 2025

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Patch McCauley (whose real name is Joseph) is a 13 year old living in a small Missouri town with his mother Ivy. His best friend is Saint, who live with her grandmother Norma, a bus driver in the town. Patch has only one eye and has always been obsessed by pirates since he wears an eye patch over his missing eye. Nothing much happens in their town until one morning on his way to school, Patch sees a man attempting to abduct his schoolmate Misty. Misty gets away but all the police can find of Patch is his missing eye patch and a lot of blood.

Disappointing. It took me forever to slog through this. This is another of those love it or hate it books. I heard that it meandered around a lot and that it was more literary fiction than mystery, which is fine with me if I know what to expect. I loved the first hundred or so pages, thought the characters were great, but it lost me when the two kids were locked in the basement. The center section of the book just drags, and it's way too long. I skimmed the last 2/3 of the book and then read the ending. Didn't miss much. I came to hate most of the characters, too. It's like the author had ideas for a couple of different storylines and decided to just jumble them together. An editor should have cut out a couple of hundred pages and made it a better book. Reminded me of Demon Copperhead, which everyone else loved and I didn't. I should know by now that whenever a book is selected by a celebrity or TV book club, I'm probably going to hate it. But at least those book clubs get people who otherwise never read a book, to pick one up. Can't get those hours back.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

April 10, 2025

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

Dan scores a reservation at the exclusive La Fin du Monde restaurant and takes his wife Jane to celebrate their wedding anniversary. But his timing is off, since Jane has decided that she is going to ask for a divorce over dinner (also maybe not the best timing). Not to mention that climate change activists have chosen that night to bomb the restaurant.

Quirky and fun, with a long-term marriage that turns out to be a romance after all. Recommended for readers who enjoy off-beat fiction like Nothing to See Here or Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend.

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

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

March 8, 2025

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Patrick is an actor who starred in a successful long-running network sitcom, but when the sitcom ended and he lost his partner in a car accident, Patrick left Hollywood and fled to Palm Springs. After the death of his sister-in-law who was also his best friend, Patrick finds himself looking after his niece and nephew for the summer while their father is in rehab. Having the two children stay with him forces Patrick to face his own unresolved grief.

A heartwarming, funny and uplifting story about family, grief, and second chances. A Guncle is your gay uncle, and Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP for short) is the uncle we all wish we had. Full of great characters, from Patrick and the two kids, to the gay throuple (yes, it's a threesome) who live next door - even Marlene the dog and Patrick's uptight sister Clara (who definitely has a stick up her butt) are great characters. As much as I like this book, I don't plan on reading the recently released sequel because it won't be able to live up to this one, and I have no intention of EVER reading Lily and the Octopus.

Palm Springs, CA

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu

August 15, 2024

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu

A year in the lives of the teachers and staff at a large urban high school, beginning with the sudden death of a substitute teacher in the faculty lounge (conveniently between classes, so that the office staff has time to find someone to fill in for him).

Character driven storyline rather than plot driven, with each chapter devoted to a different character and how they became the people they are. Endearing characters from the young janitor to the curmudgeonly veteran math teacher, who all want the best for their students and co-workers as they fight against a school system more concerned with test scores than education. Even if you're not in education, you'll appreciate the camaraderie and sarcasm. Recommended for readers of contemporary fiction.

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

Traditional no-frills teacher's lounge

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

July 10, 2024

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

June Hayward and Athena Liu have known each other for almost a decade, since they met as freshmen at Yale, but you wouldn't call them friends. Their lives have take dramatically different directions: Athena is an amazingly successful author with several bestsellers and a new one in the works, while June's single book was published by an independent press and barely sold a few thousand copies, and she struggles to pay the bills by ghostwriting college essays and tutoring lackluster students. When Athena dies in front of June, June makes a split second decision to steal Athena's latest manuscript and pass it off as her own work.

This book has gotten a ton of hype. A plot about plagiarism isn't new or original, and yes, the publishing world can be vicious, and writers can be jealous and sneaky. But there is more going on here than jealousy and intellectual theft, including racism, social media attacks, and the argument about who is entitles to tell a story, i.e., do you have to be of Asian descent to write about Asian history? I found most of the characters to be really unlikeable. The story reminded me a lot of Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne, which I really enjoyed and recommend to readers interested in writers and the publishing industry, rather than this one. Did not like the cover.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

June 11, 2024

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

It's right after the COVID-19 pandemic, and Phoebe is checking into a grand hotel in Rhode Island. She always wanted to stay at the hotel with her husband, but unfortunately he found a younger woman and divorced Phoebe. Between the divorce, losing interest in her job as an English professor, and the isolation of the pandemic, Phoebe sank into depression and decided there is nothing left for her. So she makes a reservation to visit the hotel by herself and end her life there - with her cat's pain killers, which taste and smell like tuna. But when she arrives, Phoebe discovers that the whole place has been booked for a week-long wedding event and that she has essentially crashed the party.

Some of the descriptions may lead you to believe this is a rom-com, but it's not. This is a delightful feel-good read, one of the best books that I've read this year, written with warmth and humor and a wonderful writing style. The storyline focuses on the connection that we all long to make with others, and that most of us are lonely inside, even when surrounded by other people. The characters are all likable, and you want them all to have a happy ending, even the self-centered bride and Phoebe's ex-husband. The dialogue has a genuine ring to it. And it's so much like a real wedding: all the weird family members, the friends that you suspect may actually be frenemies, the kids sneaking alcohol under the adults' noses, things going wrong, no matter how carefully you plan. Strongly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good story with great characters. A major studio has already picked up the film rights.

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

A Rhode Island wedding

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

April 12, 2024

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

Shelley House in the village of Chalcot is a down-at-heel former grand mansion that has been subdivided into six flats. The tenants are the usual mix: the nosy older woman who keeps track of all the comings and goings, the retiree who takes in lodgers to help make ends meet, the single woman with perpetually bad taste in men, the menacing man with a menacing dog, the financially-strapped widower and his teenaged daughter, and the party boy who smokes week, throws frequent parties, plays his music way too loud, and leaves bags of trash in the hallway. They co-exist until they all receive an eviction notice from the building's owner.

Neighbors are a mixed blessing. On the positive side, they're close by - in an emergency, they are frequently the first ones to help, On the down side, they're close by - they know what you're doing, all the time. (I once had upstairs neighbors that I swore stomped around in wooden clogs on bare floors, 24/7.) Reminded me of Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove, with its quirky characters and themes of forgiveness, redemption, letting go of the past, and finding love in unexpected places. This is not actually a mystery, and the plot was somewhat predictable. Reggie the terrier was by far my favorite character. Recommended to readers looking for a heartwarming, feel-good read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Traditional English village

We Are the Light by Matthew Quick

April 8, 2024

We Are the Light by Matthew Quick

Lucas Goodgame is viewed as a hero by everyone who lives in his small town, except himself. His murdered wife Darcy visits him nightly in angel form. Lucas desperately wants to reconnect with his therapist Karl, but Karl is also in mourning. So Lucas begins to write letters to Karl, detailing his suffering as well as his nightly communications with Darcy. But then a damaged young man named Eli sets up a tent in his backyard, and they begin to heal each other and the town. 

Not an easy read since it deals with a story taken from daily news headlines. Those killed in a mass shooting aren't the only victims - how do the survivors and witnesses pick up their lives and go on? Themes of grief, trauma, anger, and ultimately love and healing in its many forms. Less about the shooting than it is about the aftermath.

Classic restored movie theater

Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet

January 24, 2024

Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet

Recent high school graduate Ismael Reyes (aka Izzy) is searching for a life plan. His original intention to be a Pitbull impersonator falls through when he receives a cease-and-desist order from the artist's attorney, so he decides that his next best option is to become a gangster by imitating the fictional Cuban gangster Tony Montana from the movie Scarface. He enlists his high school friend Rudy to be his sidekick (and briefly becomes involved with Rudy's beautiful sister Julisa), and the two begin planning their new life of crime. Meanwhile, there is a female orca (calling her a killer whale or Shamu is not PC) named Lolita at the Miami Seaquarium who has somehow begun influencing Izzy's thoughts and dreams. While Izzy pursues his goal of gangsterdom, he inadvertently begins asking dangerous questions about his mother, who drowned after they left Cuba on a raft.

Life imitates art in this edgy contemporary novel/fantasy that has been described as the offspring of a marriage between the movie Scarface and the novel Moby Dick. Possibly due to his youth, possibly due to his circumstances, Izzy fails to recognize the dangerous people he is already associating with, even though all the signs are there. There is plenty of dark humor in this quirky read as Izzy stumbles his way through life.  Honestly? Things probably would have worked out better for Izzy if he had tried to emulate Joe Montana rather Tony Montana.

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

Al Pacino as the gangster Tony Montana in the movie Scarface

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

January 17, 2024

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

While her family is picking berries on a farm, a Native American child goes missing. Her family searches for her desperately without success. In alternate chapters, one of the little girl's brothers and a child named Norma tell the story of a family dealing with incredible loss.

A slow moving character driven story that asks the question, how much are we shaped by our heritage and culture? I found the storyline to be predictable - by the end of the third chapter, I was pretty sure how the story would unwind. Sad, filled with various types of loss. This would be a good book club choice since there are many topics to discuss. Will appeal to readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult or are in the mood for a good cry.

Pickers on a blueberry farm

Set for Life by Andrew Ewell

December 4, 2023

Set for Life by Andrew Ewell

A nameless creative writing professor who is on a deadline to get something (anything, really) published has major writer's block. He is a failure at writing, at teaching, at being a husband, at life in general. His wife is a successful novelist and she encourages him at every turn. In typical male midlife crisis fashion, he begins an affair with one of his wife's friends, thinking that this is the answer to all of his problems. When his now-estranged wife publishes another novel with a character based on him, his envy knows no bounds and he feels he is entitled to some kind of compensation. After he manages to implode his entire life, he retreats to Florida where his parents (who he has always looked down on as failures) own a small beachside hotel.

All of the characters in this novel are unlikeable, with the exception of Carlos, the visiting writer. The main character is immature and a complete snob - everyone and everything is beneath him, and he feels that success should be just handed to him rather than having to work for it. It's always someone else's fault. Also, the main character drinks WAY too much, in fact many of the characters drink almost constantly. It's fairly obvious that he is depressed and everyone knows it but him, and several of the characters try to throw him a lifeline (including the department chair, who he despises, who not only doesn't press charges after the main character almost burns down his office, but he tries to help him find a new job). The writing is good, there is some dark humor, and it's a quick read - like a train wreck, you can't look away. I sincerely hope this novel isn't autobiographical.

Is it just me or does anyone else think this is a really boring cover?

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