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Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune My rating: 5 of 5 stars It is impossible not to love this book. I dare you to try. This is the story of Wallace, a lawyer who dies from a heart attack and is brought to Hugo who lives in a "tea shop" where Wallace will cross over with Hugo's help. Wallace wasn't the very best person when alive, let's just say. But now as he lives in the tea shop with Mei (his reaper) , Nelson (hugo's grandfather), Hugo, and Apollo (hugo's dog) he learns more about life and how to live than he ever did while he was alive. As with TJ Klune's other novels, these characters wind their way into your heart and never let go. The story is deep, joyful, meaningful and deeply heartfelt. If you let yourself feel it, there's no way this story will not warm your heart and make you feel deeply grateful. I loved every minute I spent with it. with gratitude to netgalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy i...

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North My rating: 2 of 5 stars I usually love Claire North's books. I've read many and have really enjoyed all of them. The writing in this book was really good and the details of the dystopian world were very intriguing. What ended up holding me back was that I couldn't get attached to any of the characters enough to care and much of this story required the reader to really root for the main character (at least in my opinion.) Parts of the story was very interesting and then parts dragged, for me. This is very unusual for a Claire North novel and I can't wait for her next one because I am confident I will enjoy it. with gratitude to netgalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides My rating: 3 of 5 stars I thought this mystery novel was okay. I didn't guess the twist but I also have to say I just didn't get attached to any of the characters enough to care. It was somewhat interesting and I really enjoyed the literary and mythological references but this one wasn't a huge hit for me. View all my reviews

What a Happy Family by Saumya Dave My rating: 4 of 5 stars This great novel has nailed the intricacies of navigating a family that at its crux deeply wants to love and support each other and yet due to so much pressure from culture, norms, and personal fear around vulnerability, they each suffer in silence until things start unraveling deeply and what feels like irreparably. Their journey to unravel and their journey back to each other are both wonderful to read. View all my reviews

The Layover by Lacie Waldon My rating: 3 of 5 stars Sweet, fun story that is perfect for when you want something light and fun. I enjoyed the time I spent with it. View all my reviews

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved this author's previous book and I loved this book so so much. I loved every character, I loved the unique creative plot and I loved every page of this sweet romance with its quirky characters. I loved the predictable bits and the less predictable bits. View all my reviews

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'm a fan of Clare Mackintosh. I started this novel and wasn't sure it was going to be able to retain my attention but within minutes I was hooked and didn't want the story to end. There's a lot in this book but the best part is the pacing and the way it just builds and builds and doesn't disappoint you in the least. There are several interesting reveals and they come at the perfect time. Loved it. View all my reviews

We Are the Brennans: A Novel by Tracey Lange My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved all the minutes I spent with this novel. This is the story of Sunday Brennan who ends up returning to her hometown after a car accident that she causes. She left home five years ago without an explanation and it hurt her brothers and fractured her family. She also left an ex-fiance behind. This is, at its core, a story of healing. It explores sibling relationships, parent-child relationships, and love, of course. It's about facing your past, it's about how one's pain can spiral out and cause a domino effect of pain throughout a family or a community. It's a perfect example of how shame, when left hidden, can completely destroy a family (and a person.) After she returns home, Sunday's healing begins. And it slowly heals her family and relationships. The only part that didn't sit well with me was Vivienne and how two-dimensional her character was. I did...

Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was an absolute surprise for me. I can't remember where I read about this book but the review was so good that I decided I had to read it. And it was spot on. At first I was like this is good but I've read books like this before and then wham it shifted and then it shifted again and I enjoyed it so very much. Highly recommended. View all my reviews

The Guncle by Steven Rowley My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a surprisingly wonderful read. It's sweet and touching and deep and also really hilarious. There's so much healing and so much humor and so so much heart. Definitely recommended. View all my reviews

The Husbands by Chandler Baker My rating: 3 of 5 stars I really liked the premise of this book. I liked the idea of taking Stepford Wives and turning it on its head. And bits of the execution was excellent. I liked the way the story was set up with the wide variety of careers the women had and using each other and that as a way to build a network and power, which is something many men do. I thought the story was setup well with many examples of all the ways big and small that women carry the load and all the ways big and small that they worry/think nonstop about life as a family and all of its bits. How they carry a disproportionate amount of the load by such a large margin. And yet. I also thought it was more stereotypical than I would have liked it to be because when it's that two-dimensional the story doesn't have as much of an impact as it could. It makes it easier for people to write off the points the author was trying to make. I do wis...

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book had such mixed reviews. Especially as a follow up to Daisy Jones which was so good. So I walked into it thinking it was going to be terrible. It was perfectly enjoyable. It wasn't deep and layered as much as her previous novels but I still enjoyed it. A perfect example of how expectations can color the reading experience. View all my reviews

Rabbits by Terry Miles My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed some of the parts of it and thought other parts dragged a bit more than I preferred. The premise was interesting and felt similar to Ready Player One a little bit and at parts it was fun like that book. I liked the idea more than the execution at times. View all my reviews