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Bear by Julia Phillips My rating: 5 of 5 stars Ok, wow. I have to give this book a 5-star read because it's unlike anything I've read. I love when I discover books that have such unusual premises that even after having read thousands of books, I can still be really surprised. On the surface, Bear is the story of two siblings who live on a Pacific Northwest island, taking care of their ill mom and working at dead-end underpaying jobs to pay the medical bills. But underneath, there's so so much more going on. Sam has been waiting for the day that she and Elena can stop having to take care of their mother, sell their house and move off the island, as Elena promised years ago. And then a bear shows up at their house. And the two sisters have wildly different reactions to the bear. We only see everything from Sam's perspective and her alarm grows and grows, causing a greater wedge between her and her sister and she feels it's imperati...

In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf My rating: 4 of 5 stars In the Hour of Crows is the story of Weatherly whose grieving her cousin's death while other events unfold to make her question whether the death was a murder instead of an accident. At its core this book is about unfolding what happened to her cousin but at its heart this is a book about families, grief, love, betrayal, lies, and the unrelenting journey for truth and justice. If gothic and the magical realism are your preferred genres, you will really enjoy the setting and tone of this book. Weatherly herself can heal people who are dying, her cousin could see the future and her good friend Rook shape-shifts into a crow and accompanies the dying. I enjoyed all these elements of the supernatural and especially loved Rook as a character. with gratitude to netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews ...

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera My rating: 3 of 5 stars when stuck i just read mysteries because i know they will be fast paced and give me something to read. this one was no exception. fast paced, interesting and something to read while I feel stuck. View all my reviews

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray My rating: 4 of 5 stars It took me a while to get into this book. and I didn't really love it until the last few chapters when the main character grew so much and the book became poignant for me. If my friend Lauren hadn't recommended it I am not sure I would have stuck with it; I am glad I did. View all my reviews

Reunion by Elise Juska My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is the story of three adults going back for their college reunion weekend. They used to be best friends in college but are not as close anymore. Each of them has their own struggles that they are not sharing with the others. I thought the characters were interesting and well-drawn. They were three dimensional and their feelings around the reunion weekend were juxtaposed well with the struggles they are each experiencing in their lives at the same time. I loved the wide array of personal struggles they each had and I liked the depiction of the reunion weekend, albeit a little stereotypical. There is an emergency that ends up taking them out of the reunion and inadvertently forces each of them to face what they're not dealing with in their own lives. I loved this part, too. I think, in the end, I didn't give it a higher rating because I felt like I was watching these characters from afar inste...

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica My rating: 3 of 5 stars Didn't really love this one but enjoyed listening to it nonetheless. i wish the mystery writers would stop writing such unlikeable characters. It would be much more interesting if all the characters were super likable and you found yourself rooting for all of them even though some still had to be the antagonist. View all my reviews

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall My rating: 3 of 5 stars Eh, tbh all of these mysteries blend into each other for me once i finish but I enjoy every single one of them. If you're a mystery-liker, you will enjoy this one. View all my reviews

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am giving this a 3.5 rounded up only because the premise was so unusual. I liked the idea, didn't love the characters or execution equally well but still enjoyed it. View all my reviews

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoy Jimenez's books. I know what to expect and she always delivers. I enjoyed this one, too. I generally don't remember the plot once I am done but I remember that these always make me feel like a cozy blanket. View all my reviews