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Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have not read a book like this before. A secret hidden world behind a ramen shop that you can only get to if you're intended to. If you have a regret to sell. Where Hana and her dad will trade it for you at their pawn shop. This is the journey of Hana whose dad disappears. She and a random visitor that shows up the morning Hana's dad disappears, Keishin, go through a magical journey where they ride rumors, visit the market in the clouds and fold time all in the path of trying to find her dad and understand what happened to him. This book is incredible. It's beautiful, visual, magical, and deeply visceral. It will stay with me for a long long long time. If you like Magical Realism, I cannot recommend this enough. with gratitude to netgalley and Del Rey for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova My rating: 5 of 5 stars When it comes to the human brain and the way it impacts our humanity, no one can write stories better than Lisa Genova. Her stories are always real and layered and her characters are always true to the complexities of what it means to be human. And this one is no exception. Maddy's journey with discovering, living with, fighting and trying to make it through her bipolar diagnosis is heart-wrenching, scary, and not for the weak at heart. It's real and gritty and scary and it makes you want to cry again and again. Bipolar disorder is no joke and Genova handles it with the seriousness and grace it requires. She doesn't shy away from the really hard parts and she manages to make us fall in love with Maddy even while we feel sorry for her and angry at her. All of the emotions are raw and real. This is exceptional book. with gratitude to netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy i...

The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the story of Darby, a trans man who left his hometown never to come back so he could create the life he wanted with found family in NYC. As a result of several overlapping circumstances, he ends up having to go back home. As walks through the doors of the bookstore where he used to work, he sees his teenager self behind the counter. Caught in between the now and then, Darby puts both the past and present puzzle pieces of his life together and works towards healing some of his trauma as he revisits his journey. I loved every moment I spent with this touching and lovely book. with gratitude to netgalley and Avon for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett My rating: 5 of 5 stars Adam Haslett has been one of my favorite authors from the time I read his very first book. I wish he were more prolific but I can also understand that it takes time to craft these beautiful stories together because his stories are always quiet, deeply meaningful and beautifully crafted. And this one is no exception. This is the story of Peter who works as a lawyer defending asylum seekers and is estranged from his mother for decades. His most recent case unlocks deeply buried trauma and memories of his own experience and pushes him to reconnect with his mother and face what he's been running away from his whole life. This story is about how trauma can completely change the course of our lives, how we listen for what we want to hear and how each person is broken in their own way and how hard it is for all of us to be in this world caring for each other while trying to heal. with gratitude to...

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you're into twisty, crazy mysteries that are fast-paced you will love this story of the two women who send the same text about meeting the same guy at a work trip as both mysteriously vanish. The twists and turns keep coming with this one and you will not want to put it down until you know exactly what happened. And you will never guess! with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson My rating: 3 of 5 stars This had such a good premise but then I think the author just didn't know how to finish it. IT went on for too long and ended too absurd for me. View all my reviews

Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum My rating: 3 of 5 stars Books that do these over the top startup founders stuff is a bit old for me at this point. Fun, light read but leaves me with empty feeling in the end. View all my reviews

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes My rating: 4 of 5 stars Beautiful story, covering issues around family, love and most significantly mental health. I love books that aren't scared to show the messiness of mental health issues. True and beautiful. View all my reviews

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune My rating: 5 of 5 stars TJ Klune can do no wrong if you ask me. His characters, his beautiful dialogue and his giant, incredible heart. I am so grateful for stories like these. View all my reviews

The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan My rating: 3 of 5 stars Fast, sweet romance read. Lovely beachy location. View all my reviews

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors My rating: 4 of 5 stars This story of three sisters who lost their forth sister and are each recovering in their own ways comes together in a beautiful story that will stay with you. View all my reviews

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoy Haig's writing and his ideas are always so creative. This book was much slower moving for me and it also was more unusual than his other ones but underneath it all, it's still magical, touching and beautiful like all his stories are. View all my reviews

Echoes of Memory by Sara Driscoll My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked the concept of this and while I totally didn't guess the ending even though i kept thinking i would (because it wasn't super twisty like so many books seem to be now) I think the pacing threw me off as a result. But nonetheless the characters were interesting and i enjoyed all the memory bits. View all my reviews

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen My rating: 4 of 5 stars Creepy book with twists I didn't really see coming. View all my reviews

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda My rating: 3 of 5 stars So I remember enjoying this when I read it but 4 weeks later I pretty much don't remember any of it :) View all my reviews

Embracing Hope: On Freedom, Responsibility & the Meaning of Life by Viktor E. Frankl My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a collection of Frankl's speeches and lectures. For me, it's a must read. In fact, it's the kind of book I need to read once a year to make sure I remember what matters most in life. View all my reviews

Lock In by John Scalzi My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars Interesting concept, fun read and fast paced. I haven't read a lot of Scalzi before but I enjoyed this one. View all my reviews

The Trees by Percival Everett My rating: 5 of 5 stars This might be my favorite read of 2024! This book manages to be both laugh out loud funny and deeply devastating at the same time. Everett's characters are so funny, so well done and his dialogue is unparalleled. If, like me, you still haven't read this, i cannot recommend it enough. View all my reviews