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The Death of Us by Abigail Dean My rating: 5 of 5 stars incredible on audio. truly can't recommend enough. this is a really hard to read and sad story about a marriage that falls apart after a truly horrible incident. the wife tells the story from the past, the husband tells the story of the present when the criminal is finally caught. It's a character study. It's quiet and hard to read. but really really excellent. one of the best I read this year. View all my reviews

Wild Animal by Joël Dicker My rating: 4 of 5 stars also took me a while to get into this one. i don't know if it's my attention span or these books are hard to listen to. either way loved the way it came together and kept me on my feet the whole time. View all my reviews

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy My rating: 5 of 5 stars lovely, sweet, moving and just so so glad i read this one. View all my reviews

The Midnight Knock by John Fram My rating: 4 of 5 stars 4 stars for being unlike anything I've read before. this one was hard to keep track of and only got crazier from there but also one of a kind. View all my reviews

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars interesting, funny but also too over the top? trying to hard maybe? I might have come into this one with too much hype making it harder for me to love it. View all my reviews

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell My rating: 4 of 5 stars It took me a while to get into this story and follow all the characters. but once I did, I could not let it go. O'Farrell really is an excellent excellent writer. This book finally helped me make the decision that I have to read all of her stories now. How lucky am i? View all my reviews

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby My rating: 4 of 5 stars For reasons I don't know, I kept postponing reading this novel. But when i was in a slump this week i finally picked it up and i am so so glad I did. It's excellent. Grimy like crosby tends to do but also excellent, well-developed characters, fantastic writing and a great story. View all my reviews

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a lovely ode to books, mysteries, and cozy books! This lovely story is about Rainy March who can hop into books and solve mysteries that save them. She follows strict rules and can't stay in the books. Until the book her mom left her goes missing and so does her grandfather. Now all bets are off and Rainy does whatever she needs to, to find them. This is a super fun, super sweet story. If you love books, romance, mystery, classics, and like curling up with a book, you will absolutely love this one. with gratitude to netgalley and Ballantine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Go Gentle by Maria Semple My rating: 5 of 5 stars Oh my goodness this book. This book. Semple has put in everything into one book and has woven it together so it's hilarious, tender, sweet and also a whodunnit. I have no idea how she's managed to do all this in one book but she's just a star. This book starts with a hilarious aging-single-woman coven story. Which would have been hilarious on its own. But then it covers divorce, marriage, parenthood, sexism, comedy, international mystery, rich people, crazy lives in NYC and so much more. I don't want to give any of it away because it's just so much fun to uncover it all yourself. Trust me, this one is awesome. with gratitude to netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Rainbow Rowell writes the most beautiful stories. Her characters are so real, they jump off the page. They are honest, raw, lovable, and you can't help but fall in love with them. I am so glad she's writing adult novels now because I love every single one of them and this is no exception. This is the story of Cherry whose marriage is falling apart and then she reconnects with a college crush. And it's about Cherry figuring out what she wants her life to look like. It's about love and forgiveness and family and marriage and taking care of things and people we love and also neglecting them both intentionally and unintentionally. It's tender and sweet and funny and sad. This book is spicier than her others in case that matters to you either way. also I will say that this book should come with a trigger warning for those who have body issues. They are discussed very heavily here, t...

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a story about Joey who dies too soon and at the end of a life that she's not fulfilled in. So she gets another chance. She gets to go back, and chooses to go back to college so she can actually do it right this time and be with the man she's pined over for years. And, of course, things don't go as planned. The story is really sweet and even though I guessed some of the twists, this book is not about that. IT's about love and second chances and the life we think we want vs the one that we really could have. it's beautiful and sweet and joyful. I read it in one sitting. with gratitude to netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

A Good Animal by Sara Maurer My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a quiet and sad story beautifully told. It's about farming and family and sacrifice and lives that we have and lives that we wish we had. The writing is beautiful and the characters are well-developed. The farming is also so vividly portrayed and almost a character of its own in this incredible debut. It's also a glimpse in life so if you're waiting for some major revelation or big ending, it will leave you disappointed. It's quiet and sad and deep all at once. The narration is also beautiful and really true to the spirit of the story. with gratitude to netgalley and macmillian audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews