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The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins My rating: 5 of 5 stars What an incredible joy it was to read this novel of three generations of women, each dealing with loss in their own way, thrown together in a tiny apartment and coming to terms with each other and their own journeys. There's so much heart in this novel that it's not possible for you not to love it. Even though I felt like Grace (the mom) was explored the least compared to Graziella (the grandmother) and Ella (the granddaughter), I loved all three of them and I loved reading their journeys. I can't wait to read more from this author. with gratitude to netgalley and Atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was an unusual mystery unlike books I've read by Pekkanen before. I liked that it drew attention to history of psychological experiments at Duke and it read as a combination of historical fiction and mystery. It wasn't full of twists and turns and unreliable narrators and all the tricks that appear to be very common. It was interesting and engaging in a different way. I enjoyed it a lot. It was excellent on audio as well!! with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen My rating: 4 of 5 stars ok this book's cover is VERY misleading. This book was VERY VERY depressing. It was not dark humor. It was depressing. Once I got over how depressing it would be, I loved it but do NOT be fooled by the cover. It's not cute and light, it's heavy and depressing. View all my reviews

That's Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas My rating: 4 of 5 stars This novel delivered what it promised. It was big hearted and for fans of Kevin Wilson. A family that's struggling through good news and bad news as the balance of power changes and fame and potential fortune wreak havoc. I loved it. View all my reviews

Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding My rating: 3 of 5 stars also interesting. her books are compulsively readable for me. her endings always seem to fall short. View all my reviews

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding My rating: 3 of 5 stars interesting and twisty but i somehow kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. and it never did. kept me reading, though. View all my reviews

The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza My rating: 4 of 5 stars 4.5 stars. I loved this story about two women in alternating timelines. Jo van Gogh working hard to preserve the legacy of her husband's brother and make him to be the famous and recognizable artist he never was in his lifetime with the helps of an old friend of her husband's. Emma, a struggling artist, who cleans the home of Stella Swanson, the widow to an art empire who can't get a penny to her name thanks to the kids of her new deceased husband. The storylines alternate until they inevitably intersect. As with all Piazza novels, this story is about strong women doing hard things. Being underestimated and overcoming odds. I love art so this was an extra special one for me. I loved every minute I spent with it. with gratitude to netgalley and Dutton for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng My rating: 4 of 5 stars what a beautiful beautiful story. I have always been a fan of Somerset Maugham and this book made me get (albeit a tiny) glimpse into him. I loved the writing and the story. Loved it. View all my reviews

Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars. This was good but maybe because I went in with high expectations I didn't end up either being as shocked or loving it as much as others seem to have. View all my reviews

Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was an interesting read. It was more nuanced and balanced than I had thought. The part that was most interesting to me was about the Mormon church and the role they play in backing influencers and also explanations around why there are more Mormon influencers. View all my reviews

Five by Ilona Bannister My rating: 4 of 5 stars My friend Lauren recommended this to me and I read it in one swallow. It was an excellent mystery because it was about character development and each of these characters are so very flawed. The author does a great job making you both really dislike them and also feel for them. The voice is also very difference since she breaks the fourth wall regularly. I loved it. View all my reviews

Heartburn by Nora Ephron My rating: 3 of 5 stars I am so sad to say that I was disappointed by this. I love Nora Ephron's movies. I love her sense of humor. But this book, it didn't feel like it went anywhere. It almost felt incomplete to me. View all my reviews

Whistler by Ann Patchett My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've loved many of Ann Patchett's books but this once might be one of my favorites. I find that her recent books seem to be a bit lighter, not in that they are less literary but they are more uplifting and feel more full of joy. This story was so beautiful and the characters so real that even though I took forever to read it, to savor it, I still wish I hadn't finished it. I loved every single moment I spent with this one. View all my reviews

The Butcher's Boy by Thomas Perry My rating: 4 of 5 stars My friend Jess recommended this to me and despite not loving the audio, I really enjoyed the characters, the story and the pacing. I wish there were other or more recent audios of Perry's work. View all my reviews

10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation―And Making Your Own Life Easier by David Yeager My rating: 3 of 5 stars I usually feel like most non-fiction books would benefit from being long articles instead. I think this book is a perfect example of that. It is a good book. It makes good points. But once you've spent and hour or two with it, you got what you needed from it. Kids are not stupid, don't treat them as such. They need to be challenged AND respected AND helped. So be more like a mentor and less like a coddler or a disciplinarian. That's good advice. Just didn't need a 300+ page book for it. View all my reviews

10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation―And Making Your Own Life Easier by David Yeager My rating: 3 of 5 stars I usually feel like most non-fiction books would benefit from being long articles instead. I think this book is a perfect example of that. It is a good book. It makes good points. But once you've spent and hour or two with it, you got what you needed from it. Kids are not stupid, don't treat them as such. They need to be challenged AND respected AND helped. So be more like a mentor and less like a coddler or a disciplinarian. That's good advice. Just didn't need a 300+ page book for it. View all my reviews

A Good Person by Kirsten King My rating: 3 of 5 stars Well ok I went back and forth between feeling annoyed by her, sorry for her, and that she was utterly contemptible. i guess that was the point. View all my reviews

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was quite excellent. The ending made me do a double take but in the best way. View all my reviews

The Memory Watcher by Minka Kent My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed reading this and remember absolutely none of it just a few days later! View all my reviews

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune My rating: 3 of 5 stars I really enjoy Carley Fortune stories even as I know where they are going. They are cozy and sweet and the characters are always imperfect and also wonderful. This was no exception. Add to that the beautiful setting of Tofino and it was just marvelous. View all my reviews

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a very interesting concept for a book. It started like a character study where Soyoung meets Rose and they are getting to know each other. It was about family and connection and home. And then the sci-fi parts took over for a while where the reader learned more and more about the concept of instances and how this world works. I found the middle to be the most interesting, for me. There were explorations of immigration, identity, family, home, and even love. But I felt that the story was too long and got too convoluted towards the end. Maybe it tried to be too many things at once. I did love the idea and will think about it for a long time. The dual narration by Major Curda and Michelle H. Lee was absolutely excellent. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Dead Certain by Adam Mitzner My rating: 3 of 5 stars i guessed this one, too. i've read too many mysteries, but it was still a good and fast read that kept me busy. View all my reviews

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham My rating: 3 of 5 stars i've read so many mysteries by now that i keep waiting for the other shoe to drop constantly. the whole time. i liked this one and enjoyed the fast read. View all my reviews

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena My rating: 3 of 5 stars fun, fast mystery with twists and turns that I guessed but still enjoyed. View all my reviews

A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal by Jen Waite My rating: 3 of 5 stars Beautiful cover and yet another memoir of a cheating husband of a newborn baby. They are a plenty. View all my reviews

Everything is Perfect: A Memoir by Kate Nason My rating: 3 of 5 stars Another memoir about divorce, this one comes with the added crazy of the cheating husband's mistress being Monica Lewinsky and the husband cheating the whole time before he even proposed. You can't make this stuff up. View all my reviews

Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story by Isabel Gillies My rating: 3 of 5 stars i've been reading a lot of these memoirs. They are devastating and also so very ordinary in all the sad ways. it's amazing how much they all have in common even though they feel so uniquely devastating. View all my reviews

The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays by Irena Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars Outstanding, beautiful, heartwrenching and honest memoir. Really creative structure with using essay topics, too. I loved every moment I spent with this and highly recommend it on audio. View all my reviews

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars. I read this because someone in my book club suggested it. It was a fun and interesting read even if some of it was a bit outdated. View all my reviews