bethreadsandnaps's reviews
2652 reviews

3 ⭐️

ONE IN FOUR by Lucinda Berry

Lucinda Berry has made waves in the Kindle thriller world in the last few years, but I hadn’t yet read anything by her. When I saw she had a new novel coming out, I thought I’d give her a try. 

In this novel, therapist Laurel works on a reality show Comeback Kids with washed-up child stars who are now drug addicts (think Big Brother crossed with Intervention). One of the show stars Maddie passes away one evening, after coming out of the bathroom bleeding. When the detectives show Laurel evidence that implicates her as being involved, the story turns. While most of the story is in the present day, there are occasional flashbacks to an unnamed woman’s past experiences. 

➕ The premise and setting of the murder sounded really interesting
➕ Quick, propulsive read

➖ The novel pivots a little over halfway through and abandons the initial murder of Maddie. I felt like it WAS resolved, but at the same time I didn’t want to pivot in such a way.
➖ There are a lot of triggers and more close-up horror than I expected with a lot of weak characterizations.

I know the author has a background in psychology and trauma, but I’m not sure this book approached those topics with much care because a lot seemed gratuitous. Due to the vivid descriptions of some scenes, I think this one will stick with me. I’m not sure I’d recommend it though. 

Thank you to NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes May 13, 2025. 

 

3.75 ⭐️

MIDNIGHT IN SOAP LAKE by Matthew Sullivan

Abigail is new to Soap Lake, Washington, and her husband Eli quickly was summoned to Poland to do research. So when she finds a little boy George whose mother was murdered by a screwdriver, she immerses herself into the community, takes an active role in George’s life, and tries to help solve the murder of Esme. The novel flashes back to when Esme was younger in Soap Lake. 

➕ Unique way to bring together an actual, mystical lake with a mystery. Soap Lake is a few hours away from me by car, and I enjoyed learning more about this actual lake. 

➕ I really liked the found family element in this novel, as Abigail is new to town, and finding George after his mother’s murder gets her more involved in the town. I liked the unique individuals in the town, including the recovering drug addict. 

➖ I didn’t think the actual mystery was very compelling.

➖ It felt a little too drawn out.

I’m not usually too much of a fan of quirk, and this novel has some elements that are off the beaten path. I actually liked several of these elements although I didn’t quite grasp the myth of “Tree Top.”  

I thought the audiobook narrator Kristen Sieh did a good job narrating the audiobook. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Hanover Square Press, and Harlequin Audio for an Advance Reader Copy and Advance Listener Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes April 15, 2025. 

 

 

3.5 ⭐️

SUCH A GOOD MOM by Julia Spiro

Brynn is a new mom and is very overwhelmed by her baby Lucas. She’s deeply struggling with postpartum depression, and I felt Spiro gave a very accurate portrayal of a new mom who can’t focus, can’t sleep, is worrying about everything, and feels like she is doing so much worse than every other mother that she knows. To top it all off, her husband Ross is being accused of murder. 

➕ I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an accurate portrayal of postpartum depression. The author did a really good job, but I can see it being *too much* for a lot of readers. 

➕ I appreciated following Brynn’s evolution throughout the novel.

➖ The mystery element didn’t carry the book. There was a murder, but solving it felt extraneous to Brynn’s internal machinations.

➖ Ross, Brynn’s husband, was a bit too milquetoast to care much about.

While I thought the mystery element was rather weak in this novel, I did enjoy the writing and thought Spiro did an excellent job capturing the lived experience of postpartum depression. 

I thought the audiobook narrator Abigail Reno did a great job conveying the turmoil that Brynn was going through. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and MacMillan Audio for an Advance Reader Copy and Advance Listener Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes April 29, 2025. 

 

4 ⭐️

DREAM COUNT by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chiamaka is the nexus that brings the reader these four women’s stories: Chiamaka, her cousin Omelogor, her best friend Zikora, and her family’s maid Kadiatou. Each is experiencing challenges, particularly related to men or motherhood against the backdrop of the beginning of the pandemic.

➕ I liked seeing the issues each woman was going through and being able to compare and contrast them.

➕ The writing is solid, as you would expect from this powerhouse of an author.

➖ While each of these women is experiencing different issues, I felt the “voice” of each narrator sounded similar. If I picked up the novel while in the middle of a narrator’s section, I had to use the issues of the narrator to figure out which section I was in.

➖ I wasn’t as invested in Omelogor’s section. Some sections felt very long-winded and too character-driven for even me.

Loved the writing with so many keen observations from the author. This read like separate novellas, which is a decent structure. I wish the “voice” of the novella subjects differed more from one another. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes March 4, 2025. 

 

4 ⭐️

LUCKY NIGHT by Eliza Kennedy 

Two sometimes lovers Jenny and Nick are meeting at a new, exclusive hotel in Manhattan in snowy February to have a night of passion. However, soon into their evening, the smoke alarm goes off. Unbeknownst to me and what I know as fire safety, they are told to stay in their hotel room. As the situation becomes more dire, they have to stay in the hotel room because smoke has infiltrated the rest of the hotel.  

➕ A real dissection of a relationship between two people

➕ I liked the ending. Not going to say more on that.

➕ I thought this would make a great adaptation to a play.

➖ A bit claustrophobic in the setting and time (a few hours in a hotel room)

➖ The reader doesn’t find out much about their respective spouses. (I could also see many readers rejecting this novel due to its subject matter.)

I thought this was a really interesting and unique novel. I found it an utterly compelling read, and I wanted to find out what was going to happen to these two characters. I was trying to figure out logistical answers to their most immediate dilemma, which I thought I landed on but now need to go on a Google trail to see if it could successfully have solved that problem. I am so glad I read this one!  

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes March 25, 2025. 

 

3 ⭐️

PARENTS WEEKEND by Alex Finlay brings together the parents of four students at a private college in Northern California. One mother is a high D.C. official while one of the fathers is a judge on a high-profile court case. What are the odds of such famous parents? As the parents get together at the appointed restaurant, the students never arrive. Sarah Keller from the FBI swoops in and uses her skills to figure out what is going on. 

➕ Quick, propulsive chapters

➕ interesting details, like the van, the masks, the interests of the “bad guys”

➖ Not a lot of depth to the characters or even the plot

➖ A lot of characters are thrown at the reader. Just let them wash over you. The characters are pretty one-note, so they actually are easy to keep track of.

This is a fast-paced popcorn thriller that would make a good beach read. It was an easy read, but at the end I had a bit of trouble comprehending it all. It was difficult to connect with the characters, even the detective Keller. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes May 6, 2025. 

3.5 stars

These stories were pretty good. A little more literary than I expected/wanted. I’m not sure how much staying power they will have for me.

3.5 stars

I really liked this story of Marian Graves and how she was so determined to be a pilot. It is on the longer side, and I would have appreciated it being a bit shorter. And I didn’t connect much with Hadley and the present day story. 

Sweet short story. When neighbors Charlotte and Seth have their stairs demolished right before Valentine’s Day, they are forced to spend the weekend together.

 

3.5 ⭐️

The third installment in her popular Molly the Maid series, THE MAID’S SECRET by Nita Prose, brings back a cast of favorites: Molly, Gran, Mr. Preston, Juan, and Mr. Snow. Gran’s letters to Molly feels like a little more than half of the book, and in these letters she tells her history. These letters conveniently help to solve the present day mystery involving a Faberge egg. 

➕ Gran’s letters brings Flora (Gran) to life as a young woman. Loved these chapters! 

➕ I thought the present day interspersed with Gran’s letters provided a nice balance to the novel. 

➖ The present day mystery was rather weak. It felt like there wasn’t a lot there.  

➖ Not much Molly in this one, and her personality doesn’t come through as much in prior novels in the series.

This is a very light mystery, and I think it will work best for those readers who really enjoyed Gran in the prior novels. The reader gets a lot of backstory on Gran, and it fills a lot of holes on the “why” of Gran. It does have a satisfying ending for those who are wishing the best for these characters. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes April 8, 2025.