booklistqueen's reviews
612 reviews

Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace over two years ago, is shockingly found alive in the woods in Washington State. But Ellie isn't talking about where she's been. Detective Chelsey Calhoun thinks Ellie is protecting someone and is determined to find answers-  not only in the unlikely hope that maybe Chelsey can find a clue to her own sister's disappearance twenty years ago but also to prevent it from happening again to another girl.

The Return of Ellie Black is an extremely slow-paced thriller that lacks an emotional punch. Jean never lets you emotionally connect with either of the female protagonists. This is understandable with Ellie, whose experience leaves her with plenty of trauma when she returns but not as forgivable in Chelsey, who felt flat and one-dimensional. The story was dark and hard to read at time. Although it plods along for the most part, the ending had plenty of action and some unexpected twists. 

After her father dies, Hazel Sharp returns to her hometown and is shocked to discover that she, and not her brothers, has inherited their family home. With a drought plaguing the region, the low water level reveals two cars long hidden in the lake - one belonging to her mother who ran away when she was a teenager. As Hazel starts questioning what happened to her mother, her childhood best friend (who is now her brother's wife) also disappears. With long buried secrets coming to light, Hazel isn't sure who she can trust anymore.

Megan Miranda has been yet another atmospheric thriller that will keep you guessing since everyone is covering for someone else. I loved the complicated family dynamic between Hazel and her brothers and the generational secrets inherent in their small town. With plenty of tension and suspense throughout, you'll be hooked by this psychological thriller. 

After a police raid gone horribly wrong, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache seeks refuge with a former mentor while visiting Literary and Historical Society. When a body is found in the library's basement, Gamache is drawn into the investigation. Meanwhile, Gamache takes his second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir to reinvestigate their last case in Three Pines, wondering if maybe Olivier is innocent after all. Haunted by their last disastrous case together, can either man push past their memories to find the truth?

Louise Penny has hooked me again. Everyone told me to wait until books 5-6 before deciding on the Inspector Gamache series, and they were absolutely correct. The three storylines in Bury Your Dead meshed extremely well, giving you a cozy murder mystery, the quirky Three Pines characters, and a thriller aspect through flashbacks. I also loved that Penny set up a larger conflict for Gamache in the next book, which I cannot wait to read. 

After a heartbreaking public breakup, Millie learned to keep to herself and never share her true feelings. Instead, she vents her thoughts into emails that never leave her drafts folder. When all her emails are accidentally sent, Millie must deal with the chaos that ensues after her colleagues, friends, and family find out her deepest confessions.

Lia Louis has penned an adorable and lighthearted romance with a relatable protagonist. Millie's self-doubt and constant people-pleasing were all too realistic. As was her awful ex that you wish she'd realize wasn't good enough for her. With the public embarrassment of having everyone hear her unfiltered thoughts to her struggle to be open and vulnerable with a new romantic interest, Better Left Unsent was a well-written, heartwarming, feel-good read.

With her post-doc research going nowhere, Lyla agrees to go on a new reality tv show with her boyfriend Nico, an aspiring actor. On One Perfect Couple, Lyla and Nico must compete against four other couples on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. After the first challenge leaves everyone angry, a storm cuts off the contestants. At first, everyone is grateful when a leader emerges, but they quickly begin to wonder if they made the right choice.

Ruth Ware shines with a fun beach read that mixes the cutthroat survival of Lord of the Flies with an Agatha Christie-style isolation thriller. With Lyla as a narrator, the large cast wasn't too hard to navigate and I loved that the characters reflected a typical reality tv casting, primed to have grating personalities that place stress on everyone. Lyla's levelheadedness, realistic plot twists, and page-turning pace keep you glued to the page in this psychological thriller that belongs on all the summer reading lists.

Weeks before high school graduation, Helen Zhang and Grant Shepherd become connected for life when Helen's sister is killed after she jumps in front of the car Grant is driving. Now a bestselling author, Helen loves working with the screenwriters adapting her popular young adult novels. When Grant shows up in the writer's room, Helen is furious. Yet as Helen and Grant get closer, they cannot deny the chemistry, even though Helen's family would never approve. For there's was never meant to be a love story.

I feel like How to End a Love Story didn't achieve the depth it was hoping for. I liked the core of the story: the people-pleasing daughter of immigrants, the mental health and trauma of dealing with a suicide. Yet the love story itself felt rather formulaic. First, they understandably hate each other. Next, they hook up too quickly, without much depth or vulnerability. The entire middle of the book is just sex scenes. Finally a cliche breakup and an eventual reunion. Honestly, both characters mostly just needed better therapists. 

Justin finds himself with an unusual curse: every woman he dates finds her soulmate the minute she breaks up with Justin. Emma has the same problem, so Emma and Justin hatch a plan to spend a month together in Minnesota, hoping to break each other's curses. Things go awry when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin assumes guardianship of his younger siblings. Yet, it seems Fate may have more in mind than a quick summer fling.

With her ability to hit on deeper issues, Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance writers. Although all her books inhabit the same world, each story reads as a standalone with small nods to her other books. I particularly love how Jimenez mixes in mental health and trauma, showing how our pasts can affect our current relationships. With great chemistry and adorable banter, Emma and Justin are super cute together and the fake-dating trope is so well-written, it doesn't feel cliche. 

Sara Marsala feels completely lost after the failure of her business and her marriage. When her beloved great-aunt Rosie dies, Sara is left the deed to a potentially valuable plot of land in Sicily. Traveling to Italy, Sara must solve the mystery of her fierce great-grandmother Serafina who served as a healer for her town before being murdered. Alternating between Sara and Serafina, The Sicilian Inheritance is a multigenerational story of the heroism of everyday women.

When I discovered my Spotify account came with free audiobooks, I decided to try this fun historical fiction. Piazza presents a fascinating time in Sicilian history when the men left for better jobs and the women gained power, which they were loathe to give up. Both timelines of The Sicilian Inheritance were interesting though the modern timeline was over-the-top. Four stars might be a bit generous, but after several lame books, it was a relief to read something that captivated my attention. Plus, Piazza gets bonus points for the gorgeous cover and making me want to visit Sicily. 

Having loved Ann Napolitano's last two releases (Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward), it was interesting to take a look back at her debut novel. 

Among the April 2024 book releases is a re-release of Ann Napolitano's debut novel. Within Arm's Reach follows three generations of the McLaughlins, an Irish-American family in New Jersey. Told from the points of view of six different narrators, the story hinges on how an out-of-wedlock pregnancy changes the dynamics of the Catholic family, forcing them to learn to communicate to keep the family together.

You can clearly see that Within Arm's Reach had the bones of a good story. Yet, Napolitano as yet lacked the skill to develop it well. Within Arm's Reach is a sprawling read with too many narrators, making it really hard to engage with any of the storylines. The plot dragged so much that I only made it halfway before admitting defeat and adding it to the DNF pile.

When a body turns up one morning in Olivier's Bistro, Inspector Armand Gamache must return to Three Pines to investigate the case. Who is the murdered man and why was his body dumped in the bistro? With a heated rivalry between Olivier and a new family opening a luxury inn in Three Pines, Olivier has motive and a story full of holes that don't seem to be adding up in the sixth book of Louise Penny's bestselling series.

Now I can see why everyone says to keep reading the series. After several uninspiring books, I found myself once again captivated by Inspector Gamache's mystery. Better yet, Penny proved that the main characters are not untouchable. Instead of the stories feeling like standalone novels, Penny has started to insert foreshadowing into future problems and continuing story arcs through multiple books. Now I'm excited to read book six.