meghan_readsbooks's reviews
958 reviews

Thank you Atria and SimonAudio for review copies!  Solid character driven romance, one with depth I didn't expect in terms of exploration of Melody's previous relationship and how it impacted her and Zac's gentle and caring approach to showing her love but also giving her the gift of confidence, self-worth, and space to find herself again.  The story has great chemistry, secondary characters, and strong themes outside of romance that made this a really great read.  I thought Wilde here offered a nice expansion on the sports romance genre, so very popular right now, by weaving in a lot of additional themes that expanded on sports romance books in powerful ways, ones that I appreciated as a reader.
The audio was a win for the always welcome Teddy Hamilton and the great acting from Carly Robins as well.

Thank you Macmillan and St Martins for review copies! Marie Benedict has a flare for exploring and amplifying the stories of women in history, some well known and others less known, and giving readers a chance to know and learn about these women (though the stories are somewhat fictionalized the identities and plot points are well researched and grounded in real life events).  What I really enjoyed about this book was the exploration of well known women crime and mystery writers a time when women's writers weren't as celebrated and acknowledged as they are today, particularly writers who were taking in dark and edgy themes in their writing.  Though the topic might have been dark at times, Benedict has a way to making the lives and voices of women shine through in ways that highlight overcoming darkness or challenges, or showing how perseverance, wit and intelligence allow women to make their mark; these themes are even stronger in this book given the focus on women using their friendship and talents together.

Thank you MacMillan and St Martins for review copies.  I loved this one on audio, there was a richness to how the voice actors captured the story but also the feeling and insights of the characters; voice acting here was so crucial for this elegant character and relationship study!  
The Snowbirds is a welcome read, I loved that Clancy focused on a less than typical committed relationship, let her characters be at a turning point not just in their relationship but also within themselves (so common at midlife) and that empty nester themes were nicely developed along with the idea that hitting later midlife, family and relationship transitions is a time of expansion and self growth, a time to think about and reflect on where you are going, not just where you have been.    I really loved the way both Kim and Grant were developed, how we learned about their backstory, their mindsets, and how the trip to Palm Springs became such a powerful, ironic and even funny part of their relationship and self growth journeys.  Clancy is a talented writer and there is a richness to her writing that really resonated with me, I really do love strong character driven stories!

Thank you St Martin's for the review copy!  I really loved Lindsay Hameroff's previous book Till There was You, it was a surprise win on the romcom list for me last year and was so excited to read her new book!  Never Planned on You brings back characters from till there was you, though you don't need to read that book to follow this one, kind of an expansion on the universe (though spoilers for the Till there was You!) and explores a variation on the Wedding Planner movie tropes, with a few welcome twists on those tropes and notes of inclusion and identity and some strong themes on family relationships which really added  nice depth to the read.  I admit I struggle with plots that have someone cheating on another person, even though I knew there was likely a reason or way the plot would go that would reduce the discomfort, and did appreciate how that aspect of the plot was handled and developed.  At times the plot felt a bit slow, perhaps because it was a little too predictable, and I found I missed the role of the friend theme that for me was so great in Till There was You but the story was overall a charming banter and chemistry filled read, one that I enjoyed!

 Thank you for the review copy to the publishing team, this is a bingeworthy thriller with solid twists and turns, perfect for readers who really like stories that rev up into that roller coaster ride feeling as the plot unfolds more and more later in the book (you know that kind of oh here we go now moment?  those are in this one).  I found the start a little slow, unsure I could get into the decisions being made (kind of a don't go in the basement, don't trust this person feeling) but I also knew that this was going to go dark and twisty and when it did, my suspense loving self was all in for Garner's storytelling.   This beat the Jan feels like a year blahs and was a fun read!

Thank you Celadon for the review copy!  Tracey Lange has a talent for captivating and engaging family dramas, stories that feel relatable and filled with the push/pull of family love and stress and strain, the complicated sense of loyalty and unconditional support filled with the tension that emerges when challenges in families arise, when we are with people we know so very well.  What Happened to the McCrays captures this so well and I am reminded why I love a good dive into a character driven book about every day families navigating turning points and life after change and challenge, the journey to new acceptance and new ways of thriving.

A perfectly atmospheric winter thriller, indeed a welcome feminist take on The Shining.  I read this over one snowy weekend and was quickly drawn into the plot and pace of Konen's book.  The plot may not break completely new ground, so few thrillers do, but this worked for the mood and style Konen used and for the engaging take on some standard suspense tropes.    it's a welcome popcorn thriller that beats the dreary winter blahs and brings a welcome, and quick, escape, especially for fans of misdirection, unreliable narrator tropes, and fast paced suspense twists. 

thank you William Morrow for the early review copy, I loved this suspense read and remain a fan of Gillian McAllister's stylish, engaging, and propulsive plots.  McAllister has a knack for making me sit and think about what would I really do if I found myself challenged in truly unexpected and intense ways... would I believe that my husband didn't do the things he is accused of, would I go to great lengths to protect someone I love... what would I do and what wouldn't I do in the situations her main characters are often in.  Mc Allister here offers a truly captivating plot, a husband who might have taken people hostage for no clear reason, and invites us to explore this experience through the eyes of her main character, Cam, and related secondary characters, including the  hostage negotiator (who I love, please bring me more Niall and his self growth and his storyline); the premise alone hooked me but it was how the story unfolded (no spoilers here) that had me staying up to want to see where the story went, to dive into the well placed reveals, and to go on an unexpectedly romantic, to me, story about Cam and Luke.   I really valued the depth given to each character, even the secondary characters, and how the plot was more than just figuring out the reason for Luke's behavior but also about how the hostage storyline impacted a range of other characters.  

I also want to say that McAllister brought in secondary themes about relationships and marriage in a range of ways, I really loved how she gave Niall as a hostage negotiator a strong exploration of marriage and how themes on love and marriage and parenthood were woven in so many ways, through Cam, through her sister, through driving factors that revealed themselves as the plot progressed, and these themes make this book truly discussion worthy.  I applaud McAllister as well for Cam's sister Libby and how she wrote about Libby's experiences and feelings with infertility, it was nice to see how Libby was not a criminal or bad person, not contemplating or implicated in crimes simply for struggling with infertility (looking at the whole domestic thriller genre there and pointing fingers...).

 I loved this one on audio  in particular, check that out if you like romance reads on audio as much as I do.
thank you Putnam and PRH audio (free review copies) for this new book from Naina Kumar, between this read and her debut last year, she is a new favorite romance writer!  I love her style, her slow burn banter and chemistry, and how her stories, though universal in themes, also weave in needed depth of culture and identity, exploration of how culture and family shape relationships, that I really value.  I love a story that brings in not just themes on second chance love but also the space for self growth and reflection; Meena's story has this and Naina Kumar is deft at giving her characters space to grow and explore relationships but also space for self reflection.  Flirting with Disaster was a big win for me, engaging for the charm and banter, hard to put down because of the ways Kumar drew me to care about and connect with Meena.