A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder by Dianne Freeman

 

Fun.

The Gifts by Liz Hyder

 

Interesting premise: a few women start growing wings. Interesting issues: gender, class, medicine, magic. But the payoff was not what it could have been.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Jetsetter by Amanda Eyre Ward

 

meh

A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman

 

This was so much fun. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

A Nearly Normal Family by M. T. Edvardsson

 

This was definitely uneven, with the strongest parts at the beginning and then at the end. It's hard to say more without giving away a twist or two.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Every by David Eggers

 I think I really liked this.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

 

Super fun. I mean, just fluff, but super fun.

The Swallows by Lisa Lutz

 

meh

Chances Are . . . by Richard Russo

 

meh

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear

 

Very well done.

Watch My Disappear by Janelle Brown

 

There were several twists here that I did not see coming, which made this fun.

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling

 

Ended up being very clever in a way that I did not expect.

Eternal Life by Dara Horn

 

Very clever; very interesting.

You Should Have Known by Rebecca Keller

 

Because I read a lot, some plots and tropes become tired. I was so pleased that this book was different. The setting of an assisted living home made it interesting and novel. There were also interesting reflections on aging and family. I was completely loving this book (despite the silly cover), when it fell victim to the most dreaded of conclusions: The Extremely Unlikely Coincidence.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Armada by Ernest Cline

 

This was so much fun -- I don't know why I didn't hear about this sooner?

Wonder Land by Jennifer Hillier

 

If I told you the plot, this would sound stupid. But I actually someone enjoyed reading it -- it managed to work as a suspenseful, engaging, character-driven novel even though the plot was a bit of-the-top.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

 

This was unusually good -- twisty and clever but also with interesting commentary on the age of social media.

Homecoming by Kate Morton

 

I mostly loved this -- and Claire Foy is a fantastic narrator -- but there was one little plot twist I didn't like.

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

 

meh

All The Queen's Men by S.J. Bennett

 

Not quite as good as the first one, but still great.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

 

This was great fun.

A Beautiful Crime by Christopher Bollen

 

meh

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

 

This was surprisingly good -- it wasn't predictable, it didn't feel formulaic, and it touched on some interesting ground.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

 

Solid.

The Likeness by Tana French

 

meh

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett

 

I'm embarrassed by how much I liked this.

Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman

 

meh

Down to the Wire by David Rosenfelt

 

meh

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

 

This was Southern Gothic with an emphasis on straight-up comedy as well as dark comedy. The protagonist's role as a entomologist was well-developed and fit into the plot well. In all, super-fun and hilarious.

Review copy provided by publisher.

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

 

Very clever and well done.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

 

One too many coincidences in this one.

Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

 

Maisie Dobbs is growing on me.

Deep Fake by Ward Larsen

 

This book was objectively ridiculous, and yet I still sort of liked it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan

 

Is her husband having an affair?

This very cleverly plotted book toys with that question. It's a fun read. However, the narrator did the book a real disservice -- the register was all wrong. And the author deserves an editor who ruthlessly prunes bad similies.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

 

A few funny moments, but otherwise unremarkable.

The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward

 

I loved all of the local Austin references, but that wasn't enough to reclaim a really weak plot.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

 

Super fun and funny.

The Enigma Affair by Charlie Lovett

 

Great set up, but I didn't love the execution.

The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

 

I really liked this -- it was unusual and captivating.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Guest Lecture by Martin Riker

 

This was amazing. Maybe you have to be a high-anxiety academic to appreciate it, but I have rarely felt so seen.

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

 

Surprisingly good fluff. 

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

 

I really enjoyed this.

Atomic Family by Ciera Horton McElroy

 

One of the disadvantages of reading as much as I do is that many books feel formulaic. Well, not this one. It's a fascinating reflection on life in the nuclear age and life in nuclear families. It would provide excellent discussion material for book groups, and the ending was amazing.

Review copy provided by publisher.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

 

meh

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

 

I read a lot of books, but this one really stood out. I was just completely gobsmacked by it.

The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer

 

Decent, but way too much repetition from the first book.

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

 

Fun in the way sweeping epics are fun and problematic the way 80s authors are problematic.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

 

I can't decide if I liked this. It was right on that edge between horror and comedy, and I don't do horror.

Takes One to Know One by Susan Isaacs

 

This was super-fun.

Last Port of Call by Jean Grainger

 

This was just . . . very sweet and earnest, if a bit too inflected with modern sensibilities.

Augusta Hawke by G. M. Malliet

 

A solid mystery. 

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

 

meh

The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

 

I don't normally do kids' books for myself, but this was quite fun.