Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas

I liked this enough to continue with the series.

Sisters of the Southern Cross by Jean Grainger

 

So there's a sense in which I realize that Grainger's characters are way too binary, with no character development. But there's another sense in which I really love her books.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Poster Girl by Veronica Roth

 

meh

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

 

Really well done - - and that ending . . . 

The Radleys by Matt Haig

 

This was amazing. 

All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

 

I stayed up until 4am because I had to finish this. I was just completely gobsmacked by it. Stellar writing style, plot, characters, social/historical engagement. (Be warned: it is a bit rough, although nowhere near as graphic as it could be given the topic.) I am eagerly tracking down his other books. 

Highly recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland

 

This was really fun.

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

 

This was quite clever. There was one twist that was really well done.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

 

meh

Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf

 

Not perfect, but quite good.

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

 

This was amazing and funny and cringy and I just love a good horrible main character.

A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan

 

meh

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

 

A lovely novel ruined by an absurd plot twist.

The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh

 

The problem with reading (well, listening) as much as I do is that there are only so many plots in the world, and so it's easy for novels to become redundant. This book, at least, was not that. But. I will authors didn't feel the need to add that second twist at the end that strains my ability to suspend disbelief.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus

 

This is one of the funniest books I have every read. I especially appreciated the serious side quests into real issues as well as the utterly bizarre back stories.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Long Time No See by Susan Isaacs

 

I always like Susan Isaacs.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

 

Disappointing.

Bad, Bad Seymour Brown by Susan Isaacs

 

I really like Susan Isaacs. This was fun.

Growing Wild in the Shade by Jean Grainger

 

Odd plot, but I like this series because I like Mags.

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

 

meh

Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt

 

meh

Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

 

meh

Deception Point by Dan Brown

 

dumb

The Andromeda Evolution by Michael Crichton

 

meh

Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein

 

Uneven.

Deep Tide by Laura Griffin

 

Such a strong start -- great setting, great characters -- and then it just fell apart at the end with totally predictable events.

Review copy provided by publisher.

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