Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

 

I don't know why everyone is raving about this.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen

 

This was very clever. I listen to so many books that a lot seem derivative, but this felt fresh. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan

 

meh

The Deluge by Stephen Markley

 

This was a bit overstuffed, but still terrifying.

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn

 

This was epic fun. The Romanian setting was fun, and I appreciated the quirkiness of the plot.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

 

Some of the expository parts got a bit long-winded, but overall this was just lovely and charming.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

 

Yeesh, this did not age well.

We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

 

This worked really well.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

 

Clever, with good twists.

What Remains by Wendy Walker

This was really well done -- it was unusual enough to hold my attention. I find that I am often disappointed that endings to mysteries are so bizarre, but this one stuck the landing.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker

 

Chandler Baker is one of my favorite authors (doesn't hurt that she lives in Austin, so when women in her books get stressed, they eat Blue Bell straight outta the carton). Sometimes when I really like an author, my high expectations set me up for disappointment.

Well. This book far exceeded my already lofty expectations. It was brilliant funny, clever, and really worth reading. Highly recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Queen Wallis by C. J. Carey

 

I was looking forward to this because I really enjoyed Widowland. It exceeded my expectations with its very clever alt-history. That said, the title is a bit off -- it really isn't about Wallis very much.

Review copy provided by publisher.

American Mermaid by Julia Langbein

 

Unique, clever, wicked funny, etc. Highly recommended.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman

 

Overall really well done, but the beginning was stronger than the ending. 

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

 

So. I don't even know where to start. This was laugh-out-loud funny, with an excellent narrator. And then it takes this super-dark, super-weird twist. And I'm not sure how to feel about that. But I think I could recommend this for book groups because it's definitely one of those "I need to talk to someone about this" books.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

 

meh

What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman

 

Lots of interesting elements here, but I think we need a new rule banning multiple improbably events in one novel serving as plot resolution.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

 

Decent.

Hestia Strikes a Match by Christine Grillo

 

I am still not clear whether this was a dystopian novel, a romance, social criticism, satire, or a feel-good novel. There were a lot of interesting elements here, but they just didn't seem to gel, and the tone felt confusing.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

 

meh

The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

 

fun

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova

 

Decent.

The Silent Bride by Shalini Boland

 

I kept thinking that this was going to get stupid, but it didn't. I was surprised that it was quite good.

Drowning by T. J. Newman

 

meh

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

 

Decent.

Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin

 

Such an interesting set-up with a lot of tension over whether psychic abilities are real . . . and then a really silly plot twist. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

 

Unique, compelling, showstopper of a conclusion.

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

 

There was a lot to like about this, but the ending was not one of those things.

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