The Rumor Game by Thomas Mullen

 

I don't do a lot of historical fiction, but this was really solid. It was an interesting sliver of WWII that isn't overdone, with of course interesting parallels to today.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

 

 Fun.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

 

 meh

Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

 

 decent

Please Report Your Bug Here by Josh Riedel

 

 meh

Past Crimes by Jason Pinter

 

 The first half of this was fabulous; the second half was like average YA fare.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Original Sins by Erin Young

 

 

I'm like the ideal target audience for this plot, but the execution was too heavy-handed.  I didn't like it.  

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Book of Love by Kelly Link

 

 Why are people raving about this? It reads like a generic Harry Potter knock-off.

Never Ask Me by Jeff Abbott

 

 meh

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

 

 So much fun.

One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan

 

Decent, but, ultimately, not particularly memorable.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens

 

Very solid. I plan on checking out whatever else he's written.

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

 

So, so good. I'm not sure how I missed this when it came out.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

 

First, anything Julia Whelan narrates is 20% better for it. And she does not disappoint here. As for the story: well, there are some cheesy elements, but I suspect that's par for the course for a coming of age novel. But, overall, it was solid.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell

 

 meh

The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan

 

 Nicely done.

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

 

  I was so looking forward to this because I loved her first book, but this was disappointing.

The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall

 

 This is one of the funniest books I ever read.

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel

 

 Quirky and fun.

Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

 

 This may be my favorite series.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

 

 Oh my gosh, this was so much fun.

Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr

 

 Great, until it jumped the shark.

The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan

 

This was fantastic. I read so many mysteries that it's hard for any one of them to seem fresh, but this one was.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel

 

Laurie Frankel is consistently amazing, and this book was no exception. She manages to build in so many great insights into a stellar plot, with characters that are just so lovable.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

 

 So, so good.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

 

Very well done.

The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin

 

 meh

Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan

 

 Very, very good.

Hero by Thomas Perry

 

So you always have to suspend some disbelief for a cat-and-mouse type book, but once you do that, this was quite solid.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

 

This just didn't do it for me. I can deal with a certain amount of suspension of disbelief in a mystery, but at a certain point, it's just too much.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Space between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

 

 solid.

The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes

 

There were some genuinely funny moments, but also some attempts at humor that fell flat. The plot was a bit Byzantine.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Lay Your Body Down by Amy Suiter Clarke

 

 meh

Anna O by Matthew Blake

 

 meh

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection by A. J. Jacobs

 

Super funny.

The Librarianist by Patrick DeWitt

 

 meh

Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody

 

I felt like this was really well done -- clever, not predictable, social critique.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood

 

A fun read, but the end wasn't satisfying.

Christian Nation by Frederic Rich

 

On the one hand, this was way too didactic to work as a novel. On the other hand, it was kind of fascinating to compare his timeline with what has actually happened.

Bury What We Cannot Take by Kirsten Chen

 

 Very good.

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

 

 meh

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

 Cheesy, but I liked it.

The Distant Echo by Val McDermid

 

Solid.

The List by Yomi Adegoke

 

 Solid.

With Regrets by Lee Kelly

 

Meh.

The One by John Marrs

 

 This was super clever.

Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

 

 Decent.

In the Dark I See You by Mallika Narayanan

 

Lame.

Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch

 

Solid.

Lost in Time by A. G. Riddle

 

 Fun.