The Radiant Dark by Alexandra Olivia

 

Meh.

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

 

Solid.

Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta

 

This turned into almost a hate read pretty quickly. It just felt way too focused on the perspective of a character type that we have just already seen too often; even when the topic was race, it was clear who was the subject and who were the objects.

Review copy provided by publisher.

You Were Always Mine by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza

 

Really well done.

Mom Brain by Nicole Hackett

 

Great concept, some very interesting social commentary, but ultimately the transition from psychological thriller to action-adventure didn't quite work for me.

Review copy provided by publisher.

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange

 

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

 

The description made this sound like another "old woman detective" type book -- there are a lot of those lately, and some are great but it's getting overdone. Well, turns out it was quite different. I felt like it worked really well.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

 

A really clever combination of mystery, spy thriller, domestic drama, romance, and, you know, shout-outs to stoicism and feminism.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Singer Distance by Ethan Chatagnier

 

Meh.

Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein

 

Really funny.

The Adjunct by Maria Adelmann

 

Some parts were funny and interesting, but overall it tried to do too much.

The Fountain by Casey Scieska

 

Really good.

Nothing Tastes As Good by Luke Dumas

 

Some good social commentary, but kind of meh.

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

 Meh

Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell

 

So while acknowledging that Rowell is always vaguely disappointing because nothing is ever going to be in the same league as Attachments, I can say that this was quite good -- it wasn't until it was more than half over that I had a sense of which direction it was going to go in, and there was a lot of interesting social commentary.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

 

Mostly tedious.

The Keeper by Tana French

 

Meh.

By a Spider's Thread by Laura Lippman

 

Solid.

Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill

 

Meh.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad

 

Weird and dumb.

Northern Spy by Flynn Berry

 

Solid.

The Possibilities by Yael Goldstein-Love

 

Interesting.

Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

 

Meh.

Pretty As a Picture by Elizabeth Lee

 

Funny and engaging, but the wrap up was a bit weak. 

The Ruins by Lily Brooks-Dalton

 

All through the first third of this, I was seriously considering abandoning it because it just seemed so cliched (professor shows initial promise but then nothing, job threatened and no new grants, problems in personal relationships, blah blah blah). And then there was a plot twist so fun that I ended up taking the day off of work to finish the book. So: highly recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

So Far Gone by Jess Walter

 

Weird and unbelievably good.

What to Do When Someone Dies by Nicci French

 Meh

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

 I do really like this series.

Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza

 Very good.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

 

Very, very good.

Worse than a Lie by Ben Crump

 

Meh.

The Plans I Have for You by Lai Sanders

Decent. 

Whidbey by T. Kira Madden

 

This was very, very well done.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

 

So much fun.

Everyone in this Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

 

Possibly my favorite mystery series. Just a great combination of meta commentary, humor, and throw backs to golden age mysteries.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Escape! By Stephen Fishbach

 

Fun.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley

 Sweet but not cheesy.

In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka

Meh. 

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton

 

Solid.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

 

I loved this so much.

This Story Might Save Your Life: A Novel by Tiffany Crum

 

This was so engaging -- most plots seem overdone to me, but this wasn't. That said, it got pretty close to shark-jumping at the end. Julia Whelan as a narrator is a plus.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden

 

So dumb.

Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson

 

For the most part, this was quite engaging, and having Viola Davis as the narrator was certainly a plus. I do wish that it had had just a bit more nuance, however.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

 

Solid.

Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack

 

OK-ish.

The Optimists by Brian Platzer

 

This seems like the kind of thing I wouldn't like, but I loved it.

What Happened that Night by Nicci French

 

Meh

Challenger by Adam Higginbotham

 

Fascinating.

A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage by M. K. Oliver

 

Fun and funny.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman

 

Solid.