The Love Haters by Katherine Center

 

I've said it before (and I'll probably say it again): if you want a fluffy romcom, Katherine Center will not disappoint.

Also: solid narrator, and not a great cover given some plot points I won't go into.

Review copy provided by publisher.

I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney

 I liked this because it was quirky and funny.

Pictures of You by Emma Grey

 

Surprisingly good.

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers

 

I generally have sworn off missing/dead girl books, but this was actually pretty solid.

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava

 

At first I thought this was just a cheap knockoff of The Last Mrs. Parrish (which I didn't even like), but then it went in a different direction, and that worked reasonably well.

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

 

This was at its best as social commentary; as science fiction, it didn't gel. Unfortunately, there wasn't that much social commentary.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Jessica Guerrieri

 This was so close to being fantastic -- but a few one-dimensional characters and one too many over-the-top plot points really hurt it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

 Meh.

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

 

I thought this was dumb.

Closer than You Think by Jean Grainger

 

Very good.

Each to Their Own by Jean Grainger

 I just love this series.

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang

 

Started off very strong but then got too weird.

Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze

 

I've been a fan of Bargatze since his George Washington skits on SNL, but this . . . was just not that funny.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

 

Meh.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

 

Solid, but I wish it hadn't been quite so similar to an actual event.

Quantum Radio by A. G. Riddle

 

Solid.

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte

 

A solid mystery -- which might sound like damning with faint praise, but I read a lot of mysteries, so . . .

Review copy provided by publisher.

Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake

 

Parts of this were fantastic and other parts just meh.

Season of Death by Will Thomas

 

This is one of my favorite series, and this title did not disappoint.

Review copy provided by publisher.

All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

 

Fun and funny.

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Sutanto

 

 I love this series so much.

Head Cases by John McMahon

 Excellent characterization, but the plot was a bit over the top.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

 

I'm normally a big Jennifer Weiner fan because I love how she -- unlike most other writers -- can write thoughtfully about topics like body perception.

But this one didn't work for me. Too many coincidences, and some unrealistic characters.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold

 Solid.

St. Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters

 Solid.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

 

Clever, suspenseful, with well-developed characters. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage

 

I felt like this didn't quite know what it wanted to be: dark comedy, quest, modern relationship novel, something else? And, as a result, it didn't quite work as anything.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh

 

I can't say much without spoilers, but this was very well done, and in a suprising way at the end. I appreciate the characterization.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Railway Conspiracy by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan

 

I love this series so much -- the nods to golden age detective fiction, the interesting historical bits, the witty writing.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

 

Solid, and has aged reasonably well.

Gothictown by Emily Carpenter

I don't normally do anything that's even horror-adjacent, but this was clever and interesting (and not too creepy).

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

 

A very compelling read, but I was not sure about the ending.

Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green

 

So interesting and sad.

Isola by Allegra Goodman

 

I loved this.

The Q by Amy Tintera

 I loved the idea of a dystopia set in Austin, but there was virtually no local color.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

 Solid.

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

 

This one's going to stick with me for a long time.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

 Such well-drawn characters for such a short book. Really a little gem.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Rose/House by Arkady Martine

 

This was solid -- but I kind of feel like a mystery about an AI house has so much potential that it should have been, and could have been, a lot better.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn

 

Solid, which was super disappointing because I adored the first book in the series.

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

 Like reading a reality show.

Counting Backwards by Jacqueline Friedland

I was predisposed to like this, but it just didn't work: characters with inexplicable behavior and too much exposition.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Last Word by Elly Griffiths

 Solid.

The Blob by Maggie Su

Solid.

The Korean Woman by John Altman

 

Decent, until the over-the-top ending.

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

 

Pretty good.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

 

Solid.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano

 

The first book in this series was such a delight; each subsequent book has been just a touch less so. There are still rewarding moments and lots of fun, but the arc is worrying.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 

So good.

Dream State by Eric Puchner

 

Very well done.