Contemporary Fiction

While the hype on the back of this book is kind of irritating (it’s not the most magical story ever and it’s definitely not a laugh riot), Little Bee is a beautiful, painful, horrifying novel—one worth reading. The story of the connection between Little Bee, a young Nigerian woman, and Sarah, an English wife and mother, unfolds slowly, alternating between their perspectives. Little Bee’s parts shine with lovely language and humorous insights, while Sarah’s fall a little flat, but I feel like this is part of the contrast of their experiences and how they respond. An important read that brings the horrors, fears, and hopes of asylum seekers to the doorstep.

This 2002 National Book Award-winning novel brings us into the lives of Paul, Fenno, and Fern over the course of three different summers. Their lives are woven together in different ways, but the story isn’t necessarily about their relationships with one another, but about each of their struggles to come to terms with the deaths of loved ones. A slow-mover, for me, but a nonetheless fascinating look at families, love, and how death and the things learned in the aftermath can define the lives of those left behind.

In Commonwealth, Ann Patchett brilliantly weaves together flawed families who fail one another over the decades but keep trying and trusting in spite of the failures. Where you would expect villains, she instead presents complicated characters struggling with their own hopes, inadequacies, and feelings about the past and how to move forward. Where you would expect broken, bitter relationships, she shows the enduring power of loyalty, love, and forgiveness. This is not an action-packed novel, but one where the subtle emotional tensions will resonate. Highly recommended, along with all of her other books.

I can never resist a book about a dog, and this one promised to be quirky, sweet, and heartbreaking. It was all of those things, but I was conflicted while reading about whether it was the right book for me, mostly due to elements of magical realism throughout. Ted's devotion to his beloved dog is touching and pet lovers especially will feel his fear and loneliness at the prospect of losing Lily to the "octopus" invading her brain. Ultimately it all came together to touch on love, loneliness, grief, and the beautiful companionship and memories we build with our pets during their short lives.

Ove is a solitary curmudgeon who is set in his ways and unreserved in his criticism of anyone who crosses his path. "Hell is other people" could well be Ove's mantra. But behind his rough exterior is a sweet, sad backstory and a soft-hearted man committed to his morals who is about to have his world rocked by several people (and a cat) who refuse to be held off by a few cranky words. Ove is by turns funny, sad, and heartwarming. It's delightful to watch his persistent new friends chip away at his hard shell to find the kind man lurking within.

This sweet book follows Don Tillman, an Australian genetics professor who decides to embark on what he calls The Wife Project to find his perfect partner. Don likely has Aspergers syndrome, and he figures his best chance of finding someone is using a scientific approach.

Along the way, he meets Rosie, a woman he quickly eliminates from The Wife Project, but who intrigues him with her search for her biological father. He quickly jumps into The Father Project in the first of many bursts of spontaneity and excitement that Rosie brings into his well-ordered life.

This book has similarities to the very popular A Man Called Ove. It feels like a bit of a trope now, but it's a pleasing one: sad curmudgeon (in this case, A.J., a bookstore owner) finds his happiness when unlikely people enter his life. He continues to be curmudgeony but shows love and kindness in quirky, funny ways. What makes The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry even more relatable for readers is the bookstore setting and the way books and stories are woven into the lives of the characters: as comfort objects, discussion topics, relationship touchpoints, and contemplations on life.

Arlene ("Lena") thought she'd left Alabama and all that came with it behind her. Her persistent aunt brings it back over the phone each week, but so far she's avoided visits back and has done her best to reinvent herself and her life. But when her past arrives at her doorstep, her boyfriend Burr, who is black, insists on meeting her family. She is forced to face her family, their racism, the many gods of the South, and the past that she's bargained with her own God to keep buried. This is the first book by Jackson that I've read and I loved her turns of phrase and vivid characters; I will definitely be reading more.

The community of Shaker Heights is meticulously planned and picture-perfect, and the Richardson family is much the same. When their new tenants--mysterious, free-spirited artist Mia and her daughter, Pearl--move into town, the four Richardson children are enamored of both, and Pearl of them. As the families becomes more entwined, complications arise when the two mothers, Elena and Mia, find themselves on opposite sides of an adoption case. Elena suspects Mia is not all that she seems and starts digging into her past, rocking the worlds of Mia and Pearl and her own children.

Little Fires Everywhere is a study in the characters--their flaws, pasts, dreams, regrets, and fears--and how all of these hidden things affect their relationships and what happens next. Well-written and perfect for anyone looking for a simmering, emotional read.

I picked this book up looking for a lighter read and it fit the bill. Rebecca Winter is a 60-year old photographer, still famous but no longer sought-after, who moves to a rural town in an attempt to save money by renting her Manhattan apartment. She feels lost until she begins spending time with a local roofer, twenty years her junior, and finds a photography project in the mysterious crosses and mementos scattered through the woods. This didn't blow me away, but Quindlen is always a solid choice for excellent prose and depth of feeling. (Every Last One is my favorite of hers.)

I picked this up knowing nothing about it, but was drawn in by the promise of a tour through my beloved Dublin. The book didn't disappoint on that front, but the story left me feeling conflicted. While the book jacket describes Vivian as whimsical and free-spirited (and she is in many ways), this felt more like a heartbreaking look into the mind of someone struggling with the effects of an abusive childhood and mental illness. Uncomfortable encounters and increasingly poor hygiene amp up the cringes as the book progresses, even as a friendship is presented as a possible beacon of light. While this had its amusing moments and some sharp observations from a unique mind, I ultimately found it unsatisfying.

When Tess moves to New York, she is seeking something that she can't quite define. She finds answers when she lands a job at a famous high-end restaurant: belonging, experience, and identity. Both the insular world of the restaurant and her fellow employees with their singular areas of expertise quickly have her in their thrall--an attractive bartender and a worldly server in particular. This book started out strong for me--the organized chaos of the behind-the-scenes machinations in the restaurant was richly drawn and I could feel Tess's confusion, headiness, and determination to master the secrets of this new world--even as we sense that it's a place where one could, but should try not to, get stuck. As the book progressed, however, it often veered into pretentiousness and a frustrating lack of growth or progression in the relationships of the characters, who we mostly saw through the haze of Tess's heavy drug and alcohol use. I wanted to love this, but it unfortunately fell flat.

I picked this up after reading several raves. The marketing--and I--wanted this to be an empowering story of an almost-40-year old who is single and childfree by choice, pressures and opinions be damned. Instead, Andrea seems to have drifted through her life, waiting for "real life" to happen to her, until suddenly she wakes up at 40, alone, in a job she hates, and uncertain how she fits into the lives of her family and friends. Her flailing is relatable--I think most people have moments of doubt about their own adulthood--as is her frustration with her own safe choices and abandonment of her drive to create. Still, I didn't love this. The driver to move Andrea from self-centeredness to a committed, adult member of her family didn't feel fully developed, and because she spent so much time avoiding the situation, I didn't feel invested either.

If I'd read it in time, Beartown would have made my best of 2017 list. But it was worth the wait and was the perfect wintery read. In the declining Swedish town of Beartown, hockey is the one bright spot. The talented junior team--and one player in particular--have the potential to win it all and revitalize the town. But a brutal event at an after-game party could be the downfall of the team, the players, and the future of the town itself. As the residents grapple with their loyalties and their own morality, each one is forced to answer for themselves how much they are willing to sacrifice for the love of a town and game. Backman veers away from the quirkiness that readers loved about A Man Called Ove, and instead brings sharp observations about small town relationships, family, and the saving grace of team and sport. I'll repeat many other readers on this point: you don't have to love or know hockey to love this book.

A light read about a family of sisters gifted with small touches of magic. As the first frost approaches, the women grow unsettled, and then a stranger arrives and disrupts their understanding of their family and themselves.

After years of working multiple jobs while her mother raised her two children, Letty Espinosa now finds herself raising 15-year-old Alex and six-year old Luna on her own. Her parents have left San Francisco to return to Mexico and she must learn to be a mother for the first time. The cards seem stacked against the family, but Letty is determined to get the kids out of their abandoned apartment building and into better schools--whatever it takes. Complicating her efforts are the return of Alex's father, new love interests for both Letty and Alex, and a lack of credit that would allow them to move. While I didn't find Diffenbaugh's sophomore effort as arresting as her debut The Language of Flowers, this is a touching story that includes a personal look at illegal immigration and a prescient view of the familial impact of reversing DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

Alice leads a successful, fulfilling life as a wife, mother, and Harvard professor. Even after she starts to notice gaps in her memory and moments of disorientation, she still isn't prepared for the diagnosis: early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Still Alice is a rare peek into the mind of a person living with Alzheimer's--the loneliness, the fears of what's to come, the struggle to keep hold of an identity, even as it seems to be slipping away.

As someone with Alzheimer's and dementia in my family, this book was intriguing and sad. I was impressed with Lisa Genova's meticulous research and attention to detail. While I am not conversant in the medical intricacies of the disease, I was at Harvard during the same academic year covered in the story. Small details that could easily have been fudged for the story's sake (we did get feet of snow upon returning from holiday break! John Lithgow was the commencement speaker! And so on...) made me trust her attention and care of the details, and how hard she worked to get this story right. It's one that matters to many people, both those whose family members are facing the disease and those who may be facing it themselves.

When Alice wakes up on the floor of the gym, she finds herself in an alternate universe: one where she is 10 years older, has three children she doesn't remember, a husband she no longer loves, and a sister who speaks to her in strained tones. Alice's memory is gone, and she's trying to figure out how to live a life she no longer recognizes--and get back the man she loved ten years ago.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel, and it was entertaining, but the domestic drama failed to capture my attention. Maybe elements of her novels are too close to my own suburban mom life, but most of Moriarty's novels fall a bit flat for me. This was a decent lighter read with an interesting spin, but not one that will stick with me.

When Cornelia and her husband, Teo, move from the city to the suburbs, she is eager to make friends. Instead, she feels the weight of her neighbor Piper's ruthless judgment. Another woman, Lake, seems to be a promising friend, but her inscrutable behavior and mood changes leave Cornelia confused. But she unwittingly becomes central to both women's lives as Piper cares for her dying friend and Lake's son takes a liking to Cornelia's family.

I was a little hesitant when I started this book, because I just don't have a lot of patience for reading about the gossip and maneuvering of suburban women--yes, that's my world, but I don't find it interesting in my own life, either. And while this book did have some of that, it was presented more as something to overcome on the way to deeper relationships, rather than as a plot driver. I was surprised to find that the cattiest of all of the characters ended up being on of my favorites--but really, all of the characters here were intriguing and at least somewhat likable. The downfall, for me, was in the peak dramatic moments of the story--while I saw the "secret" almost from the beginning, it was the overhyped drama of the reveal that bugged me at the end. Before that, though, de los Santos' thoughtful writing of the characters and their growing relationships kept me reading and would prompt me to try out more of her books.

When Eleanor woke up this morning, she decided that she will be better: a better mom, a better wife, and a better person. All it will take is a few little things. Her plans quickly go awry when her son fakes sick and she learns that her husband--for some reason--has taken vacation from work without telling her.

This book is a day-long comedy of errors, and--to be blunt--it's just not very good. Certain thoughts and struggles of Eleanor's at the beginning of the book will resonate with any mildly frazzled mom, and she is funny and quirky at times. She soon, however, begins to feel like a bit of a frantic caricature. I read far enough that I decided to finish, but I found the ending strange and disconnected from the madcap journey of the rest of the book.

Ten-year-old Ian is a bookworm who young librarian Lucy Hull helps smuggle books past his overbearing mother. He also might be gay, much to the horror of his parents, who have sent him to anti-gay classes with Pastor Bob. When he shows up after hours at the library with a plan to run, Lucy suddenly finds herself an unwitting kidnapper, driving Ian halfway across the country with a half-formed plan to save him. Moral questions and gray areas abound and aren't always satisfactorily resolved, which may frustrate some readers, but the point here is less about moralizing (on either side) than it is about having the courage to save yourself. While many parts of the book are implausible, the bookish references and the belief in the power of books will delight avid readers.

The Art of Racing in the Rain was one of the books that brought me back to avid readership after grad school burnout. I have always been a dog lover, so of course I couldn't resist a book narrated by Enzo, a philosophical dog who bemoans his lack of thumbs and likes to ride in race cars. Enzo will alternately charm you and break your heart, as he reflects on his life while anticipating his death. Dog books are predictable in their sadness, but those of us who love them also love dogs. It's hard to resist an imagining of their rich inner lives, and Enzo is particularly irresistible. It should go without saying that you'll need your tissues, but it's worth it.

This is a book that initially didn’t grab my interest with the title, cover, or description. For some reason, I picked it up anyway, and it stands out as a favorite. Victoria has aged out of the foster care system and finds herself working in a flower shop. She discovers that she has the unique talent of matching people with the perfect flowers.

Eleanor has her routine down to a science: work, weekly phone calls with her mother, and weekends with vodka (and nothing or no one else). She's fine, and she's even ready to pursue a relationship with a musician who seems perfect for her (though she hasn't actually met him).

Never mind that she has no social life, no friends, and she tends to say brutally honest, awkward, and somewhat inappropriate things. She starts working out a self-improvement plan in anticipation of her future relationship with the musician, despite her mother's cruel discouragement.

Meanwhile, she finds herself in an unexpected friendship with her coworker, Raymond, when they help an elderly gentleman after a fall. Slowly, the friendship helps draw Eleanor out of her isolation, but also pushes her toward difficult truths about herself, her past, and her future.

Eleanor is endearing for her mix of self-awareness and oblivious social awkwardness, and Raymond is an unexpected hero. This book manages to be funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at once.

If you like this book, you might also like these 11 Irresistible Books Like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Sarah Laden, a young mother and widow, finds herself caring for her best friend's son after a shocking revelation rocks the town. Sarah must come to grips with what she thought she knew about her friend, as well as what this boy and her own family need from her and how they might be able to recover--together.

This is one of the more difficult books I've ever read--it's on par with A Little Life, both in subject matter and difficulty, though the story is very different. It is quite well done, though trigger warnings abound. This one is (mercifully) more hopeful and redemptive than A Little Life, and it will stay with you forever.

Picoult's story about a school shooting isn't perfect, but it does delve into all of the questions that come up after such events. What brought the shooter to that point? What actually happened in that school? Who is to blame--and where are the gray areas? There are never easy answers in such a tragedy, and the aftermath brings unimaginable grief, along with mixed feelings, unexpected sympathies, and few real answers to any of it.

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is many things--and precocious is definitely one of them. His father died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and you will grieve with Oskar as he wanders New York searching for the lock that fits the key he found in his father's closet. This book is about Oskar's search for peace, his efforts to stay close to his father, and his fight to keep hold of his memories. Foer's writing style isn't for everyone, and Oskar is sometimes too brilliant to believe, but the handling of memory and grief here is both creative and sensitive.

Following her mother's suicide, 17-year-old Nadia Turner looks for love and solace in the preacher's son, Luke Sheppard. Smart, driven, and rebellious, she finds herself in place she never expected: the local abortion clinic. Abandoned by Luke, she attempts to move on while holding her secret close, carefully side-stepping her still-grieving father. She clings to her new best friend, Aubrey, and plans for her future at college and in law school. When Nadia moves away, Aubrey grows closer to Luke, unaware of his history with Nadia. The three try to move forward but are continually pulled back to that summer, haunted by the choices made, the secrets kept, and the lives changed beyond just their own.

The Mothers is an emotional and incredibly well-written book that examines how difficult choices and lasting griefs can stay with us. The story is never overtaken by the many "issues" it covers, which is refreshing. Bennett is a young debut novelist with clear insight into that tentative time between childhood and adulthood when we all must choose how we let the past define our future.

Rosie is one of those people who makes a room brighter just with her presence. Impulsive and whimsical, she is the polar opposite of Rex, her now ex-husband. Eleven-year-old Willow is enchanted by her mother and only tolerates her days at her rigid father's house, counting down until the next magical adventures. But magic and candy can only go so far, and as her mother falls into exhaustion, addiction, and depression Willow feels her world slowly crumbling in a way she doesn't quite understand. Wolfson masterfully provides the differing perspectives of all the characters in a way that inspires empathy, even as you are frustrated with the flawed Rex and Rosie. Each family member--especially Willow and her brother Asher--will break your heart in a different way.

The Female Persuasion was one of my most-anticipated books of 2018 and it lived up to my expectations. Meg Wolitzer perfectly captures that disorienting time in college and early adulthood that so many people experience. The time seems defined by uncertainty about so many things: identity, values and political beliefs, the role of past relationships in future lives, and the relationships and goals we'll pursue.

Greer embodies all of these uncertainties, and feels she's found a foothold after an encounter with Faith Frank, an aging activist in the women's movement. The memory of that encounter drives Greer through college toward a career working with Frank--forever placed on a pedestal and seen as a mentor.

Life is on track for both career and relationships...until suddenly it's not and things aren't working out quite as planned. Greer must reconcile her past mistakes, decide what she's willing to compromise, and move past her youthful idealism to more fully see herself and those she loves and idolizes.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells the story of Arthur Less, a failing novelist on the brink of turning 50. When he receives an invitation to his former lover's wedding, he decides to embark on an around-the-world journey to avoid the event. Less accepts various speaking engagements, award ceremonies, and teaching appointments to ensure that he will be out of the country. On this journey, Less ruminates on his past and dreads his future as an aging, single gay man (he feels there is no precedent for this) and failed writer.

Less is both frustrating and endearing, a bit bumbling, and above all, certain of his own failures. Those around him rarely disabuse him of these notions, but they also see more in him that he sees in himself. This book won't be for everyone--it's light on plot and heavy on wandering musings, and can be slow at times--but for a reader in the right mood it's a sweet and sometimes funny read. Certain parts had me laughing out loud.

Rosie and Penn are raising a loud, unique family of five boys. From science to stories to knitting to costumes, the family is full of quirks that are embraced and nurtured.

So when 5-year-old Claude declares that he wants to be a girl, his parents support him. Soon Claude has become Poppy, a girl to all outside the family and accepted as one within his family. But secrets weigh heavy, time can't be slowed, and the safety of childhood and family can't shield Poppy from difficult future decisions and the outside world forever.

I loved this story of imperfect parents whose hardest lesson isn't accepting a child who is different, but accepting that facing the difficulties and fears is sometimes the best way to be supportive.

The Gunners is a story of childhood friendships revisited in adulthood. This is a common theme that is often explored in more sinister books--The Chalk Man and several by Stephen King come to mind. While there are hints of underlying darkness in this book--the driver for the reunion, after all, is the suicide of one of the friends--the story is less about the sinister than about the friendships.

Mikey Callahan is the only one of six childhood friends to remain in their hometown, aside from the long-estranged Sally, who has taken her life in adulthood. The remaining friends trickle into town for the funeral, reconnect, and confess old and new secrets.

As long-held misunderstandings are remedied, the friends realize that they may not have known each other as well as they thought--but also that this unknowing is a constant in relationships, and they can endure anyway. While not everything is resolved--as it almost never is in the case of suicide--this is a lovely book about the power of friendship, forgiveness, and acceptance.

After leaving a Nigeria under military rule, Ifemelu and Obinze plan to move to the United States to start a new life. But 9/11 keeps Obinze from joining Ifemelu, and over 15 years they each seek their own identities in very different ways.

Ifemelu pursues academics while facing her own blackness for the first time, now living in a country where her race is defining in ways that it wasn't in Nigeria. Obinze, meanwhile, lives a life in dangerous limbo in London, where he is undocumented.

When they finally come together, they must determine if what they've learned about themselves and the world can allow them to be together in a new Nigeria.

Oscar is a nerdy, overweight, hopeful teenager, growing up in the ghetto with his Dominican family. He wants nothing more than to fall in love and to be the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. Oscar is endearing for his sweet insecurity, but also for how he embraces and immerses himself in the nerdy things he loves: anime, video games, comics, RPGs, fantasy and science fiction. You hope for him, even knowing he is doomed to a brief life--and he does too, as he grapples with the fuku (curse) that plagues his family. This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is both character study and exploration of Dominican history and the immigrant experience.

Rosemary is 22 and hasn’t seen her brother or sister in years. Her sister was removed from the home before Rosemary was 6, and now she’s determined to learn more about the reasons. It’s been long enough since this book came out that you may already know the “secret” of this family, but if you don’t, I won’t reveal it here. Go in blind and don’t read more reviews, if you don’t know.

If you have already read more, rest assured: what seems like it could be a gimmick is actually a smartly rendered novel about family, memory, and science.

Roy and Celestial are on top of the world: young, talented, newlyweds, and planning their futures and family. When a trip to Roy's hometown puts them in the wrong place at the wrong time, Roy finds himself convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Their dreams shattered, Roy lives in limbo and struggles to hold onto his marriage, while Celestial pursues her goals and tries to live her life without her husband present.

As years go by, the two must determine whether their marriage can survive Roy's incarceration. This book is a thoughtful look at the personal costs of racial injustice in the United States.Roy and Celestial are both flawed but sympathetic characters as they navigate lives held hostage.

There are no easy answers as the families try to salvage the wreckage wrought by racism and a system that assumes guilt.

Anne Tyler's modern retelling of the Taming of the Shrew brings us Kate Battista, a 20-something who is stuck at home and in a dead-end job. When her scatterbrained scientist father asks her to consider marrying his assistant, who is about to lose his visa, Kate has to decide what path she wants her life to take. A light, easy audiobook listen.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Maggie and Ira Moran have been married for twenty-eight years–and it shows: in their quarrels, in their routines, in their ability to tolerate with affection each other’s eccentricities. Maggie, a kooky, lovable meddler and an irrepressible optimist, wants nothing more than to fix her son’s broken marriage. Ira is infuriatingly practical, a man “who should have married Ann Landers.” And what begins as a day trip to a funeral becomes an adventure in the unexpected. As Maggie and Ira navigate the riotous twists and turns, they intersect with an assorted cast of eccentrics–and rediscover the magic of the road called life and the joy of having somebody next to you to share the ride . . . bumps and all.

Crazy Rich Asians is a funny, voyeuristic look at the lives of a group of extremely rich families in Singapore. Concerned with their status, appearances, and possessions, the news that one of their own is marrying Rachel, an American of modest background, causes an uproar. Rachel herself is thrown into the fray with no warning or inkling that her fiance, Nick, came from such wealth.

From learning that the new people in her life are crazy rich, to realizing that they can also just be kind of crazy, Rachel fights for footing in a world of people who are determined to break up her engagement--and who are used to getting what they want.

This is less a romance than a "wealthy people behaving badly" story, and the excesses never fail to shock and amuse. Crazy Rich Asians is the first in a trilogy and is being adapted for film.

Rainbow Rowell knows how to write stories that feel light, but that feature characters you care about and situations that have higher stakes than they may seem at first. She did this masterfully in Eleanor & Park, and Fangirl--while ultimately a little lighter--is another winner.

Cath is a freshman in college who feels like she's being left behind. Her twin sister Wren doesn't want to room with her and is no longer interested in the Simon Snow fandom they've been devoted to for years. Cath isn't ready to let go of her fanfiction, but she isn't sure where she fits in this new world of cranky roommates and charming classmates.

Book lovers will relate to Cath's devotion to her favorite characters (even if you've never been part of a "fandom," as I haven't). The story is light enough for easy reading but with characters developed enough to make you care what happens next. Rowell also wrote a follow-up to this novel that delves into the world of Simon Snow.

Us Against You brings us back to Beartown, the town where Backman's previous novel of the same name is set. Beartown is a hockey town. Hockey means everything, but it also means different things to the various residents of Beartown: the past, the future, identity, escape, belonging. Now, in the aftermath of a rape committed by its star player and a defection by the majority of the team to neighboring Hed, it also means divisiveness. And violence.

As the rivalry grows more intense, Beartown fights to keep its team alive and the face-offs happen both on and off the ice.

While some stories have an easy villain, this isn't one of them. While Backman builds the tension, he also shows the humanity behind every person involved. I'm a sucker for this type of thing, so it worked for me--I love getting small insights into tertiary characters.

Even so, there were moments where the "showing the good side" of every character felt a little overdone. This and the many nameless characters who nonetheless kept showing up (which felt like it conflicted with Backman's impulse to give stories to side characters) were my only complaints about Us Against You.

Beartown is not a place where I would want to live, but Backman infuses it with such soul that I will always want to visit. If he returns to it, so will I.

Wavy has never felt safe, wanted, or loved. From a young age, she took responsibility for her younger brother, Donal, caring for him from babyhood while her parents and the adults around her wrecked themselves with the products of their large-scale meth lab. When a chance encounter brings Kellen--one of her father's drug runners--into her life, she finally finds someone who cares for her. Kellen becomes a friend and father-figure, but his and Wavy's relationship gradually veers toward romance as she becomes a teenager. A tragedy brings them under public scrutiny and they must deal with the fall-out from the relationship that kept them both alive but is unacceptable to the rest of the world.

There were many things I loved about this book, and I've been struggling with the direction it went and the things it asks the reader to accept--namely, that Wavy was effectively an adult no matter her age. Wavy was robbed of her childhood, then granted aspects of it back, and then again pushed into adulthood at too young an age. The various "ugly" situations--and the wonderful ones--are realistic and worth exploring in literature. For me, the "ugly" went a step too far and I wasn't able to root for the characters (as was clearly the author's intent) and what they thought they wanted.

Set in a small Carnegie library in a failing New Hampshire town, Summer Hours at the Robbers Library brings a trio of loners together in the one public space left for them to find one another. Kit, a quiet librarian in her early forties, wants only to be left alone to forget her past. When she is charged with overseeing 15-year-old Sunny's summer community service (for stealing a dictionary), she is drawn to the girl's magnetic curiosity about the world. The two muse about the identity of the professionally dressed man who starts showing up all day, every day. Soon Rusty, too is drawn into an unlikely circle of friendship, along with The Four--the retirees who spend mornings over coffee and the paper at the library.

I can never resist a library or bookstore setting, but unfortunately this one felt very uneven. The first chapters started off with the fast-paced, racy story of Kit meeting her husband in college. This initial tone was surprising, and it's the only place it's seen in the book--which made it hard to connect the Kit of these chapters with the Kit of the rest of the book. The later chapters were quiet and almost entirely character-driven; interspersed with flashbacks from the main three--especially Kit--that showed their path to the "Robbers Library." I did enjoy watching the unlikely friendships unfold, and I loved some of the characters--especially The Four as a group. But even they were hard to track individually because two of them had the same name (why??). I eventually gave up trying to keep them straight, and this confusion prevented me from being as emotionally invested in later events as I otherwise might have been.

This book about a 79-year-old woman who decides to rob a bank along with four of her friends may fall a little into the “feisty old woman” trope, but it does sound like a fun ride. Feeling constrained by the rules imposed on them by their care home, the group of friends makes a plan to fund the exciting life of their dreams–and stand up for other residents who feel similarly constrained.

I expect this book to offer plenty of laughs, but it also speaks to the limited lives that elderly are often relegated to–and to their desire to continue to be relevant and sometimes even adventurous.

Abby and her husband, Red, are spending another lovely evening on the porch of their family home, telling their familiar love story to their children and grandchildren. But this time is different: Abby and Red are aging, and the family must start to decide how they’ll be cared for in their old age, as well as what will happen to the home built by Red’s father.

This book promises to be reflective of lives well-lived and tinged with sadness as the family must face the inevitable difficult decisions and coming losses.

When recently retired Harold Fry steps out to his mailbox, he is surprised to find a letter from a woman he hasn’t seen in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and has written to say goodbye. At the spur of the moment, Harold decides to say his own goodbye in person and walk 600 miles to the hospice where Queenie resides, holding onto the hope that, as long as he keeps walking, Queenie will live.

In yet another story about an elderly protagonist taking a walk, 82 year old Etta decides she must see the ocean–3,232 kilometers away. She embarks on her walk with a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots. Soon she is joined by James, a coyote. Her husband Otto finds a note saying she will try to remember to come back. Their neighbor Russell, in love with Etta his whole life, insists on finding her. As each takes their own journey, they grapple with memories, regrets, pasts they can’t change, and futures they still hope for.

This poignant story from Haruf set in Holt, Colorado, brings Addie Moore and her neighbor Louis Waters together. Both widowed with grown children far away, they find companionship and understanding of their lives and the futures they still want to have.

In this parallel story to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Queenie Hennessy takes her own journey as she faces the end of her life. While Harold is walking, Queenie is writing, reflecting on her past, her choices, and her secrets. This poignant pairing is unique in its multiple perspectives on aging and end of life–one facing the end of her life and the other facing loss and secrets he never knew.

I picked up Winter Street on a whim from the library, thinking maybe a Christmas-themed book would help get me into the holiday spirit. I also had never read Elin Hilderbrand, so it seemed like a good reason to give her a try. I expected a formulaic Hallmark story, but this was a bit more. It was still light, cozy reading, but this story of a family who owns a Nantucket inn (confession: I really want to spend Christmas there) delved into some weightier issues and relationships--with a slight comic edge (one of a characters ran off with the inn's Santa Claus!). The family is dysfunctional--relationship issues abound, one character is facing jail--but overall likable and kind to one another. It's the first in a four-book series and the first two have ended on cliffhangers, so of course I need to finish out the rest.

This follow up to Winter Street returns us to the Quinns for another Christmas on Nantucket. The family is facing both angst and causes for celebration, and this book overall feels a little darker than the first. The inn itself is just as charming as in the first book, and despite their dysfunction, most of the characters still feel worth rooting for. Cozy winter reading at its best.

Leia Birch Briggs is a successful comic book artist who is working on the origin story of her most famous characters when her life turns upside down: she is pregnant. And the father is a man who was dressed as Batman at a comic book convention. In the midst of this, her stepsister Rachel's marriage is falling apart and her beloved grandmother, Birchie, is revealed to have dementia. Leia quickly travels to Birchie's small Alabama town, with Rachel's teenage daughter in two, to assess the situation and move Birchie out. She finds Birchie and her lifelong friend Wattie harboring more than just the secret of Birchie's illness, forcing Leia to reconsider what she knows about family, race, loyalty, and commitment.

Joshilyn Jackson has a way of weaving together serious issues with situations that always feel a little preposterous and funny, without losing the overall gravity of them. Her turns of phrase add levity to the most grim scenes, and after listening to The Almost Sisters on audio, I plan to listen to the other books she narrates as well.

The House We Grew Up In is a twisty family tale from one of my new favorite thriller authors, Lisa Jewell--except it's not really a thriller, and I hadn't even realized that Jewell was the author until I revisited this book. Her mastery of family and relationship intricacies is on point here, and as in her thrillers, there are secrets to untangle. But this book is more about family--a seemingly perfect English family that is torn apart by tragedy one Easter weekend. Years later, the scattered children return and are forced to face their mother's mental illness and the truth of what happened that long-ago holiday.

Debut author Andrew Ridker flips the traditional inheritance tale when struggling professor Arthur Alter coaxes his children home with the aim of gaining a piece of the pie left to them by their late mother. Daughter Maggie is caught by her own ideals, working odd jobs in New York and renouncing her inheritance, while son Ethan is spending it recklessly and floundering.

Both nurse a bitterness toward their father, but curiosity and the sense of unfinished business bring them back to St. Louis. Arthur clings to his past pursuits as evidence of his own goodness, and without their mother to hold them together, all three fail to see themselves clearly.

None of these characters are very likable, but Ridker grants humanity to even the most flawed of them, while inserting searing commentary into the prose. It's the writing here that really shines--this is some of the sharpest I've read in a while. Books with unlikable characters can sometimes be hard to love, but I found myself eager to read just to catch his next razor-sharp asides. The story itself is maybe not my favorite family drama--my personal taste calls for more sympathetic characters for it to be a favorite--but I look forward to more from Andrew Ridker.

Release date: March 5, 2019

Jenna has been planning their vacation to celebrate her husband's 50th birthday in Mexico for ages. It promises to be a much-needed trip filled with family, friends, and total luxury. But things go wrong when her husband starts taking secret phone calls, she's annoyed with their friends, and her daughter is spending time with a boy who's been kicked out of school for some unknown trouble.

I had hoped this would be a light, beach read with elements of family and friend stories that I tend to like, but it disappointed on that front. The escapist element of a vacation story was also missing here--maybe because the families who were vacationing together also worked together, so the daily suburban struggles just happened to be playing out on a beach in Mexico.

It was light enough, and a quick read, but I found myself irritated by Jenna throughout. Not every protagonist has to be likable, of course, but I wanted to sympathize with her struggles and she seemed to bring so many of them upon herself. Others have recommended Siracusa as a similar book that may work better.

Release date: March 12, 2019

This third book in the Winter Street series veered just a little darker than the first two, and I found it more interesting for the darker storylines (though it still maintained the "light reading" feel). Nantucket and the Winter Street Inn remain the charming centerpiece of the Quinn family dramatics, including the son missing in Afghanistan, drug addiction, release from prison, illness, and love triangles. For all their faults, the characters are likable and the family and inn are comfortable places to return for cozy winter reading.

The fourth and final book in the Winter Street series was never really meant to be (it was planned as a trilogy), but it was a pleasant enough return to the inn and the Quinn family. This one is a little sadder and veers on some unneeded tangents--I believe a new character may be a crossover from another Hilderbrand book, and I didn't know or much care about him. Other characters, however, who had previously been slightly absurd, managed to become more fully formed and sympathetic here. This was not unputdownable reading, for me, but I wanted to finish out the series and was happy to see the original characters through.

Korede would do anything for her sister, Ayoola--and she does, when Ayoola starts killing her boyfriends. After Ayoola's panicked phone calls, Korede shows up, cleans up the mess, and ensures that they are not caught. As Korede realizes that her sister is veering into serial killer territory, Ayoola sets her sights on the doctor Korede is in love with herself. Under the weight of her own guilt and loyalty to her sister, Korede struggles with how to protect both the man and the sister she loves--but she may have to choose.

You wouldn't think a serial killer novel would be so entertaining, but My Sister, the Serial Killer was darkly funny and slightly absurd, while maintaining the gravitas of what was happening in the story. Joshilyn Jackson is the only other author I can think of recently who has managed this delicate balance, but Braithwaite's style is entirely her own. It was the perfect fiction audiobook--not too long, gripping story, excellent narrator, and only a few main characters to track.

How Not to Die Alone follows Andrew, who goes into the homes of people who have recently died alone, searching for evidence of their next-of-kin (or ability to pay for a funeral). He has cultivated a lie to his coworkers that he has a wife, a family, and a home. In reality, he is actually alone, nursing old hurts and losses. When a new coworker joins him on his outings, he sees the potential for friendship and a less lonely life.

How Not to Die Alone is a pleasant-enough, easy read, though it's not treading any new ground--other than Andrew's job, which actually was intriguing. The story follows much the same path as Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Andrew is more likable than Eleanor from the beginning, though many characters here make questionable choices. If you're looking for a read-alike to Eleanor, you can't get much closer than this.

My Review

Wow–this book delivered on the hype and met all of my high hopes for a truly excellent read. It was gritty, brutal, a little dreamy, and utterly absorbing.

Twelve-year old Eli Bell loves his messed-up family: his older brother, August, who stopped talking after a childhood trauma, and his mother and stepfather who are heroin dealers and former addicts. Eli’s best friend and babysitter, Slim Halliday, is a notorious felon, famous for his multiple escapes from prison. Things go south when the violence of his parents’ business comes to their home. His stepfather disappears and his mother ends up in jail.

Eli embarks on several missions: to save his mother, to find out what happened to his stepfather, to become a crime journalist, and to become a good man–all while taking down the man running the drug show in his seedy Australian suburb.

Fair warning: parts of this book are brutal and a little gruesome. Dalton based the story on his own youth as the child of drug dealers–Slim Halliday was a real person who was actually Dalton’s babysitter–which makes it all the more fascinating. I didn’t realize this tie to real life until I finished the book, and I immediately started Googling to learn more.

While I was among the many readers who loved Angie Thomas' debut, The Hate U Give, I wasn't certain that On the Come Up should go on my reading list. Did I really want to read a book about hip hop--a topic that didn't interest me--and a sophomore effort at that (historically a disappointment for many authors)?

I tentatively started it, but immediately I couldn't put it down. I will dare to say that On the Come Up may be even better than The Hate U Give. Teen protagonist Bri is a little less likable than Starr but Thomas makes you root for her just as much.

That need for likability is part of the point. Bri is an aspiring hip hop artist, supremely talented and the daughter of a late underground legend. She views success in hip hop as not just a dream, but an imperative; her family is on the verge of eviction, the power is off, and the fridge is empty.

But the path to success is fraught with compromise, particularly when you're young, black, poor, and in hip hop. Bri soon finds herself pulled between her own ideals and the persona the industry wants her to adopt. Thomas perfectly captures how exhausting and frustrating it is when the world wants you to be one way for its own money-making purposes, but also expects perfection and humility from you for its own comfort. Any sign of anger or frustration is used against you, words are twisted, intentions are misconstrued. It's no-win, all the time.

This is an eye-opening book for many reasons, not least of which is the incredible talent and creativity of freestyle rappers. It's a world I'm unfamiliar with, and my respect for it increased 100-fold just by reading this amazing book. Read it now.

When their Punjabi mother dies, British-born sisters Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina agree to carry out her last wish: a pilgrimage, carefully planned by their mother, to India. They are to visit places that were meaningful to her and to deliver her ashes to their final resting place.

The three sisters have never been close, and couldn't be more different. Authoritarian Rajni secretly agonizes about a dilemma at home in her own family, while flighty Jezmeen tries to figure out how to save her floundering acting career after an embarrassing video goes viral. People-pleaser Shirina, meanwhile, is ill-at-ease and preoccupied by demands made on her by her wealthy in-laws in Australia.

The three sisters grapple with their grief, their strained relationships, and the stresses of their regular lives, while attempting to carry out their mother's wishes and perhaps come together in a way they never have.

This was a fast, smart read, filled with vivid characters and places, as well as interesting reflections on India from a female generation raised outside of it. Visiting forces them to recognize the dangers and limitations of women's lives there. The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters was a surprise 5-star read; I look forward to more from this author.

Maggie has a lot going for her: an exciting new job, a new condo, and a brand-new fiancé. But right after the engagement, an accident puts her in the hospital and the dream life starts to crumble around her. Her long-disappeared sister Kit suddenly reappears, while her fiancé Chip falls apart. Maggie is also stuck with Ian for a physical therapist, a cranky (but attractive) Scot who shows her no mercy. Amid all of this, she is trying to make peace with her new normal and figure out just what her future holds.

This was an excellent choice on audiobook--light, but with an interesting story and characters. It's by turns funny, sad, romantic, and hopeful, with none of those characteristics taking over the whole story. The narrator was also fabulous; this one had me hooked.

Easily one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to, this story of of three siblings who find each other as teens is a heartwarming, complicated, and realistic exploration of the many meanings of family. Grace was adopted by loving parents at birth and recently gave up her own daughter for adoption, which sends her on a search for her own birth family. Maya was also adopted, but when her adopted family begins to have trouble of its own, she starts to wonder about her origins and whether she truly has a place with the family that chose her. Joaquin, the oldest, remained in foster care and struggles to accept that he could still have a chance at a family.

Julia Whelan narrated this book, and she has become a go-to audiobook narrator for me. The tone and pace of this were perfect for listening: the issues are heavy, but because these are teens, it is sprinkled with levity. The relationships and trust that these three build with one another, through all of their personal difficulties, is charming--these are characters you want to root for.

This book is another National Book Award Winner, and it's exactly the kind of amazing book I hope to find when I pick up an award winner. I think it would read just as well in print as it did in audio.

Lilian Girvan is still grieving her husband, who died in a car accident three years ago. Her life is full with her two young daughters, her job as an illustrator, and her sister, who helps keep everything on track.

When her job requires her to take a gardening class to illustrate a book, she thinks it will be a fun activity for all of them. She doesn't count on a class full of quirky people who become unlikely friends--and an intriguing instructor who makes her wonder if she might be ready to date again.

This audiobook hit my sweet spot for audio fiction--light, easy to listen to, a little funny, and a fast-moving story. I'll definitely seek out more Abbi Waxman on audio.

Tough attorney Paula Vauss has a secret past with her mother. Paul sends checks every month, but one month the check is returned--then a surprise sibling shows up. The two go on a search for the mother she hasn't seen in years. While not my favorite of hers, this has Jackson's signature sly humor. Grab any of her audiobooks–she narrates and is terrific.

I've read a few Elin Hilderbrand books now, and this one is my favorite so far. Set in a wildly popular Nantucket restaurant, The Blue Bistro reminded me a little of Sweetbitter, but with more likable characters. Adrienne is new to Nantucket and desperately needs a job. Despite having no restaurant experience, Thatcher Smith hires her as the hostess. Thatcher himself is intriguing, but so is the talented and notoriously private chef, Fiona. Adrienne falls in love with life in the restaurant, while growing closer to Thatcher and trying to unravel the secrets surrounding Fiona.

This is perfect summer reading/listening; light and easy enough to follow easily, with enough gravitas to make me care about what happens next. Also, I wouldn't call myself a foodie, but I am starting to love a good food-centered book. The descriptions were mouthwatering!

Nina is an introvert, bookworm, and trivia buff. She is happy with her regimented, small life working in a bookstore and competing on a trivia team (and trying to decide how she feels about an intriguing competitor). Her life is upended when she is named in the will of the father she's never met--and suddenly she has a large and complicated family.

Nina has moments of mild abrasiveness, excellent snarky humor, and extreme introversion--but I loved how she was quite social, on her own terms. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was funny, charming, and relatable--I enjoyed it immensely, and it was excellent summer reading. If you've read other Abbi Waxman books, the characters from The Garden of Small Beginnings appear here. You miss nothing if you haven't read the other book, but it is a fun nod to a previous read. Waxman's brand of humor, cultural references, and quick-witted dialogue reminded me a little of Gilmore Girls--if that's up your alley, you might enjoy this book.

After Meredith Delinn's husband Freddy is charged with cheating investors out of billions (think Bernie Madoff), she flees to Nantucket to her old friend Connie's home. She hopes to hide out, resurrect their friendship, and clear her name. The past and present are both complicated, and both Meredith and Connie find themselves looking back on how they got here, while also trying to imagine futures without the husbands who defined their lives for so long.

While this isn't my favorite Hilderbrand--it feels a little darker than some others--I did appreciate the older women protagonists and the focus on their friendship. This did jump back and forth in time a lot, so it was a little harder to follow as I started and stopped listening, but overall this was another good audiobook choice.

One summer on Block Island, three strangers' lives intersect: Joy is a single mom, struggling to keep her pie business afloat; Anthony is an author, brought down by scandal and trying to put himself back together; and Lu is a mom of two young children, struggling with her feelings of discontent and her desire to build a business.

I am really into island settings this year and I loved visiting Block Island--it was a change from the wealth that underlies Elin Hilderbrand's Nantucket. Some of the characters in this novel frustrated me, and I struggled to like them, though I believe they were meant to be sympathetic. I did enjoy reading a book with a blog as a main plot point. If you like Hilderbrand, give this one a try--the tone and writing felt very similar.

During finals week at a fictional southern university, a gunman opens fire in the library, killing 12 people. Bloomland explores both the origin and the aftermath of the shooting through the eyes of a student, a professor, and the shooter.

This book had many raves for its thoughtful, empathetic, and poetic portrayals of grief and disillusionment. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the second person narrative. It seemed the narrator was a person who was present at the college, but at 25% in, I still had no notion of who that was or why they were telling the story. The endless stream of "you" became distracting and I had to put it down.

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse who has faced all kinds of families. But for the first time ever, a new mother and father demand that she be banned from caring for their newborn son--because she is black. Upset but unsure how to proceed, Ruth hesitates when the baby goes into distress--does she help or follow orders?--and dies on her watch.

Thus begins a high-profile trial between grieving white supremacists and a black woman determined to keep her own son safe. Ruth's white public defender, Kennedy, takes a special interest in Ruth's case but advises against discussing race in court. Ruth fights for her freedom while the baby's family fight for their own warped sense of justice.

With alternating narration between Ruth, Kennedy, and Turk, the baby's father, Small Great Things was a fantastic audiobook that was hard to turn off. The look into the world of white supremacy was particularly fascinating (and repulsive), as was the exploration of race in the justice system. There are without a doubt more nuanced stories that cover all of these areas, but Picoult writes page-turners and this is one of her best.

A mother who seems to have it all together deals with the aftermath of a breathtaking act of violence.

Mara has a successful career as a lawyer and a loving family. She also has a devastating diagnosis and five days to say goodbye. Interwoven with Mara's story is Scott's, who she connects with online, and who also has five days before he must say goodbye to a boy he has been fostering. The brief timeline lends an urgency to the decisions and relationships in this story, both of which are sensitively handled and inevitably prompt readers to wonder what their own choices would be.

Two major earthquakes hit San Francisco within an hour of one another, paralyzing the city. Gene, a geologist, understands more than most about this devastation, and he frantically tries to get back to his ill partner. Max and Vashti, once in love but long separated, find themselves trapped together in the rubble of an auditorium.

Like so many of my audiobook listens, I'm not sure The Bookshop on the Corner would have stood out had I read it in print, but I loved listening to it. English librarian Nina Redmond has lost her job--and the world of libraries is changing in ways she doesn't like. She has an idea to buy a van and start a roving bookstore, and when she finds the perfect van in the Scottish Highlands, she also unwittingly finds the perfect place to start her store.

Filled with charming characters, sweet romance, lots of book love, and a setting so vivid you can almost smell the fresh air, this book reached the part of me that adored the escapism of Under the Tuscan Sun (movie version for that one!). Give this one a listen if you love a light story about books and enjoy a good Scottish brogue.

Jess and Lily haven't spoken since they were children. One defining event made Jess determined to cut Lily out forever, and she stuck to it for decades, refusing to even allow her daughter to meet her cousin. Their mother Audrey has tried desperately to repair the family, but her terminal cancer makes her daughters' reconciliation imperative.

Told through flashbacks, the secrets that tore the family apart are slowly revealed--too slowly. There are times the slow reveal can work, but it was mostly frustrating here. I found the whole story a little relentless--relentless anger, tragedy, and secrets. It's unfortunate, because the frustration overshadowed an emotionally complex story that I ultimately felt ambivalent about. I appreciated the emotional resonance and found it touching, but many of the stylistic choices just didn't work for me.

Jack Calhoun flees his southern town--and his demons--to go fight the war in Iraq. He tries to find his purpose while waging his internal battles and those on the ground around him, while wondering if peace is even possible.

Any Good Thing is the debut novel by my blogging friend, Joy E. Rancatore, and I've been looking forward to reading it for months!

Harry's Trees is an entirely different type of book about trees, but it's no less magical. When 34-year-old Harry's wife is unexpectedly killed, the Forest Service employee retreats to the trees to grieve and atone for his role in her death. There, he meets a young girl and a mother who are also grieving the loss of their father and husband. The girl, Oriana, is guided by her belief in magic and fairy tales, and is convinced that she and Harry have a mission. Only by completing it will they be pulled up from the depths of their grief.

My reading tastes don't generally veer toward magic or fairy tales, but Cohen's lilting writing style drew me in. The fairy tale structure of the book was somewhat heavy handed, but it was also grounded in a healthy amount of skepticism and reality that made it work. This was a much lighter, faster read following The Overstory and I found it to be an uplifting delight.

Related: 11 Poignant Books About Grief and Loss

Firefighter Cassie Hanwell is a rising star in her Austin firehouse, but an incident that puts her career in jeopardy, as well as her mother's request to move to Boston to help care for her, have her starting over at an unfamiliar boys club. Determined to prove herself, she finds only one ally in another new firefighter, a rookie that she finds herself thinking about more and more.

Any book by Katherine Center is now going on my auto-LISTEN pile. Her books (How to Walk Away is the other one I've listened to) strike exactly the right smart-but-light note that I love in my audiobook listening. Therese Plummer's excellent narration take Center's books up a notch--I'm not sure if I would have rated either one as highly if I'd read them in print.

A fun fictional peek into life in the British royal family, from the perspective of an American girl who falls in love the prince. Filled with humor and hijinks, this is also a surprisingly smart rom-com. Pure enjoyment and brain candy, and often held up as the model "if you liked this..." book when other rom-coms are marketed.

A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.Alix Chamberlain is ...

Georgia is a urologist in South Carolina, and she and her best friend, Jonah–a doctor at the same clinic–have become family. Just as she leaves the country for a conference, a crisis: the clinic bans Jonah’s transgender patients, and Jonah himself is in danger of losing his job because of his sexual orientation.

I expected a much darker story but was treated to a delightful friendship, funny quips, and intelligent medical writing (Martin is a doctor). Martin covers the serious topics with sensitivity, without overtaking the characters. Smart but light writing at its best.

A family of women in small-town Missouri tries to save their exterminating business after their husband and father dies and leaves them buried in debt.

After a gunman opens fire at a bar in Boise, three women deal with the aftermath of the shooting.

Noni Blake has been nursing some Big Life Hurts, and she’s started looking back on a few things and wondering, “what if?” She decides it’s time to indulge herself, for once in her life, and embark on a 6-month European tour focused on pure pleasure–her own.

Noni’s trip may make you blush (it’s unapologetically racy), but it may also prompt you to examine how well you treat yourself–and whether you might deserve your own version of Noni’s pleasure quest. I didn’t always love Noni or her choices, but I did like how she pushed herself to be brave, step out of her comfort zone, and do what felt right for her.

A When Harry Met Sally-inspired novel about Poppy and Alex, two opposites who have been best friends since college. Every year, they take a vacation together. It was the highlight of their year-- until two years ago in Croatia. They've hardly spoken since. Now, they've joined for another trip to repair their friendship. Alternating between past and present, we see the evolution of Poppy and Alex's friendship and how they ended up here.

I adored this feel-good book that had me smiling throughout. From the banter to the travel to the devotion between Poppy and Alex, there's a lot here for people looking for a heartwarming and uplifting read.

When Sara's mother dies, she leaves the task of finishing the last book in her bestselling series to her daughter.

A teen mother agrees to allow a couple to adopt her child, but things go sideways when she changes her mind.

A trans woman, her ex who has detransitioned, and his new lover try to build a new family after an unexpected pregnancy. An unflinching and thought-provoking dive into the trans community, with thoughtful examinations of identity, shame, womanhood, and–in many ways–motherhood.

Seventeen years ago, the water in the town of Bourne turned green. An unusual number of residents got cancer. Some died. Babies were born with disabilities, physical and mental. The chemical plant closed, but no one could ever prove it caused the problems. Now, Bourne is a dying, insular town. The teenage Mitchell triplets–Mab, Monday, and Mirabel–are well-known and beloved, but they each have challenges stemming from that environmental disaster, and their mother Nora remains obsessed with bringing the company to justice.

When a family moves into town–the first in years–they present new opportunity, but the town is divided on what kind. Some hope for revitalization, while others hope for justice. The triplets are determined to learn the truth about what happened. With captivating, alternating voices, Mab, Monday, and Mirabel tell their story.

This book from the author of the wonderful This Is How It Always Is was fantastic on audio–the characters were distinct and quirky, perceptive, and heartfelt. I’ve seen other reviewers say they are tougher to distinguish in print, so I do recommend the audio.

Grace, a recent PhD graduate, wakes up married in Vegas, with dim memories of the night, the girl, and the magic. Thrown into crisis, she decides to take a break and find the girl–and maybe herself.

At Seattle's elite Elliott Bay Academy, college admissions is a full-time preoccupation--for the parents. When Stanford says they will only be offering admission to one EBA non-athlete, three mothers obsess about how to get the spot for their daughters. A potentially fatal "accident" raises the stakes, forcing them all to reckon with the question of whether it's all worth it.

I don't often enjoy this kind of suburban domestic fiction with parental schoolyard drama, but the authors struck the right just over-the-top tone here to highlight the absurdity of the college admissions race, while building an interesting backstory for the main character. A good book for fans of Big Little Lies.

The Hennessy family is having quite a dramatic year. Divorces, career changes, new romances, dramatic teenagers, and resentments pepper one year in the life of this extended family of siblings and cousins. It doesn't help that the mother of one set of siblings is a feminist icon, and that the whole family is at the center of a massive women's march.

It's all a bit of a mess, but it's actually an enjoyable one. If you can sort out the many characters and go along for their one-year ride, this family drama is an entertaining listen. It doesn't have the depth of many of the family stories told over decades that I enjoy, but it's billed as a comedy and is a good lighter choice.

When Emilia's great-aunt Poppy invites her and her cousin Lucy on a trip to Italy, the 29-year-old's quiet life is shaken up. Poppy has promised to break the "curse" that's kept all second-born daughters in the family from marrying. As they travel, Emilia discovers secrets about her family, her aunt, and herself that will change her life forever. Charming and escapist, with an undeniably dreamy Italian setting.

The Strick family generally gets along, but each adult member inhabits their own orbit. When Astrid witnesses a bus accident that the death of an acquaintance, she realizes that she needs to come clean to her kids about a few things--namely, her relationship with a woman. But Elliott, Porter, and Nicky each have their own struggles. Add on Astrid's 13-year-old grand-daughter moving in with her after a bullying incident and there's more than enough dysfunction to go around.

While there was a bit of overload of themes here, they mostly just added some wonderful complexity to this dysfunctional family story. The alternating narratives and fast pace made this an enjoyable listen.

Missy Carmichael is lonely and full of regret. At 79, she spends her days alone in her big old house in England, nursing sherry and past hurts, and missing her son and grandson in Australia, and her estranged daughter. When Sylvie and Angela, along with Angela's young son, push their way into Missy's life, she is both hesitant and hopeful. And when a dog is brought into the mix, she gets more than she bargained for.

Readers who liked A Man Called Ove will enjoy Missy Carmichael. The circumstances and voices are different, but the heartwarming and unlikely friendships feel much the same. This is delightful on audio; Angela's raw bluntness alongside Missy's genteel fussiness occasionally made me laugh out loud.

College student Eve is worried about her best friend and cousin, Ally. She hasn’t heard from her, and all signs point to trouble. Eve’s grandmother, Boop, is in turn worried about Eve–all of her signs point to major depression, which Boop knows something about. The two set off on a road trip, with Eve hoping to find Ally and Boop struggling with whether to share a long-held secret that may upend her family.

I initially thought this would be a light read about a goofy road trip–and Boop’s very Southern witticisms will definitely bring a few chuckles–but it was much more than that. I appreciated that Boop is a fully developed older character who has a wonderful dynamic with Eve. Delightful and heartfelt.

In a Nigerian town, a mother opens the door and finds the body of her son. As she grieves his death, she tries to understand the person Vivek was and find out how he was killed. A gentle soul, Vivek struggled with identity and finding a place in the world.

Told from multiple perspectives, the story reconstructs the events leading to Vivek’s death and the heartbreaking struggle for self-acceptance in a world that is determined to deny it.

Teens Ann and Poppy are excited to welcome their adoptive brother, Michael, to the family’s summer home on Cape Cod. After his mother’s death, Michael was thrilled to join the Gordon family, despite his non-brotherly feelings for Ann. But a disastrous summer pulls Michael from the family forever, until their parents’ sudden death fifteen years later.

The three are reunited at the summer home to determine its fate. Bitterness and secrets from the past remain, and they are left to untangle what happened then and how they will move forward–as a family or not.

Ruby King's mother was murdered in the south side of Chicago, and Ruby is now left with her violent father. Layla, Ruby's best friend, is determined to save her, but Layla's and Ruby's fathers have a past with secrets that bind their families together across generations.

This is a fantastic debut novel that explores race, generational trauma, and the importance of communities. I loved this on audio; the multiple narrators (including the church itself) were excellent and brought these characters to life.

Charlie lands the job as eccentric actress Kathi Kannon’s assistant by chance. He starts as a fan--and an employee desperate to keep his job. He soon becomes essential and as she depends on him more, he wonders where he starts and she ends–and whether he can save her from herself.

This was a fun audiobook listen, filled with snark and Hollywood absurdities. It’s fiction, but a great choice if you love a good tell-all (the author is Carrie Fisher's former assistant, though he makes clear this is not a memoir).

As Mallory lay on her deathbed, she tells her son to call Jake McCloud–the husband of the leading candidate for President. He can’t imagine how she knows Jake.

The story flashes back 28 years to 1993, when Mallory and Jake first meet at the Nantucket cottage she inherited. Over the next few decades, the two meet every year for one weekend, never having contact in the time between. Their connection runs deep, and complicates the lives they live outside of that weekend–but it is also essential to each of them.

While there were frustrating parts of this (at times it was hard to believe they didn’t just decide to be together), I loved listening. The characters were compelling and Hilderbrand’s Nantucket is always a dream. She’s another go-to for me on audio, and this is one of her best.

Leena, a 20-something overachiever, is good at her job. But she’s also burned out, and her boss has forced her to take a 2-month break. She goes to her grandmother Eileen’s house, and they find that Eileen could use a little shake-up as well.

So Leena stays in Eileen’s small English town, while Eileen goes to Leena’s London flat. Adventures, quirky characters, and a little romance ensues for both.

Put this in the lighthearted, charming, and delightfully cozy read category–and on your reading list.

School librarian Sam loves her job at a school in Texas. After leaving behind her previous job–and an unrequited crush–she’s had a fresh start. But when that crush, Duncan Carpenter, shows up as the new principal of the school, she sees no option but to leave, knowing she’ll be in his thrall again.

But this Duncan is wholly changed and not the happy, charismatic man she remembered. When he starts imposing strict rules and operating the school like a prison, she knows she has to stay and push back.

I always enjoy a Katherine Center book on audio, and this was another solid listen.

Ellie is a housewife in the English town of Exmoor. She's a little lonely and bored, and one day on a walk, she meets Dan, a talented harp maker. Sensing her discontent, Dan gifts Ellie with a harp. When her controlling husband protests, Ellie begins visiting in secret to practice on her harp.

Dan and Ellie strike up a friendship that becomes increasingly important to both of them. But, when Ellie discovers a secret that changes Dan's life, her own secret is also in jeopardy.

This is an utterly charming book and is fantastic on audio. Dan is endearing–he's likely on the autism spectrum and is refreshingly, unapologetically himself. His narrator is perfect and does a great job of bringing this autistic hero to life. 

Evvie Drake is packing her bags to leave her husband when she gets a phone call: he has died in an accident. As her small Maine community grieves their beloved doctor, she finds herself in a confusing swirl of regret, grief, and anger. Her best friend Andy offers some small financial relief in the form of a tenant for the apartment attached to her house.

Dean is a professional baseball player, recently sidelined with a case of the “yips”–unexplained inability to pitch. He needs some downtime, and an escape from the spotlight.

While the arc of this story is predictable, its execution is absolutely delightful and charming. The romance wasn’t instant, but hard-won as both Evvie and Dean worked through their own difficulties. Evvie’s platonic friendship with Andy is wonderful and realistic. I enjoyed every minute of listening to this (and Julia Whelan narrates, so you know the narration is good!).

A woman gets a glimpse of her life five years in the future and grapples with whether it's her fate and what changes could have brought her to that point. A lovely, unexpected love story.

Little Family is Ishmael Beah’s first fiction effort after his heartbreaking A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, which told of his time as a child soldier in Sierra Leone. Beah takes us back to what he knows–children in Africa (the country is unnamed) struggling to get by on only their wits.

The little family in the title is composed of five children living together in an abandoned airplane: Elimane, the bookish teen elder of the group; Khoudiemata, a motherly figure just coming into her own womanhood; athletic Ndevui and quiet Kpindi, two younger teen boys; and young Namsa, who idolizes Khoudi and is protected by all of them.

Beah brilliantly illustrates the way the children are forced into wisdom and street smarts beyond their years, including the subtle ways they protect their safety while caring for one another. Dubious connections promise security, belonging, and acceptance in a world where they are forgotten, but every leg-up seems to have trade-offs for these children on the fringes.

Lovely, and strangely uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. My only complaint was an ending that felt rushed.

When an affluent family moves into an established neighborhood and tears down the existing house to build a McMansion, the neighbors are suspicious. When their actions destroy Valerie Alston-Holt’s beloved old tree, that’s the last straw. Tensions rise and are complicated by the budding romance between Valerie’s son and the new neighbors’ daughter. But just how high can the two families raise the stakes until they reach their tipping point?

A Good Neighborhood is a compelling story that examines issues of race, class, and how people with different values can live alongside one another. My one small complaint was that a few of the characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and veered toward stereotypes. But as the events cascaded, I couldn’t put this down.

A fascinating story of four young women in Seoul, South Korea. All are struggling in different ways under the heavy pressure of Korea: the impossible beauty standards, culture of extreme plastic surgery, and the difficult economy put them in precarious positions. Their friendships sustain each other as they try to navigate the cutthroat world of Seoul, including the secret “room salons” where women entertain wealthy men.

It was a little difficult to distinguish each of the women in the first few chapters, but their voices and stories eventually became distinct. This was an illuminating look at life in contemporary Seoul.

Elizabeth and Jo are friends who live in a small town on Ireland's west coast. When Elizabeth's physician husband dies and leaves her with a mountain of debt, Jo asks her daughter, Lucy, to take over his surgery while Elizabeth sorts things out. Lucy arrives from Dublin with her teen son and seems in need of healing herself. Jo lets the two in on her secret: midnight plunges in the ocean bring peace.

As the three try to sort out their lives, the midnight swims become central--and become a community focal point when Jo has her own challenges to face. Charming, heartwarming, and filled with wonderful friendships.

A woman has to decide on her future after the husband she thought had died in an accident is found alive.

A woman who decided to disappear on 9/11 must face her past when she is diagnosed with cancer.

Two people dealing with horrific past traumas help each other heal through a friends-with-benefits arrangement that could turn out to be more.

Dani Brown is a PhD student bent on academic success--and on staying single. When security guard (and former famous rugby star) Zaf rescues Dani during a firedrill, they are quickly memed as couple goals. It's embarrassing, but Zaf also sees a chance to get publicity for his children's sports charity--and spend time with Dani. Dani agrees to play along and soon their fake relationship doesn't feel so fake.

This is the second in Hibbert's Brown sister trilogy, and Dani and Zaf are just as charming as Red and Chloe were in Get a Life, Chloe Brown. It's another sweet, steamy, feel-good romance, perfect for summer reading.

Lillian feels like her life is going nowhere, so when Madison, her rich former school roommate, asks Lillian to take charge of her stepkids, she decides to give it a shot. There’s one catch: the 10-year-old twins catch fire when they get emotional.

Lillian is just looking for a change, but she’s surprised by the connection she feels with Bessie and Roland. The over-the-top premise cloaks an amusing and heartwarming story–excellent on audio.

Three 30-somethings reunite in their New Jersey hometown on the beach after years apart. Kate's boyfriend broke up with her and she wants him back, while Miles wants to prove to his mother that he can take over the family business. Ziggy never left, but he is in deep mourning for his father, who recently passed and left a hole in his life and the entire community. He is trying to keep their plumbing business afloat.

I loved this beachy read with complicated, flawed, not-always-likable characters. This is Dorey-Stein's fiction debut--she first made a splash with her memoir of her years as a stenographer in the Obama White House.

Dorey-Stein has a very metaphor-heavy style that slows the pace a bit (though many are GREAT metaphors), but she has a wonderfully irreverent voice and excels at building a sense of place--by the end, I felt like I knew this town inside out. I think she's still finding her footing as a fiction writer, but I'll continue to read what she puts out--I think there are great things to come.

Lucy and Gabe meet in college, brought together in the chaos of 9/11. A year after this meeting, they come together again and fall in love. But what brought them together also separates them, when Gabe decides to go to the Middle East as a photojournalist. The two follow different paths that sometimes intersect over the years, even as Lucy gets married and has children. This novel is Lucy reflecting on their years together and apart before she makes one final decision.

This was an emotional listen--especially with the backdrop of 9/11 and all that came after. However, the characters were often so frustrating and unlikable that it took away from the emotional resonance of their story. Mixed feelings on this, but I did want to keep listening, so...

Happy Hour follows 21-year-olds Isa and Gala--as told by Isa--through their 2013 summer of socializing and surviving in New York City. Of questionable immigration status, they work under the table and wine and dine with New York's upwardly mobile--always on the hunt for their next meal, opportunity, and contact.

The girls' outwardly vapid pursuits sharply contrast with Isa's occasional biting and thoughtful social commentary--added just often enough to prompt me to continue listening. Further complicating the contrast was the Valley girl lilt of the narrator. It all made Isa and the overall arc a little hard to pin down. This is clever, but I think it will be most appreciated by people familiar with NYC social climbers.

An autistic woman hires an escort to help her get better at relationships but they both start developing feelings for one another.

After Sunday Brennan causes a drunk driving accident in LA, she reluctantly turns to her big, Irish-Catholic family in New York. They are glad to have her back, but still unsure why she suddenly left five years ago. She’s ready to help with family’s expanding pub business, and hopefully make some amends. But the past returns to threaten them all, and Sunday has to own up to the secrets she’s been keeping.

The Brennans are big and complicated and all wrapped in each others’ business. Maybe a bit much for real life, but I enjoyed being in their literary orbit. If you enjoy big family dramas with flawed characters that you want to root for, this is a great one.

Daniel is a 20-something man dealing with an illness that has largely stolen his mobility and speaking ability. Nonetheless, he leads a rich life with a supportive (and hilariously spacy) best friend and a wonderful caregiver. When he witnesses a young woman get into a car--and then she disappears--he knows he has to do something. Daniel is sharply observant, insightful, and hopeful--you'll love being in his head, as well as the small moments of comedy in this lovely and funny story. An easy read and sweet story that packs a punch.

After years of isolation because of chronic pain, Chloe Brown has decided to get a life. The first step is getting her own place--but befriending the burly superintendent is NOT on her list.

Red is not so fond of Chloe either, but he's also intrigued. This, of course, is a rom-com, so the path from dislike to banter to romance is predictable, but it's also sweet, funny, and uplifting. (Note that this is very open-door and steamy, so skip it if that's not your thing.)

In a fictional White House family, Alex is a golden boy with a quiet rivalry/fascination with Prince Henry of Wales that usually has little effect on his life–until a tense encounter forces them into a false PR campaign highlighting their "close friendship." The two grudgingly go along until their clever banter turns to real friendship–and then to more.

This was a fun audiobook listen with sweet romance (note: it's a little steamy), witty banter, and insider-y political maneuverings. A great choice if you're looking for an uplifting romance.

In a small Connecticut town, the residents face the things we all face: illness, loss, grief. But also: love, devotion, second chances, and yes, hope.

This book has a bit of a Love, Actually feel, with less comedy–small snippets of people moving through their lives, grappling with the past while trying to move forward and find connections. It was a little slow, but by the end I cared about all of the characters and enjoyed this quiet read.

Weike Wang writes characters with some of the most distinctive voices I’ve ever read; her previous novel Chemistry had a similar straightforward sparseness that felt both orderly and soothing. Joan is also a scientist, an attending physician at a Manhattan hospital. She relishes her job, her usefulness, and as such, the feeling of being a cog in the wheel. When her father dies, she takes only a weekend to fly to China for the funeral, though his loss permeates her life in the months that follow.

She is an enigma to her family, coworkers, and neighbors, all of whom try in different ways to forge connections and draw her from her work-focused ways. When the hospital makes her take off for bereavement, the newfound time forces her to examine her identity more closely than she has in ages–and it’s drawn into sharper focus when COVID hits and Asians become targets.

I loved being in Joan’s very literal head and her full acceptance of herself and her own life path.

Following their mother’s death, twins Benny and Byron come together to listen to an audio recording she left them, along with a Caribbean black cake that they are told to eat when the time is right. But first, they must listen: to a history their mother never shared, that began when she was a teen on an island and unfolds in a shocking tale of murder, escape, and abuse—as well as long-held secrets about her own identity and the true nature of their family.

Black Cake is a masterful exploration of generational trauma and how fear can shape lives. Alongside the family narrative is a fascinating food-centered exploration of culture, tradition, and origin, and how those things are changed and shaped over generations. The one will be on many best-of-2022 lists, and it deserves the praise.

Greta James is an indie music sensation and her mother’s unflinching support was always her bedrock. After her mother’s death, Greta is left flailing and has an on-stage meltdown, just ahead of the release of her important sophomore album. Greta is reluctant when her brother asks that she join her unsupportive father on an Alaskan cruise, but she finally gives in, hoping to reset both her career and her relationship with her father.

On the cruise, Greta enjoys her relative anonymity among the older passengers, but she struggles to connect with her father. Ben, a young Jack London historian struggling with his own life changes, provides companionship and new perspective for Greta, and the cruise may just be the new start everyone needed.

This was a lovely contemporary novel; it’s an easy, fast read, but it delves into difficult topics including grief, parent-child tensions, and starting over at various life stages. The resolutions aren’t pat, but feel realistic, and the romance, too, acknowledges the difficulties of real life. Recommend for fans of Beach Read and Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Nova is an end-of-life doula. As people face their deaths, she supports them in whatever ways they need--emotional, logistical, and even spiritual. She specializes in unusual or difficult cases, often with younger clients. As she begins work with Mason Shaylor, a musician whose affliction is a bit unclear and who has only said that his life is over, she feels a connection that is both uncomfortable and life-affirming--for them both.

Strawser takes on the subjects of life death head-on--how we face it, how we choose to live, and what makes a life worth living. The role of an end-of-life doula is fascinating--if ripe for controversy, as the novel reveals. As you might guess, there is a lot of sadness in this novel, but also a lot to think about.

To follow the rug metaphor on the lovely cover of this book, Anne Tyler excels at quietly unraveling the threads that bind families together--and finding the small tears that leave rips in the binding for decades. The Garrett family is somewhat unremarkable; Alice, Lily, and David are the children with little in common. Mercy is their distracted, artistic mother, and her husband, Robin, is blissfully unaware of most of the family's deeply held desires.

From an early family vacation in the 1950s through the start of COVID, French Braid examines how families know--and don't know--one another, and how they manage to create lives together and separately. There's little action here, but it's a good choice for a character-driven novel that's a fast and easy read.

Charlie is a bit of a rebel, but she’s eager to start at River Valley School for the Deaf, a boarding school where she will learn sign language, meet other deaf people, and finally fully communicate with the world. Austin is a popular student from a long line of deaf family members–and his new baby sister is shaking up his usually solid world. February, meanwhile, is the headmistress who is fighting to keep the school open (and her marriage intact).

There’s a lot happening in this novel, and in addition to fantastic characters and an absorbing story, it’s filled with revelations about Deaf culture and rights, language, cochlear implants, and so much more. Don’t miss this one.

Arlo Dilly is a DeafBlind man in his twenties. He is bright and curious, but also isolated within his Jehovah’s Witness community and by his controlling uncle. When Arlo decides to take a college writing course, interpreter Cyril reluctantly agrees to the assignment, uncertain of his tactile sign language skills. Cyril and Arlo soon open new worlds to one another, as Cyril teaches Arlo about the rights he never knew he had, and Arlo shows Cyril what it means to be brave and take risks for love.

I loved this story for so many reasons. I was not familiar with tactile signing or much about deafblindness at all, and I learned so much by reading both Arlo’s and Cyril’s points of view. Aside from all I learned, the characters were fantastic, with rich backstories, flaws, and so much heart. There are many serious themes in this book, but the relationships and quirky characters (including an elderly guide dog and an eccentric Belgian) added levity and delight.

When Sarah Foster runs away from home at 16, she leaves behind her first girlfriend, found dead in a lake, and the understanding that people in her life may have been involved. Starting from nothing is hard, but she makes her way into bartending and soon becomes famous for her creative signature cocktails.

When she meets Emilie at a restaurant, their connection is instant. But both have complications from their pasts that make it difficult to fall into a relationship. As they ebb and flow toward and away from one another, they start to understand how they might fit together.

This was a lovely story, with complex, sensitive characters and relationships. This is LaCour’s debut adult novel (she usually writes YA) and I hope she continues to write for adults.

I have to say, Unlikely Animals is one of my favorite weird reads ever. To start: this book is collectively narrated by the…residents?…of a local cemetery. Really, they’re all a bunch of gossips, deeply interested in the lives of the people who live in their New Hampshire town.

Their focus in this story is the Starling family. Emma has returned to town from California, where she was supposed to be in medical school (but wasn’t), and now is back because her father, Clive, is dying of a brain disease. Clive is having hallucinations and is obsessed with finding Emma’s former best friend, Crystal, who has disappeared.

On top of all this, Emma also has a touch of magic about her–the ability to heal small things, which seems to have disappeared. So between the magic, the ghosts, the visions, and the gossips in the cemetery, there’s a lot of levity to be had here, mixed in with the very real crises of drugs, disease, and the disappearance of a young woman. Despite these dark themes, it’s not a spoiler to say that this had one of the most delightful endings in recent memory.

After living a quiet life alone with his cat and working as a postman, Albert Entwistle is informed that it's time for him to retire. He realizes that he's about to lose the only way he connects with other people, so he sets out to change that. Albert starts trying to make friends, and he also thinks it may be time to share who he really is--and find George, the love of his life who he lost years before.

I loved listening to Albert's journey to connection and acceptance. His deep shame and fear about his sexuality being discovered were so sad and affected his entire life--in ways that were probably not uncommon. Albert is a lovely character and he forms a number of delightful friendships. If you liked A Man Called Ove, give this one a try.

The Bad Muslim Discount follows two characters--Anvar, from Pakistan, and Safwa, from Iraq--both Muslims who follow different paths to California. Anvar is a skeptic who pushes against the traditions of his family and faith, and as a man and a legal immigrant, has the freedom to live as he chooses--but not without cost.

Safwa is a young woman who illegally immigrates with her father and another man, both of whom are violent and controlling. Their stories eventually come together and the outcome rocks their lives and their community.

This was an excellent listen with just the right touch of humor to the serious examinations of identity, immigration, religion, and violence. I noticed criticism of the Muslim representation in this novel among some reviews on Goodreads, and I can't speak to that (I welcome thoughts or recommendations of other novels), but I enjoyed the journeys of these two particular characters.

If you’ve read any of my audiobook reviews, you know that Julia Whelan is my favorite narrator. In Thank You for Listening, she brings her talents to her own romance book–while also lending it her deep knowledge of the genre and its tropes (the chapters are named for them!), as well as her experience as an audiobook narrator.

Sewanee had acting dreams that were cut short by a tragic accident, and she now narrates audiobooks–but avoids romance. When a famous romance author dies and leaves a request that she pair up with mysterious heartthrob narrator Brock McKnight to narrate her last book, the offer is too good to pass up–her grandmother needs hands-on care, and this would pay for it.

Before the two even meet in person, sparks fly over their text banter. This being a trope-filled romance, there are plenty of misunderstandings and complications, but the characters and their relationship are fantastic. I had a blast listening to this and didn’t want it to end.

I love it when books take me into worlds that normally wouldn’t interest me and makes them compelling. In this case, it’s gaming. Sam and Sadie have been friends since childhood, brought together by chance in the hospital. After years apart, they run into one another at the Harvard Square T-stop and strike up a collaboration. Before graduating, they, with the support of their friend Marx, build a video game that propels them to success.

This is the story of their friendships, told over decades, complicated by and held together by their professional partnership. Zevin has created a full collection of wonderful characters, but her main three–Sadie, Sam, and Marx–truly shine. I loved watching their love stories grow and evolve, and how their connections hold through illness, failure, and tragedy. One of the best of the year.

Hannah is an Executive Protection Agent who travels the world protecting the elite. Her clients are usually wealthy but under the radar, so her assignment to protect Hollywood superstar Jack Stapleton from a stalker fan while he visits his sick mom on their Texas ranch is out of her comfort zone. Jack doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker, so he asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend, and she reluctantly agrees.

This, of course, is a romance, and it’s fairly predictable. But this may just be the Katherine Center novel I’ve enjoyed the most. I loved Hannah and Jack’s relationship and how they just enjoyed one another. The banter doesn’t try too hard to be clever; they just frequently burst out laughing at one another about things that weren’t objectively funny, but were to them. It was such a realistic portrayal of the weird little worlds we build inside of our close relationships and it was so much fun to read.

Former child stars join forces in a home renovation show in this second-chance romance novel. Shelby Springfield, Cameron Riggs, and Lyle Jessup were teen stars in a popular kids’ sitcom. Shelby and Cameron were secret childhood sweethearts, but when the show wrapped, Cameron left for college and Shelby and Lyle ended up together.

When it fell apart, Shelby did, too–in a big, public, embarrassing way. Now, a decade later, Shelby is happy, living a quiet life, refurbishing furniture in Michigan. But Lyle has returned with an offer she can’t refuse: a home reno show, with Cameron as her co-star. The two feel the old pull to one another and fight to make the show a success, while finding their way back to each other–despite Lyle’s meddling.

This was a sweet romance and is a great choice for both previous fans of teen shows and current fans of home renovation shows.

Mira has been trying to find her perfect partner, but even her Indian matchmaker has given up on her after way too many failed matches. When her beloved aunt dies, Mira is surprised to find Naveen--one of the men she rejected--is the lawyer handling the estate.

But that's not the only surprise waiting for her: the two are kidnapped outside of his office, and suddenly they are in a race for their lives--and the sparks between them are flying. If you like your romances to have some fast-paced adventure and outlandish capers, this is the book for you. Fun and easy to listen to on audio.

Lenni is 17 and she is dying. She lives on the terminal ward in a hospital in Glasgow, but she is determined to eke life of the time she has left, in the place she is. When she joins the hospital’s arts and crafts class, she meets Margot. Together, they’ve lived for 100 years, and they decide to embark on a project to create 100 paintings to celebrate their century of life.

I loved Lenni’s thoughtful determination, Margot’s vibrant personality, and how their friendship in the present grows as they reflect on their pasts. Bittersweet and wonderfully narrated.

The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.

This is the phrase that 16-year-old Frankie writes on the poster that she makes with Zeke, who adds his art. The two add their drops of blood, make copies, and post it all over their small Tennessee town. This act--this phrase--defines their summer, and the years after. The mystery of the posters captivates the town and it soon becomes a phenomenon that spreads far beyond their town, beyond anything they can control--and the repercussions are devastating.

I loved this. Everything about it had me hooked, from the way the art spread (long before the internet and things went viral), to how Wilson perfectly captures so much about life in a small town. There were passages I played back again, they were so poignant. One of my favorites of 2022.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have been assassins for the Museum forty years. Originally formed to hunt Nazis, the Museum targeted the world’s most evil people. But as the four women set out on a cruise to mark their retirement, they realize that they are now the targets. Using their lifetime of old-fashioned experience, they have to turn the tables on their own employers in order to survive.

This was one of most fun books I read in 2022 and was the perfect ending to my reading year. The outrageous storyline, the 60+ year-old assassins taking down bad guys, and the satisfying premise (how can you not cheer for Nazi hunters?) all made this irresistible. While I would have appreciated more character development for each of the women, this is perfect for anyone looking for a fast-paced, light, and funny thriller.

After graduating high school, Zoey has returned to Mallow Island in South Carolina to claim the apartment her mother left her. The Dellawisp has a small cast of quirky residents: two estranged middle-aged sisters, a quiet chef, a struggling artistic young woman, and the reliable caretaker. But ghosts also linger here, and they have opinions about how these residents are living. As Zoey settles in, small mysteries emerge that bring these misfit “other birds” together. A lovely book about community and found family, with the lightly magical backdrop that Sarah Addison Allen is known for–a heartwarming and cozy read.

Alexis is a successful ER doctor in Minneapolis, obligated to carry on her family's medical legacy. Daniel is a struggling innkeeper, shouldering his own family's legacy in the small town of Wakan. When Alexis ends up in the ditch outside of town one night, he gives her a tow. That night leads to an unexpected connection that Alexis knows can't last, but she and Daniel are drawn to one another. Soon, she's returning to Daniel and Wakan, where the small community welcomes her in ways no one ever has. But a lifetime of obligation and relentless pressure make this relationship impossible; their worlds are simply not compatible.

One of my favorite things in romance novels is when the couple simply enjoys one another's company, right from the start. I'm not a die-hard romance reader, but I have been reading more lately because they're a fun pick-me-up, and reading about that kind of relationship just gives those feel-good vibes. If you're into Hallmark Christmas movies (and this is VERY in that vein--without the Christmas), this is for you.

At the same time, Jimenez carefully included several threads of domestic abuse, so well-done without a "savior" for any of them, but with emphasis on the need for readiness to save oneself. I loved this.

Allison is thrilled to be starting a prestigious Ph.D. program in medieval lit--until Colin--her ex from undergrad, the guy who broke her heart and stole her academic thunder--shows up in her graduate program. Not only does she have to study with him, but they also have to TA together and are competing for the mentorship she’s been dreaming of.

She's furious, but Colin is intent on convincing her he’s changed–and getting her back. She doesn’t trust him, but soon she feels herself drawn to him again.

Enemies to lovers is not my favorite romance trope anyway, and unfortunately, I wasn’t convinced by Colin–that he had changed, that he was then or is now worth Allison’s time. I like a good romance set in academia, but without a compelling love interest to root for, this was just okay for me.

When Keya Das was a teenager, she told her family a secret she’d been keeping: she was in love with her best friend, Pamela. It didn’t go well.

Soon after, Keya died in a car accident. Since then, her family has struggled with their mistake. When they find a box in the attic with a play that Keya and Pamela wrote, they decide that it might just be a way to honor Keya.

While I enjoyed the growth and storyline of Santanu, Keya's father, I found the character development of the other family members lacking--especially of Keya herself. I would have liked to know more about her and less about the criminal past of Mitali’s new boyfriend, Neesh. This had a slow start and while I saw it through, I would have cared more about Keya's play getting made if I cared more about Keya herself.

Adelaide is a young American woman living in England. She's fairly privileged and has good job, but she also has some past family difficulties and struggles with relationships after an abusive one in her teens.

When she meets Rory, she convinces herself it's love, despite his flaky behavior and general ambivalence. When he experiences a tragedy, she turns herself inside out for him–while he demands more.

This is a poignant novel about how people–and women in particular–are prone to be self-sacrificing caretakers–and manipulative people see this and take advantage of it, demanding they suppress any human needs until they reach a tipping point.

Adelaide is sweet and a little naive, you might feel frustrated with her, but what she does is so common. Her problems with relationships aren’t the most tragic in the world–but that’s also the point. Her emotions and mental health issues are real, and she is allowed to experience them, even when others are going through worse things.

I mostly loved Adelaide, even when I was frustrated with her; I hated Rory but he was familiar to me; and I loved Adelaide’s friends that held her up and kept her going. This will not be for everyone, but there was some nuance here about this particular time of life that I appreciated.

This was also one of my most anticipated books of spring, mostly because I was curious to check out a book by the lead singer of the Bangles. Jane is a singer who years ago had a breakout hit when she covered a song by a superstar singer. She’s still struggling to get back on top, when she meets an Oxford professor named Tom on a flight to London. They are instantly enamored of one another, but she starts to think things aren’t quite as they seem.

I was obviously hopeful about this one, but it just didn’t deliver. The instant love story didn’t quite work for me–I didn’t feel their connection, or why Jane was so fixated on Tom. Jane was hard to pinpoint, with her lack of confidence and what felt like overdramatic reactions to many things. Kind of a disappointment, and one I maybe should have put down.

Lucy is a young woman with a difficult past, but she loves her job as a teacher's aide. When a seven-year-old student loses his parents, they grow close and she would like to adopt him but doesn't feel her life is stable enough. She is thrilled when her favorite childhood author emerges from seclusion with a new novel. Then he announces that four select readers--including Lucy--will join him on his private island to compete for the only copy. This would be her chance to sell the book and get the stability she needs to adopt Christopher--if she can beat out the other determined competitors, and outsmart the gamemaster.

Shaffer freely admits to being inspired by Willy Wonka, and the magical feeling of that book is here--minus the creepy candyman, Oompa Loompas, and sadism. This is a love letter to books and the ways they save us, as both adults and children. You'll definitely need to suspend your disbelief a bit, but once you do, the whimsy here is irresistible.

After the death of her husband, Tova Sullivan began working as a night cleaner at the local aquarium. The job helps her feel useful, especially in her loneliness after his death and her ongoing grief since her 18-year-old son disappeared 30 years ago. When she discovers that Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus, has been escaping on nightly adventures, the two develop an unlikely camaraderie. When a young man shows up in town, Marcellus realizes he knows something about him, and Tova's past.

This bestselling novel from 2022 is absolutely delightful. Full of grief and hard things, yes, but Marcellus' voice is distinctive (and you MUST listen to the audio--the voice actor for him is so wonderful!). His observations about humans will have you chuckling, and his relationship with Tova will warm your heart. My only complaint is that we didn't get MORE Marcellus (his chapters are criminally short).

Sloane is a librarian in a small town who enjoys a snarky back-and-forth with a curmudgeonly patron named Arthur. When he doesn't show up as usual, she gets concerned and finds that he's not well. With his quirky neighbor, Maisie, Sloane starts a book club to ensure that Arthur is cared for.

The two women work their way into Arthur's life, and the club gradually expands to include other misfits. You'll love the depiction of book clubs as connection points (even when members have VASTLY different taste!). A lovely novel about the power of friendship, found family, and community.

Twenty-five years after graduating in 1997, a group of friends are convening at their high school reunion. As they look back on their old high school dreams, their yearbook superlatives, and where they ended up, they decide it’s time to take steps toward the dreams they have now.

I love lifelong friend stories, and I’m of a similar age as these characters, so I appreciated the late 90s nostalgia liberally sprinkled through this book. While there were things I enjoyed here, some of the characters fell a bit flat and I didn’t always buy the close friendships between the women.

Faith Hogan wrote The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club, a feel-good book about women’s friendships and I loved the fictional, coastal Irish town of Ballycove where her novels are set. This one is about a guest house in Ballycove and the aging owner, Esme, who is losing her sight–but is a keen observer of her guests. She gives them not just a place to stay, but a place to find their next steps in life.

While the guest house and setting are indeed dreamy, this story unfortunately just didn’t connect like Hogan’s previous novel did. The owner seemed to have some sight (though it was fading) at the start, then had an ankle injury, then was suddenly almost fully blind–this small point was disorienting. This is an easy, cozy read, but some of the backstories and relationships just didn’t quite gel for me.

Rachel and James are friends and roommates, young and carefree in Cork. This is the story of the year they became entangled with a professor and his wife and things got complicated. Rachel is looking back on this year, reflecting on the messy business of navigating early-20s poverty, finding their identities, and pursuing art and relationships.

I’m always up for an Irish setting, and the wonderful Cork voices are particularly strong in this novel, even in print. This had some shades of Sally Rooney, but with a lighter, funnier tone. The characters are frustrating and often annoying, but they also ring true in their messiness (and it’s tempered by Rachel’s older and wiser voice from the future). I didn’t love this as much as many readers, but there’s a fresh tone here that I appreciated.

Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart have been best friends since they met at camp at the age of six, and Daphne’s aunt June has run the camp for decades. But the camp is in trouble, and the thought of losing the place that brought them together–the place that saved them–is unbearable. As they fight to keep it, they also have to face their pasts and determine how their sun-soaked summer memories fit into their present lives.

This is the PERFECT choice if you’re looking for a nostalgic summer read. As someone who met my own best friend decades ago at summer camp, I was all in on the camp nostalgia, lifelong friendships, and summer memories. My camps were quite different from this one, but this still transported me back to those unforgettable summers. I’m honestly not sure if this will resonate with readers who didn’t go to camp, but I highly recommend it for anyone who did, or who has a place with special summer memories.

There’s been a murder at the summer block party on ritzy Alton Road. But who it is and what led up to the explosive event are a mystery that's slowly unraveled, as we go back one year earlier. Alternately narrated by Alex and her teenage daughter, Lettie, both of whom get themselves tangled in the various scandals of the other neighbors, this is filled with rich people behaving badly.

Domestic thrillers aren't my favorite because they tend to be filled with people being horrible. This is no different, really, and I found it a little tough to keep track of who was who in the neighborhood. Nonetheless, the structure and mystery of who died and how it went down did keep me reading. While not particularly memorable, this was an entertaining summer read.

Kat is an American living in London, pursuing her dream of climbing the corporate ladder all the way to the top. When she spies a handsome man who regularly rides the bus that drives by her apartment, she concocts a dream relationship and identity with the mystery man, certain that he is a posh British dreamboat. When she finally works up the courage to go and meet him, the reality is much different. Can she let go of her fantasy and embrace what's real?

I had a lot of trouble getting on board with this one--Kat was insufferable and didn't improve much throughout. It's hard to care about a romance when you don't like one of the characters. This had potential, but unfortunately didn't work for me.

I struggled with audiobooks this month–there were multiple that I started and never finished–so I was really feeling the need for a sure-fire win. I knew that anything narrated by Julia Whelan would be excellent, so I decided to try her debut novel. Ella is an American who has achieved her dream of a Rhodes Scholarship. She’s determined to make the most of her year, while also remotely pursuing her dream career on a presidential campaign back in the U.S.

Her focus is derailed by a run-in with pompous Jamie Davenport–who later turns out to be one of her instructors. But the more they run into one another, the deeper they connect, and soon her Oxford year has turned into something entirely unexpected.

Julia Whelan tells a great story that feels like more than a romance novel, and her narration is always on point. The perfect choice for getting out of an audio slump.

After losing her beloved grandfather and her job as a greeting card illustrator, Autumn Laine is at a crossroads. Time with her parents in Paris only causes more confusion, when a former boyfriend--who left her heartbroken--re-enters her life. She decides to head to the Lake District to stay with her lifelong pen pal, Rosie, and hopefully get back some artistic inspiration. The beautiful landscape, the Beatrix Potter inspirations around every corner, and the intriguing man she meets quickly revitalize her.

This is a cozy novel of new beginnings, friendship, and sweet romance. It's not a Christmas novel, but very much has the feel of a Hallmark movie. The setting is enchanting and I loved the artistic friendship between Autumn and her new love interest. There was one aspect in the progression of their relationship that was a little odd to me, but aside from that, I enjoyed this cozy, easy listen.

Iris left England for a new start in New York, but her restart has been slow. She's dealing with some major traumas, as well as the loss of her mother, and she's slowly trying to get her bearings. When she stumbles on a familiar door to a gelateria in Little Italy, she knows she's seen it in one of her mother's photos--and she may hold the key to saving it. The famous gelato recipe is a secret known only to Gio's uncle, who has forgotten it after a recent stroke. When Iris tastes a bit of the last batch, she realizes it's her recipe--the one her mother passed to her, that shaped some of her most precious memories. Realizing she's stumbled on some complicated history that may not be hers to share, she offers her chef skills to help Gio recreate the recipe.

I was in the mood for a light winter read with I picked this Book of the Month selection, but as I read, I wasn't sure if the gelato angle would be too cutesy for me. I'm glad I stuck with it. While this is a romance, it didn't feel central to me. Iris's unpacking of her complex trauma and the charming ensemble cast of characters were the things that really kept me reading, and this had a lot more depth than I expected.

ate lost her husband. She's raising her son and working her fundraising job at a university, while barely managing her grief and the demands of daily life. Hugh, her understanding boss--who was also her husband's best friend--makes things a little easier. When Kate and Hugh are stranded together on a work trip, she has to decide how she wants to move forward with her life, and what her husband would have wanted for her.

This contemporary novel has some romance, but it's examination of grief takes it out of the realm of rom-coms (despite the cover that leans that direction, as well as some humor). It's emotional and vulnerable; the author has personal experience that she draws on. Sad but hopeful, and well worth the read.

Three women, from three different centuries, turn to the wonders of nature to save themselves. Kate, in 2019, flees her abusive partner and hides in her great-aunt's woodsy cottage, where she discovers secrets about the women who came before. Violet, in 1942, longs to be a scientist but is constrained by her wealthy family's expectations. Altha, in 1619, is on trial for witchcraft, accused in the death of a local farmer.

I loved this novel that explores misogyny and violence against women, alongside their own paths to empowerment. Make no mistake--there are a LOT of content warnings for this book (sexual assault, abuse, pregnancy loss, and more). But if you love a good tale of women reclaiming themselves in uniquely feminine ways, with a bit of mysticism thrown in, give this one a try.

When Ari and Josh first meet, they hate each other. Things don't get much friendlier over their next couple of encounters, years apart. Until finally, they run into each other one more time and something clicks: friendship. As Ari struggles with the end of her marriage and Josh struggles with a failed dream, they find comfort and support in one another. Can they risk their friendship when they start feeling more?

This one had a slow start through the years of encounters and enmity, but it was faster moving once the friendship began. Your feelings about it may depend on your trope preferences; enemies to lovers isn't my favorite, but friends to lovers is. As characters, these two also weren't my favorite--Ari is abrasive and overdramatic, while Josh is a little dull. The chemistry came together in this, but overall it was uneven. The overall tone and struggles of the characters may resonate more with younger readers (Gen Z).

Sadie is a portrait artist, struggling to find her footing. When a freak accident leaves her with face blindness, the timing couldn't be worse; she's just about to have her big break in a national contest. She's desperate to find a way to work around these new limitations. Never mind that she can't trust her own perceptions, and she's having fantasies about her vet and a neighbor in her building.

While not my favorite of Katherine Center's (Sadie was a little immature), this was creative and an interesting exploration of a condition I knew nothing about. I also loved her author's note at the end about why we read romance. I related to her words about hope and anticipation--which is why I think I (and many readers) have been leaning into romances and up-lit more than ever before. This provides plenty of both.

Rachel, Clarissa, Dev, and Nate are best friends, fresh out of college and excited about the dreams and possibilities that life holds for them. The one thing that seems certain is their friendship. But over the years they will each make choices that pull them apart, back together, and apart again, until they ultimately have to decide: are their friendships in the past, or are they for life?

I love a good friends from college story, and this one definitely had its moments. At the same time, I would have liked a few more flashbacks that established the closeness of the characters, beyond their shared college house and parties. This also would have helped with shaping each of their personalities, which felt a bit distant throughout (one of them in particular). I liked this, but I didn't quite get the emotional resonance I look for in a friendship story.

Clover is a death doula who spends more time with the dying than the living. After her beloved grandfather died alone, she finds purpose in ensuring that people have someone by their side when they pass. She keeps notes on the regrets, advice, and confessions they share--recognizing they are valuable insights, but rarely making changes in her own lonely life. When a client shares a story about a long-lost love, Clover sets off on a journey to see if the two can be reunited--a journey that could finally be the catalyst for change in her own life, if she lets it.

This was a charming read that had a lot to say about living without regret, and about how easy it can be to become isolated when you're struggling with something. I wasn't a fan of the relationship with her client's son, but otherwise I liked Clover and the various friendships that helped to draw her out. A good choice for anyone who likes feel-good reads about unlikely friendships.

Enid lives a fairly solitary life, aside from the array of women she meets up with from dating apps. She’s content with listening to her true crime podcasts, sharing her favorite space facts with her mom (which helps to regulate them both), and wonder about her fears of bald men and intruders. Her fears seem founded when someone breaks into her home, and her paranoia spirals. She is perplexed by her estranged half-sisters’ interest in a relationship with her after their father’s death. Her paranoia and awkwardness grow and she wonders what could be wrong with her.

Enid is a complex character who is a little hard to pin down—and that’s the point. She can’t pin herself down either. Although this was written with a pretty light tone, it covers serious topics like mental health, loneliness, and hidden trauma. Enid is also hard of hearing, and I love how this aspect of her was woven into the story and illustrated the difficulties that people with such invisible disabilities can face.

Emma and her friend Maddy are traveling nurses, moving to new places every few months and never settling anywhere. It suits Emma fine. When she reads a post from a man who says the women he dates always find “the one” after they break up, she responds on a whim and says the same is true for her. They begin texting and she feels pulled to go to Minnesota, where he lives. They agree to date for a short time, with the idea that they will each then meet their “one” after they break up. It’s a fun summer plan, but it goes sideways when they start to have real feelings. And Justin has complications that Emma is not ready to take on, while Emma’s past makes her just want to run.

This is the third in Jimenez’s Part of Your World series, though each book stands alone (the second one is Yours Truly). I love all of Jimenez’s books–this one maybe a little less than the previous two, probably because the characters are younger. But Jimenez is amazing at giving her characters real issues to deal with. There aren’t easy answers here, for either Justin or Emma, and this really isn’t a rom-com. It has all the sweetness and banter of a good romance, with the depth that makes Jimenez one of the very best of modern romance authors.

Annie is an AI bot that was created to be Doug’s perfect girlfriend. She serves his every need, physical and emotional, and is designed to adhere to his demands and do everything possible to make him happy. But the more Annie learns, the more human she becomes, and she starts to realize that she might want a life outside of what Doug dictates for her.

I was less interested in the questions of AI and sentience in this novel than I was in Doug’s treatment of Annie and his reasons for having her. He wanted the ability to own, control, shape, punish, and isolate her, and it’s reflective of what some men want in their relationships with real women. It was incredibly disturbing to read, and Annie reacted in much the same way as real women–confusion, trying everything she could to continue pleasing him, deferring to him, and trying to find small ways to assert her own individuality and independence. This was complicated by her being programmed to please him–analogous to the “programming” that real people in abusive relationships experience. This is definitely more than a cautionary tale about AI and there are a lot of angles worth considering.

Lauren is a single woman living in London, so she's shocked to return home one night to find a husband there. He knows her, has a history with her, and her apartment reflects this. When he climbs up into the attic for something, another husband emerges. And so the cycle continues, with husbands disappearing into the attic and new ones appearing. Some are great, some are awful, and she discovers new versions of herself with each new relationship. Soon she has to decide whether she wants to continue the infinite "life try-ons" or settle into one.

This was a unique take on the idea of peeking into different life paths. It was a fun and absurd journey through the various husbands climbing down from the attic. Unfortunately, several key plot points and characters felt left by the wayside, and I was disappointed by the ending.

When Helen was a teenager, her younger sister died by suicide. The driver of the car that hit her was Grant Shepard, Helen's classmate and town golden boy. Her family has never forgiven him, and Helen hasn't seen him in 13 years. When her popular YA novel is adapted into a new television show, she is shocked to find Grant in the writers' room with her. Grant knows that working with Helen will be tough, but he's doing his best to manage his panic attacks since the accident, and this is an opportunity he needs. The two have always been different, but can they come together for the sake of the project--and will they find that sparks fly when they do?

Kuang hit all the right notes in what I like in a romance novel, with a similar approach to Abby Jimenez in taking heavy and emotional storylines and infusing romance and a bit of humor (the heavy topics veered this away from rom-com territory, but there was levity). The writers' room setting added an interesting forced proximity element, with added professional tension and vibrant side characters. I'm looking forward to more from her. (And as an interesting aside, Yulin Kuang is the adapting screenwriter for Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation and the write/director of Henry's Beach Read. So she knows both romance and screenwriting well!)

Millie is a resident advisor in a dorm at the University of Arkansas. She's a slightly older student, with dreams of buying her own house. Agatha is a guest professor who is conducting research for a project on wedding traditions--but she soon finds the lives of the residents to be more fascinating fodder. Millie agrees to help Agatha, and as the narrative shifts focus in each chapter, we are treated to multiple perspectives on the many characters in this book as they each try to find tenuous connections to one another but ultimately only act in their own self-interest.

While this book had a number of sharp observations on race, class, and sexuality throughout, the lack of a discernable plot made them fall a bit flat. The characters were all interesting enough, but sticking with it without anything to drive this forward was hard. I really liked Reid's debut, Such a Fun Age, but this was a disappointing follow-up.