Overdue by Stephanie Perkins

Overdue by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Saturday Books/St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship—and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.
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Fifteen years ago, I was bonding with a group of women over a shared love of books on an internet message board and swooning over Stephanie Perkins's young adult romance novels. When she moved on to thrillers, I went along with her. And when her adult romance debut appeared, I was very excited because I knew that I was in for a treat. I spent most of my day off reading this lovely, lovely book, and I have no notes. It was so good. Ingrid is the kind of relatable protagonist that you can't help but root for. Macon is her perfectly imperfect crush. The slow burn between them was so satisfying, and the supporting cast of characters just rounded things out perfectly. This is not just some fluffy romance either, mind you (not that there is not a place for fluffy romance on my bookshelves). This book had some real depth to it and tackled some serious topics with grace and thoughtfulness, while also providing some laugh out loud moments. I hope we can look forward to more books for adult readers from this author.

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Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews (read in 2024)

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.
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I have long been a fan of Mary Kay Andrews and her summer additions to southern women's fiction. Whether we find ourselves on the Outer Banks or in Savannah or somewhere in Florida, we can always count on a fast-paced story filled with relatable female characters that celebrate the relationships among women with a touch of romance often thrown in. In this book, we are treated to some rich, detailed characters at the flagging St. Cecelia, a grand dame of an old resort, and they find themselves in some fixes. The ultimate fix is the mystery that is at the heart of this book, a tragedy that challenges owner Traci as she tries one last time to turn things around. As we follow her throughout what might be the last season at "The Saint," we are treated to some twists and turns as we join Traci on her quest to get some answers and hopefully save her beloved hotel. This is a perfect beach read, but with a little more depth, and it represents classic "MKA" at her finest.

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A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan

A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Becky is stranded at the airport, so when she bumps into her brother’s best friend, Will, and he suggests they drive home together, Becky reluctantly agrees. For the first time, Becky is dreading Christmas, and only Will knows why. Can she trust him to keep her secret?

Her twin sister, Rosie, married Declan after a whirlwind romance, and now the cracks are starting to appear. Rosie and Declan have agreed to hide their problems from her family, but Rosie’s insecurities are growing. Will this Christmas bring them closer or drive them apart?

Hayley can’t wait for her first Balfour family Christmas with Jamie. The Balfour Christmas traditions sound wonderful, but she’s worried about her place in this close-knit family. Will there be room for her too? And how will they react to the secret she and Jamie have been keeping?

Despite everyone’s best intentions, all the chaos and confusion could derail their normally happy holidays. Can they tell each other the truth in time to enjoy a perfect family Christmas?
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This was one of those books that just makes you feel good. There's plenty of holiday cheer. There are some complex characters, but they are all just...nice people. It is filled with some of my favorite romance novel tropes - fake dating, friends-to-lovers, only one bed - and they are well-executed. Was it a particularly challenging book to read? No. Did I need it to be? Also no. I spent the entire day smiling and laughing and truly enjoying myself as I read about these lovely people from this beautiful family enjoying a loud, chaotic, and joyful holiday together on the British seaside. I can't think of anything I would have rather done with my day today, and since this is only the second of Sarah Morgan's books I have read, I am excited to check out more of her back catalog.

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Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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NO ONE IS SAFE FROM THE SERIAL KILLER

NOT EVEN SCARPETTA…

During the early hours of Christmas morning, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta receives a chilling call. The Phantom Slasher has struck again.

The serial killer has terrorized Northern Virginia for months. His pattern is to stalk with a sophisticated technology that enables him to invade his victims' homes and watch their every move. They wake up to a ghost-like hologram before being murdered in their beds.

Scarpetta is summoned to Mercy Island, the site of a notorious psychiatric hospital where two people have been brutalized, one of them from Scarpetta’s past. It soon becomes apparent that she could be next…
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I have been reading Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books since day one, so when the opportunity to review her newest came up, I jumped right on it. I love the combination of government agencies with medical examiner with straight up mystery thriller that she brings to the table, sometimes with a little bit of gore thrown in. This book is no different. We have Benton Wesley and his Secret Service background, niece Lucy and her FBI connections, and Dr. Scarpetta the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have her usual foil in Pete Marino but also a little of his softer side. We have a serial killer and a bit of a grisly autopsy and the kind of forensic detail we have come to expect from this author. We have darkness and suspense and everything that makes for a good thriller. And most of all, we have the years and years of history I have with these characters and the relationships I feel I have formed with them, which is part of the joy of reading a series such as this one. I found myself so engrossed in the action of the story that I was surprised when I reached the end and found out who the killer actually was. Did the answer perhaps come a little bit out of left field? Maybe. Did I still enjoy the journey I took to get there? Absolutely. In other Scarpetta books, Cornwell has used a dual point-of-view to tease the reader throughout the book with the perpetrator's side of the story. In my opinion, this ending felt a little abrupt in comparison to some of her other works. Nevertheless, I couldn't give this one any less than five stars because the highs of this book were very high for me and more than made up for that little issue I had with it. I can't wait to see where Dr. Scarpetta takes us next.

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It's Different This Time by Joss Richard

It's Different This Time by Joss Richard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Reeling from the cancellation of her hit TV show, June Wood has nothing left to lose when a mysterious email lures her back to the New York City brownstone she once called home before she moved to Los Angeles. Thanks to a clause in the former owner’s will, she and her old roommate, Adam Harper, now own the multimillion-dollar property—or at least they will in a month, once all the paperwork is signed.

Four weeks, then June can return to her life in LA and forget about New York City and everything she left behind. Sure, the fact that June and Adam are estranged and haven’t even spoken in five years, and that their friendship didn’t exactly end on good terms might complicate matters, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

As the autumn leaves fall around them, through shared meals and late-night conversations, old wounds and long-buried sparks resurface, and it becomes strikingly clear: June and Adam have unfinished business. Confronted with the consequences of their choices years before, they must now navigate the minefield of their past the best way they know how: together. Second chances are always a risk, but maybe, if they get it right and are finally honest with each other and with themselves, it could be different this time.
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This debut from Joss Richard had a lot of things working in its favor for me. I am a huge fan of New York City in the fall. I love Broadway. I am a bit of a foodie. And I always love a good second chance romance. Therefore, I went into this book expecting to really enjoy it, and I am happy to report that I was correct, and this was a great read for me. I really liked all the characters and enjoyed getting to know them. I am a huge fan of found family stories, and this book had plenty of that. The only thing that didn't flip this over into a five-star read for me is that one of my least favorite tropes factored heavily into the storyline, and that just made it a little less enjoyable for me. However, this was a really solid first novel from this author, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

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You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Maisie Smart doesn’t look back. Not on the choice she made to be a photographer, and not on the one-night stand she had six months ago. But sleeping with a professional hockey player who bolted the morning after is a whole new level of embarrassing. Now she’s about to spend the week at Tickle Tree Farms with her family this Christmas—and then the universe throws a Grinch in her festive plans.

Nick King is a mess. After a significant injury benches him, he has more time to dwell on his anxieties and the one-night stand he can’t get out of his head. With the holidays around the corner, he figures visiting his sister and nephew at their Christmas tree farm will be a good way to sort himself out. That’s impossible when he learns Maisie is there, still beautiful and justifiably angry about the way he left. But Christmas is the time for second chances, and the forced proximity may help Nick and Maisie unwrap feelings neither of them can walk away from twice.
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It felt a little wild to be reading this Christmas romance on a day when the high temperature topped out in the low 80s, but here we are. I am happily transitioning out of the summer months, and this was a great choice to get me excited about what the upcoming cooler months have to offer. This is a follow-up to Sullivan's 2024 autumn romance Can't Help Falling in Love, which I have not read, but it was easily read as a standalone. However, now that I have met Lexi and Will, the main characters from that one, I may have to go back and read their story. I would also love to see this series continue.

Anyway, what is there to say about a Christmas hockey romance? I don't read a lot of hockey romances, and hockey was a minor character in this one, which was fine with me. I enjoy sports romances, but I don't want the sports to take center stage. I have read other reviews that took offense at the "foul" language in the book, but I didn't really find it to be bad at all. Were there a few well-placed F-bombs? Sure. Were they egregious? No. There were love scenes, but they were not overly graphic. I am a smut-skipper and was easily able to page through them without losing out on the story.

The supporting characters were so well-developed and really added to the story. I loved that about this book. I really enjoyed Maisie and Nick, but I also loved that I loved the people surrounding Maisie and Nick. While a romance novel of this type is always going to be a little predictable (and that is fine with me), this one had enough depth that I was happy to keep reading. I appreciated that it tackled a couple of more serious subjects, and I loved rooting for Maisie and Nick as they made their way to their HEA.

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The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Six friends reunite in London to celebrate the life of their recently deceased ex-employer, a professor that brought them together in 1999 to help build a dating website based on psychological testing.

But what is meant to be a night of bittersweet nostalgia soon becomes a twisted and deadly game. The old friends are given an ultimatum: reveal their darkest secrets to the group or pick each other off one-by-one.

It soon becomes clear that their current predicament is related to their shared past. The love questionnaire they helped develop in 1999 for the dating site was also turned into a tool for weeding out psychopaths: The Wasp Trap. This experiment and the other tragic events of that summer long ago may help reveal the truth behind a killer hiding in plain sight.

Alternating between the past and present with a colorful ensemble of characters, The Wasp Trap is a fast-paced and twisty thrill ride that is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Alice Feeney.
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This book was presented as being perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Alice Feeney, and since I am deep in thriller era, I decided to check it out. After a compelling prologue, I settle into a fast-paced, dual-timeline thriller that was full of twists and came to a satisfying conclusion. There were times that I thought that the author could have tightened up the plot a bit, but overall, this book had some real strengths. There were some characters that were easy to like, as well as some characters that were easy to hate, and while some dual-timeline books can be hard to follow, this was laid out in a way that made switching back and forth from 1999 to the present day seamless. There was a bit of gore without it becoming unnecessarily graphic, and I never felt like it settled into complete predictability, which many thrillers unfortunately do by the end of the book. Overall, this was a solid thriller, and I enjoyed it enough that I will look for other offerings from this author.


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