BOOK REVIEWS
The Secret Life of Sunflowers (by Marta Molnar)
The sunflowers caught me first. Then I realized the woman on the cover was Jo van Gogh-Bonger—the sister-in-law who made Vincent famous. Dana Marton, writing as Marta Molnar, turns Jo’s fight to save his unsold paintings into a dual-timeline novel I was more than ready to hear.
We Will Be Watching (by Ruth Ware)
Leaving Instagram meant losing author updates—until newsletters. Signing up for Ruth Ware’s list got me a free copy of her unpublished short story “We Will Be Watching,” a tense escape-room thriller I loved. Review + how to read it inside.
Dear Debbie (by Freida McFadden)
I’m such a Freida McFadden fan. Her books reliably deliver the kind of twisty, bingeable entertainment I crave, and I only wish I could catch up on her new releases and dive into the…
My Year of Rest and Relaxation (by Ottessa Moshfegh)
I read Eileen, one of Ottessa Moshfegh’s earlier novels, years ago and loved it. I remember it being strange, perplexing, and kind of frightening—all in a good way. As her subsequent books…
Murder at the Breakers (by Alyssa Maxwell)
As a lifelong visitor to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, I’ve long been intrigued by the Vanderbilts. I love learning about that house and the family’s history, so when I saw…
It Could Have Been Her (by Lisa Jewell)
Lisa Jewell has such a long backlist of titles, which means I have a lot of great books by her still ahead of me. I fell in love with her storytelling through her suspenseful thrillers, though I’ve also…
Girl with a Pearl Earring (by Tracy Chevalier)
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier has been on my radar for a long time. I didn’t realize it was first published in 1999, but I’d seen steady praise for it over the years. I finally…
Mad Mabel (by Sally Hepworth)
I've been wanting to read Sally Hepworth's suspenseful thrillers for a while. When Mad Mabel became available on Libby, I jumped on the opportunity to finally read one of her novels and…
The Summer Guests (by Tess Gerritsen)
I was truly sold on the Martini Club series when I “met” Tess Gerritsen during a Back Room author event. She was discussing The Summer Guests, the second book in the series, and I was…
As a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, I earn from qualifying purchases linked back to Amazon. Every penny earned allows me to blog about books and keeps this site running.