Alluring characters with a high tension and compelling plot.

This one got me right from the first chapter. I have a horrible confession to make - I didn't really know the original Tender Is the Night so I was a bit worried that this one wouldn't work for me. But right from that first visit to the therapist and then the POV of making the film, I was hooked. You could feel the tension rising off the page. There were so many twists and secrets that I loved slowly untangling them. I found the end to be a delicious surprise - where it was all shocking but very satisfying.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

"That's what you do in the darkness."
"And you never know in the darkness who is holding the light."

Survival is never pretty, it's always brutal, sad but inspiring. Nonie is young, in a world where the water rose and has eaten a lot of the land. The water is not good - it's full of bacteria, hard pieces, and disease. Nonie lives in a somewhat safe building - an old museum - that her family fled to as the waters rose. It's kept them safe, with heavy doors, small windows, and big gates. Nonie has lived here and felt a kind of safety without light or running electricity but with a great gift - the ability to sense when the weather changes and storms or rain are coming.

But the large storm that makes them lose their safety in the museum isn't one that Nonie senses with enough time to help them save needed resources. Medicine, food, even safe water - all gone in the midst of their fast flee from the home they know. Now they are outside, looking for a safe place to land - but in survival, not everywhere is safe.

This was such a compelling story. I started as an e-book and flipped to audio. The narrator did such a great job of reminding you the main character is still very young and yet, injected the perfect amount of emotion into all their harrowing moments. It's a sad, hopeful story - one that pits us against our fellow humans but also animals and nature. But what an amazing thing, to survive and live.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

"It's been so lovely with you both. Lx"

A compelling race of a story. Once you start, clear out your afternoon - a plot that won't let you go until the final page!

Cam is a literary agent, going back to work for her first day back after having a baby. She has what she thinks of as the perfect life. A wonderful husband, a lovely nine-month old baby, a lovely upside down house with a garden, a job she loves. But her perfect life is rocked when, after dropping off her baby for day one of daycare, the police arrive and tell her something horrible.

There is hostage situation - and they think her husband is the one with the gun, not a victim.

And wow, the story is a race. You get a few POV: the hostage negotiation Niall and Cam, the wife, and a mysterious watcher. Each POV really rounded out the story, gave light to the parts that we needed and added really great layer of humanity and perspective. And Cam was so easy to love. A reader, an agent, a mother, a sister, a wife - she was a strong, amazing character who just wanted to understand what happened.

I can't recommend this enough! A tense plot that leaves you guessing and wondering until the very end. This one was So good!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

An extreme game of hide-and-seek on a remote island - with 1 million dollars as the prize. Would you do it? Throw your name in the pot?

Adele is still reeling from her husband disappearing after stealing money from his company. She's remade herself into an influencer - a bada$$ mom of 2. Her kids convince her to throw her name into this contest and the million dollars is an alluring prize.

Maverick is the host and finder in this game. There's a lot of controversy around him. On one of his last games, one of the contestants went missing and he's been fighting the on-line trolls and instigators since - the ones that believe he had something to do with the girl going missing.

There are a few more POV in this story and they round the details out so you know what's happening on and off the island. It's an interesting mystery but not necessarily one that will keep you up late, flipping the pages. It's a slower burn, as you learn everyone's secrets, and slowly build your own opinions of everyone. Although I felt a few of the twists were easy to guess, I did love how it all played out. It was a great ending. And the cover - just perfect! ????

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Shocking, heartbreaking, beautiful story. It's about motherhood, grief, forgiveness and love. It is a stark look at the American justice system for a juvenile.

A shot in the night - 2 parents abruptly woken up. The unimaginable has happened - one sibling has shot the other. One of them has passed. So begins our story. It's shocking, this beginning, but it's handled with love and grace. The grief the parents feel and their struggle to understand what has happened and why was so moving.

As they arrange an attorney, a funeral and hide from everyone in their small town, you start getting flashbacks to understand how they might have gotten to this point. It's such a compelling story. It was heartbreaking but never so overwhelming I didn't think I could read. Understanding what happened and getting the attorney's POV was so compelling it was hard to stop reading. I loved it as much as it broke my heart, and the ending was so perfect. Amazing this is a debut, I will definitely look for more from this author!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Unique and amazing story - about 5 famous female mystery writers solving a real crime!

This was such a fun story! If you've ever wondered what it would be like to sit in a room and kick around ideas about plot and characters with Agatha Christie, then this is the story for you!

5 famous female authors join a male dominated club. The men aren't excited to accept women in their ranks and they are not excited to think about a whole 5 of them joining! So the women decide to prove their worth by solving a real crime - a story of a missing women that has become a murder mystery.

This book had amazing female friendships and a great mystery. The chapters were quick and the tension kept me turning the pages. Each new twist, I wanted to applaud just how smart these 5 women were, to discover the things they did! This one was so fun! I can't recommend it enough!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

While I found it a bit rough to start - lots of POV and timeframes to adjust to at the start - I did end up really enjoying the entertainment value it offered!

Lorna has joined a very rich family on a vacation. She's gone from friends with the daughter to the uncle's assistant. But the family is not an ordinary family. They go back to this same island, year after year, to try to prove to everyone that years ago - when the wife of one of the brothers fell to her death - that the family had nothing to do with it.

But this trip is different. Helen, the daughter, and Lorna, the assistant - they have some surprises for the family. I found the beginning to be a bit slow as you are introduced to many POV and the two timelines. I did appreciate the little bits of articles and information and I loved when they shed new light on the story and not just a re-telling of what we already knew.

I did find the twists in the end to be entertaining even if I struggled to find them believable. Sometimes the fun is in the sheer shock and awe - the twists were fun and the ending had a great pace and conclusion.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

“Leave those dishes, I should have said. Come play with me in the forest, I should have said. The world will end tomorrow.”

The big one - an earthquake - hits Portland, Oregon. We find our main character 37 weeks pregnant and at the Ikea looking to purchase a crib. She's procrastinated as she's tried to sort her life while she's been pregnant. But, here she is, alone with no one knowing where she is when natural disaster hits.

This is an interesting and tough read. But I didn't find this to be the suspense read I'd thought it would be. It's a lot of sorting emotions out while pregnant. It's facing the impending birth and being unsure of your relationship, living situation, and your next steps in life. It's realizing you've given up your dreams and unsure how to re-find who you are. I did love that the setting adding an air of urgency and fear. Unique read, at least.

A gorgeous cover. A story that tackles coming of age along with the horror elements. There's a lot tackled here, but it felt like it all happened in the last 25. I liked it but somehow didn't feel quite pulled in like I'd hoped.

Four retired female assassins - pulled back together for another job. A mysterious death that leaves a calling card tied to a hit the 4 did years ago.

This was such a fun read! I love these four women and their adventures. I love their old stories of hits, their stories of now and their retirement, and the struggles they have with normal relationships. It all feels realistic and is mixed in with such good humor and witty banter.

And the mystery was great! It was an absolute race, from one surprise to the next as they juggled globe trotting hunting down the next clue in the puzzle and trying to stay ahead of the mysterious person bringing up their past. Having the history with the fun friend group from the first one made the banter and adventures just a little sweeter this time. I loved this one!

"Everyone played a part in the tragedy."

A heartbreaking story about marriage, loss, guilt, and a tragedy. Beth is married to Frank, living a small town life on a farm. She loves her life, loves her husband - but they have had a tough few years. They lost their son to a tragic accident just a few years ago and it's hard, to see past their own guilt and sadness.

There is also a before - we learn more about Beth and her first romance, the first man she fell in love with. He was new to their small town and matched her wit and loved to write, just like she did.

The story takes you through the past and now - as they work through a new tragedy. It isn't clear, at first, how these parts all come together. But the story is broken in parts and makes it very easy to start to piece in together. After Part 1, I found the story to be very fast paced. I wanted to know what happened and how this would all conclude. What an amazing story that broke my heart.

A murder mystery, a house of friends, a bumbling police force and Greta in the middle of it all. Greta is home and finally gets to take part in the fun parties her brother, Jay Gatsby, has. Daisy, Nick, Tom Buchanan - the whole crew is back. The murder mystery was a fun part of the story and I liked how Greta played within the rules of society but also pushed to know more. There were so many parts that I shook my head at Jay Gatsby and his love for Daisy, but it was so true to who we knew him to be that you can't really get mad at him.

It was a fun twist on the Gatsby story with an interesting murder mystery and fun twists and turns.

"Tell me, Din! Tell me what it looks like"

Another amazing story with Ana and Din, detectives in their world of some of the most heinous and baffling crimes. In this installment, we get a new realm full of new characters, a different sector, and new augmentations.

And I loved every bit of it. Ana and her amazing ability to see all the steps and how it all comes together. Din, able to maneuver any social situation and, yet, make a simple tea for Ana. I loved the addition of so many of the new area's characters and their added personalities. I hope we see more of them.

And we learn more of the titans and the way they are utilized but also the way they are dangerous. This world is so rich and fascinating and, yet, the author never buries us in details or info dumps. The plot is always moved along by something new and interesting while still focusing on the mystery and the current threat. And all through it, we learn more about Din and Ana.

Many things are revealed in this one. I am worried this will be at trilogy - and as I await the next installment, I'm also hoping beyond hope that it is not the end. I will absolutely buy the audio and re-read this series as an audio and enjoy it all over again!

"Art is what we leave of ourselves in other people."

Teenagers on a pier, in that last moment before have to grow up. Memorialized forever in the form a painting. This painting is so beautiful, that many people love it. It is in the moment that this painting that is being show in an art house for an auction is the catalyst to a whole host of people and moments colliding together. That is our story.

I love this author. I always know the story is going to be beautiful - beautifully written with amazing characters that are both flawed and perfect. I was scared to start this one - because I knew it would emotionally wreck me, but I was so excited and scared to miss out - because I love this author's work.

In the end, it's another beautiful story that made me laugh, cry and remember what it is to be human. It's messy and ugly and beautiful and so amazing. Thank you, Mr. Backman. Another amazing story.

"No one hates a woman like a man who thinks he owns her."

A dark mystery that started as a slow burn and then completely hooked me in. Loyal has come back to town because her mom is showing troubling behavior - forgetting things, found out wandering at night. Loyal hasn't been back in this town for a while - after she fought with her best friend, was attacked and then did an unforgiveable act. The longer she was gone, the easier it was to not face it and not come back.

But within days of her arrival, her old best friend is discovered floating in the swamp. There's speculation and assumption, there's whispered words like "suicide" and "troubled family." But all Loyal knows is that she let her friend down once, she won't do it again.

This is a very deep, dark look into family, poverty, addiction, and small town rural America. We get a few POV, Loyal, Sasha, Dan and Dewall. All these POV round out the story, giving us a look into what's happening town, out of town, what the police are doing and just how things are tied together when the town is so small, everyone's known each other since elementary school.

And Anna Bailey did an amazing thing - they really made me love these flawed, terrible, human characters. I nearly wept at Cutter's funeral when they were down one. Tears in my eyes as I read about the hand on a jawline. All these little things, the little pieces, made me love this town and feel for those in it. Loyal was an insider who was now on the outside looking in because she'd left. But this story was about all of them, this town that held each other up, protected their own, and failed some in the most fundamental ways. It was a beautiful, horrible, dark story and I loved it.