I Love You So Mochi

I Love You So Mochi

By: Sarah Kuhn
Narrated by Natalie Naudus
Release date: 28 August 2019
Listening length: 8 hours, 7 minutes
My review: 4 out of 5 stars 

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Kasie West, I Love You So Mochi is a delightfully sweet and irrepressibly funny novel from accomplished author Sarah Kuhn.

"As sweet and satisfying as actual mochi... a tender love story wrapped up in food, fashion, and family. I gobbled it up." -- Maurene Goo, author of The Way You Make Me Feel Kimi Nakamura loves a good fashion statement.


She's obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother disapproves, and when they get into an explosive fight, Kimi's entire future seems on the verge of falling apart. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi's estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life. When she arrives in Japan, she's met with a culture both familiar and completely foreign to her. She loses herself in the city's outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival -- and meets Akira, a cute aspiring med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. And what begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies. In I Love You So Mochi, author Sarah Kuhn has penned a delightfully sweet and irrepressibly funny novel that will make you squee at the cute, cringe at the awkward, and show that sometimes you have to lose yourself in something you love to find your Ultimate self.

This was an adorable "find yourself" kind of story. Kimi seems to have had her life mapped out (for her) for most of her life, but in her senior year, she drops her art class. This begins the journey of finding out what she wants to do with her life. That journey takes her to her family's roots, in Japan. I love that the estranged grandparents are the ones to extend the invitation. When in Japan, she meets a mochi mascot... love is in the air! I loved the vivid descriptions of the areas she was visiting. Just a fun, light read.

Every Heart A Doorway

Every Heart a Doorway

by Seanan McGuire
Narrated by Cynthia Hopkins
Released 5 April 2016
Listening length 4 hours, 44 minutes
My review: 3 out of 5 stars

Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions - slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere...else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced...they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her newfound schoolmates to get to the heart of things. No matter the cost.

I thought this book was just strange. The premise was really good, something different that I thought I would really enjoy. Even the murders of students didn't deter me from my enjoyment of the book. What killed it for me was the ending. The choice the main character makes. I wish it was another one... I guess it makes for a finality of this storyline, but I am left wanting more and there won't be any...

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone

By Audrey Burges
Narrated by Christine Lakin
Release date: 24 January 2023
listening length: 9 hours, 57 minutes

A woman learns to expand the boundaries of her small world and let love inside it in this sparkling and unforgettable novel by Audrey Burges.

From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds—big and small—and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.

I loved this book. I loved the characters. I love the way that the past weaves and shows you how it connects into the present. I loved how it ended, the hope of a future, even if it wasn't the one I wanted.

In the Lives of Puppets

In the Lives of Puppets

by TJ Klune
Narrated by Daniel Henning
Release date: 25 April 2023
My review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

"[Narrator] Daniel Henning revels in a cornucopia of characters, diving into nuanced voices and colorful moments with accents and growls, tone shifts and whispers...This is definitely a title for those who enjoy fantasy stories replete with gnomes and witches and all in between."—AudioFile on The House in the Cerulean Sea

New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.

Most Anticipated from BookPage Goodreads The Nerd Daily Paste Magazine LitReactor OverDrive LGBTQ Reads Tor.com more

“An enchanting tale of Pinocchio in the end times.”—P. Djèlí Clark

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

★ “An epic quest of rescue and discovery [with] the author’s trademark charm, heart, and bittersweetness.”—Library Journal, starred review

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

Although I recieved a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this one!

After reading a couple of Klune's other books, I read the description on this one and knew I would have to read it. Klune has a way of writing about the relationships between the characters that I am drawn to. I love it. This one was no different. A boy lives in the woods with his papa and two "robots." When one day he finds a new android to repair, their lives are forever changed. But is it a good thing? I really loved this one. Going on my "to buy" shelf for sure

If We're Being Honest

If We're Being Honest

By Cat Shook
Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
Listening length: 11 hours, 8 minutes
Release date: April 18, 2023
My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

For fans of We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange and All Adults Here by Emma Straub, Cat Shook’s debut novel If We’re Being Honest is the snappy, smart, heartwarming story of the Williams family, and the sweltering summer that rewrote their history.

When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected. The cousins, left reeling and confused, cope with their fresh grief and various private dramas. Delia, recently heartbroken, refuses to shut up about her ex. Her sister Alice, usually confident, flusters when she spots her high school sweetheart, hiding a secret that will change both of their lives. Outspoken, affable Grant is preening in the afterglow of his recent appearance on The Bachelorette and looking to reignite an old flame with the least available person in town. Meanwhile, his younger brother Red, unsure of himself and easily embarrassed, desperately searches for a place in the boisterous family.

The cousins’ eccentric parents are in tow, too, and equally lost—in love and in life. Watching over them all is Ellen, Gerry’s sweet and proper widow, who does her best to keep her composure in front of the leering small town.

Clever and completely original, If We’re Being Honest reminds you that while no one can break your heart like your family can, there’s really no one better to put you back together.

Although I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I really enjoyed this story of love and loss. It is about a family that comes together after the sudden loss of their patriarch. When a secret comes out about his life (during his funeral no less) it rocks everyone in the family. Told from almost every viewpoint in the family, this book gives a broad sense of how everyone handles grief and secrets differently. I love how real this felt. There were a few parts that felt a little too "happily ever after" but I guess that does sometimes happen. It was a fun listen and i would probably pick up another of Shook's books to listen to.

The Family Secret

The Family Secret

By Kiersten Modglin

Narrated by Jennifer Sun Bell

Listening length: 6 hours, 44 minutes 

Release date: April 4, 2023 

My review: 4 out of 5 stars

When freshly engaged Austyn Murphy and Lowell Bass receive the news that Lowell's parents have died unexpectedly, they set out for the historic Bass estate to handle their affairs and lay the former heads of the family to rest.

Enshrouded in layers of secrecy and tradition, the Bass estate, and the family residing within its walls, give anything but a warm welcome. When the idea of staying in the home permanently is brought up, Austyn witnesses a side of her future husband she's never seen before.

Late one night, Austyn overhears a whispered conversation, revealing she hasn't been given the full truth about the world she's marrying into. And when Emily, an old friend, calls with devastating news of her own, Lowell and Austyn invite her to join them for a visit at the estate.

Upon Emily's arrival, a confession is made, causing a rift in the seemingly impenetrable bond the girls once had. As Emily settles into their home, becoming closer to Lowell than ever before, Austyn fears she's made a grave mistake.

Trapped inside the Bass estate under the ever-watchful eye of the staff and her soon-to-be family, Austyn makes another chilling discovery—something so terrible it changes everything.

With distressing revelations hidden around every corner and time running out before final decisions are made about her future, Austyn must uncover the truth about the opulent and powerful Bass family...at the risk of becoming another one of their dark secrets.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this novel.

This book was a wild ride. While I have read a few of the "family secret" type books, this one is by far one of my favorites. Until the very end, I had no idea what the secret was or how things were going to play out. It did have some of the troupes that many of these books have like the rich man sweeping the not so wealthy woman off her feet, taking her into a world that is so unlike her own. The girl being so overwhelmed by the opulence of the wealth. The fact that this book starts with the death of his parents made this start out a little differently then I was used to, and I kind of appreciated that. It made for a relationship that felt more real (at least in my opinion). This one kept me guessing what was going to happen until the last pages. The epilogue made the ending for me. Loved that wrap up like a bow on a fancy present.

A Cruel Light

A Cruel Light

By Cyndi Macmillian
Narrated by: Nan McNamara
Listening length: 7 hours, 53 minutes
Release date: April 4, 2023
My review: 4 out of 5 stars

It was a blood-curdling crime that rocked the town to its core, leaving some with permanent scars and others with deep regrets. A young girl had been brutally slain. Memories were beginning to fade, but during the renovation of the old parsonage, the murder rears its ugly head again when workers discover a time-ravaged portrait of the young victim. Conservator Annora Garde is hired by the local police to clean the painting and expose what lies buried within it.

Inspector Scott Mac MacGowan is convinced the mural is a cryptic confession that will solve the cold case—but it’s looking more and more like someone will do whatever it takes to keep the past in the past. Together, Mac and Annora struggle to put the pieces of the puzzle together, in order to provide closure to surviving family members.

Toxic mold obscures blood-chilling clues, and the painting has an eerie life of its own. Annora is haunted by what she reveals, by the dirt she digs up, by her own tragic losses, and perhaps even by the young victim herself. As she closes in on the killer, the killer inches ever closer to her, and she will come face to face with a brutal truth: some murderers never come clean.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this story.

The description of this mystery pulled me in, and once I started listening, I couldn't stop. This story didn't feel like one that you have heard over and over. In this novel, Annora is tasked with restoring an old mural, but not for the "usual" reasons that one restores art. She is tasked with restoring the mural to help solve a cold case. As she and Mac get closer to figuring out the painting, the murderer is getting more and more violent to try and keep them from the truth. I loved how this book weaves in parts of Annora's past, helps you understand why she sees things the way she does. Another thing I really loved was the relationship between characters. You see the realness of the people shine through in the way they handle the things that keep getting thrown at them.

Overall, this was a great mystery and I hope to be able to read more stories that feature Mac and Annora.

You Know Her

You Know Her

By Meagan Jennett

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss and Xe Sands

Listening length: 11 hours, 1 minute 

Release date: April 4, 2023 

My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

"This book will be the talk of the genre. If you read one thriller this year, read this one." —Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Heartsick

Killing Eve meets Sharp Objects in this lush, savage Southern Gothic about two women: a fledgling murderer and the cop hell-bent on catching her.

Two hours before he vanished, Mark Dixon stole a glass of wine. That's what bartender Sophie Braam told the cops when they questioned her about the customer whose mutilated body was just found. What she didn’t tell them is that she’s the one who killed him.

Officer Nora Martin is new to the Bellair Police Department and trying very hard to learn the ropes from Detective Murphy while ignoring all the men in the department snapping about a diversity hire. When she meets Sophie, they build an uneasy camaraderie over shared frustrations.

As winter slides into spring and bodies start piling up, Nora begins to suspect that something’s not quite right with the unnerving, enigmatic bartender. But will she be able to convince Murph, or will he keep laughing off the idea that the serial killer haunting their little town is a woman?

A crackling cat-and-mouse thriller set against the verdant backdrop of small-town Virginia, Meagan Jennett’s You Know Her probes the boundaries of female friendship and the deadly consequences when frustration ferments into rage.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this story.

Talk about creepy! You go between two views; one is the cop looking for a possible serial killer. But no one else in her department seems to be convinced that 1) their murders are that of a serial killer or that 2) it is a woman. But Nora is convinced and is just working her way through clues and learning the ropes of her, soon to be position, in her new dept. The other viewpoint is that of the killer, Sophie. You don't really see at first how deeply disturbed Sophie is. The deeper into the book you get, the crazier you see she is. I just kept wondering when the crazy was going to spill out of the normal facade that she kept so well in place for everyone else. It was a page turner for sure and had me wondering, when (or if) Nora or anyone in her department was ever going to put all the pieces together and be able to stop Sophie. Not sure I really got my answer...

The Wide Window A Series of Unfortunate Events #3

The Wide Window:
A Series of Unfortunate Events #3

By: Lemony Snicket

Narrated by: the author

Listening length: 3 hours, 4 minutes 

My review: 4 stars out of  5 

Published September 16, 2004 

Read for my March 2023 Reading challenge, prompt 10: 3rd book in a series. 

Dear Reader,

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted; but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all. If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair. I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

These books are just a quick fun listen. Not that listening to stories about children being hunted down by a money hungry uncle is fun, but just the way that Snicket writes it is just enjoyable to either read or listen to. One thing I really like about this author is that he explains what some of the bigger words mean. This helps the younger readers to expand their vocabularies. Unfortunate events continue to be a series I love reading, both with and without my kids.

Small Game

Small Game

By Blair Braverman
Narrated by Kristen Sieh
Published November 1, 2022
Listening length: 7 hours 5 minutes
My review: 4 out of 5 stars

Read for my March 2023 Reading challenge, prompt 2: a green book. The color green or the word green. I picked a book that was almost entirely green! 

A gripping debut novel about a survival reality show gone wrong that leaves a group of strangers stranded in the northern wilds

Four strangers and six weeks: This is all that separates Mara from one life-changing payday. She was surprised when reality TV producers came knocking at Primal Instinct—the survival school where she teaches rich clients not to die during a night outdoors—and even more shocked to be cast in their new show, Civilization. Now she just has to live off the land with her fellow survivors for long enough to get the prize money.

Whisked by helicopter to an undisclosed location, Mara meets her teammates: The grizzled outdoorsman. The Eagle Scout. The white-collar professional. And Ashley, the beautiful but inexperienced one who just wants to be famous. Mara’s unusual, rugged childhood has prepared her for the discomforts and hard work ahead. But trusting her fellow survivors? Not part of Mara’s skill set.

When the cast wakes one morning to find something has gone horribly wrong, fear ripples through the group. Are the producers giving them an extra challenge? Or are they wrapped up in something more dangerous? Soon Mara and the others face terrifying decisions as “survival” becomes more than a game.

A provocative exploration of the comforts, rituals, and connections we depend upon, Small Game is a gripping thriller and a poignant story about finding the courage to build a new life from the ground up.

Freaking crazy book. 

This was a new concept for me so it was interesting to listen to. We have all seen the survivor type shows, this is based on that premise, but these contestants somehow get forgotten about or intentionally left behind in this deserted place. Just a crazy story about how these people try to stay alive in the middle of nowhere with no outside help. 

At what point do they go in search of help? How far will they have to go for help? These questions and more were running through my head. It was a quick listen. Only problem I had with it is that you miss the juicy details of the after. What happened to the show people? Why did they get left behind? There are still so many unanswered questions! Still a solid four star read for me =)

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Remarkably Bright Creatures

By: Shelby Van Pelt

362 pages

Published May 3, 2022 

My review: 5 stars out of 5 stars!

“Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing.” -- Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

Love, love, love this book. My book-hangover this morning was well worth it. I stayed up hours past my bedtime finishing this amazing story. I also couldn't stop telling people about it, every time I had the chance. The idea of a book with part of the story from the octopus' point of view, just brilliant. Every word added to the tale and I was just living for these characters, wondering how they were going to get together, how their stories would become one tale. Now this book is sitting on my "to buy" list because I am going to want to read this again. When can I have an octopus friend?!

Missing Clarissa

Missing Clarissa

By Ripley Jones
Narrated by: Allen Winter, Atlanta Amada Foresyth, Ines del Castillo, Kimberly M Wetherell, Raymond J Lee
Listening length: 7 hours, 31 minutes
My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This program is read by Inés del Castillo and a full cast and features a podcast with special sound design.

Perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Ripley Jones's Missing Clarissa is a gripping novel about two friends who start a true crime podcast—with dangerous consequences.

While I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. While it was a great concept, it felt a little overdone. There have been so many of these books lately and I didn't feel like this one stood out much from the rest. It was a pretty good read, but nothing amazing to me.

Little & Lion

Little & Lion

by: Brandy Colbert
Narrated by: Alisha Wainwright
Listening length: 8 hours, 12 minutes
Publicization date: August 8, 2017
My review: 4 out of 5 stars

Read for my March 2023 Reading challenge, prompt 7: the B in LGBTQIA+ Bisexual health awareness month. Little is a bisexual character in this book. 

A stunning novel on love, loss, identity, and redemption, from Publishers Weekly Flying Start author Brandy Colbert.

When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. LA is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support.

But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new...the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself - or worse.

When Suzette comes home from her New England boarding school, she isn't sure what to expect from her stepbrother, recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The summer is spent with the two of them trying to reconnect, her trying desperately to make things "the way they were" and him trying to live with his bipolar disorder. This book does a pretty good job with making the illness feel real. As someone living with someone with the disorder, it paints a real picture of how things can be. You want desperately for them to be able to lead a normal life, clinging to those moments where it feels like it used to be, then the lows come again. So frustrating. I cannot imagine it for a teenager, but through this book I can, just a little bit. This book brings out the theme of mental illness in a way that is easier for teenagers to understand. It is a disorder, not a disease. There is so much more to this book then just the relationship between Suzette and her stepbrother though. It is so worth picking the book up. Will she return to boarding school? Will she reunite with her old school friends? It is just a fun book to read with some really serious parts mixed in.

Good Dog, Bad Cop

Good Dog, Bad Cop

By David Rosenfelt

Narrated by Fred Berman

Release date: March 14, 2023 

Listening length: 6 hours, 3 minutes 

My review: 4 out of 5 stars

"[Series narrator] Fred Berman brings the team to life. His well-paced delivery allows the story's laugh-out-loud humor to shine, particularly the dry one-liners and wisecracks from Corey and Andy.... Berman's narration, along with the fun and engaging mystery, results in a thoroughly enjoyable listen."—AudioFile on The K Team

For the K Team, playing "good dog," "bad cop" is all fun and games...until there's a body on the scene, in the next K Team Novel by bestselling author David Rosenfelt.

The K Team enjoys investigating cold cases for the Paterson Police Department. Corey Douglas, his K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel, Laurie Collins, and Marcus Clark even get to choose which cases they’d like to pursue. When Corey sees the latest list of possibilities, there’s no question which one to look into next.

Corey’s former mentor, Jimmy Dietrich, had his whole identity wrapped up in being a cop. When Jimmy retired three years ago, his marriage quickly deteriorated and he tried–and failed—to get back on the force. Jimmy was left to try to adjust to life as a civilian.

Not long after, two bodies were pulled from the Passaic River. A local woman, Susan Avery, and Jimmy Dietrich. With no true evidence available, the deaths went unsolved and the case declared cold. This didn’t stop the whispers: an affair gone wrong... a murder-suicide committed by Jimmy.

Corey never believed it. With this case, the K Team has the opportunity to find the real murderer, and clear Jimmy’s name. Bestselling author David Rosenfelt returns in Good Dog, Bad Cop, where there’s little to go on, but that won’t stop Paterson, New Jersey’s favorite private investigators from sniffing out the truth.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchanged for my review, all opinions remain my own.

This book literally leaves things until the last pages to wrap up. I had no idea what was going on until the last 10 minutes of this audiobook. The story was detailed and kept me guessing. Characters were interesting and relatable. I love that the retired police dog, Simon, still takes part in the cases that this team takes on. Who doesn't love a good dog? 

 I would totally pick up another one of the books in this series to see if Corey ever does M his long-time girlfriend. ;)

One Italian Summer

One Italian Summer 

By: Rebecca Serle

Narrated by: Lauren Graham

Listening Length: 6 hours, 21 minutes 

Publication date: March 1, 2022 

My review: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“[A] magical trip worth taking.” —Associated Press

“Rebecca Serle is a maestro of love in all its forms.” —Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author

The New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years returns with a powerful novel about the transformational love between mothers and daughters set on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.

Rebecca Serle’s next great love story is here, and this time it’s between a mother and a daughter. With her signature “heartbreaking, redemptive, and authentic” (Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author) prose, Serle has crafted a transcendent novel about how we move on after loss, and how the people we love never truly leave us.

For anyone who has lost their mom, this book is going to hit the heartstrings. I feel like Serle must have been through a loss like that, to have written so knowingly about it. The first chapters, of Katy describing the first days and weeks after her mother's passing felt so familiar, it was like looking at my own history. How I wish I could have had an Italian beach vacation to meet her younger self on. Unfortunately, I did not, but I did have this book to listen to and remember the times with my own mother as Katy remembered her own mom.

Katy travels to the Amalfi coast of Italy to remember her mom and hopefully find herself. What she finds is her 30 year old mother and has no idea how. It is a beautiful story of a young woman's grieving and the journey to find a way through it. I absolutely loved this book and plan on buying myself either the kindle book or a hard copy so I can highlight some of my favorite quotes and parts.

Under the Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door

By: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Kit Graves
Listening length: 14 hours, 54 minutes
publication date: September 21, 2021

My review: 5 out of 5 stars 

"Narrator Kirt Groves provides an excellently distinct cast of voices."- Locus

A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.

The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

"Graves matches his narrative pace to the measured unwinding of the story's layers, focused but unhurried, in the same way that Hugo brews his therapeutic cups of tea." —AudioFile

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

What can I even say about this book? First of all, the narrator of this audiobook is top notch. I loved listening to every word. He has a way of making each character's voice sound different without using weird voices. His voice is so soothing to listen to, the book just flowed right off his tongue. I listened at 1.5 speed and it wasn't so fast that he was a chipmunk talking, but it was just right for my ears.

This book! I'm not sure how Klune does it, but he had me laughing in one chapter, then crying in the next. His writing seems to capture the human emotions so well. This is the second book of his that I've listened to and both are now on my Audible "must buy" list because I know i will be listening again. Wallace's story in Whispers is all about his after life. His life was not much to read about, but when he shows up at his own funeral, a not very well attended one, he is greeted by a reaper, but instead of taking him to the afterlife, he is taken to a "small village."

In the odd teahouse, he finds more than tea. This book was simply beautiful. Every character had their charm, even the ghost dog (how could you go wrong with a ghost dog!?) Seriously until the last minute I loved this book. I could listen to fifteen more adventures about Wallace, Hugo and the antics in the teashop.

Immortality: A Love Story

Immortality: A Love Story

by Dana Schwartz
Narrated by Mhairi Morrison and Tim Campbell
Listening Length 12 hours and 2 minutes
Published date February 28, 2023

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

"The Scottish accents of narrators Tim Campbell and Mhairi Morrison introduce YA listeners to this historical romance/mystery set in nineteenth-century Edinburgh." —AudioFile

Immortality: A Love Story is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Dana Schwartz's #1 bestselling gothic romance, Anatomy: A Love Story.

Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own.

This was simply a beautiful conclusion to the Anatomy duology. I loved the first book and loved the second one just as much. This duology is going into my personal collection. It has romance, it has suspense, it has medical mystery and murder. What else can you really ask for. I just love the main character, Hazel, being a doctor. Well, she doesn't have all the certifications because you couldn't as a woman back then, but she's done all the training. This time she is called upon to treat the princess Charlotte. - will she be able to help the princess under the eye of the Royal court with all the other goings-on? It really is a wonderful story and so beautifully written. I couldn't wait to see what would happen with Hazel.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

The book that inspired the hit film!

Sundance U.S. Dramatic Audience Award
Sundance Grand Jury

This is the funniest book you’ll ever read about death.

It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he’s figured it out. The answer to the basic existential question: How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl.

This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg’s mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg’s entire life.

Last night when I finished this, I gave it three stars. It just fell flat at the ed for me, but looking back, I am going to bump that up to four. 

First of all, some trigger warnings: crude language, sexual content, talk of death and dying. 

While parts of this book were completely ridiculous, others were quite true to live. Andrews definitely has a new take on the story of teenagers dealing with the death of a friend. Greg is trying his best to just get through high school living on the edges, not being too close to any one group. That's how you keep high school from completely sucking. According to the back of the book, that lasts a whole eight hours before Greg's mom makes him become friends with a girl who has cancer and "brings about the destruction of Greg's life." What Greg doesn't realize until the end of the book, he didn't have much of a life to begin with. I'm glad this book didn't go into a romance between Greg and "the dying girl," Rachel. Some of the scenes with Rachel were just plane "cringe" (in the language of my teenagers). Even Greg says so in his writing. Some of the scenes are even written out like a play. This story gets quite crude very early on. My 13-year-old daughter read it and said that it made her very uncomfortable. Didn't seem to add anything to the story other then it was from the viewpoint of a teenage boy, and apparently that's what they think and talk about? I don't know, I enjoyed how real it felt. The things that Greg was feeling about being friends with this girl out of obligation, the way he felt about her dying. It just felt genuine. 

Lawn Boy

For Mike Muñoz, a young Chicano living in Washington State, life has been a whole lot of waiting for something to happen. Not too many years out of high school and still doing menial work—and just fired from his latest gig as a lawn boy on a landscaping crew—he knows that he’s got to be the one to shake things up if he’s ever going to change his life. But how?

In this funny, angry, touching, and ultimately deeply inspiring novel, bestselling author Jonathan Evison takes the reader into the heart and mind of a young man on a journey to discover himself, a search to find the secret to achieving the American dream of happiness and prosperity. That’s the birthright for all Americans, isn’t it? If so, then what is Mike Muñoz’s problem? Though he tries time and again to get his foot on the first rung of that ladder to success, he can’t seem to get a break. But then things start to change for Mike, and after a raucous, jarring, and challenging trip, he finds he can finally see the future and his place in it. And it’s looking really good.

Lawn Boy is an important, entertaining, and completely winning novel about social class distinctions, about overcoming cultural discrimination, and about standing up for oneself.

Trigger warnings: homophobic language, sexual content, language, drug abuse, alcohol use

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This was the strangest book I have read in a long while, but I think I liked it. Mike is just trying to figure himself out. Through the changing jobs and the people who are drifting in and out of his life, I was beginning to wonder about the choices he was making. Then I started to see him become more sure in his own decisions and understood. This isn't about the decisions I would make, but about him becoming the man he was supposed to be. I love how supportive his family is, how much his friend comes beside and supports him (even if he is a real homo-phobe a**hole). I just love teh realness of this story.

Some of my favorite quotes, these are scattered through the book - percent of the way through shown in parenthesis after the quotes, if you are interested:

  

At this point, I feel like I’m nothing more than what everybody needs me to be or whatever the situation demands of me. (3%)

That’s what kids should do, they should laugh. If there’s a better, righter sound in the whole world than the laughter of children, I don’t know what it is. (5%)

I’ve come to believe that to a large degree we are products of our environment. (10%)

No matter how deep the infection runs, family is family. The only other choice is to cut them off like rotten limbs. (31%)

the moments are fleeting, like my mom’s smile, and it’s not often we have control over them, and that just makes them all the sweeter. (39%) 

when the questions become too numerous and the considerations begin to feel a little overwhelming, you just have to look away for a minute and regather your vision for the thing, try to see it the way it originally came to you. Ask yourself, how did I arrive here? What was I trying to accomplish? (90%)

So, whoever you are, whatever your last name is, wherever you came from, whichever way you swing, whatever is standing in your way, just remember: you’re bigger than that. Like the man said: you contain multitudes. (90%)

The Lady's Guide to Death & Deception

What is a spy willing to do when both her heart and her country are at risk?

Life changes once again for British spy Miss Mary Bennet when Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from the Isle of Elba. Mary quickly departs England for Brussels, the city where the Allied forces prepare for war against the French. But shortly after her arrival, one of the Duke of Wellington’s best officers is murdered, an event which threatens to break the delicate alliance between the Allies.

Investigating the murder forces Mary into precarious levels of espionage, role-playing, and deception with her new partner, Mr. Withrow—the nephew and heir of her prominent sponsor, and the spy with whom she’s often at odds. Together, they court danger and discovery as they play dual roles gathering intelligence for the British. But soon Mary realizes that her growing feelings towards Mr. Withrow put her heart in as much danger as her life. And then there’s another murder.

Mary will need to unmask the murderer before more people are killed, but can she do so and remain hidden in the background?

Although I received a copy of this audiobook (via netgalley) in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own.

Trigger warnings: descriptions of wartime violence and domestic violence.

I have been loving the historical fiction lately. This one takes place way, way back in the times of Napoleon Bonaparte. Our main character, Mary Bennet, is a spy. I love that she is a female spy in the times when females weren't trusted to do much of anything.

What I didn't realize until sitting down to write this review is that this is part of a series. I love that I was able to pick this book up, read it in its entirety and understand it completely without having read the first two installments. Nor will I need to read anymore of the series to get the ending. It is a complete story all on its own.

The characters are relatable, despite their place in such a backwards time period. Cowley does an amazing job weaving real life events into the story such as the battle of Waterloo. I would totally read more books by this author.