Great Black Hope

 

Author: Rob Franklin

Narrator: Justice Smith

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2025

Happy Wednesday book friends! Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the #gifted audiobook!

Rob Franklin’s debut novel Great Black Hope is a very atmospheric story of Smith, a young gay Black man in New York City. His life is turned upside down by the mysterious death of his roommate Elle and then his arrest for drug possession. Court appearances, mandated treatment, and the weight of expectations from his affluent family leave him reeling.

An arrest for cocaine possession on the last day of a sweltering New York summer leaves Smith, a queer Black Stanford graduate, in a state of turmoil. Pulled into the court system and mandated treatment, he finds himself in an absurd but dangerous situation: his class protects him, but his race does not. Here’s the full summary from the publisher: 

It’s just weeks after the death of his beloved roommate Elle, the daughter of a famous soul singer, and he’s still reeling from the tabloid spectacle—as well as lingering questions around how well he really knew his closest friend. He flees to his hometown of Atlanta, only to buckle under the weight of expectations from his family of doctors and lawyers and their history in America. But when Smith returns to New York, it’s not long before he begins to lose himself to his old life—drawn back into the city’s underworld, where his search for answers may end up costing him his freedom and his future.

Smith goes on a dizzying journey through the nightlife circuit, anonymous recovery rooms, Atlanta’s Black society set, police investigations and courtroom dramas, and a circle of friends coming of age in a new era. Great Black Hope is a propulsive, glittering story about what it means to exist between worlds, to be upwardly mobile yet spiraling downward, and how to find a way back to hope.

I thought this story would be more of a typical mystery with the main character playing detective to solve his friend’s death. It is not that. It’s a character study of a young man trying to find his place in the world. It’s hard not to compare this book to Jay Mcinerney’s Bright Lights, Big City. A disaffected young man is NYC, life in turmoil, going from one party or club to another searching for…..something. Franklin’s writing holds its own when compared to MacInerney’s seminal book. It is beautiful, descriptive, and evocative. Narrator Justice Smith does a fantastic job bringing the story to life. 

Definitely pick this one up if you’re looking for an exciting new voice in literary fiction. 

What’s the last book that made you stop mid-sentence just to absorb the beauty of the writing?

About the Author

Born and raised in Atlanta, Rob Franklin is a writer of fiction and poetry, and a cofounder of Art for Black Lives. A Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and finalist for the New England Review Emerging Writer Award, he has published work in New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus among others. Franklin lives in Brooklyn, New York, and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. Great Black Hope is his first novel.

The Impossible Fortune

 

Author: Richard Osman

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publication date: Sept. 30, 2025

Thank you Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for the e-arc! 

The Thursday Murder Club is back in Richard Osman’s upcoming release The Impossible Fortune. It’s been a quiet year for the gang following the death of Elizabeth’s husband. But there is a joyous event in the works. Joyce’s daughter Joanna is getting married. And that kicks off their next adventure. Here’s the full summary from the publisher: 

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang’s next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable—something worth killing for.

Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what’s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?

This is the fifth book in Osman’s popular series. Osman takes a slight departure into a darker topic with one of the subplots. Ron’s daughter has been the victim of domestic violence. When she ends her relationship with her lowlife husband, he seeks revenge. Ron is kept in the dark about the situation for most of the book, mostly to keep him safe and from going after his son in law. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is starting to feel like her old self now that she has a missing person to find, a murderer to catch, and a puzzle to solve. 

Osman tugs on the heartstrings with some character growth from Ron. It seems like the old dog can learn new tricks. Ron and Connie, the crime boss Ron helped send to jail, come to an understanding. Ron also sacrifices one of his main principles to save his family. There’s a very endearing scene where Ron talks to Ibrahim about love and friendship. There’s also character growth from Joanna. Now that she’s more involved helping Joyce and the others solve murders, Joanna has a new appreciation for her mother and their relationship improves. 

Osman provides another entertaining and captivating story and I loved it. This series has quickly become one on my favorites. I love the cast of characters, the humor, their heart, and their high jinx. The Impossible Fortune is out September 30. 

Let’s play predictive text. The impossible fortune will be revealed by a special edition book that contains all your secrets.  I hope it’ll have sprayed edges! 

About the Author

Richard Osman is an author and television presenter. His novels, The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, The Last Devil to Die, and We Solve Murders were number one international bestsellers as well as New York Times bestsellers. He lives in London with his wife, Ingrid, and their cats Liesl and Lottie. The movie adaptation for The Thursday Murder Club will release in 2025, produced by Amblin Entertainment. The Impossible Fortune, the fifth book in the Thursday Murder Club series, is forthcoming.

On Her Game:

 

Author: Christine Brennan

Narrator: Christine Brennan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2025

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted book! Appreciate it! 

Every generation, an athlete comes along and captures the nation’s attention. Think Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. Now it’s Caitlin Clark’s turn. Sportswriter Christine Brennan examines the phenomenon that is Caitlin Clark and her impact on women’s sports in her book On Her Game. Brennan looks at how the 1972 passage of Title IX, the landmark legislation that opened up opportunities for girls and women to play sports, impacted Clark’s growth as an athlete and the growth of women’s sports. She covers Clark’s college career at Iowa and her rookie year in the WNBA. She also looks at racial issues in a league where approximately 64% of the players are Black. 

 Brennan has had a long and distinguished career as a sportswriter. She knows her stuff. She doesn’t shy away from controversy. She talks about the criticism she received last year from some WNBA players who thought she asked racially insensitive questions during a press conference. Brennan also notes how the WNBA was unprepared for the Caitlin Clark effect. She discusses  USA Basketball’s decision to not choose Clark to be part of the 2024  Olympic team. While the women’s team went on to win an unprecedented 6th straight gold medal, they didn’t get wide spread media attention. 

I’ve been a long time women’s college basketball fan. I’ll be transparent here and say I’m a Clark fan. I went to one of her games her senior year in college and again during her rookie WNBA year. Clark has always been generous with her time with the press. Brennan clearly did her research for this book, but I wish Clark had sat down with Brennan for an interview specifically for this book. I enjoyed this book. Brennan’s knowledge of the game and her insights make this a must read for sports fans. 

About the Author

Christine Brennan is an award-winning national sports columnist for USA TODAY; a commentator for ABC, CNN, and PBS NewsHour; and the bestselling author of Inside Edge, named one of the top 100 sports books of all time by Sports Illustrated. She has been selected as one of the country’s top ten sports columnists multiple times by the Associated Press Sports Editors and has covered the last twenty-one Olympic Games, summer and winter. A trailblazer, she was the first woman sportswriter at The Miami Herald, the first woman to cover Washington’s NFL team for The Washington Post, and the first president of the Association for Women in Sports Media.

The Secret Van Tams

Author: Carly Bishop

Publisher: Valente Press

Year: 2025

 

🚨Book Tour🚨

Thank you Carly Bishop and @novel.tours for inviting me to be part of the book tour for The Secret Van Tams! 

This is a multigenerational family drama that has a bit of mystery. Remi has spent her life longing for family she didn’t have. Her grandmother had been killed in a freak accident years ago or so Remi’s mother has said. When Remi discovers her grandmother is really alive, her whole world is turned upside. Here’s the full summary from the publisher: 

Twenty-one-year-old Remi wants nothing more than a family. She's an only child who feels suffocated by her wealthy, overbearing mother and haunted by the story of how her grandmother, Johanna, died - a death described as grisly and unfortunate.

But when she learns that Johanna is alive, and that her mother is now missing, so begins a quest for the Van Tams and the uncovering of toxic secrets that will leave her wondering whether family was what she wanted after all.

This book is filled with family drama and secrets. Remi and her mom often have a tense relationship. When Remi connects with her aunt and discovers her grandmother is still alive, she begins a journey to meet her grandmother and uncover the truth surrounding long buried family secrets. This was a steadily paced book filled with twists and turns. I really liked Remi. She’s a girl a verge of adulthood who decides to be brave and defy her mother to find her grandmother. But Remi ends up finding so much more. 

The Secret Van Tams is out now. Pick this one up if you’re in the mood for a coming of age road trip filled with family dysfunction and intrigue. 

#thesecretvantams #carlybishop #booktour #contemporaryfiction  #familydrama #noveltours #debutnovel

About the Author

Carly Bishop lives outside London with her family. The Secret Van Tams is her debut novel. 

The Surf House

 

Author: Lucy Clarke

Narrator: Sarah Slimani

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2025

Happy Friday book pals! Any plans for the weekend? I’m heading to the beach this weekend. A beach book I finished recently was The Surf House. This one has been all over bookstagram. Here’s the summary from the publisher: 

High on the cliffs of Morocco, far from the city lights and the souks, stands The Surf House: a sanctuary for travelers chasing sunshine and waves. But the idyll hides a dark mystery. And when Bea washes in, seeking refuge after a dangerous encounter in Marrakesh, she soon gets caught in the current. A woman her age—who stayed in the same area, walked the same beaches, met the same guests—disappeared one year earlier, vanishing without trace. Somewhere inside The Surf House lies the truth—but there’ll be a price for uncovering it. 

I had high hopes for this book. It’s gotten great reviews. It has a great exotic setting in Morocco. It’s very atmospheric with sun drenched days in an idyllic location. I loved that. I liked the main character Bea. There were attractive and brooding surfer dudes. There were red herrings and twists. There was a lot to like about this book. But it was just too much of a slow burner. And I saw just about every twist coming from a mile a way. 

Sarah Slimani did a great job with the narration. There were quite a few characters. Sarah’s accents and differing tone of voice for each ensured I never lost track of who was who. I definitely appreciated that. Over all, I thought the book was good, but it didn’t live up to the hype for me. 

#crimefiction #thrillerbooks #mysterybooks #morocco #surfing

About the Author

Lucy Clarke is the author of nine destination thrillers. They include Waterstones Thriller of the Month, The Castaways, Richard and Judy Book Club pick, One of the Girls, and international bestseller, The Hike. Lucy's novels have sold over a million copies in the UK alone and are published in more than 25 territories worldwide.

Lucy's thriller, No Escape has been released as a major international show for Paramount+. The Castaways has also been adapted into a five-part thriller for Paramount+ and stars BAFTA award-winner Sheridan Smith. Three further novels by Lucy are currently in development for TV/film. 

When Lucy isn't away on research trips (the real reason she loves being an author!), she can be found writing from a beach hut on the south coast of England. She lives with her husband and their two children.

The Other Side of Now

 

Author: Paige Harbison

Narrator: Paige Harbison

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Year: 2025

Happy Wednesday friends! The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is my latest bookstagram made me read it and I see why it’s so popular. It’s so freakin’ good! It’s a mix of contemporary fiction, romance, and magical realism that creates an emotional story. Seriously, I was driving on the highway and ugly crying while listening to this book. It’s about an actress on a successful television show who takes an impulsive trip to Ireland. She gets a chance of seeing another version of her life where she’s not an actress, has an on again/off again relationship with a hot pub owner, and where her best friend is still alive. Here’s the full summary from the publisher: 

With a leading role on a hit TV show and a relationship with Hollywood’s latest heartthrob, Meg Bryan appears to have everything she ever wanted. But underneath, her happiness is as fake as her stage name, Lana Lord. Following a tiny nervous breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she books an impromptu trip to Ireland. Specifically, to the village where she and her best friend Aimee always dreamt of moving.

When Meg arrives, the people in town don’t just recognize her, they seem to know her. She quickly—reluctantly—realizes she has somehow slipped into an alternate reality. One where she did move to Ireland as a teenager, one where she never got famous, and—most shocking of all—one where Aimee is alive and well.

She just wants nothing to do with Meg.

Despite her bewilderment, Meg is clear-eyed about one thing: this is a once-in-two-lifetimes chance to reconnect with her friend and repair what she broke . . . or else risk losing Aimee all over again.

Everything about this book is top notch. I loved the idea of experiencing an alternate life. Who doesn’t wonder what if….at some point in their life. The characters are wonderful. And I loved the setting. Kudos to the author for also doing a fantastic job with the audiobook narration. I’m sometimes leery of an author narrating their own book, but Paige is pitch perfect. 

Seriously, if you haven’t read this one yet, you should correct that immediately. Just make sure you have some tissues on hand when you read it. 

Are you a crier? What’s the last book that brought tears to your eyes? 

#theothersideofnow #paigeharbison #macmillianaudio #contemporaryfiction 

About the Author

Paige Harbison is the author of three YA novels, the first of which was published in 2011 when she was just nineteen years old. More recently, she's worked on several celebrity projects as a ghostwriter. The Other Side of Now is her adult debut. A woman of many talents, she's also a visual artist, records music with her brother (band name: Thalo), hosts and produces the podcast Nameless Best Friends, and has a solid social media presence, amassing millions of views on her one-minute-movies. She lives in L.A. with her partner, Richie, and their dog Tarot.

Beneath the Sicilian Stars

 

Author: Lindsay Marie Morris

Publisher: Storm Books

Year: 2025

Thank you Lindsay Marie Morris,  Storm Books and Novel Tours for including me on this book tour for Under the Sicilian Stars! The book is available now. 

The book flows an Italian family divided by WWII. One branch of the family is in America. The other branch  is in Italy. Both families encounter devastating consequences of the war. Here’s the summary from the publisher: 

1941, Pittsburg, California. Sixteen-year-old Annalisa Aiello huddles around the radio with her family when a special announcement shatters her world: Pearl Harbor has been bombed – where her brother is stationed on the USS Arizona. After the United States declares war, Annalisa watches in horror as her father, a Sicilian fisherman, is arrested as an "enemy alien". Grappling with grief and harsh wartime restrictions, Annalisa is forced to undertake an unexpected journey across the country to find her father and uncover the sacrifices of the past.

Meanwhile, in war-torn Sicily, her cousin Alberto navigates bombing raids as ancient fishing traditions crumble around him. But the forces tearing this family apart began decades earlier with a desperate choice made on a Sicilian shore – a secret pact sealed beneath the stars that promised a brighter future across the sea.

As Annalisa searches for her father and Alberto seeks his place in a changing world, they both discover that even in the darkest times, hope for a better future can endure.

This story pulled me right in and I flew through it! There’s family drama, the hardship and devastation of the war, determination, and love. This is an atmospheric and well researched historical fiction novel. It definitely tugged at my heartstrings. The story unfolds through alternating chapters set in the U.S. and Italy and has a steady pace. 

Definitely pick this one up if you’re looking for an emotional journey of resilience, family, and love. 

Do you like historical fiction? Do you have a particular time period you like to read about? 

#beneaththesicilianstars #lindsaymariemorris #stormbooks #noveltours #booktour #historicalfiction #wwiifiction #familydrama 

About the Author

Lindsay Marie Morris is a novelist and journalist. Based in Los Angeles, she brings a dynamic storytelling voice to every project, whether she's crafting historical fiction set in Italy or reporting on health, wellness, travel, and small business for modern readers. A graduate of Marquette University with a B.A. in Communications, Lindsay began her editorial career in magazine publishing, serving as travel editor at Shape magazine before expanding into digital media, editorial project management, and non-profit marketing and communications. Her work has appeared in Forks Over Knives, The Chicago Tribune, and other publications.