Superfan

 

What happens when fandom stops being a refuge and starts becoming a trap?

Superfan by Jenny Tinghui Zhang is a sharp, emotionally charged audiobook about loneliness, obsession, and the need to feel seen.

College freshman Minnie is struggling to adjust to campus life. She’s lonely and adrift. She finally finds connection in an online forum devoted to the boy band HOURglass, especially band member, Halo. After Minnie is assaulted by the roommate of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, she retreats even further into the fandom, clinging to the sense of belonging it offers.

The story unfolds through dual points of view, alternating between Minnie and Eason, Halo’s real name. As Minnie’s attachment deepens, Eason is buckling under the pressures of fame including the relentless schedules and increasingly aggressive fan base. He’s also guarding a dark secret that could cost him everything if it’s exposed. When scandal threatens the band, Minnie becomes convinced she’s the only one who can save him, setting the stage for tragedy.

Minnie’s loneliness is palpable, and her character growth is very moving. I was rooting for her even when her choices were frustrating, especially as she’s manipulated by an older student she has a crush on. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Katherine Chin and Eric Yang, whose performances are both heartbreaking and hopeful.

This is a compelling coming-of-age story examining identity, power, and the dangerous line between connection and obsession—especially for women navigating life online.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the commentary early listen. Out Feb. 3. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Have you ever loved something (a book, a band, a fandom) that made you feel less alone?

#bookstagram

#audiobooklove

#comingofagestory

#macaudio2025

#newreleases

About the Author

Jenny Tinghui Zhang is the author of the novels Superfan and Four Treasures of the Sky, named an Idaho Book of the Year and short- and longlisted for the Chautauqua Prize, the Dublin Literary Award, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her work has appeared in The Cut, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, Texas Highways, and elsewhere. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and has received support from Yaddo, Kundiman, VONA/Voices, Tin House, and the University of Wyoming, where she completed her MFA.

Haven’t Killed in Years

 

 

What if the most dangerous thing about you isn’t what you’ve done, but who your dad was?

In Haven’t Killed in Years, Amy K. Green puts a intriguing spin on the serial-killer trope by centering the story not on the murderer, but on the person left behind to live with the aftermath.

Gwen has spent years carefully constructing a quiet, almost invisible life. She keeps her circle small and her routines predictable.  She never talks about her family or her past. No one knows that she’s the daughter of a notorious serial killer or so she thinks. When someone begins leaving severed body parts on her doorstep, Gwen is forced to confront the terrifying possibility that someone knows exactly who she is. And they’re using her father’s legacy to taunt her.

As the threat escalates, Gwen races to uncover the identity of the new killer before her few friends are caught in the crossfire. Each revelation peels back another layer of her past. The dark secret she’s been so desperate to bury is slowly being exposed. It’s raising the unsettling question of whether bloodlines can ever truly be escaped.

Green plays with themes of identity, inherited guilt, and the psychological weight of notoriety. The novel digs into how shame and fear can isolate someone just as much as bars and locks. Sometimes survival means facing the very thing you’ve been running from. The pacing is mostly steady, though it slows slightly in a few spots, but the twists keep coming. Gwen’s gradually revealed backstory adds tension to the unfolding mystery.

This is an entertaining, twisty take on the serial-killer trope. It’s more character-driven than shock-driven, but there’s plenty of what-the-heck moments to keep you on the edge of your seat. Out now from Berkley Press.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Predictive text: Haven’t killed in years, but….

#thrillerreads #bookreview #mysterybooks #crimefiction #bookstagramreads 

About the Author

Amy K. Green was born and raised in a small New England town where she was once struck by lightning. She was a practicing CPA before leaving the corporate life to work in film production, write, and wear fewer high heels. She now lives in Los Angeles.

The Bone Queen

 

What if a ghost story wasn’t just a story and your child believed it was coming for her?

In Will Shindler’s horror debut The Bone Queen, Jenna is a disgraced journalist and recovering alcoholic, already stretched thin by divorce and regret. When her daughter Chloe disappears, everything else falls away. Vulnerable and unraveling, Chloe has become convinced she’s been marked for death by the legendary Bone Queen. Chasing a cure, she flees to a remote island to meet a mysterious online figure. Jenna follows and finds more than a frightened teen. A string of unsettling deaths and an old legend begin to feel disturbingly real.

While the supernatural elements deliver the chills, this is ultimately a story about a fractured mother-daughter bond and how trauma can make us vulnerable to dark forces—both human and otherwise.

Tasmin Kennard’s  narration is emotionally sharp and terrifying. It captures grief, fear, and mounting urgency. 

This is a strong slow-burn blend of thriller and horror that never lets you fully relax.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the early listen. Out Feb. 3. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Do you prefer horror rooted in folklore and legend, or stories where the real fear comes from people?

#macaudio2025#thebonequeen

#audiobookreview

#folkhorrror #thrillerreads

About the Author

Will Shindler has spent most of his career working as a broadcast journalist for the BBC. He also spent nearly a decade working on a number of British television dramas, working for both the BBC Drama Series Department, and Talkback Thames Television as a writer and script editor. He has been writing novels since 2020, including the five-book critically acclaimed DI Alex Finn series: The Burning Men, The Killing Choice, The Hunting Ground, The Blood Line and The Cold Case. The Bone Queen is his first novel for Minotaur Books in the US. He currently combines reading news bulletins for BBC Radio London with his novel writing and has previously worked as a presenter for ITV West, a reporter for BBC Radio Five Live, and as one of the stadium presenters at the 2012 London Olympics. He lives in London.

The Cormorant Hunt

 

What happens after you expose the CIA and manage to stay alive?

In The Cormorant Hunt, Michael Idov drops us back into the dangerous orbit of CIA operative Ari Falk, and he doesn’t ease up for a second. This is the second book in the Cormorant trilogy, and while Idov smartly provides enough backstory for new readers, the emotional and political stakes land harder if you’ve followed Ari from the start.

After blowing the lid off a massive conspiracy at CIA headquarters, Ari is lying low in the Republic of Georgia when a new mission finds him anyway. Enter Asha Tamaskar, a rising CIA officer with sharp instincts and her own carefully guarded agenda. She sends Ari undercover to infiltrate a European extremist group whose plans could tip the balance of power across the continent. What follows is a globe-trotting operation packed with surveillance, deception, and constant risk, where it’s never quite clear who’s using whom.

Idov keeps the pacing tight and relentless. The action moves fast and the spycraft is detailed without bogging the story down. Beneath the thrills, the book digs into themes of loyalty, moral compromise, institutional rot, and the personal cost of living in a world built on secrets. Trust is currency here and it’s always in short supply.

Santino Fontana’s narration is a perfect match for Idov’s prose.  He gives Ari a weary edge, sharpens the suspense, and keeps the momentum high even in the more political moments. It’s a performance that pulls you in and makes this one especially hard to pause.

Smart and full of intrigue, The Cormorant Hunt is a sharp continuation of the series and a standout modern spy thriller. Huge thanks to Simon Audio for the complimentary early listen. Out tomorrow! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: If you had to disappear and go into hiding like Ari Falk, which country would you choose to lay low in?

#spythriller #audiobookreview

#thrillerreads #espionagethriller #audiobooklover

About the Author

Michael Idov is a novelist, director, and screenwriter. A Latvian-born American raised in Riga under Soviet occupation, he moved to New York after graduating from the University of Michigan. Michael’s writing career began at New York magazine, where his features won three National Magazine Awards, and he has served as the editor-in-chief of GQ Russia. He is also the author of The Collaborators, Ground Up, and Dressed Up for a Riot. Michael has worked on numerous film and TV projects, including Londongrad, Deutschland 83, Leto, and The Humorist. He and his wife and screenwriting partner, Lily, divide their time between Los Angeles, Berlin, and Portugal.

Death and Other Occupational Hazards

 

What if Death clocked out and everything started to unravel?

In Death and Other Occupational Hazards, Veronika Duount gives us a sharp, darkly funny twist on the ultimate job burnout story. Death—yes, thatDeath—decides she’s had enough of ushering souls into the afterlife and takes a much-needed sabbatical as a human on Earth. Predictably, things do not go smoothly.

Trying to pass as human, Death lands a job at a law office and immediately runs headfirst into the mundane annoyances of mortal life: needing money, eating actual food, and navigating social norms she’s never had to care about before. But her break is cut short when she discovers an unplanned death. It’s one that wasn’t approved by the Boss and definitely wasn’t supposed to happen. That single mistake could threaten the balance of the universe itself, forcing Death back into investigative mode to figure out who—or what—is messing with the cosmic order.

What makes this novel shine is its balance. Duount leans hard into the humor. Death’s bafflement at human routines is genuinely funny, but there’s real heart here too. Life and Death are sisters, and their squabbling relationship is familiar, grounded in rivalry and resentment, and deep affection. As Death spends more time among humans, she slowly begins to appreciate the small things she once dismissed: good food, unexpected friendships, and moments of connection that give life its meaning.

Beneath the wit and irreverence, the book quietly explores big ideas about purpose, free will, religion, and what makes existence worth sticking around for. Duount never lets the existential weight crush the fun, striking a smart balance between dark comedy and emotional insight.

Funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly touching, Death and Other Occupational Hazards is a clever reminder that even Death herself might need a reminder of why life matters.

TW for animal lovers: There is a dog in this story. The dog is rescued, befriended, and loved—and later dies. It’s meaningful to the plot, but if animal death is a dealbreaker for you, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Out now. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: how do you feel about books that mix humor with big, existential questions?

#darkhumorbooks

#speculativefiction

#bookreview #fantasyreads

#thoughtfulreads

About the Author

Veronika Dapunt is a British-Austrian writer. Her debut novel, Death and Other Occupational Hazards, was a runner-up for the 2023 Comedy Women in Print Prize. She has always had a love of the darkly comic and the absurd, quite possibly the reason why her first career was in law. Veronika holds a degree from the University of Oxford and currently lives in London.

No Body No Crime

 

Murder either bonds you or breaks you. This story proves it can do both at once.

Tess Sharpe’s No Body No Crime is a queer romantic thriller that’s fast & action-packed. It’s over the top in a way that makes it impossible to put down.

Rural PI Mel Tillman has been living with a secret since she was sixteen, when she and Chloe Harper killed a man who had been terrorizing them and buried him deep in the backwoods. The body never haunted Mel the way losing Chloe did. When Chloe vanished soon after, Mel lost both the girl she loved and the only person who truly understood what they survived together. Years later, Mel is hired to track Chloe down, only to find her living off-grid in the Canada. Chloe’s armed and vigilant. She’s been waiting for danger she knows is sure to come. 

What follows is a relentless chase that makes it clear the past was never really buried. The crime that bound Mel & Chloe together also put them in the crosshairs of a powerful, wealthy family willing to do anything to protect what was taken from them. The book leans hard into themes of power & privilege, showing how money shields predators while forcing survivors to run, hide, & fight back. Watching a group of young women turn the tables on rich, untouchable men is very satisfying.

At the heart of the chaos is Mel & Chloe’s relationship. Their love feels hard-earned. It’s shaped by secrecy, trauma, & separation. The LGBTQ representation is woven naturally into the story, giving the book its emotional spine. Their connection grounds the high-octane action & makes every risk feel personal.

I really enjoyed this quick, compulsively readable thriller.  It reads like an action movie because it’s messy & unapologetic. If you’re in the mood for a popcorn thriller, this one  delivers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What kind of pacing keeps you turning pages?

#queerthriller #popcornthriller

#revengethriller #lgbtqreads

#bookstagrammystery

About the Author

Tess Sharpe was born in a mountain cabin to a punk-rocker mother and grew up in rural California. She lives deep in the backwoods with a pack of dogs and a group of formerly feral forest cats. She is the award-winning author of many books for kids, teenagers, and adults, including Barbed Wire Heart and the New York Times bestseller The Girls I’ve Been.

Beth Is Dead

 

What if Little Women opened with a murder? Forget the scarlet fever. In this timeline, the tragedy is far more sinister.

In Beth Is Dead, Katie Bernet takes the beloved bones of Little Women and transplants them into a high-stakes contemporary mystery. When Beth March is found murdered on New Year’s morning, her sisters don't just mourn. They act.

Even before the tragedy, the March family was already reeling. Their father, an author, published a controversial book detailing his daughters' private lives. The fallout was immediate. Robert became a target of cancel culture, and the girls were thrust into a harsh, unasked-for spotlight. Between the public vitriol and physical threats, Robert was forced into hiding, leaving the family fractured and vulnerable long before the first drop of blood was spilled.

Bernet does a fantastic job modernizing the March girls while keeping their core spirits intact. Meg is a focused pre-med student, Jo is the headstrong writer we adore, and Amy is a "wild child" artist with a sharp edge. The plot centers on a web of suspects that includes everyone from Meg’s boyfriend, to their missing father, to the sisters themselves. It explores deep themes of sisterhood, the weight of grief, and the secrets we keep within a family.

For a debut novel, this is incredibly polished. The pacing is tight and it’s filled with emotion. While I easily guessed the killer and their motive, it didn't take away from my enjoyment. This book is less about a shocking twist and more about the heart and the character dynamics that made the original so enduring. It’s an impressive, seamless update to a classic.

The full-cast narration by Caitlin Kelly, Emily Tremaine, Ferdelle Capistrano, and Piper Goodeve is excellent. Having distinct voices for each sister is essential for a story with four teenage protagonists. They perfectly capture the balance between the sisters' classic roots and their modern struggles.

This is an interesting, heart-filled take on a classic that fans of the original novel or movie adaptations will love.

Many thanks to Simon Audio for the complimentary listening copy! Beth Is Dead is available now. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Which classic would you actually want to see turned into a mystery?

#yamystery

#littlewomenretelling

#audiobooklover

#bookstagrammystery

#simonaudio

About the Author

Katie Bernet lives in Dallas, Texas. As one of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little Women. Beth Is Dead is her debut novel.