Heather

 

Two missing girls. One cold case. Thirty years of silence.

Heather by Caitlin Mullen pulled me in from the first chapter and never let go, which is saying something for a book this patient.

Two timelines. In the present, Callie Hauser comes back to her small New Jersey hometown to take over as chief of police and she's walking into a buzzsaw. The officers she outranks her resent her, the town hasn't decided what to make of her, and she's trying to prove she belongs. A routine DUI arrest sets off a chain of events she never sees coming, and it pulls her toward a decades-old cold case: an infant found dead in the Pine Barrens, around the same time two teenage sisters disappeared.

The other timeline belongs to Annabelle, one of those twins, and it broke my heart. She and her sister Sabrina are basically raising themselves. Their mother is gone, their father checked out. They couldn't be more different. Sabrina is bold and reckless with a reputation; Annabelle is the rule-follower with her eyes on college and a way out. Then Sabrina starts seeing an older man and goes quiet, and Annabelle just wants her sister back.

This is character-driven crime fiction. Callie is tenacious to the point of stubbornness. She'll throw herself at a brick wall a hundred times, but she can also be weirdly blind to what's right in front of her. That contradiction made her feel like a real person, not a detective archetype.

The audio is excellent. The three narrators Christine Lakin, Bailey Carr, and Mia Wurgaft each bring a distinctive voice and emotional weight. I never once lost the thread of who I was with or which timeline I was in. That's not easy to pull off in a dual-timeline book.

Yes, it's a slow burn. But it's the kind where the patience is the point. I was so wrapped up in these women I never wanted it to go faster. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hand this to anyone who loved Liz Moore's The God of the Woods or Long Bright River, or Chris Whittaker's We Begin at the End and All the Colors of the Dark.

⚠️A real heads-up on this one: there are several heavy trigger warnings. Go in aware.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen. Heather is out June 9.

if you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in Missing.

About the Author

Caitlin Mullen is the author of Please See Us, which won the 2021 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was named a New York Times best crime novel in 2020. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and children.

For more news and information about Caitlin and her books, visit her website.

The Dorians

 

What if Dorian Gray and Frankenstein had a baby? Nick Cutter wrote it.

Five dying seniors. One teenage genius doctor. A hidden lab in the Canadian wilderness. What could go wrong?

 

Five terminally ill seniors are about to end their suffering through MAID when they get a wild offer instead. Go to a remote island, take part in an experimental procedure, and reverse aging itself. The lead scientist? A 19-year-old super genius named Dr. Astrid Marsh.  The catch? You can't leave. Ever.

Three of these five are deeply unlikable people who've done some genuinely terrible things. Two of them I actually cared about. Frank was my favorite, the voice of reason in a situation that has none. Teddy was the funniest of the bunch but also the most annoying because the man DOES NOT stop talking. And Astrid? She's a whole trip. There's also Ingrid, Astrid's best friend and fellow teen prodigy, lying in a coma after a lab accident.

The Dorians is a horror/thriller hybrid that Nick Cutter has perfected. The setting is atmospheric, the writing is sharp, the characters are drawn quickly and clearly. It's creepy. It's occasionally pretty gross. And it asks some genuinely interesting questions about what we'd give up to chase eternal youth.

⚠️ Reader warning: when you reverse aging, hormones come back online too. There are some spicy scenes. They are NOT sexy. Do with that what you will.

Corey Brill's narration is propulsive and tension-filled. There are distinct voices for every character. I never lost track of anyone. Just a really great listen all around. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook! Out today. 

If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in Nick's previous book The Queen.

About the Author

Nick Cutter is the author of the critically acclaimed national bestseller The Troop (which is currently being developed for film with producer James Wan), The Deep, Little Heaven, The Queen, and The Handyman Method, cowritten with Andrew F. Sullivan. Nick Cutter is the pseudonym for Craig Davidson, whose much-lauded literary fiction includes Rust and Bone, The Saturday Night Ghost Club, and, most recently, the short story collection Cascade. His story “Medium Tough” was selected by author Jennifer Egan for The Best American Short Stories 2014. He lives in Toronto, Canada. For more news information about the author and his books, visit his website.

Yesteryear

 

This was 100% a Bookstagram FOMO read for me. And I get the hype now.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'd seen this one everywhere, so I finally caved and listened to the audiobook. Verdict: unhinged in the best way.

If you somehow missed it: Natalie is a tradwife influencer with millions of followers selling the homestead dream of raw milk, farm-fresh eggs, and homeschooled babies. Then she wakes up in 1855. No explanation. No electricity. No nannies hiding behind the curtain. Just the brutal version of the life she's been peddling online.

What worked for me was the writing. Sharp, sarcastic, satirical — Caro Claire Burke absolutely nails the tradwife performance. On camera Natalie is baking the bread, feeding the chickens, doing the homeschooling. Off camera? She married into serious money and there's a whole team running that "simple little homestead." The peek behind the curtain is brutal and very, very funny.

The 1855 sections are a different kind of brutal. Natalie is not handling it. Her 1855 family resents her for not being the wife and mother she's supposed to be, and they're pretty sure she's lost her mind.

What didn't fully land for me was the ending. I had questions. Specifically — why did people wait so long to get her help?? That's all I'll say because I know some of you haven't read it yet.

Rebecca Lowman narrates the audio and she's so good. Natalie is calculating and often deeply unlikable, and Lowman somehow keeps you invested in her the whole way through.

Anne Hathaway bought the rights and honestly? This could be a phenomenal movie. For a debut, Burke knocked it out of the park.

Liked it. Didn't love it. Would absolutely recommend it.

If you're drawn to stories about influencers whose perfect lives are built on lies, go read my review of Julie Chan Is Dead next,

About the Author

Caro Claire Burke received her Master’s in Fine Arts from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She is the co-host of Diabolical Lies, a politics and culture podcast. Yesteryear is her first novel.

For more news and information about Caro, visit her webiste.

Road Trip

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and she did NOT phone it in.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen.

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews was a blast, and I think a lot of you will feel the same.

Sisters Maeve and Therese Dunigan are nothing alike. Maeve is practical and by the book. Therese is an actress and free spirit who hasn't been back to Savannah in years.

When their mother dies, they inherit the painting that's been hanging over the fireplace their whole lives. Their mother always swore it was valuable, with roots going back generations to Ireland. They never really believed her.

Until Therese sees a news article about an identical painting that just sold for over a million dollars. And both sisters happen to have wolves at their door.

So off to Ireland they go. Two sisters who can barely stand each other, chasing a family mystery that turns out to be way more complicated than either of them expected. There are family secrets, a murder to solve, a charming whiskey maker, an atmospheric Irish village, and a dog with an important role in the story.

I listened to this on audio and Kathleen McInerney's narration was spot-on. She kept every character distinct and handled the timeline shifts without ever losing me. This is the kind of book that makes a long drive or a beach afternoon feel too short. No notes. Pure fun.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📅 Pub date: June 2

If you enjoyed this, you might also be interested in The Other Sis of Now.

About the Author

Mary Kay Andrews is The New York Times bestselling author of Bright Lights, Big Christmas, The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer, Hello, Summer, Sunset Beach. The High Tide Club, The Beach House Cookbook, The Weekenders, Beach Town, Save the Date, Ladies’ Night, Christmas Bliss, Spring Fever, Summer Rental, The Fixer Upper, Deep Dish, Blue Christmas, Savannah Breeze, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, and Savannah Blues. A former journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Visit Mary Kay's website for more news and information about her book.

The Long Con

 

Two rival con artists.

One Miami heist.

Ocean's 8, but make it sapphic. Chloe Bly has been quietly stealing from Miami's rich and careless to pay off her late mother's medical debt by using her hotel catering job as cover. It's a solid system until she gets caught. And the person who catches her? Her longtime rival, Harper Parisi.

But instead of turning Chloe in, the hotel owner coerces both women into teaming up to pull off a much bigger job. What follows is a slow-burn heist with a Miami backdrop, sharp writing, and enemies-to-lovers tension that absolutely simmers.

This is Jenna Voris's adult debut, and it shows real range. The rivalry between Chloe and Harper crackles. You know they hate each other, but you also know something else is going on underneath all of it. The supporting characters, Priya and Logan, round things out nicely and give the story some breathing room from all that charged energy between the leads. The Miami setting is a great fit for the story's vibe.

This one is a slow burn. If you want nonstop action from page one, you might feel the setup phase dragging a little. But once it gets going, it delivers.

If you love a good heist, strong female characters, sapphic romance, and the general vibe of "be gay, do crime" then this one's for you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Thank you to Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for the digital ARC. Out June 2.

If you enjoyed this review, you might like Count My Lies.

About the Author

Jenna Voris writes books about ambitious girls and galaxy-traversing adventures. She was born and raised in Indiana—where she learned to love roundabouts and the art of college basketball—and now calls Washington, DC, home. When she’s not writing, she can be found perfecting her road trip playlists and desperately trying to keep her houseplants alive. She is also the author of Made of Stars and Every Time You Hear That Song. 

For news and information about Jenna and her books, visit her website.

The Kindness of Strangers

 

A dead body on page one and I still couldn’t guess how we got there.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted listen!

Five housemates, one mysterious stranger, and a 1950s London boarding house where everyone has a secret. 

The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman is going on my list of books to recommend when someone says they want something like an Agatha Christie. This is slow burning, character driven, atmospheric, and absolutely packed with secrets. It pulled me right in. 

The setting is London, 1953 and the city is still pulling itself out of the war. Honor Wilson runs a boarding house, and she’s picky about who gets a room. We’ve got George, the society girl trying to escape her debutante life. Mina, the small-village girl who came to London to be more than she was. Robbie, the would-be writer haunted by the war. And Saul, the refugee who lost his entire family in the Holocaust. 

Then Jimmy Sullivan turns up at the door one foggy night and Honor lets him stay even though she clearly doesn’t want to. Everyone can feel something is off about him, but no one can put their finger on what. Mina and Saul end up teaming up like an unlikely detective duo to figure out who he actually is, and that’s where the book really gets its hooks in you.

Olivia Dowd’s narration is wonderful. She gave every character their own distinct voice and I never once got lost in the house full of people.

If you like Christie’s group-of-strangers-with-secrets setup or the cozy-with-edge feel of The Thursday Murder Club, grab this one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in The Thursday Murder Club.

About the Author

Emma Garman, a Brighton-based writer and critic, has been a columnist for The Paris Review and a contributor to Literary Review, The Daily Beast, Lapham’s Quarterly, and History News Network. She has an MA in creative writing from the City College of New York and an MA in literature from Queen Mary University of London. The Kindness of Strangers is her debut novel.

IG Live | a conversation with Amy Mass

 

I had such a great time chatting with author Amy Mass about her debut novel 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀. It's a fun and heartfelt romcom that comes out tomorrow. It features Grace, a scientist, who goes on a reality dating show to help save her lab if she can win the prize money. But can Grace find love too? 

Reality Bites is out May 12. 

Watch the replay of our conversation here. You can read my full review of Reality Bites here. For more information and news about Amy, visit her website.