3/5 stars Things Don't Break on Their Own , by Sarah Easter Collins (2024) TW: Domestic & child abuse Friends Willa and Robyn meet in boarding school, not long after Willa's younger sister Laika disappears. Throughout the year at school, they slowly develop a strong friendship, which develops into a romantic relationship. But the relationship fizzles when Willa learns that her father may be responsible for Laika's death, and leaves school to return home. As time passes, Will

5/5 stars World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments , by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (2020), Illustrator: Fumi Nakamura This is a beautiful debut of nonfiction essays about nature, how the author relates to the world around her, and how and what animals and plants can teach us. The essays include very cool facts about animals and plants, side by side with anecdotes about the author's past - where she grew up, the many different places she live

2/5 stars The Staircase in the Woods , by Chuck Wendig (2025) I cannot recommend this book because of all the needlessly disturbing content. Honestly, if there's a trigger, this book has it. TW: Blood & gore, Extreme violence, Sexual abuse, Pedophilia, Self-harm, Drug & alcohol abuse, Death of a child/parents, Torture, Rape, Incest, Addiction, Domestic abuse .... you can view them ALL here: Storygraph - Content Warnings . With that in mind, it's hard to review this book beca

2/5 stars Somewhere Beyond the Sea , by T.J. Klune (2024) I wanted this to be great, because The House in the Cerulean Sea was great. In the end, though, we really did not need this sequel. I'll just say at the top here - if you loved Cerulean Sea , don't bother with this one. Just treasure your happy memories of the first book! Here, we return to Marsyas island to rejoin Arthur and Linus and their ragtag gaggle of magical children, who are all up to the same old antics. A

3/5 stars Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil , by V.E. Schwab (2025) This is a story about three women. In 1532 in Spain, Maria, a young tomboy who has begun to blossom into a beautiful young woman, is forced to marry an older man who cares nothing for her. She dreams of escape, and finds that dream realized when she meets a mysterious, seemingly immortal widow, Sabine, who shows her a way out. Maria accepts, and, in so doing, takes more from Sabine than was on offer. In 18

3/5 stars Model Home , by Rivers Solomon (2024) TW: Racism, homophobia & transphobia, child sexual abuse, emotional abuse, parent death,...

3/5 stars How to Solve Your Own Murder  and   How to Seal Your Own Fate , by Kristen Perrin (2024 & 2025) How to Solve Your Own Murder ...

4/5 stars Make It Scream, Make It Burn , by Leslie Jamison (2019) One of my favorite nonfiction books is Leslie Jamison's The Empathy...

3/5 stars Strange Pictures , by Uketsu (2022) Translated by Jim Rion This is an unconventional little murder mystery that has the feel...

3/5 stars The Last Murder at the End of the World , by Stuart Turton (2024) "Solve the murder to save what's left of the world..." It's...

4/5 stars The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales & Dangerous Magic , by Leigh Bardugo (2017) Illustrated by Sara Kipin I guess I'm...

3/5 stars Magic for Liars , by Sarah Gailey (2019) Private investigator Ivy Gamble's meat-and-potatoes work is mostly following cheating...

4/5 stars Green Frog: Stories , by Gina Chung (2024) Short story collections can be tough for me. Often I feel like some are great while...

3/5 stars The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea , by C.L. Miller (2025) Not quite as fun the first book, An Antique Hunter's Guide to...

5/5 stars The Girl in Red (2019), and Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook (2017) , by Christina Henry Trigger Warnings (both...

4/5 stars Chain-Gang All Stars , by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (2023) Trigger Warnings: Graphic violence, Imprisonment and enslavement,...

1/5 stars The Enigma of Room 622 , by Jo ël Dicker (2020) Translated by Robert Bononno If I were the translator I'd take a biiiiiiig...

3/5 stars The Only One Left , by Riley Sager (2023) Kit McDeere is a home health aide, currently living at home with her father after...

4/5 stars Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) , by Jesse Sutanto (2025) Another cozy murder mystery with your favorite old...

3/5 stars Sunrise on the Reaping , by Suzanne Collins (2025) This iteration of the Hunger Games takes us back in time to the Second...