Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa My rating: 4 of 5 stars **3.5-stars rounded up** Sophie Lyon is a Romance author with a big problem: Writer’s Block. After the great success of her first book, Sophie is truly struggling to get her second completed by the Publisher’s deadline. There’s so much pressure, and she just can’t think of a way to finish it. Out at a karaoke bar one night, blowing off some steam, Sophie has too much to drink and has a breakdown with the mic in hand, confessing she’s never been in love. The unflattering moment is caught on camera and goes ridiculously viral. How can Sophie wr ..read more

The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna My rating: 4 of 5 stars **4 5-stars** The Eternal Ones is the final installment in Namina Forna’s Deathless series. I’m walking away an emotional mess. I wasn’t ready for this to end. I’ll admit, this series intimidated me at first. It took me a while before I dared to pick it up, but once I did, Forna laid those fears to rest. With this being said, this is heavy and a bit complicated; it’s not an easy read by any stretch. You need to be focused and paying attention at all times, but if you do, it pays off in spades. I’m not going to say anything about the pl ..read more

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita My rating: 4 of 5 stars **3.5-stars rounded up** Village in the Dark is the 2nd-book in the Cara Kennedy mystery series. Let it be known right outta the gate that I haven’t read the 1st-book yet. That’s right, I’m picking them up out of order… I know some of you may disagree with my pattern for doing this, but with Adult Mystery series, I sort of just pick up the ones that sound like they have the most intriguing mystery elements. Then if I really enjoy the characters and setting, I’ll go back and read the prior books. I’m happy to report that I would lov ..read more

Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis My rating: 2 of 5 stars Dead Girls Walking is a recent YA Horror release. One that I had been very anxious to pick up. The publisher’s synopsis, as well as the intriguing cover, had my full attention. It looks like this is a debut novel for author, Sami Ellis, and while I can appreciate the author’s creativity and ambition, the story did not work for me, unfortunately. I considered giving it 3-stars, but I have to be honest about my experience. For me, a 3-star book is something I liked, but that didn’t blow me away and may have minor issues. I just don’t thin ..read more

Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton My rating: 4 of 5 stars Defy the Storm is another action-packed installment to the High Republic era of the Star Wars Canon. Known as the Golden Age of the Jedi, the High Republic era predates all previously released Canon materials. This is a YA story, co-written by two veteran Star Wars contributors, Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton, and is considered part of Phase III of the High Republic roll-out. To put it in basic timeline order, at this point, the Nihil have destroyed the Starlight Beacon and have erected a barrier, the Stormwall, around territory they ..read more

Didn’t See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto My rating: 4 of 5 stars Didn’t See That Coming is a companion sequel to Jesse Q. Sutanto’s 2022-YA Rom-Com, Well, That Was Unexpected, a book I loved with my whole freaking heart. It ended up being my favorite Romantic Comedy of that year, and in fact is probably my favorite ever. In fact, I stated in my review that I would fall on a sword for it. I stick by that. I just want to get it out of the way early that I am a huge Jesse Q. Sutanto fan. If you frequently read my reviews, you probably know this already, and may even be sick of hearing me singi ..read more

You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen My rating: 5 of 5 stars **4.5-stars rounded up** You Know What You Did is an intensely-suspenseful Mystery/Thriller debut from a hot up-and-coming author, K.T. Nguyen. And what a crackling debut it is!! This story follows a fascinating-MC, Anh Le, who goes by Annie. She’s married, and the mother of a teenaged daughter. Annie is also an artist, although she’s feeling unsatisfied with her career lately. In fact, a few aspects of Annie’s life are beginning to derail after the passing of her Mom, a Vietnam War refugee, who Annie had a contentious relationship ..read more

The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson My rating: 4 of 5 stars **3.5-stars rounded up** The first thing that attracted me to The Forest Demands Its Due was the stunning cover. It’s 100% my go-to aesthetic. The colors, the imagery, even the font, I had to know what it was about. After reading the synopsis, I wanted it ASAP. In this story, set in Winslow, a small town in rural-Vermont, we follow Douglas Jones, a recently enrolled student at the prestigious Regent Academy. Douglas differs from the other students. He’s there because his Mom works there and he got in a bit of trouble elsewh ..read more

The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Obsession is an intense YA-Thriller from one of my go-to authors, Jesse Q. Sutanto. This novel was released in 2021, and I’m so happy I dipped into my backlist for it. Totally worth it! In The Obsession we follow two teens, Delilah and Logan. Logan falls in love with Delilah on sight. She’s perfect. Everything he has ever wanted and he will have her. He learns everything he can about her by doing things such as watching her at school, studying her social media, and aiming a hidden camera at her house. You know, all totally normal t ..read more

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele My rating: 4 of 5 stars Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror is a project brought to us by writer and director, Jordan Peele. I’m sure you’re aware of Peele’s work. He has left quite the stamp on pop culture with his brilliant movies and television work. His popularity catapulted this collection onto many TBRs before it released this past October. I was highly-anticipating this Anthology and am so happy to report, it’s great! Peele was able to bring together an impressive list of authors to contribute to th ..read more