Releases: June 24
Finders Keepers - read on NetGalley.
Sarah Adler did it again.
She wrote a touching romance that made me identify with the main character and feel a connection to their journey.
Nina is home after a break-up and a job loss. To add insult to injury, her estranged childhood best friend is also back home, and they're forced into proximity as next-door neighbors. They try to recreate some of their friendship with a treasure hunt, but underlying tension from when they stopped speaking and a new level of sexual tension amps things up.
Nina is such a flawed, real character that it's impossible not to find something to relate to as we grow to know her. The facades she's put up around the real Nina to stop herself from feeling that hurt again, the raw wound she can be at times, as she works through her anxiety and emotions.
I love how Adler allowed her to find times to be open with her anxiety and depression, acknowledging triggers and coping mechanisms, and not keeping it a dark secret.
I also love being in her head as she weighs pros and cons of continuing her life one way or embracing the 'realness' she has inside. It's a battle we all struggle with at some points in our lives.
Adler did this all with an array of lovable townies and two leads that are flawed but trying in a way that is endearing to the reader.
Belle Starr - read on NetGalley
Michael Wallis is adept at weaving historical facts into engaging tales of our nation's past.
In his latest work, Belle Starr, Wallis takes on the mythic legend of the wild west outlaw. Wallis works to separate the fact from the fiction that followed after Starr's murder.
While typically portrayed as a villain, Wallis' research finds that's not really the case.
By using accounts from the time, and records he takes us back to Starr's birth and the motivating events that led to her outlaw lifestyle, finding the heart behind her decisions to live outside the law.
The Starr we meet here is a woman who rejected traditional gender roles and found a place for herself in the world while she struggled to overcome emotional losses.
Really great read.
Bed and Breakup- read on NetGalley
Bed and Breakup is a second-chance romance with a dash of home and self-improvement.
Molly and Robin bought and renovated the Hummingbird Inn as newlyweds; now, as exes, they're forced back to the inn to remodel, sell, and move on?
In Eureka Springs, a queer haven in the midwest, Susie Dumond takes the pair back through their past. The warts-and-all look at their marriage and who they are now vs. who they were then helps the reader see the growth, just as they see it in themselves, which allows the reader to really feel like part of their relationship and part of their growth.
Dumond deftly creates a supporting cast of characters that helps immerse the readers in their lives.
It's nostalgic, emotional, and a really enjoyable read.
The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club- read on NetGalley
A mystery with a twist.
Kathryn learns that her too-good-to-be-true boyfriend is just that —too good to be true.
Not only is he cheating on her, but he's doing it with two other women.
Gloria Chao introduces us to a sweet, naive and insecure Kathryn who is head over heels for her beau Tucker and is crushed when she learns she's not his only love. But she twists us.
Kathryn meets Olivia and Elle, and soon they become a trio bent on revenge. Chao deftly unites the women in funny and unique conversations as they all come to terms with betrayal and decide how to move forward.
In the three women, we see a range of archetypes and personalities -- all drawing us in-- and then the mystery begins when they find Tucker's body, and their revenge plot makes them prime suspects.
The book is hilarious, mysterious, and empowering all at once. I really loved these women.
I also did not solve it first! So kudos for that.