BOOK PREVIEWS

It Could Have Been Her Lisa Jewell Copyright 2026 369 Pages Hello, Thriller Season — welcome back, darling. I didn’t realize the level of chaos this book was serving until I hit the halfway mark and had to pause like, “Wait… what exactly is happening right now?” It Could Have Been Her follows Jane, whose simple good deed — returning a lost dog — turns into a full‑blown descent into a family with roots darker than a blackout basement. One minute she’s handing over a cute littl

The Perfect Hosts Heather Gudenkauf Copyright 2025 307 Pages The Perfect Hosts sounds like a charming little domestic drama, right? A sweet couple, a baby on the way, a gender reveal party on their sprawling horse ranch. Precious. Adorable. Harmless. Yeah… no. Madeline and Wes, who operate exclusively in “mega‑rich ranch dynasty” mode, are throwing a gender reveal that could probably be seen from space. We’re talking full‑scale theatrics. A truck explosion to announce the bab

Don’t Open Your Eyes Liv Constantine Copyright 2025 333 Pages Annabelle has the kind of life that looks perfectly framed on a mantel: loving husband, two sweet daughters, a career she’s proud of. But lately? Her brain has started serving up premonitions like it’s running a psychic pop‑up shop — and none of them are the “win a free vacation” kind. These visions feel dark, urgent, and way too close to home. The problem: Annabelle can’t tell which warnings are real and which are

The Butler Clare Mackintosh Copyright 2026 199 Pages If you’ve ever wished Agatha Christie would take a sun‑soaked detour to Cannes, sip something bubbly, and say, “You know what, let’s be a little unhinged today,” welcome to The Butler. At the center of this Riviera‑bright whodunnit is Baxter—a butler so flawlessly trained he could fold a fitted sheet, solve a murder, and still have time to iron your alibi. He arrives at Villa Sérénité, a glamorous French estate that is sere

Look Closer David Ellis Copyright 2022 448 pages If you’re in the mood for a thriller that refuses to sit still, Look Closer is the kind of book that yanks you into its world and then smirks while you try to catch up. At the center of this twisty maze are Simon and Vicky — a seemingly polished suburban couple whose marriage is held together by affection, secrets, and a trust fund ticking down like a financial time bomb someone forgot to defuse. Simon, a mild‑mannered law prof

The Housewife Natalie Barelli Copyright 2026 345 pages Ah yes, welcome aboard this turbulence-only flight to Revenge City. The captain has turned on the seatbelt sign and, unfortunately for you, it’s staying on the entire trip. So sit down, quiet down, and buckle in. Jody—newly minted perfect wife to her newly minted perfect husband—has just launched herself into the Beverly Hills social scene. Minor detail: she’s also freshly out of the clink. “Ex‑convict” doesn’t exactly sc

The Last Secret of Lily Adams Sara Blaydes Copyright 2026 322 pages Listen, dolls — some books don’t just tell a story. They sashay in wearing a bias‑cut gown, blow a kiss to the camera, and whisper, “You think you know Hollywood? Sit down.” The Last Secret of Lily Adams is exactly that kind of book. We open on Lily Adams, the Golden Age sweetheart with the kind of face studios would insure for a million dollars and the kind of reputation that publicists would kill to protec

The Island Club Nicola Harrison Copyright 2026 290 Pages If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you drop a handful of “perfect” 1950s families onto a sun‑soaked island and gently shake, this book is your answer. Think glossy tennis courts, crisp white dresses, and enough secrets to fill a beach tote. We meet Milly, freshly arrived on Balboa Island and determined to embody the era’s gold‑standard housewife aesthetic: friendly smile, tidy children, casseroles that could win

The Calamity Club Kathryn Stockett Copyright 2026 634 Pages Welcome to 1933 Oxford, Mississippi — where the Great Depression is depressin’, the gossip is a competitive sport, and the social rules are so stiff you could snap them like cheap kindling. Into this powder keg stroll three women who are absolutely not here to play nice, behave, or respect the delicate sensibilities of the local pearl‑clutchers. First up: Meg Lefleur, eleven years old and already operating at a level

The Divorce Frieda McFadden Copyright 2026 368 Pages Picture this: two completely unhinged trains (our main characters) hurtling toward each other like they’re auditioning for a disaster documentary. One’s puttering along at 50 mph. The other’s flying at 90 mph. The collision? Oh, it’s going to be the kind of explosion that makes meteorologists say, “We don’t cover that.” In this spectacular trainwreck (said lovingly, with jazz hands), we cling to Naomi’s caboose as her husba

A Fortune of Sand Ruta Sepetys Copyright 2026 302 Pages The Roaring 20s, ladies and gentlemen — sequins, sass, and champagne that definitely wasn’t taxed properly. I’m a sucker for a flapper dress and a questionable life choice, so imagine my delight when I met this family: four siblings with enough wit, charm, and mild dysfunction to keep me entertained until the stock market crashes. Their clan runs a booming auto‑glass factory in Motor City Detroit, which means they’re rol

The Library After Dark Ande Pliego 368 Pages Copyright 2026 Let’s begin with a question: how exactly did this story sprint from “Library Tour” to “Guillotine” without stopping for breath? I’m not complaining — just impressed. I’m seated. I’m buckled. I’m clutching my emotional support water bottle. I’ve never spent much time wondering what libraries do after closing, but now that I’m thinking about it… yeah, the vibes are haunted. That’s thousands of stories sitting in the d

The Anniversary Alex Finlay Copyright 2026 322 Pages We’ve got ourselves a small‑town serial killer, folks. I know — statistically this should never happen, but here we are, clutching our mugs of lukewarm diner coffee and whispering theories like we’re auditioning for a true‑crime podcast no one asked for. In this delightfully horrifying tale, we follow Jules and Quinn through their post‑high‑school “we survived but at what cost” era as they try to cope with the crimes that h

Yesteryear Caro Claire Burke Copyright 2026 391 pages Well, well, well… the universe delivered us the most practically perfect momfluencer to ever grace a ring light. According to herself — and only herself — Natalie has crafted a faith‑soaked, hand‑embroidered, ethically sourced childhood for her family. “Perfect,” she says. Repeatedly. So repeatedly it stops sounding like a descriptor and starts sounding like a nervous tic. The kind of tic you hear right before a time bomb

Kill for Me Kill for You Steve Cavanagh Copyright 2023 338 Pages This book gets me on board with murder in record time — like, “didn’t even stretch first” record time. And here’s my usual disclaimer: it’s fiction, therefore I am legally, morally, and spiritually allowed to say unhinged things. Step right up, folks, today’s special is Murder Swap. Honestly? New theme unlocked for your next white elephant party. Granny might clutch her pearls so hard they snap, though. Maybe ke

The Club Ellery Lloyd Copyright 2022 305 Pages We open with a dead body before chapter 1 even shows up to work. The author didn’t just drop us into the story — they shoved us face‑first into a murder scene like, “Surprise, babe!” And listen… this murder? Art. An underwater restaurant? The vibes must’ve been immaculate if you could ignore the corpses doing a slow‑motion interpretive dance overhead. Imagine paying for a luxury dining experience and getting a side of floating de

Mad Mabel By Sally Hepworth Copyright 2026 344 Pages I’m only on page one, and I’ve already decided that if I don’t grow up to have the personality of Mabel, I’ll simply pack my things and go live in the woods as a failure. She is hilarious. Not “exhale slightly through your nose” funny — I mean full‑volume, unattractive cackling. And I’m barely past the opening chapters. I’ve said it before, but spicy old ladies are my Roman Empire. My comfort genre. My emotional support dem

Just Another Missing Person Gillian McAllister Copyright 2023 377 pages Here we have a missing girl. Shocking, I know — the title was so subtle. But this isn’t your run‑of‑the‑mill missing‑girl situation. No, no. This is the kind where she strolls into a dead‑end alley and then… simply does not stroll back out. Vanishes. Poof. Gone. Did she teleport? Slip into a parallel universe? Get abducted by aliens who were running behind schedule? I had questions. I still have questions

The Caretaker Marcus Kliewer Copyright 2026 295 Pages The prologue in this one kicks open the door with every cliché question imaginable. Who? Where? WHAT fresh supernatural nonsense is happening in these woods and why does it feel like the trees are judging me. Something weird is brewing out there — and honestly, if you tell me it’s happening on the coast of Oregon (which sounds like a place you reach only by taking a wrong turn in a fairy tale), I’m not surprised. Nothing i

The Passengers John Marrs Copyright 2019 337 Pages This is book two in the “Dark Future” series, and let me tell you: the future of self‑driving cars has officially swerved off the highway, through a guardrail, and into a flaming ditch. The supposedly unhackable cars? Yeah, they’ve been hacked. And instead of taking their Passengers to Target or soccer practice, they’re chauffeuring them straight to their deaths. Very “Titanic,” except the iceberg is Wi‑Fi. We get to watch th