To Read or Not To Read

Sara Nisha Adams's The Reading List is an open love letter to the power of books, and their ability to bring people together. Following two characters through difficult times in their lives as they read a curated list of books together, The Reading List is a thoughtful, hopeful read.  Sara Nisha Adams is a writer and editor. She was born in Hertfordshire, England, to Indian and English parents and now lives in London. The Reading List is partly inspired by her grandfather, who lived in Wembley and who immediately found a connection with his granddaughter through books.  Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley, in West London after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at a local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of ...

Emily Henry knocks it out of the park once again with Happy Place —but who's surprised? Happy Place has it all: a slow burn, second chance romance; a found family; and a beautiful seaside setting. This is your perfect next read.  Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers , People We Meet on Vacation , and Beach Read . She lives and writes in Cincinnati and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites. You can find more of my reviews of her work here .  Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they're not discussing—they don't. They broke up six months ago. And they still haven't told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group's yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from ...

Amy Lea's latest, Exes & O's , is for the girls. Full of the slowest burn, a celebration of romance's well-known tropes, and the best pop culture references, Tara's journey through ten of her previous exes in order to find The One will surely have you as engrossed as I was, and cheering for romance as a whole by the end (if you weren't already!).  Amy Lea is a Canadian bureaucrat by day and a contemporary romance author by night (and weekends). She writes laugh-out-loud romantic comedies featuring strong heroines, witty banter, mid-2000s pop culture references, and happily ever afters. When Amy is not writing, she can be found fangirling over other romance books on Instagram (@AmyLeaBooks), eating potato chips with reckless abandon, and snuggling with her husband and golden doodle. You can find more of my reviews of Amy's books here . Romance book connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men—all of whom dumped her because of ...

The Dating Playbook is an entertaining and lighthearted romance, while also not sacrificing the exploration of difficult or heavy themes. Farrah Rochon writes relatable characters in all-too-real situations, and she still is able to have her characters, and thus her readers, find hope and happiness at the end. USA Today bestsellng author Farrah Rochon hails from a small town just west of New Orleans. She spends most of her time reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and catching her favorite Broadway shows. You can find her online at FarrahRochon.com .  When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell kicks serious butt. But it seems no matter how much hustle she puts into her business the bills keep piling up, and now the money situation is dire . She's going to need more help than her best friends Samiah and London can give her. She needs a miracle. And Jamar Dixon might just be it. The oh-so-fine former footballer wants back in the NFL, and he's ...

A perfectly paced story of love and loss across time and space, Marjan Kamali's The Stationery Shop  is a must-read for those who love sweeping love stories.  Marjan Kamali, born in Turkey to Iranian parents, spent her childhood in Kenya, Germany, Turkey, Iran, and the United States. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and New York University. Her debut novel, Together Tea, was a Massachusetts Book Award finalist. Marjan lives with her husband and two children in the Boston area.  Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri's neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink. Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces her to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi's poetry—and Roya loses her heart at once. Their relationship blossoms, ...

A book about books? Say less. After learning about a historical fiction novel following three women whose lives intertwine in the early 1930s to mid-1940s, I knew I wanted to check it out. Once I learned that books themselves were part of the story, I knew I had to read it. The Librarian of Burned Books is the perfect read for historical fiction book lovers looking for an interesting look into WWII.  Brianna Labuskes is the Washington Post  bestselling author of five thrillers. For the first decade of her career, Brianna worked as a journalist for national news organizations covering politics and policy. You can find Brianna online at briannalabuskes.com .  Berlin 1933. Following the success of her debut novel, American writer Althea James receives an invitation from Joseph Goebbels himself to participate in a culture exchange program in Germany. For a girl from a small town in Maine, 1933 Berlin seems to be sparklingly cosmopolitan, blossoming in the midst of a great cha...

*Thank you to the publisher, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, for a print ARC of The Quiet Tenant* Clémance Michallon's The Quiet Tenant is a chilling and addictive read, one that turns the serial killer novel on its head. Told from the perspective of the women in one serial killer's life, The Quiet Tenant ultimately works to tell a story of trauma and resiliency that will haunt you long after you finished the last page.  Clémance Michallon was born and raised near Paris. She studied journalism at City, University of London, received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, and has written for The Independent  since 2018. Her essays and features have covered true crime, celebrity culture, and literature. She divides her time between New York City and Rhinebeck, New York.  Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate town where he lives: he's the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for ...

Elinor Lipman brings a hilarious, heartfelt story to life in Ms. Demeanor . A story about siblings, second chances, and romance, this novel is such a refreshing breath of air, and a very quick read to boot. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a humorous and light read. Elinor Lipman is the award-winning author of sixteen books of fiction and nonfiction. Her first novel, Then She Found Me,  became a feature film directed by and starring Helen Hunt, with Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick. She was an Elizabeth Drew Professor of Creative Writing at Smith College, a finalist in the New York Times 's Nicholas Kristof Trump poetry contest, and the author of two New York Times Modern Love essays. She divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley. You can find her online at elinorlipman.com .  Jane Morgan is a valued member of her law firm—or, was , until a prudish neighbor, binoculars poised, observes her having sex on the roof of her NYC apartment ...

The Hunting Wives is an engrossing read, a perfect starter book for those looking to get into mysteries. Following a group of deeply flawed, toxic women in a small town in Texas, Cobb weaves a story of obsession and the need to know the truth for a mystery that is all-consuming despite some of its more predictable moments. May Cobb earned her MA in literature from San Francisco State University, and her essays and interviews have appeared in the Washington Post , the Rumpus, Edible Austin , and Austin Monthly . Her debut novel, Big Woods , won multiple awards. A Texas native, she lives in Austin with her family. You can find her online at MayCobb.com .  Sophie O'Neill left behind an envy-inspiring career and the stressful, competitive life of big-city Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in a small Texas town. It seems like the perfect life with a beautiful home in an idyllic rural community. But Sophie soon realizes that life is now too quiet, and she's feelin...

M. L. Rio's debut novel, If We Were Villains is captivating—I read 80% of it all in one day. Despite the entertainment value and the intriguing dark academia elements, I found the novel to be rather predictable, unfortunately problematic, and all-around favorable to specific characters that sacrificed the novel's potential to be as impactful as it could have been. M. L. Rio has worked in bookstores and theaters for years and holds a master's degree in Shakespeare studies from King's College London. If We Were Villains  is her first novel. You can find her online at mlrio.com . Enter the players. There were seven of us then, seven bright young things with wide precious futures ahead of us. Until that year, we saw no farther than the books in front of our faces.  On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. A decade ago: ...

Rachel Koller Croft crafted an addictive and suspenseful read with Stone Cold Fox . A fast-paced narrative that bounces back and forth between the past and present this was a fun read with a narrator that I couldn't fully trust, which made it all the more enjoyable.  Rachel Koller Croft is an author and screenwriter in Los Angeles, where she has scripted projects for Blumhouse, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Comedy Central, among others. She lives by the beach with her husband, Charles, and their rescue pit bull, Juniper. Stone Cold Fox is her first novel. You can find her online at RachelKollerCroft.com or on Instagram and Twitter @RachKollerCroft.  Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she's worth and determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. Filthy rich. After years of forced instruction by her mother in the art of swindling men, a now-solo Bea wants nothing more than to close and lock the door on that sordid par...

A clever and twisty novel full of secrets and lies, Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder  is a great mystery. One that left me guessing all the way to the end, and which makes me wonder about what comes next for Pip and the other characters, this book is great for those who love mysteries, and those who want an introduction to the genre. Holly Jackson is the author of #1 New York Times bestselling novel A Good Girl's Guide to Murder . She started writing stories at a young age, completing her first (poor) attempt at a novel when she was fifteen. She graduated from the University of Nottingham, where she studied literary linguistics and creative writing, with a master's degree in English. She enjoys playing video games and watching true-crime documentaries so she can pretend to be a detective. She lives in London. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @HoJay92. You can find more of my reviews of her work  here .  Pretty and popular high school senior Andie B...