Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

 

[Synopsis] Nina Swann is intrigued when she meets Nick, a man claiming to be an old friend of her late husband. But her adult daughter is suspicious and begins digging into Nick’s past. Meanwhile, Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her seemingly devoted husband, Alistair. Soon, Nina and Martha are on a collision course with the shocking truth about both Nick and Alistair that is far darker than anyone could have imagined.

*May contain spoilers.

[*Review] Lisa Jewell has been a favorite author of mine for the last few years and I was excited to get an early opportunity to read this one. While it has alot going for it, I found myself confused and annoyed with the alternating time lines. I think it would have helped to at least identify Nick/Alistair/Damien/Andre in each chapter heading. Jumping back and forth between the present and four years ago is difficult enough, but I couldn't think of a single other Jewell book where I was lost for the first quarter and couldn't find the plot. The final confrontation where the women all found each other through a facebook page also seemed rushed and a bit too simplistic, not to mention unsafe, given that they were confronting a person they knew had violent tendencies. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it just didn't grip me in the same way that most of Lisa Jewell's books have, although it has plenty of good moments and some decent twists. Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for this early review copy.

Jill is Not Happy By Kaira Rouda

 

[Synopsis] If you ask Jill Tingley, she’ll tell you she and her husband Jack are college sweethearts living the dream in Southern California. Wealthy, popular and genetically blessed, theirs is an enviable life, though they’ve grown distant in recent years. Newly empty nesting with their daughter Maggie away at college, Jill suggests a road trip to reconnect.

Jack would rather do anything else than drive to Utah with his wife. He’s only stayed in this marriage because of a shared secret, a tragedy in the past he wanted to keep buried. And for his daughter’s sake. But Jack is finished with the charade of his marriage. He’s filing for divorce as soon as they return, no matter what. 
But he doesn’t realize what else Jill is hiding.

[Review] I think I'm in the minority here but I didn't enjoy this and did not finish it. I have read two other books by this author and liked them, but the writing here seemed amateurish and the whole story just did not work for me. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the e-ARC for review.

Murder in Covent Garden by Anita Davison

 

[Review] This book was alot of fun, especially since I read it while visiting London. It is part of a series but I hadn't read any of the prior books and had no problem jumping right in. This is sort of a period cozy, set in 1917 amid WWI. I enjoyed the relationship between the main character Hannah and her aunt Violet, who owns a bookshop, drives her own car, and is juggling two romantic interests. It had me stumped nearly until the end when the killer was revealed. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this advanced copy.

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

 

[Synopsis] Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right. He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.

[Review] This is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last. I was pulled into the story right away and enjoyed the cast of characters that included Frank's sister and her very sweet foster child. Frank learns alot of things about his daughter during the course of the events of the wedding and realizes that he ignored some important signs of trouble over the years. I really enjoyed this and was glad to see that things worked out in the end, even though it wasn't necessarily a happy ending for Frank and his daughter.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

 

[Synopsis]: The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul de sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?]

[Review]: This was my favorite read of the last month. It had all the Stephen King vibes in the best way with friendly neighbors who might be predators and a slight supernatural element. It's set in the 90s and the present so we get fun nostalgia from that period including references to Goosebumps books. This is a fun and fast read from a writer at the top of their game. Solid 4 stars from me!

 Look in The Mirror by Catherine Steadman

[Synopsis: Nina, still grieving from the loss of her father, discovers that she has inherited property in the British Virgin Islands—a vacation home she had no idea existed, until now. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father come into enough money for this? Why did he keep it from her? And what else was he hiding?

Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is a nanny for the super-rich. The money’s better, and so are the destinations where her work takes her. Just one more gig, and she’ll be set. Finally, she’ll be secure. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool and in the sauna. There’s just one rule: Don’t go in the basement. That room is off-limits. But her curiosity might just get the better of her. And soon, she’ll wish her only worry was not getting paid.]

Review:

I'm a bit torn on this one because story-wise it was good and what I've come to expect from Steadman. However, I went into it blind and if I had known what was going on I would not have chosen to read this one. I think it's important to note that while there is no over-the-top torture or gory scenes in the escape rooms, this should come with trigger warnings for kidnapping and human trafficking. I did finish it, but thought it wrapped up a bit too neatly given everything that happened. Thanks to NegGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on July 30, 2024.

Mona of the Manor by Armistead Maupin

Synopsis: When Mona Ramsey married Lord Teddy Roughton to secure his visa—allowing him to remain in San Francisco to fulfil his wildest dreams—she never imagined she would, by age 48, be the sole owner of Easley House, a romantic country manor in the UK. Now, with her adopted son, Wilfred, Mona has opened Easley’s doors to paying guests to keep her inherited English manor afloat.

As they welcome a married American couple to Easley, Mona and Wilfred discover their new guests’ terrible secret. Instead of focussing on the imminent arrival of old friend Michael Tolliver and matriarch Anna Madrigal, Mona will need to use her considerable charm, willpower and wiles to set things right before Easley’s historic Midsummer ceremony.]

Review: What a treat to revisit these characters in the setting of the English countryside! I have been an avid reader of the Tales of The City books for many years, so this was such a fun summer read for me. As with all of Maupin's stories, there is substance and lessons to be learned from one another amid the goofiness of the characters and their relationships. It's a short book that makes a big impression and brings us moments with beloved characters like Anna Madrigal and Michael Tolliver. My one issue in the storyline is with Michael and his character's behavior toward Wilfred, which isn't necessarily out of line with the Michael of old, but it would have been nice to see he had evolved and matured a bit more in his 50s. Nevertheless, if this was the last Tales book, I'm grateful for it.