Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

The Summer of the Serpent by Cecilia Eudave review: A haunting novel that needed more room to breathe

Some novels leave you wanting more because they are so immersive you never want them to end. Others leave you wanting more because they feel unfinished. Unfortunately, The Summer of the Serpent by Cecilia Eudave falls somewhere between those two experiences.

Set in Guadalajara during the sweltering summer of 1977, The Summer of the Serpent unfolds through a series of interconnected vignettes narrated by children, adults, ghosts, and even a snake. The result is a fragmented portrait of a neighborhood haunted by disappointments, strange encounters, and the lingering weight of memory. Drawing heavily from myth, folklore, and surrealism, Eudave crafts a work that feels less like a traditional novel and more like a collection of stories circling a common emotional center.

Continue reading “The Summer of the Serpent by Cecilia Eudave review: A haunting novel that needed more room to breathe”
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

Death Do Us by Ruthy Mason: A haunting body horror novel about marriage, identity, and the slow death of a dream

What if the most terrifying thing lurking beneath your skin isn’t a curse at all, but the possibility that you’re becoming the person society always expected you to be? Ruthy Mason’s Death Do Us is one of those horror novels that works on multiple levels at once. On the surface, it’s a deeply unsettling story about a woman who begins physically deteriorating after accepting a marriage proposal. Underneath the body horror, however, lies a sharp examination of marriage, patriarchy, identity, and the ways women can slowly lose themselves while trying to fit into roles that were chosen for them long before they ever had a say.

Bea is a promising archaeologist whose future seems bright. She has a loving boyfriend, Jake, and a clear vision for her academic career. She’s preparing to pursue a PhD and dreams of participating in archaeological digs around the world. Marriage has never been her primary goal. In fact, she has spent much of her life resisting expectations that she should settle down, define herself through a relationship, and prioritize a man’s ambitions over her own.

Continue reading “Death Do Us by Ruthy Mason: A haunting body horror novel about marriage, identity, and the slow death of a dream”
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson: A sharp suburban thriller about privilege, secrets, and the lies neighbors tell

The pristine lawns, expensive homes, and carefully curated lives of Bethesda’s elite hide a surprising number of ugly secrets in The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson, a twisty suburban thriller that explores what happens when privilege, obsession, and desperation collide after a murder rocks an affluent community.

Get your copy of The Neighbors Are Watching today!

Just outside Washington, D.C., the wealthy neighborhood of Eastbrook is still reeling from the unsolved murder of a nanny one year earlier. When nearly-empty-nester Caren wakes up after a graduation party with gaps in her memory and evidence suggesting she drank herself into oblivion, she suspects something much darker happened. As she begins investigating alongside a new neighbor determined to solve his best friend’s murder, long-buried secrets begin to surface—and someone is willing to kill to keep them hidden.

Continue reading “The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson: A sharp suburban thriller about privilege, secrets, and the lies neighbors tell”
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

Rules for Aging and Larceny by Julia London: A delightfully mischievous heist novel that proves older women are still a force to be reckoned with

The older we get, the more the world seems determined to overlook us—but Rules for Aging and Larceny by Julia London turns that assumption into its greatest weapon, delivering a funny, fast-paced caper about four women in their seventies who discover they’re far from finished with life, friendship, or causing trouble.

Get your copy of Rules for Aging and Larceny today!

Scheduled for release on June 30, 2026, this is exactly the kind of book you pick up when you’re looking for pure entertainment. It isn’t trying to reinvent the crime novel or deliver profound philosophical revelations. Instead, it offers an enjoyable, character-driven heist story full of humor, heart, and just enough suspense to keep the pages turning. I could easily imagine this becoming a movie starring actresses like Stockard Channing, Mary Steenburgen, Pam Grier, and Youn Yuh-jung.

Continue reading “Rules for Aging and Larceny by Julia London: A delightfully mischievous heist novel that proves older women are still a force to be reckoned with”
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell: A thriller that proves why she remains the genre’s best storyteller

A missing teenager, a mysterious house, and a woman forced to confront the darkest corners of her past collide in It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell, a gripping and emotionally rich thriller that reminds me exactly why she remains my favorite author working in the genre today. Releasing June 23, 2026, this latest novel begins with a seemingly simple mystery involving a lost dog before spiraling into something far more layered, unsettling, and deeply personal.

Get your copy of It Could Have Been Her today!

Thriller novels often follow familiar patterns. There’s a reason readers keep coming back to them. Like a favorite comfort food, the genre offers recognizable tropes, satisfying twists, and reliable entertainment. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Not every book needs to reinvent literature, and sometimes readers simply want an engaging story that delivers exactly what it promises.

But Lisa Jewell has never been that kind of writer.

Continue reading “It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell: A thriller that proves why she remains the genre’s best storyteller”
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander: Celebrity culture and feminism collide in this sharp debut

Fame has always been a commodity, but The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander asks what happens when a family decides to cash in on scandal before anyone else can profit from it first. Funny, smart, and packed with pointed observations about celebrity culture, this June 16, 2026 release transforms a viral affair into a fascinating exploration of ambition, misogyny, and the price of public attention.

Get your copy of The Lowe Job today!

The Lowe Job begins when twenty-seven-year-old Lili Lowe is caught having an affair with her married boss, an up-and-coming politician. Overnight, she becomes the center of a media firestorm. Most people would retreat from public scrutiny. Lili’s mother Lydia has other ideas. Rather than managing the fallout, she weaponizes it, transforming Lili’s notoriety into a family brand and launching the Lowes into celebrity status.

Continue reading “The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander: Celebrity culture and feminism collide in this sharp debut”
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

Vervain Hollow by Catriona Silvey: A haunting cult novel about addiction, belonging, and the price of escape

Sometimes the most unsettling horror novels aren’t about monsters lurking in the dark—they’re about the things we desperately want, even when we know they’ll destroy us. In Vervain Hollow by Catriona Silvey, a burned-out cult, a charismatic leader who may never have been human, and a young woman unable to let go of the power she once possessed combine to create one of the most compelling and emotionally complex horror novels I’ve read this year.

Get your copy of Vervain Hollow today!

Two years ago, Laura escaped Vervain Hollow after the sprawling house burned to the ground with its enigmatic leader trapped inside. Since then, she’s returned to a normal life, but “normal” isn’t the same thing as healing. She still longs for Vervain and the extraordinary power he shared with his followers. When her former friend Aliyah contacts her with shocking news—that another former acolyte has returned to the hollow after receiving a message from Vervain himself—Laura sees only one possibility. Somehow, he’s still alive.

Continue reading “Vervain Hollow by Catriona Silvey: A haunting cult novel about addiction, belonging, and the price of escape”
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer is a chilling cult thriller that feels uncomfortably plausible

Some dystopian novels rely on elaborate worldbuilding to make their horrors believable. Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer doesn’t need to. Its premise is terrifying precisely because it feels only a few steps removed from reality, taking current political and religious extremism to their logical, ugly conclusion. The result is a tense, claustrophobic thriller about bodily autonomy, fanaticism, and survival that never overstays its welcome.

Get your copy of Obstetrix today!

I’m a sucker for a good cult novel, so this one was right up my alley. There’s something endlessly fascinating about the power dynamics inside insular religious communities, especially the relationships among women forced to survive within those systems. Kritzer taps into that fascination immediately. The novel is brief and concise, but it uses every page effectively, building constant tension as Doctor Liz navigates a nightmare situation with no safe options.

Continue reading “Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer is a chilling cult thriller that feels uncomfortably plausible”