The Amari series has been fantastic. Alston is a genius at devising new challenges to keep the intensity ratcheted up. Each book gets better and the first was amazing. The new characters were great. The heartbreak was real.

Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series has humor and lively, wonderfully singular characters. Killers of a Certain Age has very bland characters. Female assassins who have aged-out of their jobs at the "museum" fighting against an unknown enemy with an elite force at its disposal. What a great plot. Alas, it was boring. The time skips could have been used in such a way as to make the story more complex; however, mostly they were just tedious.

This was a fun adventure and romance story. It was also completely in the fantasy realm as women were quite independent and society had very little control over them. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance review copy.

The books tried to warn her…A protagonist struggling with school and all the ways her differences, including ADHD, make her feel like an outsider, kills a monster and learns a big family secret. Imaginative and thoughtful. I do wish there had been more of an ending to this installment. This one was quite abrupt. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance digital copy.

Shearwater Island will exist forever in my mind. This desolate, cold, and doomed island with its isolated inhabitants, its treasure trove of seeds which hold the hope of a future world, seems as real as Antarctica. Atmospheric, tense, and incredibly well-written, this must be one of the "it" books of the year. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for an advance review copy.

The author understates the difficulties of her childhood and also her successes. While this indicates an abundance of humility, it also makes it feel a bit dull.

This was a cute story. Ripe for sequels. Fun and flaky and spicy. Thanks to Edelweiss for an advance digital copy.

The Quiet Librarian is a propulsive and intriguing read. It is also highly unrealistic. A librarian has enough funds to own farmland and drop a good chunk of change on surveillance and weaponry at the drop of a hat, all while she is on apparently unlimited leave from her job. Eskens does write fiction. That said, it was a book that was difficult to put down. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance digital copy.

This was just as atmospheric and sweet as I remembered from my first time reading it as a young girl.

This was the last of my Canada Reads list for this year. It was possibly one of the strangest books I have read. Overall, this list was a bit disappointing. No 5 star reads. Still, an interesting group of books.

This is a sweet, tender look at grief, immigration, high school, and first love. It was fantastic on audio.

The mean-spirited awkwardness of the teen years wasn‘t a favorite. Wes is very unlikable in the first portion of the book. He was violent and a bully. It was almost a DNF. Fortunately, things became more interesting.

I loved the days when we all rooted for the underdog. Korman is a fantastic writer of friendship tales and this is no different.

Death as a romantic is something only the young find possible. The mystery part of the story was somewhat predictable but it was a fun read.

This is not an easy read but it is an inspiring one. Ma-Nee experienced multiple episodes of violence and abuse, racism, homophobia, and homelessness. Her ability to forgive and to release the bitterness and anger towards those who caused her harm is beautiful and hard won. This may not be the best written narrative but it is an amazing one. #CanadaReads

While "You can't kill a man because of the books he reads" is informative, it is also very repetitive. This is a history of many lawyers and multiple dates. Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance review copy.

This is probably fine for a psychological suspense novel. I read it because it is a contender for CanadaReads this year. Is this the book every Canadian should read? Does every Canadian need to think most of the people in their lives are awful and untrustworthy?

This is a unique look at poverty and chronic illness through the lens of a young boy in a fiercely stubborn family of survivors. It is a CanadaReads contender this year. I am not sure how applicable it might be to all of Canada. It would have been nice to hear how the rest of the family made out.

What kind of mother will Lily be to her daughter? Her own mother, Swee Hua, abandoned her daughters and the foreign land she found so cold and unwelcoming. This was a truly beautiful and melancholy story of family, home, and attempts at belonging. The complicated characters were well rendered.

Jimenez always mixes real world problems with her once in a lifetime romance. This time it was almost too much reality. And yet….no one does it better or with more sincerity. Just a beautiful story.Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was a rather dull book about a rather narrow-minded man. Perhaps it was supposed to be witty, but it just fell flat.

This quirky cozy mystery/romance was perfect for a quick read.

Real world problems meet frenemies turned lovers. Shalvis always brings the goods. Thanks to edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

A quick fun read for a stressful weekend.

Rereading a favorite.

Rereading a favorite.

Bold and evocative. Pushkin immerses the reader in Russian life and a Russian winter with his lively words and biting wit. His hero left much to be desired but Russia was the heroine of the story.

What would you give to be able to sit across the table from a dead loved one? To hear their voice? To tell them the things you had always wanted to say? In this melancholy little novel, the characters do just that at the Chibineko Kitchen and are able to move past the worst of their grief with feelings of acceptance and love. There are no deep character studies or major plot points. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance review copy.

While Diet Soda Club dealt with serious issues such as abandonment and chronic illness, it also had great friendships, sibling relationship, and first love. This is a keeper. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy.

Melanie Benjamin can write. Her characters come alive and her atmosphere is superb. Unfortunately, I found her main characters to be wretched people and resented spending time with them.

If a reader is going to go weird, going weird, hilarious, and emotional with TJ Klune is the best option for a great time. While the story meandered a bot towards the end, the characters were fresh and lovable and the romantic relationship a steamy slow burn. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

A great fire, a man who wandered for years haunted by the fire and his lost loves, and a photographer trying to find s ghost but, instead, finding society‘s refugees. This was a plotless novel with a great deal of philosophizing on aging and death.

Puberty is a miserable stage. For “Quagmire”, it is even worse as he needs to deal with a tumultuous mother and a morass of friendships and a first crush. The mother‘s mental state is described well and the characters are great.

Sweet and spicy with emotional depth. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance reading copy.

This was a nice blend of the dark and emotional time of WWII on a German, Jewish child and the hilarious input of the two fantastical beings who travel with him to England. I appreciate the acknowledgement of the antisemitism found in the western nations. The spy training was interesting. The ending was incredibly rushed. I hope this is the beginning installation of a series.

Who doesn‘t love a good heist novel? A rebellion against authoritarian overloads? This book was a fast-paced glory stocked with so many memorable characters. Oceans Eleven has nothing on this team. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy.

What should have been a tense adventure, is instead, a slow slog at times. There is great character growth and an interesting historical element.

He was very wise. He also comes across as a self-righteous prig.

While the first section of the story felt slow and often times disjointed due to the multiple points of view, after 50% it was nail-biting intensity. It brought much needed attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement. I think the podcast bit could have been removed easily as well as the anonymous viewpoint.

This was an emotional rollercoaster. At times the age of Jupiter and her verbal abilities were incongruent. I loved Orbiting Jupiter and it was great to revisit the characters.

This was crazy. It has no plot. This felt more like long poems about cats with each chapter being a new lightly linked poem.

What is more horrible than to exploit the grief and fear of another person? Harry Houdini and crack private investigator, Rose Mackenberg, exposed the many ways psychics and mediums tricked their patrons. This was quite informative.

Finally, an enemies to lovers story where the characters are funny, not cruel and the supporting characters are more than just cardboard cutouts to hold a space. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

The kids love these books so I thought I should try one. This one was quite funny and relatable.

This young adult romance puts paid to the idea of the “light, fluffy, brainless” romance. It has emotional heft and character development which any lit fic would envy. And yet…it is a great romance.

A river of lies is what this detective duo were trying to unravel as bodies piled up and the web of conspiracy grew more complicated. Sometimes characters were used more for a rant then to advance the plot. It was interesting and engaging when it wasn‘t frustrating. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

This modern-day mystery with a detective bearing many similarities to the Sherlock of old was, in many ways, predictable. There was never a "clutch your pearls" moment. The meta-fiction bit felt more strained in this book.

One might think a short history is the way to go; however, this felt like a giant salad of names. There was little context to help place people and situations in a narrative. In this case, it would be wiser to read a more complete version.

An over the top premise with over the top characters. There were good bits but it was all just a bit too much. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC. The characters acted in such thoughtless, rude, disrespectful, and downright mean ways at times that I just had a hard time cheering for them.

The parts about his cat were engaging. The digressions into the history of cats and the names given to them were rather boring.