I wish that this #ScottishBook had won the vote for last month‘s #bookclub meeting! Set during WWII, Ellis & Maddie are a married couple more intent on fun than the war effort. Their drunken frivolities get them banned from the family & so with flat-footed Hank, they make their way from New England the Loch Ness in the midst of the war! This proves eye-opening for Maddie who finds that Scotland helps her see the truth about herself & her marriage.

Nash certainly commits to the perspective here. Our narrator lives in an assisted living facility & is forgetting many things— names, words & her own past, but she is also certain that all is not right there when her friend and Scrabble opponent is found dead in the parking lot. The narrator‘s struggles with words is consistent but slows the pacing—& I really didn‘t find the humor at all that others seem to have enjoyed… it was sad & frustrating.

The Wakefield twins barely make an appearance here— the main focus is Larissa from the drama club. Used to winging everything, her minimal effort crushes her acting dreams when her GPA isn‘t high enough for her to secure the role of Maria in West Side Story. She finally agrees to let Anna help her. Meanwhile, Sal realizes he needs boy friends but he‘s terrible at basketball & video games. Instead, he, Damon, Blue & Brian form a band—Big Noise!

What a fun debut novel! Had life not intervened, this would‘ve been a #SingleSittingRead for sure! Sophie‘s Sweet Sixteen party in a small TX town is memorable for everyone involved. With multiple narrators-Sophia‘s stepmother, Dani, her mother, Kim & BFF Mikayla & Orlaith, her half-sister‘s nanny—the party & its aftermath makes for a riveting read with fast pacing, plenty of lies, secrets & a sinister dollhouse like home. Lots of drama & tension!

There‘s a lot crammed into this book— missing persons, a potential serial killer, some strange happenings in the Oregon woods… Erin travels to the town her older brother was last seen, desperate for a clue to his fate. It reminded me a little of Mira Grant‘s OVERGROWTH and the TV show THE LAST OF US, but blended into something original with constant action & a fast pace. The audio has uneven transitions though so I wish I had physically read it!

Love is in the air at #SVJH but it‘s not all smooth sailing! Jessica is frustrated that Damon remains a closed off mystery— & starts thinking that he has a crush on the English teacher who has encouraged him to join the committee for a new literary magazine, Our Voices. Her new science lab partner clearly likes Jessica, but she only has eyes for Damon. Meanwhile player Richard Griggs may have met his match in nasty cool girl Lacey Frells!

A missing sister, a seaside cult—complete with its own lioness—& a 1930s setting gave this one a lot of initial promise but it ended up falling a bit flat. May‘s more traditional & passive behavior made her hard to connect with at times. Even the climax felt unsatisfying (& legally questionable) & while the ghostly, supernatural elements added to the historic flair, the predictable romance was disappointing. A great hook but floundered in the end.

In the 31st installment of the wonderful #AndyCarpenterSeries, Rosenfelt takes us all the way back to the beginning! In this prequel, we get to experience Andy‘s meeting Tara (the golden really is ageless— no puppy antics, disappointingly!), as well as Laurie & his first meal at Charlie‘s! Not to mention his first time defending an accused murderer! So much fun that it makes me want to binge re-reading the whole rest of the series! Funny & fun!

The carnival Kristin has been planning for the last three books finally arrives— along with Lacey‘s first period! She winds up being friends with Bethel, who helps her without betraying her secret of Aunt Flo‘s late arrival. And laidback dude Blue starts to act more seriously about school when his drooping grades lands him and his legal guardian brother a surprise visit from a new social worker. He also starts having more of a crush on Liz!

Jewell‘s latest is impossible to put down as the tension mounts! While the plot may not be unpredictable, it‘s nevertheless quite compelling with a villain at its heart that is almost fun to loathe. As more and more truths emerge, and things get darker, the pages really fly by! I couldn‘t tear myself away! Probably better to go in without knowing much at all to maximize your enjoyment! Already can‘t wait to see what she will write next!

Chrissy‘s determined to make her Internet ghost hunting show a success, but it‘s off to a slow start. She‘s certain that their first tip to investigate the IL haunting of the closed Merlin High School could be the break her team needs! In a Homecoming Dance Fire, 67 people died & in their investigation, she finds closer connections than expected. Creepy scenes, but the coincidences are too predictable & I hoped for eerie effects with the audio.

Another Lacey-centric book… this time her fashion photographer mom, Sonia, comes to town. Sonia may not be reliable, but she shares cigarettes with her 13 year old daughter & then offers to take her back to NYC with her… until a better job in Paris comes along. Too bad we almost got rid of her! Meanwhile, Liz finds her #TeamSweetValley volleyball skills & joins—meeting cute surfer Blue, who may be a little too laidback for Liz‘s organized ways!

This makes for a quick & fun listen! It reminds me of Brom‘s EVIL IN ME, Grady Hendrix‘s WE SOLD OUR SOULS & Taylor Jenkins Reid‘s DAISY JONES & THE SIX all stirred in with a late ‘90s punk rock focus & more Antichrist than regular demon. Lily loves music & just wants to make music with her talented boyfriend, Drake. But soon after their band‘s first performance, it‘s clear that their music has unusual effects on the audience. Engaging & fun!

Initially, I really enjoyed the blend spookiness with history & fantasy with an emphasis on Wyoming & its wildlife. Every 100 years, the Mother Canyon rises up with strange & violent happenings. Greta has joined some old acquaintances on a ten sleep trip to move cattle but from the start she sees things that aren‘t quite right…but Greta‘s moping for her ex really grated on my nerves after a while. So much attention for a character not in the book!

Anna‘s new interest in the drama club makes waves with her old friends— especially jealous Salvador. She starts missing Zone meetings (the ‘zine moves to the Internet!), wearing makeup & even dyes her hair bright red! When she tries to blend friend groups, it isn‘t a success. Meanwhile, Kristin‘s ex-model mom acts strangely jealous of Kristin spending time with the faculty advisor to the student government. Sadly, barely any Wakefield twins here!

Harkup delves into 14 more poisons used by the Queen of Mystery in her plays, short stories & novels. With a fascinating introduction that begs to be shared (I wound up reading pretty much the whole chapter aloud to my dad!), each individual chapter breaks down the highlighted poison with its use by Christie, its history, chemical makeup, real-life cases & antidote/appropriate medical treatment then & now. An informative & interesting read!

Recently separated from her husband & estranged from her best friend, journalist Rose nonetheless gets dragged into tracking down her missing ex-friend. Last seen in a small NC town, Eve is uncharacteristically out of touch with her younger sister & Rose heads there to see what she can uncover. Fast-paced, but the narrator for Eve‘s journal entries distractingly sounds like a computer… though the other performer is great! A quick listen!

Liz starts officially dating Richard Griggs here—& Salvador knows he just sounds jealous but is really concerned after overhearing locker room talk. Liz won‘t take his warning of Richard‘s player ways so he winds up an unlikely team with Jessica. The pair even dabble in some fake dating! Liz eventually sees the light all on her own— not without heartache. Meanwhile Lacey cons a copycat 7th grader into taking on her babysitting responsibilities!

Welp, this won the vote on my Scottish selections for my longest running book club—& it‘s most definitely the most sexually explicit book the club has ever read together in its over 15 years of existence! From the cutesy cover & shapeshifting plot, I didn‘t expect this enemies-to-lovers romance to be quite so graphic (he can‘t control turning into Nessie by night, but manages to turn some specific body parts into something more monstrous!😳).

I had such fun with the Mrs. Parrish books, that I was excited to dive into this latest from the authors! Told in multiple perspectives & timelines, this fast-paced read has me hooked from the very start! Annabelle‘s life looks perfect from the outside, but when she starts having dreams that come true, it reveals the cracks in her marriage & secrets within the family come to light! Some twists are easier to see coming, but I couldn‘t put it down!

8th grade boyfriend/girlfriend drama dominates this installment! Finally officially dating, Jessica turns to a magazine for help to be a perfect girlfriend as Damon listens to Brian to keep his “aloof, cool guy” vibe instead of telling Jessica that he‘s distracted by his mom‘s new boyfriend. Brian tries to be more romantic by lavishing Kristin with gifts & compliments while Anna finds a whole new interest with the drama club.

I listened to Armstrong‘s foray into writerly romance novels in the wrong order— this one actually came out last year, but after loving WRITING MR. WRONG, I couldn‘t resist using an Audible credit! Daphne submits her zombie YA novel under a male pseudonym & is shocked when her wildest dreams come true for her writing but she needs to hire an actor to be the face of Zane Remington. And Chris, though not actually an actor, steps in & sparks fly!

A sister missing for 20 years, a stalker & a Maine setting all had me excited for this one. It did hold my interest, but fell a bit flat for me. Shaw‘s younger sister headed out to a party while grounded & was never seen again. This tragedy defined the family‘s life as it threatens to destroy the family Shaw‘s made. Her bad choices & demeanor lose sympathy. But the slow pace, stiff dialogue & excessively long sentences (70 words!) made this drag.

Standardized tests lead to 6 #SVJH students selected to academically compete for a weekend in Sacramento. Liz wins for English (nerdy Ronald for math, surprise winner Salvador for science, Bethel for Spanish, and newcomers Richard for history & Bernadette for geography). What seems like an opportunity for romance for Liz and Sal, doesn‘t go as planned & sparks fly in an unexpected direction instead. Nice to see Todd keeps his Best Kiss crown!

I must admit, I really couldn‘t put this down— the premise of an English professor receiving chapters detailing her own biggest secret certainly hooked me in from the very start! Unfortunately, Elizabeth makes terrible choices throughout which makes her unsympathetic. Plot-wise, the twists revealed certainly come as a surprise but they feel unjustified & manipulative just to shock. For that, this would be fun to discuss but it left me unsatisfied.

Armstrong‘s one of my favorite writers & I love how versatile (& hard-working—multiple books out per year is appreciated!) & talented she is! Listening to this #romcom was a ton of fun! Divorced after a year, Gemma‘s life is finally great—her first novel is published & she agrees to go on a morning show, she‘s horrified that the former classmate recognized the inspiration for her hero—another former classmate & now hockey star. Has Mason changed?

Bethel‘s frustrated that everyone around her is coupled up! She doesn‘t want a boyfriend— though she can‘t help but admire a fellow runner‘s, Jameel‘s, form. When she starts getting notes & poems in her locker, she at first blows up at Jessica for stirring things up. For once, Jessica‘s innocent but she helps Bethel train for a race against Jameel— if Jameel wins, they‘ll go to the beach bash together. Meanwhile Salvador‘s parents come to town.

Though this vampire story unfolds a bit slowly, the latter half flew by & I read late into the night (fitting for a vampire story). I enjoyed the varied settings but didn‘t really connect with any of the three narrators. I liked Schwab‘s spin on vampire lore, but I have to admit that at times this really felt like an all female re-imagining of INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE which was a bit disappointing. The ending, while appropriate, was a let down.

I absolutely loved this one— my first experience with the author! Lucy‘s looking for an escape from Dallas in the wake of a school scandal with her oldest son. In Berlin, Greta discovers her husband spontaneously (& uncharacteristically) changed his sabbatical location from NYC to TX, so rather tipsily agrees to a house swap with Lucy. This family drama had me laughing throughout—hooked from the very first page! It‘s so much fun! Great characters!

I absolutely loved this one— my first experience with the author! Lucy‘s looking for an escape from Dallas in the wake of a school scandal with her oldest son. In Berlin, Greta discovers her husband spontaneously (& uncharacteristically) changed his sabbatical location from NYC to TX, so rather tipsily agrees to a house swap with Lucy. This family drama had me laughing throughout—hooked from the very first page! It‘s so much fun! Great characters!

Another one focusing on my least favorite of the new characters— Lacey Frells. When her stepmother announces she‘s pregnant again, Lacey spirals into her typical bad behavior— shoplifting, smoking & sniping at her best friend, Kristin. Kristin is excited about her new relationship & Jessica‘s equally excited to go on a date with Damon. Unfortunately, his dentist appointment means they can‘t really talk, but she‘s still happy—even when babysitting!

I‘m a bit behind on the #HitchBookToScreen but I‘m glad to have listened to this one! I enjoyed the eerie atmosphere building & found this book written in 1938 to still feel current and rather timeless in a way. The audio performance is excellent, too! As the second Mrs. de Winter navigates her change in station from orphaned lady‘s companion to lady of the manor, the shadow of the titular Rebecca is felt everywhere. A discussion starter for sure!

Opening with a grisly murder scene, this whodunnit captures the entire small town of Fleetcombe, bringing a variety of characters to life as secrets come to life in the wake of the death. I appreciated the historic ties & the way the plot keeps you guessing, but the ultimate revelations relied more on telling than showing & the motive felt rather thin. Steadily paced — if a bit on the slower side— I just didn‘t love this one as much as I expected!

When Jessica‘s Homecoming poster is misconstrued as a plea to literally kill dolphins, she ends up instead of serving detention, but the head of planning the dance itself! Unfortunately, the committee she appoints—track friend Bethel, popular Kristin, Brian, locker buddy Ronald & her crush, Damon—can‘t get along! Jessica‘s ready to quit when Elizabeth accepts a quick Spectator interview as Jess. She winds up switching with her to get the job done!

Sten‘s latest thriller, across two timelines, is a gripping read! In 2012, the Nacka Four went missing from their annual trip to party on a remote island. Now, a decade later, Tessa really only agrees to go to the titular party for an old friend because she suspects that Isle Blind is where the women‘s last moments took place. Desperate to turn her career around as a true crime podcaster, Tessa may get annoying but the plot‘s full of surprises!

This marks a variation from Henry‘s rom-coms; I absolutely couldn‘t put it down! I stayed up late to basically finish it in one sitting! Journalist Alice Scott tracks down Margaret Ives who vanished from the public eye 2 decades earlier. She thinks she has snagged the dream job of writing her biography… but instead it turns into an audition up against a Pulitzer Prize winning biographer, Hayden Anderson. With historical drama & lively characters!

Back to Jessica & her group of friends, Jessica‘s still crushing on Damon—but her nerdy locker buddy Ronald Rheece is crushing on her! Determined to avoid him, she can‘t help but actually have fun when the Rheeces & Wakefields force them to have a sleepover. Meanwhile class president elections put Jessica in a hard place between track buddy Bethel & popular Kristin when they vie for the role. Jessica accidentally spills a secret but fixes it!

This would be a fun one to talk about so I can see why it‘s a #BOTM add-on! It opens on TV actress Lana Lord‘s 30th & though she has everything she ever dreamed of back when she was Florida‘s Meg Bryan, she starts to think about the what-if her life—& her best friend Aimee‘s— might look like had she gone to the Irish liberal arts college she dreamed of. She impulsively gets on a flight…when she arrives, the town already knows her as Meg, not Lana!

Happy Publication Day!! While this isn‘t my favorite of Cosby‘s novels, I think this latest is the most epic & cinematic feeling, even if it mostly takes place over just a few weeks. With his father in the hospital, financial advisor Roman returns to Jefferson Run, VA. He‘s prepared to help siblings Neveah & Dante in literally any way as violence, secrets & lies crash through the entire novel. A compelling, well-performed & well-written listen!

The Anna/Salvador/Elizabeth love triangle again is at the forefront— especially since after Salvador kisses Anna, she assumes they are dating. But things get awkward fast after a disastrous movie date & now Anna‘s mother has moved to hovering from ignoring her while grieving. Liz is hurt but doesn‘t want Anna to be more upset. But when the secret of her missing Salvador too comes out, Anna‘s devastated until a cemetery epiphany sets her straight!

The most recent book in the #RaisaSusantoSeries focuses back on Raisa and her sisters. Raisa receives a hand delivered note that promises that, as the title suggests, by the time she reads it, her oldest sister will be dead. She and Kilkenny dive into investigating her sister‘s last days while her other sister seeks answers of her own. I‘m not really sure where the series can go from here as far as personal connections to cases go!

This second book in the #RaisaSusantoSeries picks up only a few months after the first book ends. At the trial, a revelation cleverly masterminded from behind bars, emerges— and this time the past focus revolves around forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny. His wife, Shay, was murdered a decade ago— attributed to the serial killer case he worked on. But the Alphabet Man may not have actually been the killer, as Raisa & Callum investigate together!

I enjoyed this start to the #RaisaSusantoSeries— definitely a fun #KindleUnlimited find! Plus, I love when I can binge listen to a series (this one has 3 out now!). Raisa, a linguistics expert for the FBI, is brought into what looks like a copycat killing of a murder suicide that happened 25 years before in Everly, WA. From a linguistics standpoint, that case is oft discussed & this research really adds to it as the new murders brings up the past.

Finally, two books after Elizabeth & Salvador‘s kiss, we return more fully to this budding love triangle! Anna feels left out alone as the anniversary of her older brother‘s death approaches. After another kiss (& friendly Brian finding out), they know they have to tell Anna. But Liz chickens out in the face of Anna‘s grief— and Salvador winds up kissing Anna as well! When Anna calls to obliviously have girl talk about it with Liz, she‘s furious!

Capturing the 1990s & the early days of the Internet, this makes for a riveting read! Jane & her father live off the grid in an isolated cabin in Montana. But now 17, Jane feels lonelier than ever— especially when her dad leaves her alone to go on his mysterious errands. When her father brings home a computer & a book on HTML, it changes their lives forever. Disturbing answers emerge & hard truths as Jane learns about herself & the wider world.

What a debut! The unusual structure (three sliding door lifetimes based on a name— in 7 year increments) works so well to make this such a pageturner! I loved seeing the overlaps of this innovative structure play out— and this could have easily been a one-sitting read if life hadn‘t intervened! Definitely a discussion-starter and a memorable read! I may have some thoughts about the ending, but would hate to spoil it! Begs to be discussed!

Too-cool-for-school Lacey Frells is the focus here. When her high school boyfriend, Gel, dumps her for another girl, she‘s determined to get him back by making him jealous. And when she overhears about Jessica‘s crush on Damon Ross, it‘s like two birds with one stone as she sets her sights on the private but handsome 8th grader. When Jessica “accidentally” follows him home, she learns why he never hangs out— he rushes to his trailer to babysit.

Whew— I couldn‘t put this one down!! The premise hooked me from the very start! Olivia, a ghostwriter out of work for a year after calling out a misogynistic fellow ghostwriter, can‘t refuse the offer her estranged father makes for her to act as his ghostwriter after his Lewy body dementia diagnosis. But the famous horror writer doesn‘t want her to finish his last novel, but instead to tell the story of the 1975 murders of his siblings! Gripping!

Hoping for a fresh start, Emily & Freddie move from the city to the English moors. But Larkin Lodge isn‘t a welcoming house… it‘s not long before they‘re bickering over the thermostat, open windows & odd smells. The house isn‘t the only one with past secrets weighing heavily on the present. An original twist on a traditional haunted house story, I found every reason to keep listening! Great performance & I loved the raven interludes! Really fun!

Still grounded post-party, the Wakefield twins play only minor roles here. The real focus is on Kristin and Brian. In the party chaos, Kristin gets covered in punch. Brian‘s older brother & his friend Mike take her home— but her look inspires Mike to invite her to a wrestling team initiation dinner as one of the “dog girls” who will be served Alpo! Divided loyalties plague Brian, who tries to do the right thing— but Kristin rescues herself first!