6 years earlier, Jen‘s forest ranger father disappeared into the woods. Jen held out hope that he was still alive, somehow, but a call summons her home to her emotionally distant mother & her father‘s remains. Determined to learn the truth, Jen convinces old—& new— friends to follow her father‘s footsteps. Never scary, there is a lot of violence & a predictable plot. The abrupt ending didn‘t feel like a satisfying conclusion. Unlikable characters!

I really enjoyed Gailey‘s JUST LIKE HOME, so I was excited to dive into this one on audio. It‘s a great performance but, unfortunately, this was just too sexually strange for me. Kinsey‘s unnatural fetish overwhelms the plot (which moves along quickly) & while sometimes body horror can be fun, this just isn‘t the fun or chilling listen that I wanted. I was curious to see how it would end, so I finished it but without the narrator, I wouldn‘t have!

At the party to celebrate Liz‘s return from being kidnapped, Nicholas Morrow immediately falls in love with her. Jessica, harboring her own crush on Nicholas, seeks out computer nerd Randy Mason to learn more about computers (the Morrow family business). Liz doesn‘t want to hurt anyone‘s feelings, so she agrees to give Nicholas a chance & go on a date with him while Todd celebrates with his family. She gets caught & Nicholas smooths things over!

I can‘t believe it‘s been 5 years since I read— & loved!— Harrison‘s debut novel! I absolutely couldn‘t put this latest one down! It‘s a story of sisters, family, grief, & a dash of love all around a haunted house & some genuinely spooky parts! Clio, the youngest of 3 sisters, undertakes renovating the house they blame for destroying their family—but with a book within a book, & her own memories, she starts to find the truth. Funny & chilling!

While this certainly captured my attention throughout (and knocked #OK off my #ReadTheUSChallenge), I had a hard time connecting with the main narrator, Steph. She has a hard time reconciling love with her own ambition to become the first Cherokee female astronaut. The book largely revolves around her relationships which ultimately disappointed me. Steph‘s selfish, reckless & careless behavior makes her more frustrating than fun to read about!

This is one of my favorites of the series! 25 year old hospital orderly, Carl, falls desperately in love with Elizabeth while she works as a candy striper because Liz, being her saintly self, smiles & is polite to him. He kidnaps her from the parking lot & takes her to his hovel. Jessica once again can‘t wait for her sister to start partying at the Morrows‘ welcome party. Todd sounds the alarm, Max Dellon‘s arrested & twin magic saves the day!

I can‘t believe how long this one has been sitting in my TBR! This father/son collaboration certainly feels smooth— though, other than the departure from a ME setting (we are in small town Appalachia instead)— I don‘t think this feels out of Stephen King‘s usual books. A sudden “Aurora event” sends women into strange cocoons upon falling asleep, sending the world into chaos. Focusing on a small town & women‘s prison, the battle for survival plays.

I really enjoyed McCoy‘s latest! Full of old Hollywood glamour & nostalgia, with a ‘90s interview frame, the titular Lori Lovely‘s career— her quick rise to stardom & her abrupt departure to join a nunnery— is all recounted here. While some parts may feel familiar & expected, I still couldn‘t tear myself away from this one! The dual perspectives work well, though I wanted Marie‘s POV too. Plus, it‘s nice to share a favorite Aunt Laurie!

Ahh, another of the more memorable installments! Steven‘s girlfriend, Tricia Martin has the same kind of leukemia that killed her mother. To spare Steven pain, she pushes him away & Jessica leaps at the chance to fix Steven up with her bestie, Cara Walker. Jessica learns talk show host Jeremy Frank is in the hospital; she convinces Liz to join her in being candy stripers. Liz learns Tricia‘s secret & after much agonizing, tells Steven the truth.

This snappy debut moves quickly— spanning more years than I expected given its less than 300 page count. Percy meets Joey & Zoe (who like Bowie) in her sophomore year of college & her relationship with the couple—both together & apart forever changes her life. Plenty of will-they/won‘t-they tension, musical banter & strong nostalgia that got songs stuck in my head without more than a track title, this is fun, but a bit too brief! I wanted more!

With an unusual premise— 20 years earlier, something strange happened to the 8 houses on Velkwood St— only three 20 year olds survived and the rest seem to have instantly become ghosts & no one can enter the vicinity… except for the three now women. Talitha agrees to return for research… and because the past weighs heavily on her. Part ghost story & part love story, there are some creepy moments but nothing was believable enough to be scary…

This marks the first #SVHSpringBreak & Ned‘s old college roommate‘s daughter, Suzanne Devlin, come to #SweetValley & Jessica connives her way to NYC instead of Liz, who wins the coin toss. Liz admits she‘d rather stay anyways & at first, Suzanne seems lovely— always helping & having all the boys flirt with her… but she sets her sights on Mr. Collins & when he rebuffs her, Suzanne‘s real attitude comes out & she tries to get him fired in a bad way!

I just loved this!! Definitely one of my #Top2025Reads! Told in multiple perspectives across not even 25 years, this tale of a larger than life young man is impressively written, with heartbreaking & beautiful moments. I loved seeing the impact of Gabriel‘s life through the eyes of the vet who delivered him & became a father-figure, his devoted Amish grandmother, the town businessman & his high school coach. Rindo made me even care about sports!

My book club was just reminiscing over past books to film adaptations and Chocolat came up, so I enjoyed this prequel, performed beautifully by the author on audio. I never imagined Vianne in America, so knowing more about her years there, her complicated relationship with her mother & learning the magic of cooking & chocolatl, makes for an entertaining & emotional listen. I think my book club would enjoy discussing this one, too!

The #SVH cheerleading squad has two openings & while Jessica‘s certain Cara Walker will get her spot back (she & Lila were kicked off by turning the sprinklers on the Palisades High cheerleaders), she‘s equally determined that “Easy” Annie Whitman will not make the cut— even if her tryouts are the best! Liz has been tutoring the sophomore who seems clueless to the chatter about her dating life (she innocently brags about two dates in one night!)⬇️

I‘m a big fan of Hendrix & his latest, set in 1970 At a Florida home for unwed mothers is far scarier in the treatment the girls receive than the supernatural dealings. Fast-paced & hard to put down, I thought all of the characters really came to life. Well-researched & a book where I was never sure what would happen next, I appreciated the historic detail & it made me glad to have a couple more of his books still on my TBR to catch up on!

Happy Publication Day! The four elements of the novel— four characters loosely connected, covers decades and centers around different angles of sexual abuse. It‘s a dark story, but one that is not without hope & healing. Boyne brings all of the characters to life— even those at the darkest points. It‘s a compelling listen that is well-performed across all of the narrators. I never knew quite where it would go but I was hooked from the beginning!

The Barton Ames Memorial Mile Race has a grand prize of a Sweet Valley College & Bruce Patman brags that he will win, not caring about the prize. Liz knows Roger Barrett‘s secret life as a janitor to support his sick mother & alcoholic father, so she encourages him to run, but it‘s only his one-sided crush on Lila who convinces him. Meanwhile, Olivia Davidson is in love with Roger who finally realizes Lila is too shallow, but he breaks the record!

Again, I couldn‘t put Jimenez‘s writing down! Focusing on Briana‘s brother‘s bestie, Justin & his curse-breaking romance with traveling nurse, Emma, I did figure out the main “surprise” from the start, so I wish that had been revealed earlier on, to give more of an opportunity for all of these characters to be together! But I loved the relationship here— from sickbed doting scenes & fun flirting banter, to dealing with some real issues as well!

Initially, I was a bit disappointed this won BOTY— mostly because I really wanted The Wishing Game to win, but after listening to Part Of Your World, I was so excited to be able to dive right into this one. Alexis & Daniel make little more than cameos here, the real focus is on Brianna and Jacob. Both ER doctors, this one goes from enemies to (quite eventual) lovers— with the added fun of fake dating! Couldn‘t put it down & just loved it!

Though the title (plus the MC‘s red hair) made me think this would be a little more overtly Little Mermaid-inspired, I was in no way disappointed by my first experience with Jimenez‘s writing! I loved this love story that has its own enchanting magic between Dr. Alexis & the man she meets by chance in such a charming small MN town! Great characters, & a fantastic audio performance had me listening at every opportunity! So excited for the sequel!

The drama club puts on Splendor In The Grass; Jessica stars opposite Bill Chase, using his crush on her to get him to do her bidding. She notices DeeDee Gordon‘s crush on Bill & intervenes. Bill continues giving DeeDee surfing lessons. DeeDee‘s father, a Hollywood agent, watches a rehearsal & says that he spied screenworthy talent. Certain it‘s her, Jessica magnanimously steps aside for DeeDee & Bill— until the screentest turns out to be for Bill!

Willingham‘s writing is consistently engaging & entertaining— this latest one is no exception! Claire returns to SC, thinking of her older sister who disappeared 22 years earlier. When looking through photos, she ends up following her sister‘s last summer plan & getting a job at the winery where she last worked. The discovery of Marcia‘s journal from the 1980s reveals secrets lurking beneath the surface. The dual timelines are great— a pageturner!

Set in the 1960s in a small VT town, this mystery introduces a fairly large cast & two main investigators. Franklin Warren has left the city to take a role with the state police & his neighbor, Alice Bellows, misses the excitement of her war work & gets involved in clearing the name of clerk accused of stealing. I liked the setting more than the characters & didn‘t find the ending to be very satisfying. I am curious where the series will go next.

This is one of my favorites! Liz is in a coma! Jessica won‘t leave her side & when Liz wakes up, she starts acting more Jessica than Jessica— flirty, skipping out on chores & getting new sexier clothing & avoiding Todd. At Lila‘s party, she drinks with Bruce & then sticks Jess with babysitting the Percy twins while going to Bruce‘s beach house! A second head injury (after more wine with Bruce who is a real creeper here), restores her personality!

I‘m really enjoying the #LeoAskerSeries! This follow-up, newly translated, picks up right after THE MOUNTAIN KING. Leo‘s father, after more than a decade of silence, reaches out for help after a corpse from 2006 is uncovered near his prepper compound, The Farm. Meanwhile, Martin‘s contacted by the Irving family to write a book about their legacy—but a string of dead bodies, urban legends about UFOs & hidden tunnels make this an exciting recovery!

With multiple perspectives, dual timelines & some multimedia add-ins like journal entries, & online forum chats, this makes for a quick listen. Identical triplets Rosie, Bettie & Cassie are looking at making a tough decision to place the father that raised them in a care home. The discovery of their mother‘s journal to them— a survival guide, raises questions & leads them across the ocean for answers. An engaging listen though not her best book!

Todd‘s traded his Datsun in for a Yamaha 750 Virago, much to Elizabeth‘s horror. She hasn‘t mustered up the courage to confess that after her cousin Rexy Wakefield‘s death, none of them are allowed on one. Liz finds herself getting weirdly jealous any time another girl is on the back of the bike & Todd tries to talk Ned & Alice into it, but fails. In the first #SVH twin intuition instance, Jess realizes while at Miller‘s Point that Liz needs her!

Set in a small Mississippi town in 2000, this family drama includes a brief history of the Seven Seals church, sermon notes, & multiple perspectives— mainly of the First Lady of the church, Priscilla, & Diamond, the teenager wildly in love with the youngest son of Priscilla & the reverend, “Wonderboy.” Unfortunately, outside of the football field & classroom, he‘s anything but wonderful. Slowly his dark actions uproot his whole family. A lot here!

Set in 1980, Alice‘s life is entirely within the walls of her home. Mute, though she can speak through ASL & writing, her parents seem more like jailers. Now in her early 20s, Alice suspects that her traveling salesman father harbors the darkest of secrets. When a new neighbor moves in next door, Alice‘s world broadens & she eventually endeavors to learn the truth, as horrible as it is. The setting & era worked well, but the ending is sad!

Liz agrees to cover for Jessica‘s sneaking out on a Sunday for her first official date with the older, mustachioed Scott Daniels. Liz is worried that Jess will blow her test for the tour guide license that Monday. Jess at first has fun— flirting & teasing Scott (she yuckily takes being called jailbait a compliment though…) until he starts being more aggressive with her. He‘s too drunk & high to drive, so Jess is stuck out all night! ⬇️

This is my first experience with Richell‘s writing— & she certainly has a gift for a twisty plot that kept me guessing. It opens after a Halloween party in the woods near a private high school, where one girl never makes it home. With multiple perspectives & plenty of suspicious characters, this makes for a quick & engaging read!

In this post-apocalyptic thriller, humanity exists only in fortified settlements to protect from the Feeders— those who were once human but are now more like vampires (if they are lucky) or mindless zombies (if they are less lucky). Solid world building as Layla makes a Crossing to the outside in search of antibiotics. Well-performed audio & genuinely engaging but I wanted a bit more depth to the characters— still a quick & exciting listen!

This is definitely one of the more memorable ones— & it covers more time than is usual. Though the twins only joined the school sorority Pi Beta Alpha in the first book, Jessica is now the president! Chubby Robin Wilson follows Jessica around adoringly & while Jess has no trouble using her to run her errands for her, she‘s horrified at the thought of the girl in the sorority. Liz intervenes & Robin makes it through the difficult pledge trials- ⬇️

I‘m a sucker for any story involving identical twins (obviously!) so this book set in a small Australian beach town reeled me right in. Cassie & Andie have spent the past decade knowing that they are actually from the future & that the titular character is not their birth mother at all. In the days before & after the twins‘ 21st birthday, truths big & small emerge forever changing their lives. Unique & moving, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Though well-performed, this audio re-release after twenty years & the new popularity of SLOW HORSES just wasn‘t for me. Sarah leaps to some wild conclusions after a home in her neighborhood blows up, leaving only a young girl as a survivor. Sarah blows up her own life in trying to find the girl. The abrupt transitions & cast size did make me wish that I physically read this instead though I doubt that would have helped me connect with Sarah.

Jessica‘s long harbored a crush on wealthy & handsome Bruce Patman & she‘s more determined than ever to date him. He flirts with her at Secca Lake (even unties red bikini in front of everyone!), then make out in the bushes until Liz worriedly tracks them down. Jess loses herself with Bruce— from letting him beat her at tennis, changing her fashion sense & even skips cheerleading! When Liz schemes to reveal 1Bruce1 lied to her, Jess dumps him!

The 4th book in the #FrankieElkinSeries harkens back quite a bit to the first with a more urban backdrop— this time Tucson— and deeply invested in the Afghani refugee community there. A friend of a missing young mother contacts Frankie to find a woman who no one seems to be looking for— not even her husband. With new reptile roommates & a fresh cast to provide assistance, this moves quickly but with a lot of background into her target‘s story.

The 3rd in the #FrankieElkinSeries trades the wilds of WY for an even more remote Hawaiian atoll. A death row inmate convinces Frankie to rescue her much younger sister as the perfect undercover person to infiltrate the island. It‘s not long before Frankie finds herself in over her head with secrets, betrayals & much less cuddly animal roommates (a wolf spider & a crab!). Lots of action, twists though there are some thin spots to some of the plan.

Wow—for as much as I didn‘t love the first book in the #FrankieElkinSeries, I sure did love this second one! Impulsively, nomadic citizen finder of missing persons, Frankie joins the search for Tim O‘Day who went into the WY Shoshone National Forest with his groomsmen for a bachelor party weekend & was the only one to not make it out, despite being the most experienced outdoorsman. 5 years later, they‘re hoping the SAR dog Daisy can bring closure.

Gardner‘s long been one of my favorite authors & now that she‘s 4 books deep into the #FrankieElkinSeries, I am excited to binge them! Unfortunately, this is probably my least favorite of her books… Frankie‘s a nomadic alcoholic who for 9 years has traded her addiction to booze for being a citizen detective finding missing persons— specializing in victims of color. Gardner addresses loosely the optics of a white savior complex, but not smoothly.

The Fall Dance is only 2 weeks away & Jessica‘s determined to win as Fall Queen, since it‘s a guarantee that Bruce Patman will be king. Enid‘s boyfriend, Ronnie Edwards, is on the dance committee so Jess can‘t help but share with him a letter she found in Liz‘s bedroom—from Enid‘s ex, George Warren! Enid‘s wild past (as a 13 year old?!) is revealed & Enid blames Liz for blabbing her secrets. For revenge, Liz gets Winston Egbert crowned king!

This #YANovel is set on a Scottish “ghost island” (meaning it‘s not on original maps), & opens with Fraser, his mute brother & newcomer Hayley, being thrust together on a stormy night— that in the morning washes up a dead whale & then a dead body not long after! Though predictable, I enjoyed the magic of the whales enough to overcome some of the mixed messages & unrealistic dialogue & characters. Fun audio performance with a great accent!

Happy Publication Day! I really think Bishop‘s second novel is even better than her first! With multiple perspectives, timelines & a multimedia slant, this makes for a summer thriller that handles big issues, a murder & family drama— as well as the deeper bonds of friendship & family— making it impossible to put down! I loved it! The characters all come to life— as well as the beautiful Cote de Azur setting! A terrific summer read for sure!

My #SweetValleyReRead is getting to the books I‘m the most excited to revisit! My original copy of this book is actually a misprint so this is the first time that I‘ve read pages 90-123 (56-90 are included twice in mine!)! Grounded from driving, Jessica rebels & sneaks out on a date with dropout Rick Andover. She gets caught at the seedy roadhouse bar, Kelly‘s & doesn‘t correct the cop who thinks she‘s Liz! Liz suffers rumors & mopes about Todd.

Chase‘s latest is another solidly entertaining dual timeline/dual perspective story. Siblings Maggie & Kit are especially close—though their small family certainly has more than its share of secrets. In 2019, a phone call from the past has put Maggie in a tailspin, leaving Paris to return to England. Kit, now in antiques, has also been searching through the past & his own fragmented memories of the time when their mother failed to come home.

Jackson‘s adult thriller debut is solidly entertaining with an engaging hook, a tight timeline & a unique angle. At 27, Jet isn‘t as far in life as she expected to be… living back at home with her parents with a catchphrase of doing everything “later”. This arrested development abruptly comes to a change on Halloween when she‘s attacked in their kitchen & given a week to live. So she sets out, with her childhood friend, to solver her own murder!

The end of #SweetValleyJrHigh! The Wakefield family is headed to Utah & the kids are all devastated. Jessica can‘t bear to tell Damon, & when he finds out from overhearing Liz & Blue, he‘s very upset! Their friends decide to throw a going away party but Sal knows he can‘t keep a secret, so he avoids Liz just as their romance is blooming! Both twins feel lonely until the party, where everyone makes up & Ned gives them the good news they‘re staying!

What an impressive debut fantasy novel! Alma‘s deepest connection is with her mother, largely shunned in their town for being born out of wedlock. When her mother falls ill, Alma reaches out for help everywhere even involving the father she never knew. When she is taken as his heir, she finds an even colder welcome. But in the dark magic swirling around them, Alma finds the friend she always dreamt of! Violent, heartbreaking & hopeful, I loved it!

I enjoyed this standalone more than the last couple of Jackson‘s books that I‘ve read! While it shares a disdain for the justice system & a preference for handling things yourself, it has a similar chemistry of partner investigation that I loved about AGGTM. Bel has lived nearly her whole life in the shadow of her mother‘s sudden disappearance but when the family agrees to a documentary, her mother reappears & Bel‘s determined to find the truth!