Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

  Arrivals and Departures swept me away to the beautiful country of Greece.  However it is not what I would consider a beach read.  It was part mystery, and part family drama.  It absolutely captured my attention and I finished it in two days.   The novel follows the Perkins Family.  The main character was Lee.  She is a famous reality star, who has suffered a breakdown, and is trying to recover when she finds out that her sister, Reagan, has gone missing.  Reagan is a single mother in Athens, Greece, with two teenage daughters.  The daughters fear that their mother is caught up in a scam.  Lee is happy to save the day but finds that she still has her own demons to fight.   This novel was fast paced and I never grew bored.  I enjoyed learning about all of the Perkins family members and their particular quirks.  The novel was thought provoking and addressed many issues.  It definitely was not a light read but...

 These poems were a love song to nature.  I loved how the author sees the world and how reading these poems has given me a new appreciation for what I see.  There were some dark poems but there were a lot of uplifting ones as well.  I am not a big poetry reader but I enjoyed this collection.  I was grateful for the Author's Note at the beginning as it helped me to understand the place where she was coming from and her inspiration. I definitely recommend this poetry book to anyone who loves nature or just looking for a quick read to get you thinking.  Thank you to Dial Press Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

  Rewrite the Stars is a romance that any mother can relate to!   Marissa is a single mother who is trying to balance her kids, a famous ex-husband, and finding her spark in life.  She was a famous actress before her kids were born but took time off to be a full time mother and has not gone back to work because her son is autistic and requires extra stability and routine.  After her grandmother's death, she is left a cabin in the Poconos that she used to visit as a kid.  She decides to take her kids there to escape the Hollywood drama. While there she begins to find a chance at a comeback for herself.   I thought this was a great romance.  I loved the Hollywood connection and the fact that Marissa showed just how tough it is to be a mother but to also have a career.  It was incredibly relatable.  I liked that the novel showed the point of view of Marissa and Jesse.  I always find that this works best in a romance because I love...

  I'm always a fan of a time loop novel.  This one was a little different because there were multiple people trapped in the loop.  The story is told from the point of view of Didion, the oldest sister.  She and her younger sister Sammie go to Mercy Island to lay to rest their mother.  Didion's old boyfriend and another friend also go to the house for the weekend.  Only Saturday is on repeat.  They can't get to Sunday.  The reader gets flashbacks to their past and the trials and tribulations the friends went through that led to them all drifting apart.   The novel had a lot to unpack.  Their relationships were complicated but ultimately no character really stuck out to me as one I was really rooting for.  There were times where the story was a little slow and I lost interest.  I love magical realism novels but this one struggled to keep my interest.  I really enjoyed the premise and I thought it ended well but this was...

 This was a fun romance that gave me a new appreciation for the weather.  Quincy has a PhD and runs her own YouTube channel where she explains all things weather.  She has over a million followers but still has an uphill battle because she is a woman in STEM.  Sebastian is a weather man on TV in New York, but he returns home for the summer to Florida because he is looking for a change.  He and Quincy go way back.  They have a love hate relationship.  As the summer weather heats up so does their dynamic.  I really enjoyed this romance and I learned some new facts about hurricanes. I thought the author did a fantastic job blending the science and what Quincy has to face on a daily basis.  There was definitely spice in this novel but it was not too over the top.  The dynamic between Quincy and Sebastian was perfect and felt natural. Overall, this is a great addition to any romance reader's 2026 line up.  Thank you to Atria Books and Ne...

  This was a heartbreaking novel that follows the life of a thirteen year old girl in Brazil.  The subject matter is more for adults though than young teenage girls.  Dolores is an identical twin but her sister, Mita, is disabled and suffers from seizures.   Mita is sent away to England as she gets physically worse.  This story tells about Dolores's struggles living in Rio and coming to accept what has happened to Mita.   I'll be honest that at times this story was depressing.  It was very well written and I felt for Dolores and her struggles.  She led a difficult life and she went through so many things that a thirteen year old girl should not have to deal with from illiteracy to inappropriate men. Plus she had to come to terms with being separated from her sister.  I did enjoy learning more about Rio in the early 1970s.  Her family's lifestyle and the political climate was interesting to learn about.  I also enjoyed some...

 I will never look at my Roomba the same way again!   This novel set in the near future follows the lives of appliances in the home of Harold and Edie.  The appliances are sentient and can also talk.  They are all connected to an interface (a watch on Harold) that connects them to the Grid.  The Grid controls everything from cars driving, supplies being delivered, people's jobs, and moving people into new homes.  Scout, a Roomba, is our main character.  As she sees Edie getting sick she tries to work out what is happening.  Through her ingenuity she works to try and keep the household running smoothly after tragedy strikes and the household is in danger from the Grid.   This was such a unique and inspiring novel.  I love the fact that the main character is a small vacuum cleaner.  Futuristic novels are always thought provoking and this novel was the same.  It really makes you think about if a world that is cleaner and...

  This was a super cute, super fun romance novel!  Duffy is a huge football fan and gets a bad rap when she takes out her favorite football team's mascot.  It turns out that the mascot was at fault and now to do damage control, Conner, the football team's rising star takes Duffy out on a date to improve their PR.  Sparks fly between Duffy and Conner even though both have an alternative motive for dating.  Their story will put a smile on your face and make you believe in the power of love.  This was such an enjoyable romance.  Duffy and Conner were the type of characters that I wish were real people.  I also loved that they were both cat people.  There were laugh out loud moments but also heart warming ones as well. This was a sweet story that anyone would enjoy especially if you are a fan of football and cats.  Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.  All opinions are my own. 

 3.5 Stars- Would you let yourself be experimented on if you had some psychic ability?  This thriller was set in two different time periods and explored the lives of 4 women in the 1960s.  They allowed themselves to be experimented on for the sake of others and it results in devastating consequences.  In the present day, Riley takes a job caring for one of the women who was experimented on.  She begins to uncover the fallout of those experiments as a new mystery unfolds.   This was a dark thriller that at times had me wanting to shout at the characters in the 1960s to just walk away and never look back.  What they went through was disturbing.  I enjoyed the present day much more and was hoping for a happy ending for all involved.  The book was fast paced and I had no problem finishing it.  I was just frustrated at times with what the characters were going through.  I also hated how women were treated although I know this is con...