Fiction
Reckless girls
Rachel Hawkins
FICTION Hawkins Rachel
Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She's also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape. Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don't expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe's sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn't felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace. But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven't been completely honest with Lux about their pasts--and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared. When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive"--
Only and Forever
Chloe Liese
OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Romance
A tender, steamy story about unexpectedly finding love and being brave enough to let it revise life's narrative in the final book in the beloved Bergman Brothers series. Viggo Bergman, hopeless romantic, is thoroughly weary of waiting for his happily ever after. But between opening a romance bookstore, running a romance book club, coaching kids' soccer, and adopting a household of pets-just maybe, he's overcommitted himself?-Viggo's chaotic life has made finding his forever love seem downright improbable. Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer's block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller's romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience-his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn't be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends? As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw coming: happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.
This is Book 7 in the Bergman Brothers series by Chloes Liese, sadly the last in the series. I read them out of order, starting with Book 2, Always Only You. I would call this series a cozy romance: everyone is honest, open-hearted, well-behaved, and many scenes take place in a historic A-frame house in the secluded woods of Washington State. I had been wanting to try out some sports romances, and I was drawn to Always Only You because of its ability-diverse characters. Each book touches on serious themes while not going too deep to break the fantasy of perfect and easy answers. Some love scenes in the series are open door, earning maybe 4 out of 5 red hot chili peppers for steaminess. -Melody
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell
OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Mystery
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her "superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose" (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins. A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie has been listening to Alix's podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life. Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can't quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix's life—and into her home. But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family's lives under mortal threat. Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
This was good...I wasn't even expecting it to be so good! You know, sometimes these mysteries can take on the same flavor after a while, even when certain plot points vary slightly. This is your 'average woman who has it mostly all together crosses paths with the seemingly meek and maybe mousy woman who never got the life she wanted but is ready to make a change' kind of mystery, BUT, with a incredibly highly unreliable narrator (narrators??) and some sinister plot twists thrown in there. It's up-to-date and the characters are well-defined and just introspective enough to make it real without going overboard with detail. Coupled with a stellar narration, this mystery ticks many boxes. -Candice
The road from Belhaven : a novel
Margot Livesey
FICTION Livesey Margot
Fiction, Historical Fiction
"From the New York Times best-selling author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy, a novel about a young woman whose gift of second sight complicates her coming of age in late 19th century Scotland Growing up in the care of her grandparents on Belhaven farm, Lizzie Craig discovers at a young age that she can see into the future. Her gift of sight is selective-she doesn't, for instance, see that she has an older sister who will come to join the family on her beloved farm. But she does see "pictures" that foretell various incidents and accidents and begins to realize a painful truth: she may glimpse the future, but she can seldom change it. Nor can Lizzie change the feelings that come when a young man named Louis, visiting Belhaven for the harvest, begins to court her. Why have the adults around her not revealed that the touch of a hand can change everything? After following Louis to Glasgow, though, she learns the limits of his devotion, and when faced with a seemingly impossible choice, she makes what turns out to be a terrible mistake. But while Lizzie can't change the past, her second sight may allow her a second chance. Luminous and transporting, The Road from Belhaven once again displays "the marvelous control of a writer who conjures equally well the tangible, sensory world . . . and the mysteries, stranger and wilder, that flicker at the border of that world." (The Boston Globe)"--
There is something reminiscent of Dickens, Hardy, and Bronte in this novel, but the sentiments are all modern. Livesey skillfully illustrates how one's desires shift and change. You never truly sure if what you want or what is best--but there are those moments you do. I really enjoyed this book. -Anne M
Mrs. Quinn's rise to fame : a novel
Olivia Ford
FICTION Ford Olivia
Fiction
"After fifty-nine years of marriage, as her husband Bernard's health declines, and her friends' lives become focused on their grandchildren--Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. So she secretly applies to be a contestant on the prime-time TV show Britain Bakes. Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras and timed challenges, Jenny delights in a new-found independence. But that independence, and the stress of the competition, starts to unearth memories buried decades ago...With her baking star rising, Jenny struggles to keep a lid on that first secret--a long-concealed deceit that threatens to shatter the very foundations of her marriage"--
I am really looking forward to reading this! GBBO (Great British Bake Off, or Show in the U.S.) is still a go-to Netflix watch for me. The older bakers are always some of the best contestants on the show, loving cooking for their grandchildren and always having a warm kitchen. There's a slew of spin-offs from GBBO, both in new television series and fiction novels, that I'm eager to see Olivia Ford's take on it next. -Melody
The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch: A Novel
Jacqueline Firkins
OverDrive Audiobook
Romance, Fiction
A beautiful story of friendship, and second chances at loveImogen Finch has just been through her sixteenth breakup. She saw it coming, so she's not as crushed as she might be, but with all sixteen of her exes leaving her for other partners, she's come to believe a prediction her well-intentioned and possibly clairvoyant mother made over twenty years ago: that Imogen would never come first at anything or to anyone.Is her love life failing due to a magical curse? Insufficient effort? Poor timing or personality mismatches? Everyone has opinions on the matter.Imogen's ready to give up altogether. But when Eliot Swift, her secret high school crush, returns to their small coastal town after a decade of nomadic travels, Imogen has new motivation to try again. Eliot's full of encouragement. He suggests that her curse is not only imagined, it's easily breakable. All they need is one win—any win—and she can believe in love—and in herself—again.From trivia games to swimming races to corn-shucking contests, the pair sets out to snag Imogen her first first. But when victory proves more elusive than Eliot anticipated and when his deep-seeded wanderlust compels him to depart for far-away places, Imogen fears she is destined to remain in second place forever.Fortunately for them both, sometimes magic lingers in the most unexpected places. And love is far from predictable.
I picked up this audiobook because I was really attracted to the premise, a clairvoyant mother predicting her daughter will never come in first for anything. I love is when my protagonist is a loser! Just Kidding. Really, tho, so many plots in romantic universes start with a lead who is down on their luck. The novelty of this novel is the lead is perpetually unlucky, but in true romance form, she persists! The double-edged sword of audiobooks is that the narrator's performance can be so realistic and dramatic that the character reads as melodramatic. So it is with this book's male lead, a rich kid with a chip on his shoulder the size of his CEO father. Still, wealthy heirs have feelings, too! I'm about an hour away from completing this book, so fingers crossed he gets a therapist and grows up a little. -Melody
Flux : a novel
Jinwoo Chong
SCIENCE FICTION Chong Jinwoo
Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery
"A blazingly original and stylish debut novel about a young man whose reality unravels when he suspects his mysterious new employers have inadvertently discovered time travel--and are using it to cover up a string of violent crimes..."--Dust jacket flap.
This one was a real page-turner and a quick read to add to your stats before the end of 2023! I loved the way this narrative was organized and probably has something for everyone in it! -Annie
The Square of Sevens
Laura Shepherd-Robinson
OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction
This "intricately plotted, epic" (The Times, London) international bestseller—in the vein of the vivid novels of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry—follows an orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England as she searches for answers about her long-dead mother.Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of the Square of Sevens. Shortly before he dies, her father entrusts Red's care to a gentleman scholar, along with a document containing the secret of the Square of Sevens technique. Raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendor of Bath, Red's fortune telling delights in high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him? The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red's quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads to grave danger. "Intricate, haunting, and magical by turns, Laura Shepherd-Robinson's tale is an absolute immersive read you won't soon forget" (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author).
An engrossing account of a young woman finding her way in 17th century England, from plying her trade of reading tarot on the streets and in fair booths, to seeking out the story of her family in the country homes of Bath and Devon. Red (aka Rachel) is at once an intelligent and curious waif, and a cunning teenager who balks at restraints and finds her own strength, as well as her weaknesses, as she grows up. This is a heroine one can root for at the same time they cringe at some of the choices she has to make, or chooses to make. Expertly read, as ever, by Imogen Wilde, who knows how to nail all the voices and dialects. Aimed at adults, but I think older teens would like this as well. -Candice
Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
OverDrive Audiobook
Diverse Characters, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Dystopian
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK • NATIONAL BESTELLER • Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black • LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE “Like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Adjei-Brenyah’s book presents a dystopian vision so…illuminating that it should permanently shift our understanding of who we are and what we’re capable of doing.” —The Washington Post “This book will change you!...A masterpiece.” —Jenna Bush Hager, The Today Show’s #ReadWithJenna She felt their eyes, all those executioners… Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry. It’s the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom. In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE’s corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar’s path have devastating consequences. Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system’s unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means from a “new and necessary American voice” (Tommy Orange, The New York Times Book Review).
A very informative and gripping dystopian novel that will make you think about the U.S. prison system and how we consume modern-day professional sports. -Annie
Everybody Knows: A Novel
Jordan Harper
OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Mystery
In this "hardboiled mystery" (Maureen Corrigan) from an Edgar Award winning author, a fearless black-bag publicist exposes the belly of the L.A. beast. Welcome to Mae Pruett's Los Angeles, where "Nobody talks. But everybody whispers." As a "black-bag" publicist tasked not with letting the good news out but keeping the bad news in, Mae works for one of LA's most powerful and sought-after crisis PR firms, at the center of a sprawling web of lawyers, PR flaks, and private security firms she calls "The Beast." They protect the rich and powerful and depraved by any means necessary. After her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel in a random attack, Mae takes it upon herself to investigate and runs headfirst into The Beast's lawless machinations and the twisted systems it exists to perpetuate. ... Recommended by New York Times Book Review • NPR/Fresh Air • Wall Street Journal • Washington Post • LA Times •CrimeReads• Alta Online • Lit Hub• Kirkus Reviews• Publishers Weekly• NBC/TODAY and many more! • An ABA January 2023 Indie Next List Pick • A NYTBR Editors' Choice Selection "The book everybody's been waiting for" —Michael Connelly "An absolute tour de force"—S. A. Cosby "The best mystery novel I've read in years" —James Patterson
This was so good! I came across this title on ICPL's 'Featured Collections' scroller on the website (which, by the way, is a great way to find titles you might not be aware of), and I was hooked from the beginning. The story is told in alternating chapters by Mae and Chris, and the first thing of note is that I found both narrators to be unique and excellent, with a nice range of emotion (even hard-on-the-outside Chris). You know when a narrator sounds just like the character you're imagining? This had that going on for me. The story itself is compelling and original, even while having well-known elements that are in the miasma surrounding Hollywood: the big players, the world of dirty secrets perpetrated by those who hold the power, the broken systems, the people who fall through the cracks, and the people who perpetuate all of this in various ways. I found all the characters to be nicely fleshed out, especially Mae and Chris of course, but the side characters are also given unique characteristics and situations that tell their stories. One final note: this is the second book I've read or listened to recently that has a female "cleaner" at the center of it, someone who helps cover up bad situations for powerful people in Hollywood (the other is the Devil's Playground), and it is making for some very interesting post-book thinking. -Candice
I really enjoyed Hawkins' novel The Villa, so I picked this up to take on vacation...it turned out to be a perfectly good beach-read! A group of twenty- to thirty-somethings find themselves on a small, uninhabited island for a spot of remote relaxation, but of course, things go awry when an uninvited guest gets their guard up and their imaginations going. That's not all, though--there are some weird dynamics going on in the background for each of our islanders, personal traumas and fears, that make for unique interactions and hidden motives. There's nothing ground-breaking going on here, but if you want a solid thriller with a great location, and some better-than-average thinking about what it means to live in the aftermath of major change and life interruptions, this book will do nicely! -Candice