A Book A Week

A few weeks ago, I read Boyfriend Material and was completely blown away. Romance isn’t a genre I usually gravitate toward, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Alexis Hall’s fresh take on the fake-dating trope. Hall filled the novel with characters who felt complex, messy, and authentic. While I didn’t necessarily think the story needed a sequel, it didn’t take long for me to pick up Husband Material. And to my surprise, it takes these characters in a direction I never quite expected.

It’s been two years since Luc and Oliver’s unlikely relationship began. What started as a fake-dating arrangement has grown into something real—and, by their standards, surprisingly stable. Oliver remains as careful and reserved as ever, while Luc still wrestles with lingering doubts about his own worth, but together they’ve found a rhythm. They’re solid. They’re in love. They’re, dare I say, happy.

But what comes next?

That question is thrust to the forefront when Luc runs into his ex, the same man who sold their relationship to the tabloids. Luc wants nothing to do with him, but is caught off guard when the man not only apologizes, but invites him to his upcoming wedding. At first, Luc’s answer is easy: absolutely not. But the more he sits with it, the more it begins to feel like something he might need—closure.

And with wedding bells ringing, Luc and Oliver can’t help but turn the question inward. What does their own future look like? Are they ready for that kind of commitment, or is happily ever after more complicated than they imagined?

I’ll admit I was a bit apprehensive going into Husband Material. I loved the first book—like, I was genuinely surprised by how much I fell for those characters—and it already felt like they’d earned their happy ending. Add to that the more middling reception this sequel received, and I wasn’t entirely convinced there was a reason for this story to exist.

But as I read, I was reminded exactly why I connected with the first book in the first place. Alexis Hall writes with a blend of humor and compassion that brings these characters to life in such a natural, engaging way. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t really a traditional romance novel like the first book was. Husband Material is more of an exploration of what comes after, as Luc and Oliver navigate the reality of building a life together. That's an important distinction that helped me better understand where the story was going. 

And while the ending isn’t necessarily what I expected, it feels honest to who these characters are and where they find themselves. With a third book on the horizon, I’m still very much invested and eager to see where Hall takes them next.

With as many books as I read each year, I try to strike a balance between new releases, backlist titles on my shelves, and literary classics. Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five has long been one of those classics I’ve promised myself I’d get to “one of these days.” Well, that day has finally arrived. What I found was a challenging read, not because of the language, but because of the sheer breadth of what it dares to explore.

The novel is Kurt Vonnegut’s attempt to make sense of his time as a POW in Dresden during World War II. He does so through the story of Billy Pilgrim, a man who survives the same harrowing experience and later becomes “unstuck in time.” The narrative drifts across moments in Billy’s life—his time in the war, his postwar career as an optometrist, even his abduction by aliens—creating a structure that can feel disorienting at first.

I’ll admit, the constant shifts in time and tone can be jarring. But sticking with it proves rewarding. Vonnegut weaves together anti-war satire, science fiction, and a deeply affecting exploration of trauma and PTSD into something wholly unique. While I didn’t fully love the novel, I certainly appreciate its importance. It challenges our perception of war and forces us to confront its lasting impact on those who endure it. And in a time when the world continues to grapple with conflict, it’s a novel that feels just as relevant and necessary as ever. 

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2026, 31)

Some things haunt us for a lifetime. For the Esmie siblings, it’s the disappearance of their baby brother, Ben. They were only children, playing a simple game of hide-and-seek, when Ben vanished—never to be seen again. In the aftermath, their parents grew distant, and as soon as they were old enough, Violet, Dodie, and Vail left their hometown behind. But Fell, New York, never truly let them go. Even after their parents’ deaths, they couldn’t bring themselves to sell the family home, clinging to the fragile hope that Ben might one day return.

Twenty years later, that hope is reignited. Violet receives a call from the landscaping company hired to maintain the abandoned property. They report strange sightings—people on the grounds, and a small boy who bears an unsettling resemblance to Ben. Even more chilling, the child reportedly whispered, “Come home.”

Convinced this is more than a coincidence, Violet gathers her siblings and returns to the place that has haunted them for decades. They don’t know what they’ll find waiting for them, but they’re finally ready to face the truth about what happened to their brother.

With A Box Full of Darkness, Simone St. James returns to Fell, New York—the same eerie setting that first unsettled readers in The Sun Down Motel. As in that novel, she weaves a story steeped in atmosphere, where both the place and its people feel haunted by the past. That sense of unease is still very much present, and there are moments of genuine chills throughout. However, this familiar approach has begun to feel a bit repetitive. While the mystery is engaging enough and the twist lands in a way that feels fitting, I found myself less connected to the characters than I had hoped. This disconnect ultimately diminished the story's horror. 

There’s no denying St. James’s talent for crafting haunting settings and slow-building dread, and there are certainly readers who will find plenty to enjoy here. For me, though, this one didn’t quite reach the heights I know she’s capable of. It left me wishing for a deeper emotional anchor to match the atmosphere.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2026, 30)

It’s become something of an annual tradition for me to read the latest novel from John Sandford. I first discovered his writing nearly 20 years ago through the Virgil Flowers series and followed those books faithfully as they were released. When Sandford shifted his focus more heavily to his long-running Prey series, I followed him there as well. No matter the series, he has a knack for crafting quick-paced crime thrillers filled with sharp plotting and witty banter. So naturally, I knew I’d be picking up his latest, Revenge Prey. And lucky for me, his publisher was kind enough to provide a copy.

Lucas Davenport is paired with fellow U.S. Marshal Shelly White to escort a former high-ranking Russian intelligence officer out of a Minneapolis safe house. After providing the U.S. with information about Russian operatives embedded within the government, the man and his family have spent the last three years in witness protection. Now, they’re finally being relocated to a permanent home.

From the outside looking in, Natalie has the perfect life. She lives on the picturesque Yesteryear Ranch, tucked into the quiet hills of Idaho. Her husband, Caleb—a ruggedly handsome cowboy—runs the agricultural side of the farm, while Natalie raises their six seemingly perfect children. She shares their simple, rustic, all-natural lifestyle with over eight million followers, who watch with envy.

But if social media has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is ever quite as it seems.

In reality, Natalie relies on a team of nannies to wrangle the kids while she maintains her carefully curated image. Her live-in producer, Shannon, ensures everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. And Caleb? He’s never successfully grown a plant or kept an animal alive. Natalie secretly employs real farmers to keep the ranch functioning under the cover of night. Oh, and Caleb is also having an affair with Shannon.

This picture-perfect life is nothing but a façade, and it’s about to collapse.

After discovering the affair and Shannon’s sudden resignation, Natalie retreats to her bedroom, overwhelmed. When she awakes the next day, something is…off. She’s still in the same house, but Caleb is older—years older—and strangely competent. The children are there, but they aren’t her children. And all the modern conveniences that sustained her life are gone. No nannies. No producer. No electricity. No running water.

Has Natalie somehow slipped into the very past she’s been pretending to live in? Or is something far more unsettling at play? Whatever this is, if she wants to salvage her life—and the empire built on it—she’ll have to find a way out.

With Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke bursts onto the literary fiction scene with a debut that may be one of the most original novels I read all year. There’s a sharp, biting irony in forcing a character to confront the harsh realities of the lifestyle she’s built a brand on promoting, but the exploration of hypocrisy is only the beginning of what Burke has in mind.

Burke alternates between Natalie’s present-day predicament and glimpses into her past, gradually constructing the version of her we meet at the novel’s start. It’s a smart, effective structure that deepens our understanding of an admittedly complex and often frustrating protagonist. As Natalie struggles to make sense of her situation, the novel expands into a thoughtful meditation on motherhood, womanhood, religion, politics, and the performative nature of life in the age of social media.

I found myself completely absorbed, eager to uncover the truth behind what was happening. The answer is as bold as you might expect from a novel this daring, though I suspect the ending will prove divisive for some readers. Even so, I was captivated from beginning to end. Yesteryear is a striking debut novel that will almost certainly make my list of favorite reads of the year.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2026, 28)

There’s no denying that the landscape of local news has shifted dramatically in recent decades. I remember my parents watching the evening broadcast on Channel 5 religiously, the local anchors serving as a trusted, familiar source of information. These days, I don’t even have traditional TV. I rely instead on streaming services for entertainment. And I couldn’t tell you the last time I sat down to watch a local newscast. It’s simply easier and faster to get updates on my phone than to wait for a scheduled broadcast.

But even as the medium evolves, local news endures. It’s within that ever-changing world that Jessie Garcia sets her latest thriller, The Fair Weather Friend, drawing inspiration from the high-pressure environment of a Detroit newsroom.

Faith Richards has become a bona fide local celebrity. As the evening news meteorologist, she’s charmed viewers with her sunny personality and playful traditions—most notably her weather-themed earrings that match each forecast. She’s even earned a devoted following who affectionately call her their “Fair Weather Friend.” Sure, Faith mostly reads from a national report sent to the newsroom, but her expertise, or lack thereof, hardly matters. She’s engaging, likable, and exactly the kind of personality that keeps viewers tuning in.

But when Faith fails to return to the air after a dinner break between broadcasts, concern quickly sets in. And when her body is discovered the next day, that concern turns to shock. How could someone so visible, so beloved, end up the victim of such a brutal crime? As the investigation unfolds, it soon becomes clear that there may have been far more to Faith than met the eye.

With The Fair Weather Friend, Jessie Garcia delivers a suspenseful whodunnit that keeps the twists coming. The narrative shifts between multiple perspectives—Faith herself, an intern, an adoring fan, a coworker, and even a stalker—each adding a new layer to the mystery. Their connections to Faith are revealed gradually, with key pieces held back until the final moments, making for a story that’s as playful as it is unsettling.