More Reviews for the Year!

Whew! We made it! Let’s finish strong!

–Marissa

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden is her upcoming latest release, and like her others, is super fast to read, no complex language, and twists and turns that are both pedestrian and bananapants. It was… fine. I’m just not bowled over by McFadden like so many others, but I appreciate how many people she has brought back to reading!

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox was an audiobook listen with a cast of voices (which enhanced it for sure). We have a 16th birthday party with warring friends, a new stepmother, a nanny, the ex-wife, and the husband all competing for and with each other for affection, domination, and acceptance… until someone falls to their death, but who was it? This was an entertaining enough psychological thriller, and a good narration!

I Love Epcot by Danielle Kelly is just what it sounds like – a guide through every area of EPCOT with descriptions, food recommendations and behind the scenes facts. Cute for Disney dorks like me. 🙂

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith is another family-driven dramedy from Smith, this time featuring the fractured siblings of the Endicott family – a novelist, an Oscar-nominated actress, a soccer star, and a stay at home mom – who haven’t spoken in 3 years but reunite in North Dakota. Secrets are spilled, rifts are healed, and I just loved this character-driven novel and missed the siblings when I finished listening to the audiobook.

Paper Cut by Rachel Taff is a psychological suspense novel featuring Lucy – a woman infamous for escaping a cult twenty years ago – who has now been approached to be part of an upcoming documentary about her life… but Lucy has secrets she doesn’t want to share. I thought this was a solid read, but isn’t one that is going to stick with me after I close the book.

Spare by Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex was one of those “do I want to slow down and gawk at this car crash or not” reads, but I decided to give it a go after all the discourse had died down… and this was about what I expected, which is a combination of “oh jeez”, “oh that’s sad”, “oh for fuck’s sake” and “ew, I just threw up in my mouth”. But I did finish it!

I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney was an audiobook listen, and I absolutely LOVED IT (the narration was fantastic also!). Bud is an obituary writer who, after a failed blind date, posts his own obituary to the NYT website (where he works), and kicks off a series of events that feature going to funerals, wrestling with his next chapter, the tender best friendship with his landlord, and a mysterious lady he falls for. This made me laugh out loud, literally cry at one point, and made me feel all the things. I absolutely adored this novel!

Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross was my final audiobook listen for the year and I really enjoyed it. This is a coming of age story of Hazel (who just moved from Brooklyn to Maine) who has an incident on the first day of school that will end up impacting her life for years to come. This is a small town, fish out of water, coming of age, family drama, and though hard to describe without spoilers, I found it compelling throughout with Hazel as a fantastic narrator of her life.