Man Overboard! by Kathleen Rooney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rooney’s previous book was one of my favorites when it came out so I couldn’t wait to read this. But then I started it and it dragged and dragged. Enough that I had to put it aside for a while. I tried to come back to it a few times but I couldn’t engage with it.

Finally when I knew I had a chunk of time, I sat down to get through it and I grew to love it more and more and more and by the end I was completely invested in the future of Kick and rooting for him. This story unravels slowly, with lots of things thrown in the middle, but it’s truly lovely if you stick with it.

with gratitude to netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great story in the vein of Addie LaRue but with more African American history. It was absolutely excellent on audio.

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Land by Maggie O’Farrell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maggie O’Farrell has a way with words. And not just words but characters, settings, and so much more. The story begins with Tomas, the dad whose job is to survey the land in Ireland in 1865. He is doing his job with his son as an apprentice when something unexpected happens. And then the story goes both deeper and wider. The reader is thrust into The Great Hunger and Irish history.

But the best part of this book, of course, is Tomas’ family. The story of how he grew up and met his wife. The way they get and settle into the house and their four kids who are unique and unforgettable in their own magical ways. Each character leaps off the page and stays with you long. long after you’re done reading.

You heart is broken again and again and again and yet you can’t stop cheering for these characters and holding on to hope. What a complete gift O’Farrell is.

with gratitude to netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Heather by Caitlin Mullen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is compared to Moore’s The God of the Woods which I thought was an apt comparison. It’s about an event that unearths a mystery from years ago. It’s in a small town. It’s a quiet story which ends up not being about the mystery. All of these I think are reasonable parallels.

This is a slow burn but, for me, it was an excellent read from beginning to end. I loved Callie from the very beginning and was invested. The audio book was truly excellent. The narrators brought the story alive and made it so there wasn’t a moment of boredom in this slow moving story. I loved it from beginning to end.

with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow this was quite the political thriller. If political thrillers are your genre, you will absolutely love this rich and thoroughly intriguing story. It was fast-paced with really interesting characters. Layers of plot that kept you on your toes the whole time. I am confident that if you like this genre, you will love this book.

The audio was absolutely outstanding, making the story come to life and adding so much to the experience of reading this book!

with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Another one that didn’t keep my interest and I finally had to give up. This was fun for a while but also relatively formulaic 🙁

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