A Perfectly Nice Family

 

A Perfectly Nice Family by Nicole Trope
3/6/26; 314 pages
Bookouture 

A Perfectly Nice Family by Nicole Trope is a highly recommended psychological thriller. Troupe always very reliably writes a compelling thriller full of twists.

Stephanie Gordon is recently divorced from her physician husband, Christopher, who was having an affair with his office manager, Vanessa. Stephanie and their children, Luke, sixteen, and Avery, twelve, based on the divorce settlement, are living in the family home until the children are out of school, but money can be a struggle. It doesn't help that Christopher always makes Stephanie ask for him to pay support. When her bestfriend Gail mentions a nice family who lost their home in a fire is looking for somewhere to live while they wait for the insurance settlement, Gail suggests Stephanie rent the granny flat in her backyard to them. It would add income for Stephanie while helping someone in need. 

The family, Cecilia and Jason Kemp along with their daughter Polly, fifteen move in. and seem perfectly nice, but perhaps a little odd. Quickly, Stephanie begins to think renting to them was a mistake. They are constantly asking for something. Celia seems strange. Polly is rude and flirting with Luke. Jason is always there, watching. When things start to break and require expensive repairs, Stephanie has had enough and asks Gail for more information about them. 

This is a well-written psychological thriller where the atmospheric tension slowly simmers for much of the novel, right up until everything boils over. You will be suspicious about what is really going on for much of the novel, because there are plenty of hints that something isn't right, but once it is all uncovered and the twists begin, it becomes a nail-biter right up to the end. The intense ending will hold your complete attention. 

Stephanie is a fully-realized character with both strengths and weaknesses. Her patience is amazing through much of the novel. Anyone who has experienced the life circumstances she is going through will understand how great she really is as a character and you will be on her side. Honestly, having things break in your house when you can't afford repairs is always a nightmare. Most readers will feel the uneasiness of being watched while reading and will also be questioning Gail's reliability as a freind w-a-y before Stephanie does.

A Perfectly Nice Family is a great choice for those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Big Nobody

 

Big Nobody by Alex Kadis
3/10/26; 320 pages
Random House 

Big Nobody by Alex Kadis is a highly recommended coming-of-age novel following Constance (Connie) Costa, a half-Greek, half-British teenager in the 1970s. 

It’s 1974 in London and Connie, 14, is stuck with her abusive father, “The Fat Murderer,” after the tragic death of her mother and younger brothers. George Costa requires Connie to attend Greek Night (aka Freak Night) every Friday night where the only thing to look forward to is talking to and smoking cigarettes with her friend, potentially boyfriend, Vasos (Vas) Petrides. George uses violence to punish Connie and keep her in line while preventing her from doing things other teens do, like attending school dances (disco night). She spends most nights in her room, playing her guitar and talking to her posters of Marc Bolan and David Bowie about her plans to murder her father who "was probably always an abomination of nature."

This well-written debut novel perfectly captures teen angst along with a firm sense of time and setting. In this debut novel you will sympathize with Connie. She is a fully realized, complicated character placed firmly in the time period and many of her actions and choices reflect her age. Vas is also a character who is judged and restrained by cultural expectations thrust upon him.

Soon becomes clear that the abuse/punishment is generational. Her grandfather abused her and her father denied it. Now her father controls her every move and freely hits her when angry. Her Auntie Roulla is aware of everything but can only do so much to protect her as she is restrained by cultural expectations placed on her and enforced by her husband. There will be an increased of sympathy for Connie as more information makes her continual focus on killing her father understandable.

The majority of the novel takes place from 1974-1977, with the final section jumping forward to 2007. I must mention that Kadis inherently understands the 70's and uses this superpower to really capture the time period. Even the posters in Connie's room, causally mentioning disco, and clothing choices in the novel line up with the time period. Unlike a previous novel I read supposedly set in the 70's, there are very limited phone calls and even a mention of getting off the phone due to the cost. The final section of the novel provides some closure, but also require you to set a bit of disbelief aside. On the other hand, the final line in the novel is brilliant.

Big Nobody is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys well-written coming-of-age stories with an edge. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

She Fell Away

 

She Fell Away by Lenore Nash
3/10/26; 352 pages
Atria Books
Lake Harlowe #1 

She Fell Away by Lenore Nash is a highly recommended mystery and is the first book in a new series featuring Lake Harlowe, a U. S. State Department diplomat. 

Lake Harlowe has recently accepted a new appointment in Wellington, New Zealand, when she receives a notice that American NFL player Bruce Walter has been found dead, seemingly from an accidental overdose. Part of her job is to support American citizens who are traveling abroad. This also includes notifying the next of kin if necessary, but when contacting Bruce's wealthy family, his father, Glen, immediately becomes threatening and combative. Quickly following this, an exchange student from Las Vegas, 18-year-old singer/songwriter Bowie Bishop, is reported missing by her mother Suzie. Suzie, a former rock star, is currently a cocktail waitress at a Las Vegas casino owned by Glen Walter. As Lake tries to assist in the search for Bowie, the search quickly ties into something more nefarious and ties into wide spread corruption.

The writing is good and very descriptive, but the pace was slow to take off. The pace does pick up in time, and the atmosphere becomes oppressive, melancholy, and suspenseful as the psychological complexity of the characters and the situation they find themselves involved with is slowly revealed. Several of the plot twists are largely predictable, so the journey the narrative sends you on must hold your interest, which it does to some extent. As the plot develops the novel does become more compelling and interesting, but while reading I felt like I had heard this story before. 

Chapters are mainly told through the point-of-view of Lake, with some from Bowie. Some of the chapters follow a non-linear timeline. Lake is a complicated, unique character and there are several small insights into her troubled past. Bowie is an interesting character and actually better developed than Lake. The lyrics to some of the songs she is writing are included. This seems to be a new trend in current novels. If I'm being honest, I am quickly becoming weary of reading novels about aspiring musicians which include their song lyrics. 

She Fell Away by Lenore Nash could be a good choice for those who enjoy mysteries and want to read the book starting a new series. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Westward Women

 

Westward Women by Alice Martin
3/10/26; 304 pages
St. Martin's Press 

Westward Women by Alice Martin is a so-so dystopian/alternate history/plague novel. This is Martin's literary debut. 

An illness is spreading across the country that affects young women, 18-35 years-old. It begins with itching, followed by memory loss, and then an unstoppable compulsion to journey west. The novel follows three women Eve, Teenie, and Aimee. Eve is a reporter who thinks following the story will be her big break. She hears about a man called the Piper, who has a bus and assists women in their journey west. Aimee, who is searching for her infected best friend Ginny, has also heard of the Piper. Teenie is a infected woman heading west.

Honestly, I normally enjoy dystopian science fiction novels and was intrigued by the synopsis and premise of this one.  Initially, Martin does get points for the quality of her writing. She manages to create a dream-like atmosphere while following her characters, But an atmospheric setting does not make up for the failings.

My problems with the novel started almost immediately. Take note: it is supposedly set in 1973. If you are setting a novel, even an alternate history novel during a specific time period you need to know how life worked then. At that time you would not be picking up phones making random phone calls, especially long distance calls at will. You would be looking for quarters to use at a phone booth, you would be dialing an operator to reverse charges. Any business would ask if the call was local before allowing you to use their phone. Cell phones did not exist then, yet Martin has her characters making phone calls without a second thought all the time. This was immediately very distracting and annoying.

The very slow pace of the novel did not help distract me to overlook that overt error. Then, although the plot is told through the point-of-view of her three main characters, they were really interchangeable for much of the beginning of the novel. Initially, it requires great concentration to tell them apart. Once the plot reaches the halfway point, story lines were predictable. Finally, once the overt messaging started it became repetitious while any actual, historical connections to the time period were ignored. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Served Him Right

 

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger
3/10/26; 384 pages
Park Row Books 

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger is a recommended revenge thriller following two sisters and their group of friends along with a plethora of medicinal plants discussions.

After a gripping opening the focus switches to sisters Ana and Vera. The two are very close and were raised by their late Aunt Agnes, who also taught them about herbal remedies. Vera is hosting an ex-orcism brunch for Ana's breakup with Paul. Invited are a group of her close friends, including Iggy, Esme, and Payton. During the brunch the police detective Timothy Bandeau knocks at the door informing the group that the body of Ana's ex, Paul has been found buried in a shallow grave by a walking trail. Ana is an obvious suspect. The brunch quickly ends, but soon after this Iggy becomes violently ill and must be hospitalized.

The quality of the writing is good, as expected, but after a strong start most of the novel is slow-paced.  Adding to the slow-pace is a plot that starts out strong, moving quickly, and then it slows down to a slog through the majority of the novel. Switching between multiple points of view and timelines did not help hold my interest, especially when many of the chapters seemed like filler with little plot development. It does pick up toward the end with some twists and a satisfying conclusion. It might help to hold your interest if you are highly interested in natural remedies, herbal cures, using poisonous plants, and mysterious groups of women healers.

Admittedly, none of these characters are likable or appealing in any way so it was a struggle to even want to know what happens to them. Iggy had promise as a likable character but she is hospitalized and near death for most of the novel. Paul was an evil man and deserved his fate so the question is who extracted revenge for his nefarious deeds. There are many past secrets/actions brought to light along the way.

Served Him Right will be best appreciated by those who enjoy novels focusing on unlikable characters extracting revenge and lots of medicinal plants discussions. Unger is a favorite author and normally all her books are highly rated, however this novel is just average and doesn't represent her best work. Thanks to Park Row Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Dead Woman Walking

 

Dead Woman Walking by Carolyn Arnold
2/25/26; 304 pages
Bookouture
Detective Amanda Steele #15  

Dead Woman Walking by Carolyn Arnold is a highly recommended procedural and the 15th book in the Amanda Steele series set in Woodbridge, Virginia. This continues to be an excellent series. 

Detective Amanda Steel and her partner Trent Stenson are investigating the murder of Christine Lane, a real estate agent. After Amanda's half-brother Spencer calls her worried because he can't get a hold of his girlfriend, Christine, she and Trent get permission to look into it. Their inquiry results in Christine's body being found in a house she was showing. Spencer is immediately on the suspect list, along with others, because of his relationship with her. The house where the body was found is owned by caustic lawyer Dominique Sharp, who certainly also has enemies.

The Amanda Steel series continues to be a well-written, excellent series of procedurals. The novel moves at a fast pace and is well plotted as the investigation logically follows clues and discoveries. The tension increases as the investigation continues to look at new suspects, lines of inquiry, and unexpected information. Even though this is the 15th book in the series, it can be appreciated as a standalone novel, especially for fans of procedurals who are carefully following the investigations rather than personalities. 

At this point fans of the series know Amanda and Trent, but those new to it will appreciate the intelligent, likable characters. They always logically follow the lades provided by the information they discover. This wasn't my favorite case the two have solved, but it is always enjoyable to join in one of their investigations.

Dead Woman Walking is a great choice for readers who enjoy fast-paced, engaging police procedurals. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Wait for Me

 

Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns
3/3/26; 336 pages
Celadon Books 

Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns is a highly recommended domestic drama following two folk singers decades apart. This beautifully written story will hit the right note for those who love poetry, song writing, and music. 

In 1973 folk singer Elle Harlow, 22, reaches the height of her fame, following two successful albums and one devastating betrayal. After an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage, she disappears from the public view, back into her rural Appalachian home town. In 1991, Marijohn Shaw, 18, is pumping gas at her father Abe's rural Pennsylvania gas station while writing songs and playing her broken mandolin. Marijohn was found in a basket along with the mandolin and a note with her name outside the gas station in 1973, right after Abe swears Elle Harlow stopped for gas. It is assumed Elle is Marijohn's mother.

When Marijohn and her friend Laz are making a video right as a meteor strikes the woods and they record it all. The video of the meteor is on the news and Elle sees it, along with the mandolin Marijohn is playing. She immediately recognizes the mandolin as one originally owned by her mentor Merry and seeks out Marijohn. Elle wants to know where she got it while demanding it's return to her, which opens up a relationship between the two women. 

This is a beautifully written, even-paced novel that focuses on songwriting, mentorship between women, the struggle for success, and personal relationships. The importance of lyrics, music, and how together songs tell the personal story of someone's life plays an important role in the novel. There is a great focus on writing lyrics and the written lyrics to songs are even included at the end of the novel. The lives of these characters develop through the lyrics they are writing. The dark side of the music industry is also an important part of the plot.

The atmospheric novel follows several different timelines as the narrative unfolds telling the story of both these women across the years, before and after they meet. The complex relationship between women, as well as with the loves of their lives, is also portrayed. The characters are presented as fully realized individuals, including both strengths and weaknesses. All of their emotions and experiences end up being tied back to the lyrics they write.

There is some disbelief that must be set aside during several parts of the novel. Since much of the novel focuses on the music industry and song writing, an interest in both will assist readers in enjoying the plot. Wait for Me is a great choice for those who enjoy novels with music and lyrics as a main focus of the characters. Thanks to Celadon Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.