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dontmissythesereads's reviews
2208 reviews
The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman
4.25
Book #34 read in 2025
An exclusive boarding school murder is always a trope I love, and Jessica Goodman is so great at teen mysteries. In this one, Sarah and her boyfriend are brutally murdered in the dorm room Sarah shares with her best friend, Amy. Amy was there at the time, which makes her the number one suspect. Except she insists she didn’t hear a thing and woke to find them.
I loved that I had to keep changing my guesses about the murderer whenever there was a new twist. Liz, the journalist we love to hate, played a pivotal role in the story as well, and Amy didn’t know if she could trust her or not. Neither did I! Goodman's specialty is delicately misleading readers. The ending was a surprise but completely believable.
If you enjoy dark academia novels, you should check this out!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 4, 2025.
An exclusive boarding school murder is always a trope I love, and Jessica Goodman is so great at teen mysteries. In this one, Sarah and her boyfriend are brutally murdered in the dorm room Sarah shares with her best friend, Amy. Amy was there at the time, which makes her the number one suspect. Except she insists she didn’t hear a thing and woke to find them.
I loved that I had to keep changing my guesses about the murderer whenever there was a new twist. Liz, the journalist we love to hate, played a pivotal role in the story as well, and Amy didn’t know if she could trust her or not. Neither did I! Goodman's specialty is delicately misleading readers. The ending was a surprise but completely believable.
If you enjoy dark academia novels, you should check this out!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 4, 2025.
The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
3.75
Book #31 read in 2025
Who better to solve crimes than the golden age women who wrote about them? The characters are Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. As members, some founding of the Detection Club, these women feel the men are questioning their membership, so they form an offshoot group called the Queens of Crime. It isn’t long before they take on their first case. As a fan of these authors and their writing, it was fascinating to read about their process as it may have been – tying the actual crime-solving into how they would write about the crime being solved.
The pacing was a little slower, reminiscent of their own novels, but it did drag a little in the middle. Bessie Carter’s narration of the women was exactly how I would expect them to sound/talk.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 11, 2025.
Who better to solve crimes than the golden age women who wrote about them? The characters are Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. As members, some founding of the Detection Club, these women feel the men are questioning their membership, so they form an offshoot group called the Queens of Crime. It isn’t long before they take on their first case. As a fan of these authors and their writing, it was fascinating to read about their process as it may have been – tying the actual crime-solving into how they would write about the crime being solved.
The pacing was a little slower, reminiscent of their own novels, but it did drag a little in the middle. Bessie Carter’s narration of the women was exactly how I would expect them to sound/talk.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 11, 2025.
I Think They Love You by Julian Winters
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 28, 2025
4.75
Book #26 read in 2025
I adore Julian Winters’ YA books, so his first adult novel was a highly anticipated read for me. It did not disappoint. Denz wants to be taken more seriously at his family’s company and when his father announces that he is retiring, Denz and his sister both want to be considered as his successor. But The Aunts, as they are affectionately (or not so) known, think that Denz’s fear of commitment makes him a less favorable candidate. Denz’s only option is to find a fake boyfriend, and quick. His first choice falls through and in a dramatic way, his ex, Braylon, ends up taking on the role.
I adore Julian Winters’ YA books, so his first adult novel was a highly anticipated read for me. It did not disappoint. Denz wants to be taken more seriously at his family’s company and when his father announces that he is retiring, Denz and his sister both want to be considered as his successor. But The Aunts, as they are affectionately (or not so) known, think that Denz’s fear of commitment makes him a less favorable candidate. Denz’s only option is to find a fake boyfriend, and quick. His first choice falls through and in a dramatic way, his ex, Braylon, ends up taking on the role.
At first, I thought that Denz’s family would be awful, but they were such a delight. The second chance, fake-dating romance between Denz and Braylon was so fun! I loved the interactions with the characters and there was the perfect amount of steam 🌶🥵. I’m sad to leave the characters behind. I can’t wait to see what Julian Winters comes up with next.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 28, 2025
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 14, 2025.
4.25
Book #25 read in 2025
I wasn’t sure about reading this one because I don’t really follow the world of figure skating, but the full cast narration sold me. The style of the book reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six, with the documentary angle. I remember the Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding scandal and being glued to the reports as it all played out. This had a similar feel to it although where Nancy Kerigan was the sweetheart in the story, there wasn’t one character that I truly loved. Of course, if the characters were loveable, the drama wouldn’t be nearly as striking.
I wasn’t sure about reading this one because I don’t really follow the world of figure skating, but the full cast narration sold me. The style of the book reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six, with the documentary angle. I remember the Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding scandal and being glued to the reports as it all played out. This had a similar feel to it although where Nancy Kerigan was the sweetheart in the story, there wasn’t one character that I truly loved. Of course, if the characters were loveable, the drama wouldn’t be nearly as striking.
I did find some of the story slow and less interesting than other parts, but I enjoyed it overall mostly because of the documentary interviews which showcased the full cast. I recognized Johnny Weir’s voice instantly! I do think this will be a top book of the year for a lot of people because of the behind-the-scenes look into a beloved sport.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 14, 2025.
All the Missing Pieces by Catherine Cowles
4.75
Book #24 read in 2025
Everything about this story sucked me in. Ridley is a true crime podcaster who has had a hand in solving several cold cases. The one she chooses as her next case is the assault and attempted kidnapping of a woman in Shady Cove.The story is eerily similar to the abduction of Riley’s own sister and she thinks the cases are connected. When she gets to Shady Cove, she runs into the town sheriff, Colter Brooks and a rivalry ensues until they realize they would be better off working together on this case and some other things as well. *wink, wink*
I was addicted to the storyline, the characters, the town, all the townspeople, and the pets! The only part that got under my skin a little was Ridley and Colt's nicknames for each other, “Law Man” and “Chaos.” They overused them and I actually rolled my eyes almost every time they said them. The ending though…WOW. I didn’t see it coming, so I tried to guess! This was my first Catherine Cowles book and I read many reviews that said this was different from her typical style. That makes me sad because I’d love more from her just like this one. Do you have any recommendations from her backlist?
The narration for this story was spot-on. Sebastian York has a deep, manly voice and I could almost see Colt pulling up his britches and tipping his cowboy hat every time he spoke. Do small town sheriffs wear cowboy hats? Anyway, Andi Arndt was fabulous and really brought Ridley’s character to life. I truly enjoyed nearly every minute!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 7, 2025.
Everything about this story sucked me in. Ridley is a true crime podcaster who has had a hand in solving several cold cases. The one she chooses as her next case is the assault and attempted kidnapping of a woman in Shady Cove.The story is eerily similar to the abduction of Riley’s own sister and she thinks the cases are connected. When she gets to Shady Cove, she runs into the town sheriff, Colter Brooks and a rivalry ensues until they realize they would be better off working together on this case and some other things as well. *wink, wink*
I was addicted to the storyline, the characters, the town, all the townspeople, and the pets! The only part that got under my skin a little was Ridley and Colt's nicknames for each other, “Law Man” and “Chaos.” They overused them and I actually rolled my eyes almost every time they said them. The ending though…WOW. I didn’t see it coming, so I tried to guess! This was my first Catherine Cowles book and I read many reviews that said this was different from her typical style. That makes me sad because I’d love more from her just like this one. Do you have any recommendations from her backlist?
The narration for this story was spot-on. Sebastian York has a deep, manly voice and I could almost see Colt pulling up his britches and tipping his cowboy hat every time he spoke. Do small town sheriffs wear cowboy hats? Anyway, Andi Arndt was fabulous and really brought Ridley’s character to life. I truly enjoyed nearly every minute!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 7, 2025.
Penitence: A Novel by Kristin Koval
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 28, 2025.
4.25
Book #23 read in 2025
In the opening pages of this novel, we learn that thirteen-year-old Nora has murdered her fourteen-year-old brother, Nico, and has been arrested. Nora won’t speak or explain her actions. Angie and David, her parents, enlist the help of the town lawyer, who realizes she is out of her depth with this case. She eventually brings in her son Julian, a powerful criminal attorney and Angie's ex, to help in Nora’s defense.
In the opening pages of this novel, we learn that thirteen-year-old Nora has murdered her fourteen-year-old brother, Nico, and has been arrested. Nora won’t speak or explain her actions. Angie and David, her parents, enlist the help of the town lawyer, who realizes she is out of her depth with this case. She eventually brings in her son Julian, a powerful criminal attorney and Angie's ex, to help in Nora’s defense.
The story is slow-paced, but that does not stop the author from fleshing out the characters and really digging into deep topics such as guilt, grief, and how to love one child when they are responsible for killing your other child. So much of the story ties back to the death of Angie’s sister, Diana. That one life-changing incident had lasting effects on the way Angie and Julian ultimately dealt with Nora’s case and Nora herself. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to Koval's future novels.
Note about the narration: Thérèse Plummer is the perfect narrator for this book because she does an amazing job conveying the characters' emotions, which is so important in a novel like this.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 28, 2025.
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
4.5
Book #21 read in 2025
Ali Hazelwood does flawed, deep characters so well. Scarlett is an emotional mess after getting injured doing an inward dive in a competition. When we meet her, she's still working through that with a therapist and struggling to be the odd diver out on her five-member dive team, where the other four members are paired for synchro-diving.
Lukas is a world-class swimmer who has won Olympic medals and is the boyfriend of one of Scarlett's teammates, Pen. But when Pen confides that Lukas is into some kinky things and they're just not compatible, Scarlett realizes she and Lukas are. With Pen's blessing, they explore that relationship.
A lot has been made about the kink in this book on social media platforms, but it honestly makes up less than half of the book. Truth be told, I wanted more. The rest of the book delves into the mental strain that elite athletes go through, and, in true Hazelwood fashion, a "nerdy" STEM project is undertaken by Scarlett and Lukas, giving their relationship even more depth. I will read anything Ali Hazelwood writes, but Scarlett and Lukas have to be one of my favorite Hazelwood couples.
The narration by Therese Plummer and Ben Holtzmuller was terrific. My favorite part, besides Lukas's voice, was that it was Ben every time Lukas spoke. Therese didn't do the male character voice for Lukas at all, meaning it was easier to be in the moment with the two characters. I loved this book!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 4, 2025.
Ali Hazelwood does flawed, deep characters so well. Scarlett is an emotional mess after getting injured doing an inward dive in a competition. When we meet her, she's still working through that with a therapist and struggling to be the odd diver out on her five-member dive team, where the other four members are paired for synchro-diving.
Lukas is a world-class swimmer who has won Olympic medals and is the boyfriend of one of Scarlett's teammates, Pen. But when Pen confides that Lukas is into some kinky things and they're just not compatible, Scarlett realizes she and Lukas are. With Pen's blessing, they explore that relationship.
A lot has been made about the kink in this book on social media platforms, but it honestly makes up less than half of the book. Truth be told, I wanted more. The rest of the book delves into the mental strain that elite athletes go through, and, in true Hazelwood fashion, a "nerdy" STEM project is undertaken by Scarlett and Lukas, giving their relationship even more depth. I will read anything Ali Hazelwood writes, but Scarlett and Lukas have to be one of my favorite Hazelwood couples.
The narration by Therese Plummer and Ben Holtzmuller was terrific. My favorite part, besides Lukas's voice, was that it was Ben every time Lukas spoke. Therese didn't do the male character voice for Lukas at all, meaning it was easier to be in the moment with the two characters. I loved this book!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 4, 2025.
The Rival by Emma Lord
4.25
Book #20 read in 2025
Sadie gets into the college of her dreams, and the best part is that her high school rival, Seb, doesn't get into the same college. So Sadie is ready to take her college years by storm until, on the first day, showing up for a meeting for a spot on the university's zine, she runs, literally into Seb, who got accepted after all. The stage is set for the rivalry to continue, as only one of them can get the coveted spot on the zine.
Emma Lord does fun banter and crazy antics flawlessly in this one. I loved Sadie and Seb, and you could see right away that an underlying friendship was dying to get out. Enter an underground pancake shop and an unfair method of funding clubs at the university, and I was sold. Now, I just want to find a pancake shop like that one, as I haven't stopped craving them since finishing this book!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 21, 2025.
Sadie gets into the college of her dreams, and the best part is that her high school rival, Seb, doesn't get into the same college. So Sadie is ready to take her college years by storm until, on the first day, showing up for a meeting for a spot on the university's zine, she runs, literally into Seb, who got accepted after all. The stage is set for the rivalry to continue, as only one of them can get the coveted spot on the zine.
Emma Lord does fun banter and crazy antics flawlessly in this one. I loved Sadie and Seb, and you could see right away that an underlying friendship was dying to get out. Enter an underground pancake shop and an unfair method of funding clubs at the university, and I was sold. Now, I just want to find a pancake shop like that one, as I haven't stopped craving them since finishing this book!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 21, 2025.
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
5.0
Book #19 read in 2025
"...and every day she got up."
This was a moving and beautiful book, told in verse, about Sage, who is grieving the loss of her best friend. It is about her learning to cope with her feelings of guilt, loss, love, and the people around her who support her. As a middle-grade teacher, I feel this book should be on all of our shelves. Well done, Renée Watson, for giving a voice to children suffering loss.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 4, 2025.
"...and every day she got up."
This was a moving and beautiful book, told in verse, about Sage, who is grieving the loss of her best friend. It is about her learning to cope with her feelings of guilt, loss, love, and the people around her who support her. As a middle-grade teacher, I feel this book should be on all of our shelves. Well done, Renée Watson, for giving a voice to children suffering loss.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on February 4, 2025.
The Weekend Guests by Liza North
2.75
Book #18 read in 2025
Five university friends, Aline, Sienna, Rob, Michael, and Brandon, reunite after they start getting cryptic messages about a secret from the past. Aline gathers them all because she believes one of them is responsible for the messages and wants to figure out who it is.
In this story, there are alternating POVs. Darryl, a neighbor of the group during their university days, narrates the past. His chapters are disturbing, as they are intended to be. They are supposed to give us a glimpse of the group of friends through his eyes, but in the process, we don't really learn anything about them as young adults. This means that they are still virtually strangers to us when we meet them as adults.
I may have read one too many locked-room types of thrillers, and this one was just not well done to me. I didn't really like the characters; I couldn't keep track of who was married, who had relationships in the past, and which kids belonged to which couple. I didn't care enough to figure it out. Finding out who sent the messages was an interesting surprise, but the actual ending was eye-rollingly ridiculous. I think I need to take a break from this trope for a while.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 28, 2025.
Five university friends, Aline, Sienna, Rob, Michael, and Brandon, reunite after they start getting cryptic messages about a secret from the past. Aline gathers them all because she believes one of them is responsible for the messages and wants to figure out who it is.
In this story, there are alternating POVs. Darryl, a neighbor of the group during their university days, narrates the past. His chapters are disturbing, as they are intended to be. They are supposed to give us a glimpse of the group of friends through his eyes, but in the process, we don't really learn anything about them as young adults. This means that they are still virtually strangers to us when we meet them as adults.
I may have read one too many locked-room types of thrillers, and this one was just not well done to me. I didn't really like the characters; I couldn't keep track of who was married, who had relationships in the past, and which kids belonged to which couple. I didn't care enough to figure it out. Finding out who sent the messages was an interesting surprise, but the actual ending was eye-rollingly ridiculous. I think I need to take a break from this trope for a while.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on January 28, 2025.