By Andrea Bartz
** Publication Date 20 May 2025 **
​4 stars


At times I fantasize about moving away from the US. While remote islands off Mexico isn’t on my radar, apparently it is for some people. 


A few months ago Abby received the call no one ever wants - your loved one has died. Only Abby’s loved one, her fiancé Eszter, died alone of anaphylaxis on an island in the Mexican Caribbean. No one there for her. Just taking a time out from life to gather her thoughts and put the finishing touches on her business degree project.


Now, months after Eszter’s death, Abby is visiting the tiny Isla Colel to try to put together the last days of Eszter’s life. What Abby finds is an amazing group of ‘ex-pats’ who have made the isle their home. They all seem to be hiding something. Does it have to do with Eszter’s death? Abby is tormented by the thought that someone might not be telling the truth.


Over the course of just a few days, Abby becomes integrated into this group, all the while not quite trusting any of them. But what Abby is going to find is a tangled web of lies and deceit that she never could have imagined. In doing so, maybe Abby will finally be able to let go of Eszter and move on.


Really fascinating and riveting novel about the lies, or omission of the truth, that we think we can get away with. The little things we tell ourselves really won’t make a huge difference. Andrea Bartz has woven a tale full of these things not said. Isla Colel is a masterpiece of truths hidden. I couldn’t put this one down. With every chapter, someone else was guilty. That is the true test of a great mystery. There is so much more than mystery in this book. Self-realization, acceptance, moving on.


Great read!

By Jilly Gagnon
** Publication Date 13 May 2025 **
4 stars



So far, I don’t think I’ve been disappointed in any of Jilly Gagnon’s books. Romance with a sense of humor is her forté. Also a little bit of self-reflection and change doesn’t hurt.


Laurel is a type A person. Her recent promotion to VP at her mega-company, Pixel, is evidence of that. Laurel also tends to overthink things. She’s been living with her beau, Ollie, for years now. He’s a musician. She pays the bills (mostly.) So when she foresees his popping the question, she panics. 


When her ‘work husband’ offers to get her setup on the company’s super secret project, she jumps in. The project focuses on the possibilities of alternate worlds that we reside in. Laurel sees it as a way to maybe answer some of her questions. Especially the one about her work husband, Drew, as to whether she should have pursued a relationship with him instead of Ollie. 


Only the program kinda goes haywire, and suddenly Laurel is finding her life split between two worlds. The one with Ollie or the other one with Drew. It’s a mess that she needs to find a way out of before things get totally out of hand.


Crazy premise. I learned so much about theoretical physics and alternate realities and even a touch of quantum computing thrown in. Laurel needs a good slap every so often, but she’s getting it from the world sliding. Fun book that can be read really quickly. Also, not so deep that you can’t drop it at a whim. 


Definitely recommend. 

By K.A. Merson
** Publication Date 13 May 2025 **
4.5 stars

Gotta love books that delve into the mysteries of the mind. In this case, Arizona. A 17 year old brilliant but socially awkward young woman. Her dad had a tragic motorcycle accident while out exploring in Death Valley. Arizona hasn’t even come to terms with that when her mother goes missing.

Alone with her dog Mojo, Arizona must figure out what happened to her mom and how to get her home safely. The mystery will involve solving ciphers, reading history, and possibly learning to make some friends along the way.

This is a fabulously written novel. K.A. Merson has fashioned a story that is both mind-boggling and extremely riveting. Arizona is such a relatable character, in that she struggles to make friends or trust others. Her parents have striven to make her very self-sufficient, in that she can survive on her own, with her dog, in an Airstream trailer. Arizona rarely flinches at the challenges thrown to her in this process. She simply puts her head down and plows through any obstacle she faces.

Truly enjoyed this one immensely. I think there is a target audience for this, as Arizona is not your average teen. While it is a YA novel, as an adult, I think adults who gravitate toward puzzles, math, and mystery will enjoy it as well.

By Jehmimah Wei
** Publication Date 6 May 2025 **
4 stars


​Singapore may appear as a wealthy country, but for the working class there, not so much. Genevieve lives in a one bedroom flat that her grandmother purchased a very long time ago. Genevieve lives there with her parents and paternal grandmother. She shares the bedroom with her parents, while her grandmother lives behind a screen in the living room. It’s a tiny space for a lot of people. 


Many years ago Genevieve’s grandfather disappeared. The assumption was that he was dead. Until he really dies, and the family finds out that he had a second family in Malaysia. Now this second family is providing Genevieve with a sister. Arin is one year younger than Genevieve and has no understanding of how her family could just give her up. With Genevieve’s persistence, they become inseparable.


Eventually the girls grow up. Their lives diverge. When one takes advantage of the other, a rift ensues and causes them to become estranged. Estranged to the point that the family might not survive this. Mistakes are made, and sometimes we can’t fix the problems we cause.


Great novel. Slow at times. Told from Genevieve’s point of view, sometimes it’s hard to like her. The characters are very in-depth and well structured. A beautifully written novel, I struggled through parts of it, but overall really enjoyed it. Especially learning about a culture so different from here in the US. 

By Domenica Ruta


** Publication Date 6 May 2025 **


4 stars
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I remember what it was like to date. The difficulty in finding the ‘right’ one. The one that wanted  the ‘right’ things. The one that was going to be the happily ever after. As you get older you begin to realize there isn’t a perfect match, there’s the best match for that time in your life. In this novel, the guy does his best to be the right one. For as long as he’s possible.


Sandy is an editor for a food magazine. She is still hanging out with her ‘ride-or-die’ sorority sisters and the other women they’ve picked up along the way. One night she meets Justin. They hit it off. He seems right. They are compatible in many ways, and not in others. He owns his own company and is also a ‘nü metal’ musician. After a bit of time they become exclusive. And then they’re not. 


So when Sandy wakes up puking for several days in a row, she is not thrilled about the chances of being pregnant. But she is, and now she has to figure out being a single mom with an overgrown child as the dad.


In a fit of self-pity, Sandy starts searching social media about Justin. And there she finds it. Another ex-girlfriend with another ex-kid. Can the two moms navigate a relationship better than the father of their children did? 


An often hilarious and touching story about women who make the best of the insanity of their lives raising children alone. In many ways you have to admire the grit and tenacity of these women. Their courage to put their children’s feelings as siblings above their own. It is a really good read. Fast, funny, and heartfelt.