By Julie Clark
** Publication Date 3 June 2025 **
5 stars


Dementia is a horrible disease that takes away one’s memories. Sometimes the older memories are more fresh than what one ate for lunch. Regardless, at a certain point, everything is distorted or starts to vanish.


Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter. Known for her ability to take on the life of the person she is writing for, she has written best selling memoirs for famous people. Until she decides to take on a male ghostwriter at a conference and on social media. Suddenly her career is pretty much over. She’s going to lose everything.


Her agent calls with an assignment, though it’s one that Olivia is reluctant to take. Vincent Taylor is known for writing spectacular horror novels. He has personally requested Olivia to collaborate, as a ghostwriter, on his next novel. Olivia is shocked that he’s chosen her, of all people. She truly needs the job, because it comes with a hefty salary. Only Vincent Taylor, unbeknownst to almost everyone, is her father.


What follows is an amazing story of family and tragedy. The atmosphere of the 1970s when Vincent was a teenager is spot on. The characters are so well developed. The story is progressed through current events and 1975 seamlessly. I never was once confused about the timeline. 


I really loved this one. Great premise and storytelling.

By Nicola Dinan
** Publication Date 27 May 2025 **
4 star

Relationships are a struggle for everyone - or you're not being honest. 


Disappoint Me is a book about relationships - with ourselves, with others. Max is a woman who recently split up with her boyfriend. Simone, her best friend, never really like the ex. Max doesn't really like Simone's girlfriend. That's how it is sometimes.


When Max meets Vincent, it's not like she suddenly knows he's the one. They are very compatible. He with his Chinese parents and corporate law career. She with her sort-of Chinese mother and tech firm law job. Max is also a one-time published poet. Vincent is very kind. He seems to truly dote on Max. Their relationship feels very traditional and quite nice. Max, though, is constantly wondering when the other shoe is going to drop. It's not a traditional relationship, because Max is trans. Vincent knows this, but it clearly does not bother him at all. So why is it plaguing Max so?


This is a really lovely book about the inner conflicts we all face daily. Regardless of your gender identity, it is hard to be fully accepting of who you are and sometimes of the love given to us. Seeing Max and Vincent reflect on past choices, and seek not only others, but their own forgiveness, is a lesson for everyone. 


While this book definitely is not for everyone, due to it's themes of queerness and violence, it's actually a book that is so touching and thought provoking.

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.