By Natalie C. Parker
** Publication Date 27 August 2024 **
4.5 stars
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This is a brilliantly written novel, focused on several teens’ journeys of acceptance of themselves.  Being LGBTQ+ as a young adult, let alone a young teen, must be a scary, unsettling journey. And the main characters of this book do not take it all in stride. But the lessons that this book offers are amazing. 


Fern is the youngest of four girls, being raised by a single mom. She is definitely what one might call a girly-girl. Fern is also a star. With a high school career in theater and sisters all pursuing the craft, Fern is just like she’s expected to be.


Kaitlyn came out a long time ago. Her parents fully supportive of her choices. When she is sharing one day, Fern and two other friends, Mallory and Jaq are all a bit jealous of Kaitlyn’s ability to just be. The three become best friends, keeping their gender identities under wraps, until suddenly Mallory disappears. It’s as if the three were never friends at all.


Jaq, like Mallory, is being raised in a strict Baptist household. While Jaq fits her parental expectations, Mallory rebels against them. Jaq has a long time boyfriend, attends church events, and would never dream of rebelling against her parents’ wishes. 


Until suddenly, one night at a bonfire party, Jaq and Fern start having memories of Mallory. Who they once were. And life is about to get pretty freaky when they remember what happened five years ago. 


I was so impressed with how this novel tackled these difficult years and topics. You can’t help but root for all these girls to embrace their true identities and be themselves. Because who you love doesn’t change who you are. Would highly recommend!!!

By Anna Downes
** Publication Date 27 August 2024 **
4.5 stars

Whoa. What a twisty, turny crazy novel. This book had more unexpected moments than I ever could have imagined.


Katy Sweeney has hit the road in a van conversion on a quest to find her missing sister, Phoebe. Phoebe had planned to do the ‘big lap’, a trip around the perimeter of Australia. Phoebe’s trip began in Perth, but ended somewhere near Ningaloo. That was the last that Phoebe was heard from. Now Katy is trying to recreate Phoebe’s trip, to try to find any information that the detectives may have missed a year ago.


Beth found herself in a relationship that was far less than what she expected. When things go very wrong, she finds herself hiding in Katy’s van. Together they become friends and investigators, trying to piece together what happened to Phoebe. Bit by bit, we find out more and more about Beth. And bit by bit, Katy’s obsession becomes more strange, especially when frightening notes and messages begin appearing in the van.


Add in Wyatt and Lucas Cleary, brothers whose mother disappeared in a van many years ago. She was never found, as happened with other vanlife women as well. Wyatt is a teenager, and Lucas just happens to be Beth’s ex. 


The web keeps getting more tangled, until it all untangles at the end. Don’t miss it.


Truly one of the best and most unexpected novels I’ve read. The whole background makes me want to fly off to Australia (even with all it’s deadly critters.) The characters are so well written that you almost think you know them. But the tricky part here is, does anyone really know any of them? 


Excellent read. Impossible to put down. 

(Detective Margaret Nolan #4)
By P.J. Tracy
** Publication Date 20 August 2024 **
4.5 stars 

Whoa this was a wild story. So many threads to be brought together to solve a mystery. Loved it. Spent way too much time reading because I couldn’t put it down! 


Maggie Nolan is a homicide detective in Los Angeles. When a body is found in a shady part of Culver City, Maggie and her partner Al are called to investigate. Who they find should not be in this part of town, in a very expensive car, now missing all four wheels. Was the driver killed for his wheels? Or was it something more sinister?


Wrapped up in this story is an attorney from Spain who has noble blood. A retired veterinarian with something to lose, and gain. Maggie’s paramour, Remy, another detective who comes from very old money. Sam, a former soldier with PTSD, now interviewing for a position with SWAT. There are a lot of storylines to follow, which truly makes you wonder how this is all going to come together at the end. 


But it definitely does come together in this page turner that kept me engaged and riveted. The characters are real and have flaws. The individual storylines are interesting. While I probably would have liked reading the first 3 books to have some background, I didn’t need it. This novel can be read as a standalone (though it was so good, I will go back and read the first 3.)

By Mai Mochizuki
** Publication Date 20 August 2024 **
5 stars

I cannot even describe how much I loved this little book. So inspirational and uplifting! Such an amazing premise. Worth every minute of reading!!

In The Full Moon Coffee Shop, there are several stories of people struggling in their lives. It might be a big struggle, it might be a small challenge, but regardless, there is some reason they are called to the Coffee Shop. 

This is no ordinary coffee shop, though. It is run by cats. Talking cats. Intelligent cats. Cats that represent the planets and the zodiac. And their explanations about how the planets and stars affect us is a revelation to those invited to visit. 

The story comes full circle at the end, with an ending that made me cry. I am not often completely touched by a story, but this one got me to my soul. Every action has a reaction, which is no more evident in this novel. It reminded me a lot of Aesop’s Fables, but in a more modern tone. 
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Really can’t recommend this enough!!!

*** Publication Date 6 August 2024 ***
By Sarah Stewart Taylor
4 stars
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What a great mystery. Told from several points of view, this novel takes us into the minds of the prominent characters to solve the question of what happened to Hugh Weber. I really enjoyed this step back in time to a turbulent period in the history of the US. It is the summer of 1965. 

Sylvie is a French-Canadian woman who married Hugh Weber when she was just a teenager, but he was in his 30s. She was so young, and had a son before the first year of the marriage was over. Originally Hugh promised Sylvie an idyllic life, living off the land of Vermont. After four children, with a fifth on the way, things were not as they started.

Mrs. Bellows was raised in Bethany, Vermont, but also traveled the world with her husband, who worked for the government. After his death, she returned to Bethany to spend her remaining years in the house built by her family. She is a bit of a sleuth herself, trying to solve the mysteries that arise in Bethany. Being one of the original families, she is well connected to the town.

During the summer of 1965, Franklin Warren arrives as a newly installed investigator for the state police. He no sooner sets foot in his new house, that he is called to investigate a suspicious death. Warren has his own demons to conquer, and this new position is going to be a challenge for him. 

Going back in time to 1965 when there was so much dissent due to not only the Cold War but also Vietnam. At this period in history, the ‘hippie’ and ‘back to our roots’ movement was prevalent in bigger cities, but was just reaching the smaller communities in the US. It is a fascinating time and Taylor has captured the dynamics so well. I loved the descriptive qualities of her writing. 

Recommend this step back for summer reading.