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Showing posts with label Mindy Mejia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mindy Mejia. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025
Besides the seasonal Top Ten Tuesday prompts, my favorite ones are those that focus on new releases. Even though I have THOUSANDS of older titles on my TBR lists, my head is always turned by these bright, shiny up-and-comers. I love knowing what titles are forthcoming so I can get excited about reading them! So, yay for today's TTT topic: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025
Thanks to ARCs, I've already read a few of the July-December titles I was looking forward to most, including:
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (available July 8)
That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White (available July 22)
Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (available July 29)
You Belong Here by Megan Miranda (available July 29)
Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright (available August 1)
Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman (available August 19)
Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (available September 23)
Outside by Jennifer L. Holm (available October 7)
The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan (available November 18)
(The title hyperlinks will take you to my review of the book on Goodreads.)
Here are ten I haven't read yet, in order of publication:
1. The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani (available July 8)—It's been a hot minute since I've read anything by Trigiani, but I've enjoyed many of her books in the past. This one centers around a woman whose heart has been broken by her recent divorce. When another tragedy hits, she retreats to her ancestral home in Italy, where she uncovers secrets about her family's past. As she learns more about her kin, she also learns more about herself and her place in the world, all of which might be exactly what she needs to heal and begin her life anew.
2. Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza (available July 15)—Although they were best friends in college, Bex and Lizzie haven't seen each other in years. Bex disappeared after graduation, eventually transforming herself into a trad wife who shows off her perfect family life to her millions of Instagram followers. When Bex reaches out, offering a struggling Lizzie an opportunity to share some of the limelight, Lizzie can't refuse. When Bex disappears again and her husband is found dead at their ranch, Lizzie is left with a million questions. Who is Bex now? What has she done to get where she is? Did she kill her husband or is she the one who's become a victim? It's up to Lizzie to find out.
3. D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. by Abby White (available August 5)—This YA novel stars the titular character, a teenage girl who is prepping for her bat mitzvah while also trying to figure out what really happened to her cousin. Everyone says Rachel took her own life; D.J. is convinced she was murdered.
4. The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols (available August 19)—Mrs. B is the landlady of a series of bungalows near the beach in Santa Barbara, California. She's careful about renters, letting only to people she cares about. As a result, she's surrounded by an eclectic group of lovable misfits. When an ex-con who maybe has the potential to be violent moves in and a dead body is soon found in the neighborhood, the police naturally suspect the former prisoner. Mrs. B is so sure he's not a murderer that she confesses to the crime herself. Her arrest prompts her tenants to form an investigation club to find the real killer and free their beloved landlady.
5. The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso (available August 26)—The time space is a library of books filled with the memories of the dead, one that can be accessed only by special timepieces that were passed down from father-to-son, although they're now mostly possessed by the government. Lisavet Levy is an 11-year-old girl who was hidden in the time space in 1938 by her watchmaker father, who never returned. When she discovers that government agents are destroying books in the time space, she sets out to save them.
The premise of this one sounds complicated (I'm not sure if I've described it correctly), but intriguing. I'm in!
6. The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (available September 9)—I'm probably going to have to reread the first five books in the Robert Langdon series before I move on to this sixth installment, but that's okay. In this newest book, the symbology professor is in Prague attending a lecture given by his new girlfriend, Katherine Solomon. She is about to publish an explosive new book that could shatter long-held beliefs about human consciousness. When a murder occurs and Katherine vanishes along with her manuscript, Langdon finds himself on a desperate, dangerous search for answers and for his missing girlfriend.
7. The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (available September 16)—Since I'm not totally sure I understand what this one is about, here's the official plot summary:
After a very different outcome to WWII than the one history recorded, 1979 England is a country ruled by a government whose aims have sinister underpinnings and alliances. In the Hampshire countryside, 13-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents at the Captain Scott Home for Boys, where every day they must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. The lucky ones who recover are allowed to move to Margate, a seaside resort of mythical proportions.
In nearby Exeter, 13-year-old Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who dote on her but never let her leave the house. As the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, bringing to light a horrifying truth about their origins and their likely fate, the children must unite to escape – and survive.
In nearby Exeter, 13-year-old Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who dote on her but never let her leave the house. As the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, bringing to light a horrifying truth about their origins and their likely fate, the children must unite to escape – and survive.
I'm still a bit confused, but I'm also intrigued!
8. You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson (available September 16)—This short YA novel is supposed to be an "interactive" murder mystery, although I'm not quite sure on the details. At any rate, it's about a group of people, each of whom is hiding a guilty secret, who are invited by an anonymous source to a posh house party. When one of them is killed, seemingly without anyone seeing a thing, Scotland Yard is completely flummoxed. Needing a fresh pair of eyes, they call in, well, you, to solve the murder.
Sounds fun!
9. The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia (available September 16)—I reread the first book in Mejia's Iowa Mysteries series earlier this year, then read the second installment right after. Since I enjoyed both so much, I was thrilled to discover that a third one is coming out soon. Fortunately, I was able to secure an e-ARC, so I'm already a few chapters into this engrossing mystery.
Old friends Max Summelin (a longtime police officer) and Jonah Kendrick (a tortured psychic) have formed a private detective agency that is doing well, but not well enough to turn away business. So, when a scruffy young man drops $20,000 in cash on their desk, begging the duo to do anything necessary to find his missing girlfriend, they can't really refuse, no matter how sketchy the whole thing seems. Turns out, the young man doesn't even know his girlfriend's real name. Max and Jonah have their work cut out for them. Who is the young woman, really? Did she run away when her boyfriend started asking too many questions or did someone else cause her disappearance?
10. 6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk (available September 23)— This murder mystery gets a low overall rating on Goodreads, but I don't care, I'm going to read it anyway! I love a locked room mystery and trains make such compelling settings for them. In this one, a writer is using the six-hour train ride from Toronto to Montreal to get some much-needed work done on her book. All of her plans go awry when her fellow passenger suddenly dies. Soon, the peaceful journey becomes a desperate race for survival against a vicious killer.
There you are, ten upcoming titles that I'm excited to read. How about you? Which ones are you looking forward to? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Monday, January 18, 2021
Unlikable Characters Make Engrossing Thriller a Depressing, Dissatisfying Read
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Former whistleblower Nora Trier has built a successful career as a forensic accountant. For the last 15 years, she has spent her days combing through financial records searching out fraud, but she's still surprised by her newest case. Strike, a billion-dollar home-grown premium athletics brand, is on the verge of hosting a huge kickboxing competition with an unprecedented prize—the winner earns $20 million and the chance to be Strike's new spokesperson. The problem? The coveted prize money has gone missing. Strike's owners, Gregg Abbott and his wife, famous kickboxing champion Logan Russo, have suspicions about where it might be and who might have taken it, but no one knows for sure. With one week before it's to be awarded, the money needs to be found. Gregg is convinced that only Nora has the expertise to find it.
Nora prides herself on her objectivity, but she has more than one secret connection to Strike. Can she investigate the company fairly? The further she delves into its financial transactions as well as the personal lives of its owners and employees, the more concerned she becomes. With whispers of embezzlement, betrayal, and sabotage in the air, Nora's not sure what to believe. All she knows is that the evidence is leading in a disturbing direction. As she gets closer and closer to the truth, Nora's position becomes more and more dangerous. Someone doesn't want her to find out what's really happening at Strike. Who would do the unthinkable to keep the truth hidden?
I enjoyed the two books I've read by Mindy Mejia, so I picked up her newest assuming it would be just as enticing. Strike Me Down definitely sucked me in and kept me reading. I whipped through its pages because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The plot kept me guessing, which is something I always appreciate in mysteries/thrillers. Unfortunately, though, I just could not stand any of the novel's main characters. Nora and Logan are both cold, selfish women who are admirable in some ways but still almost wholly unlikable. Gregg is greedy, unfaithful, and overly obsessed with Strike. By the end of the novel, I found all of them so repulsive that I didn't care much what happened to any of them. So, while Strike Me Down is an engrossing page turner that held my attention, for me it ended up being a depressing, dissatisfying read because I hated the characters so much. Bummer.
(Readalikes: No specific titles are coming to mind. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, January 07, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: 2020 Is Looking Promising Already
My kids are back in school, so the holidays must be officially over. Never mind the fact that my Christmas decorations aren't completely packed away or that my family is still nibbling on holiday treats. I'm ready for the new year, darn it! 2020's not going to get away from me like 2019 did. I hope.
Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020. I already did a Winter TBR list that featured a lot of 2020 releases, so check that one out. Never fear, though, I have more, which you will find listed below in order of release date. Before you scroll down, though, take a minute to join in the TTT fun. It's super easy—just click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, scan a few quick instructions, write up your own list, then hop around the book blogosphere checking out other people's posts. I promise it will be a good time!
Okay, here we go with Top Ten (Okay, Eleven) Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020 (not including those from my Winter TBR list):
1. The Girls With No Names by Serena Burdick (available January 7)—An ARC of this novel is winging its way to me as we speak. I can't wait! This historical concerns two sisters who live near a home for wayward girls. When the girls unearth a shocking secret about their father, everything changes. Then, one of the sisters disappears. Assuming their father has incarcerated his missing daughter at the nearby home, the other hatches a daring rescue plan.
2. The Hollows by Jess Montgomery (available January 14)—I loved The Widows, a historical novel about a woman who takes over as sheriff after her husband's death in 1920s Ohio. The second book in the series, this one concerns an elderly woman who is killed by a train while walking through an underground railroad tunnel. Who was the woman? And what was she doing on the train tracks? It's up to the sheriff to find out.
3. Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain (available January 14)—This dual-timeline novel is the story of an innocent convict who is released from prison early in return for restoring an old mural. A lot of my favorite tropes are rolled up in this one, so I'm expecting to enjoy it.
4. Remembrance by Rita Woods (available January 21)—This triple-timeline historical novel about slavery looks intriguing.
5. Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar (available January 24)—Teenager Grace is so ill that her mother, Meg, who is beloved and admired in her town, does little else but care for her. When Meg is found brutally murdered, with Grace nowhere to be found, the confusing mystery befuddles the town. What in the world happened to the mother and daughter? Sounds good, no?
6. Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald (available February 4)—After being struck by lightning, a woman wakes up in the hospital only to find out her mother has been murdered. The police are suspicious of her convenient amnesia. Desperate to prove her innocence, she sets out to find the truth.
7. The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte (available March 3)—In this YA novel, a teen raises her sister from the dead for one day as a desperate measure to get answers about their parents' deaths. Without enough clues as to what really happened, the girls team up to find the truth while being pursued by ill-intentioned foes. Sounds fun!
8. The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy (available March 3)—I just requested an e-ARC of this MG novel from NetGalley. It's about a girl who discovers her estranged father will be judging a singing competition in Nashville. She signs up to compete, but exactly how is she going to secretly get herself to Tennessee? Adventure ensues ...
9. The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan (available March 5)—I've enjoyed the first two books in McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series and I've been anxiously awaiting this third installment. Looks like it's told from the perspective of both Reilly and another detective. Interesting.
10. Strike Me Down by Mindy Mejia (available April 7)—I'm a big fan of Mejia's thrillers, so I'm excited for her newest which centers around a forensic accountant hired to track down millions of dollars of missing prize money.
11. Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon (available April 28)—I love me a good pioneer story and this one sounds excellent. It's about a young widow crossing the Overland Trail who faces hardships along the way. An unexpected romance with a man who is half-Pawnee adds challenges to her already full plate.
Happy TTT!
Friday, December 28, 2018
Novel Does Engrossing, Compelling Justice to Its Fascinating Premise
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Ten years ago, a troubled drifter took his 10-year-old son camping in the Boundary Waters—a vast, remote wilderness on the Canadian border—and was never heard from again. A ravaged campsite seemed to indicate a fatal bear attack. A decade later, everyone is shocked when one of the "victims" emerges from the wild. Caught while robbing an outfitter store, 19-year-old Lucas Blackthorn becomes violent. After his subsequent arrest, the uncommunicative young man is admitted to a mental hospital in Duluth. Despite repeated attempts to find out what happened on their ill-fated camping trip, Lucas will say nothing about himself, his father, or anything else.
At the end of her rope, the psychologist in charge of the facility assigns Maya Stark, her former patient and a newly-licensed speech therapist, to try her luck with stony Lucas. It's an impossible task, but Maya's determined to get through to her client, whose haunted past reflects Maya's own. The more involved she becomes, however, the more she's willing to do for Lucas, a man she's not even sure she can trust. As the risks she's taking become increasingly dangerous, Maya must decide just how far she's willing to go for the enigmatic patient whose demands could cost Maya everything she's worked so hard to gain.
The premise of Leave No Trace, Mindy Mejia's newest, intrigued me from the moment I heard about it. Happily, the novel does its premise justice in this tense, engrossing page turner. The characters are sympathetic and interesting, as are the questions at the center of this novel—What is crazy? Who are the real savages—those who retreat to the peace of the isolated wilderness or those who destroy it with pollution and noise? With a compelling storyline, an appealing cast, and a fascinating setting, Leave No Trace kept me totally spellbound. I loved it.
(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and violence
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
TTT: FALLing for Autumn Reads
Here we go with the Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List:
1. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult (available October 2)—I'm a big Picoult fan and I'm excited to read her newest, even though it deals with a subject on which I have strong opinions: abortion. The novel begins when a shooter walks through the doors of a women's reproductive health services clinic and goes from there. Should be a compelling read that will no doubt be interesting and discussion-worthy.
2. The Winters by Lisa Gabriele (available October 16)—This haunting thriller about a recently married woman whose posh new lifestyle is not all it appears to be sounds intriguing.
3. Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia (available now)—This novel, about a boy who's been raised in the Minnesota wilderness and the therapist who's trying to help him, sounds intriguing.
4. Love Unscripted by Tiffany Odekirk (available now)—On the lighter side, this is the sophomore novel by a delightful author whom I've had the privilege to meet. I enjoyed her debut, so I'm excited to see what Odekirk does with this romance about a woman who meets a Hollywood heartthrob in need of her help.
5. Squint by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown (available October 2)—I loved Mustaches for Maddie, so I'm excited to read the duo's newest, Squint. The middle grade book is about a young comic book artist who's frantically trying to finish a piece he wants to enter in a big competition before he completely loses his eyesight due to a damaged cornea. He's bullied at school, but one girl reaches inside of herself to find the courage to get to know him ...
6. The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (available now)—This historical novel, about a young medical student who enlists in WWI and finds himself trying to make a difference at a frozen, forgotten makeshift hospital in the Carpathian Mountains, sounds intriguing.
7. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (available now)—Another historical, this one is based on the true story of a captured Jew who is put to work tattooing numbers on the arms of his fellow prisoners. A love story and a survival story, it sounds excellent.
8. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (available November 6)—After loving several of Moriarty's novels, I found her last one to be a big flop. I'm hoping Nine Perfect Strangers, a novel about a group of women stuck together at a resort that may be more damaging than healing, is as entertaining as some of her earlier books.
9. Go To My Grave by Catriona McPherson (available October 23)—I love a mystery/thriller featuring an old house hiding juicy secrets. This one, about a group that gathers at a bed and breakfast where something horrible happened years before, sounds like a perfect Fall read!
10. The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White (available now)—This dual-timeline novel features a dramatic story set on the doomed ocean liner RMS Lusitania. I'm in.
There you have it, ten of my most anticipated reads for Fall. Do we have any in common? What are you looking forward to reading in the months ahead? I'd love to know. Please leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Twisty Psychological Thriller Engrossing, But Not Satisfying
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
High school senior Hattie Hoffman appears to have it all. She's beautiful, popular, smart, and a talented actress. Maybe too talented. Hattie is hiding a lot more under her innocent, girl-next-door facade than anyone would ever guess. When the 18-year-old is found murdered in an abandoned barn, one question hovers the whole sad affair: Who was Hattie Hoffman? The answers are plentiful. What's the truth?
County sheriff Del Goodman is tasked with finding Hattie's killer. A close friend of the Hoffmans, he's baffled by what he's finding out about their daughter. Did anyone really know Hattie? He's beginning to think not. There's only one thing he knows for sure: He will find her killer. No matter what it takes.
Peter Lund, Hattie's English teacher, is hiding an incriminating secret—from his wife, from his colleagues, from the police. What will happen when the truth comes out? Will he find himself accused of killing his favorite student? Did he?
Told from three perspectives—the victim, her English teacher, and the policeman investigating them both—Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia is a compelling psychological thriller. The story twists and turns all over the place, making for a tense, engrossing read. Hattie and Peter are complex characters, neither of whom is very likable. The former is a manipulative brat (who seems WAY older than 18) while the latter is a selfish wimp. Despite these less-than-desirable qualities, I did want to know what happened to them. The ending of this one frustrated me, so in the end, I'm not sure quite what I thought of Everything You Want Me to Be. It's an intriguing page turner for sure, but I can't say I really liked it. Overall, it didn't leave me feeling very satisfied.
(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of The Secret Place by Tana French)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for strong language, violence, blood/gore, and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Everything You Want Me to Be from the generous folks at Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) via those at NetGalley. Thank you!
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