Time Travel for Beginners
by Jaclyn Moriarty
A Fantastical Warm Hug (6/19/2026)
This was a delightful, unique take on time travel and it's purpose. I loved the focus character growth and their interwoven stories. It was a cozy magical realism story that really makes you think about what you would do if you were able to travel back in time.
Plant Lady
by Kang Minyoung
An Exceptional Atmospheric Thriller (6/13/2026)
This book is small but mighty, just like the novel's protagonist. It was slow paced, but the emotions were high and the author found the prefect balance of social commentary and suspense. I'm surprised by how much I loved the ending, but it won't be for everyone. It placed importance on the main character's arc and not the arc of the mystery aspect of the book, and I found that moving.
Feast
by Catherine Kurtz
Needs Content Warnings (4/22/2026)
The first half of this book was filled with a beautifully detailed back story and delicious food descriptions that my mouth watering. Unfortunately, all of that was lost in the second half of the book. The story dragged, became repetitive, and there were multiple instances of undisclosed sensitive topics that were not mentioned at the start of the book. These topics need trigger warnings and change the entire atmosphere of the book. It lost the magical fantasy aspect that initially attracted me to the book and focused much more on the hardships of living in the time period which I was not as interested in.
The Insomniacs
by Allison Winn Scotch
New York @ Nite (4/10/2026)
When four insomniacs become fast friends everything is not as it seems in this unexpected New York Mystery. The plot was unique and characters endearing, each in their own way. I really liked how the author brought together 4 very different types of people from all walks of life and included the curiosity and differences about how each of them lived. The characters themselves were a bit flat at certain points, they could have been more nuanced, but the story line was engaging and kept you wondering how the book would end.
The Jellyfish Problem
by Tessa Yang
Deep, Not Just in the Sea (3/7/2026)
This book was a terrific mystery filled with Jellyfish facts and plenty of quirky characters. The concept was truly unique and I could not guess what was going to come next. It was a fun ride and sweet to see the characters relationships form over time. There were quite a few heavy themes, almost too many, and multiple different types of mythology woven in which made it hard to follow at points and hard to understand what the author wanted the message of the story to be. It was still a fun read and the annotations left by the characters in their draft manuscript were my favorite part.
