Recent Reads

 The Tenant by Freida McFadden (2025)

After getting fired from his job, Blake and his fiancée Krista are forced to take in a tenant to make ends meet.  Whitney seems nice at first, but then weird things start happening, and Blake beings to wonder if something more sinister is going on.  This was a quick and captivating audiobook - the first part is from Blake's POV, and it's interesting to see him become more unhinged as the story goes on.  He's convinced Whitney is out to get him, but Krista doesn't believe him.  I will admit, McFadden definitely surprised me with the twist, but the reader has to majorly suspend disbelief, because, to me, the odds of this working out the way it did were basically zero.  Points for creativity, but even in the world of thrillers, this was out there.  3.5 stars

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk (2024)

Sophie has a big secret - she's a bestselling romance novelist.  She published her book under a different name to prevent backlash from her school community and family.  But when Joe finds out her secret, and the two are forced to spend the weekend together at her dad's birthday party, could this be the end of her anonymous publishing days?  This book was a mixed bag for me - it started off interesting, floundered a bit in the middle, but then came back strong at the end.  Sophie and Joe find themselves both attracted to and repulsed by each other when they first meet, and they fight these feelings over the course of a weekend in the country.  I thought Joe was a well-rounded character - at times smarmy and cocky, he could also be extremely vulnerable and I loved watching him try to prove himself to Sophie.  Sophie's family adds some fun (but also at times obnoxious) flair to the story, but overall, this is about Joe and Sophie, and Sophie finding the courage to be herself.  4 stars

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