Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan is an author pairing I didn’t know I wanted or needed. Their collaboration blends romance and paranormal thriller in a way that feels balanced and engaging. I was initially drawn in by the romance but quickly became hooked by the twists and turns of the thriller. The story opens with Tate, a man born into upper-class New York society. His older sister acted as a surrogate mother, while his parents remained largely distant. His

We Who Will Die  by Stacie Stark is a fast-paced, immersive fantasy story. Although it is the first installment in a trilogy, it feels like it would have made an excellent second book. The reader is immediately thrown into an ancient Roman-inspired fantasy world, beginning in a tavern where we meet Arvelle, who is working as a bodyguard. From the start, we learn about her strong sense of family and her keen eye for detail, traits that carry throughout the book. In the tavern,

Binding 13 is an emotional roller coaster of a novel. Don’t let the teenage main characters fool you—this book tackles some very heavy and difficult themes. Set in Cork, Ireland, the story incorporates elements of Irish culture that enhance the narrative rather than distract from it. The book contains a significant amount of dialogue, which works well as a way to understand the characters through their interactions rather than through direct description. My one frustration wi

Daisy Jones & The Six follows the origin story of a fictional American rock band in the 1970s. Told through a series of interviews, the book begins by exploring how and why each member came together, and eventually reveals the reasons behind the band’s breakup. From the start, you learn that Daisy is essentially a 1970s version of a “nepo baby,” while the Six are a group of friends and family members who form a band together. When the two merge to become Daisy Jones & The Si

There are some books you can read passively, and others that demand your full attention—where missing even a single line can disrupt the entire experience. Water Moon is firmly in the latter category. It’s an active, immersive read that requires you to stay present. The story follows Hana, a new pawnshop owner, and Kei, one of her clients, as they search for Hana’s missing father. But this is not a journey through our world. Hana’s pawnshop deals not in objects, but in choice

This felt like the longest 300-page book I’ve ever read. It was slow to start, difficult to get into, and overly drawn out for the amount of story it told. That said, I appreciated that it wasn’t a copy-and-paste romantasy novel. The story felt original, and the writing style was unique, which helped it stand apart from others in the genre. Unfortunately, I struggled with the characters. I wanted to root for them, but I just couldn’t connect. It felt like the story was bein

Lucy Score is back with another feel-good love story, filled with humor and leading, as always, to her signature happily ever after. Mistakes Were Made is the second installment in the Story Lake series, set in a charming fictional small town in Pennsylvania. This book centers on Zooey, the best friend of Hazel (the female protagonist from the first book). Zooey finds herself torn between maintaining her glamorous life in New York City and embracing the idyllic pace of Story