Devi Nair

📢 Narrated by Catherine Ho ⏱ Duration: 5 hours Genre: Translated Fiction 🏷️ Publisher: Harper Audio and Harper Perennial

Translated works are always special to me. First off, they remind you how vast literature really is. You're already sitting with more classics than you could read in a lifetime in just one language, and then you remember there's a whole world of other languages doing the exact same thing. If it weren't for translators (special shoutout to Eric Ozawa for this one), you wouldn't even know how much you were missing. Second, no one describes a culture better than the people actually living in it. Translated fiction takes you places you'd otherwise only get to by being a very dedicated traveler, or a very rich one.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is such a quiet, human book. I loved how it describes daily life almost casually while sneaking in these little behavioral lessons underneath. The way relationships are handled here, especially the obligation and responsibility you feel toward family, sometimes even as a burden you carry without complaint, felt so familiar to me. That's a very South Asian thing too. And the love with which that burden gets carried is also very South Asian. Takako and Satoru's uncle-niece dynamic could have been lifted straight out of my own life with my uncle.

And then there's the bookshop itself. Used bookstores have this magic where you're not just getting handed a story from the book you bought. You're getting handed the story of whoever read it before you, a random bookmark, an old receipt, a pressed flower petal, a scribbled note. Each of those tells you more than the book itself sometimes does. It's genuinely magical to buy books this way (libraries can give you a taste of the same feeling, honestly, if you're paying attention).

Catherine Ho's narration matched the mood of this one perfectly, unhurried and warm, which suited a story that isn't in any rush to get anywhere.

Would I recommend it? Yes, without hesitation. This is a warm comfort read that doesn't try too hard to be anything other than what it is: a quiet story about two people learning to live again. I've already queued up book two in the series. If you want something gentle that still leaves a mark, start here.

📱📖 Read on Kobo 📃 304 pages ⏱ Duration: 4 hours Genre: Cozy Mystery 🏷️ Publisher: Kensington Cozies (ARC by NetGalley)

There is something about a Vicki Delany book that I can only consider a spell. Not the abracadabra kind. The kind where you open to the first page and suddenly the rest of your day just... isn't happening. Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble pulled that off again, just like the previous seven books in the series.

I read this almost without a break, because I could not put it down long enough to do anything else. I needed to know what Bernie was going to dig up next. I needed to sit in the kitchen while Edna and Rose traded their usual barbs. I wanted to be a fly on the wall during Katya's séance, and I definitely wanted to hear Amy Redmond tell everyone to stay out of her investigation right before showing up for tea anyway (both literally and figuratively).

Here's what struck me most about this seventh installment: the mystery doesn't feel manufactured. Lily and her circle aren't racing around playing detective. They're just noticing things. Clues land more like a happenstance rather than getting chased down, and that restraint is what makes the whole thing feel real. You could imagine doing exactly what Lily or Bernie does, because most of us aren't trained investigators. We're just people who pay attention, more or less, when the situation calls for it, and researches online.

The supernatural thread running through this one is genuinely eerie, not gimmicky. The echoes between the present-day death and something from the past gave me actual chills, and Lily's own unease didn't surprise me. She's lived in that house for years without a single ghost sighting, and she knows perfectly well Katya is a fraud. And yet. There's a difference between knowing something isn't real and still feeling creepy about it, and Delany nails that gap.

Seven books in and this series hasn't lost a single step. If anything it's gotten more confident. Vicki Delany, please write faster. I am begging.

Would I recommend it? Without hesitation. This is exactly the kind of cozy that reminds you why you fell for this author's writing in the first place: warm, funny, a little spooky, and completely un-put-downable. If you've read any of the earlier Tea by the Sea books, this one delivers everything you're hoping for. If you haven't, honestly, what are you waiting for? Mark July 28th on your calendar, because this one is worth the wait and then some.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Sara Van Beckum ⏱ Duration: 9 hours Genre: Cozy Mystery 🏷️ Publisher: Tantor Media and Kensington Cozies

My history with the Literary Dining Mystery series is pretty short, honestly. I stumbled onto Allie Catt by accident (best accident of my reading year, easily) and I’m already fully enthralled. In Murder by the Millions, Allie is back, except this time she isn’t defending her best friend Tegan. She IS the trouble. Still, credit where it’s due: she does everything right this time around, staying out of a mess she clearly felt weird about from the start. Trouble just finds her anyway.

Let’s talk about that name for a second. Allie Catt. I need to email Daryl Wood Gerber and ask where that came from, because it’s genuinely one of my favorite character names in cozy mystery right now. The book hits every food cozy beat you’d expect (a murder, an amateur sleuth who probably shouldn’t be involved, a tidy resolution), but what sets this one apart is that Allie actually uses her brain. No “why would you go into that abandoned building alone” moments here. She leans on the cops when she needs to, and the slow burn with her detective is exactly that. Slow. I like a slow burn in romance, and this one is paced with real restraint.

Then there’s Sara Van Beckum’s narration, which might be the actual star of the show. Nine hours flew by. I’ve already got the next book queued up in ARC, and I’ll still be back for the audiobook the second it drops. Go listen before you judge me.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, yes. This is everything I want from a food cozy: a likable amateur sleuth who actually behaves like a person with survival instincts, a mystery that keeps its footing, and a narrator I’d follow into any series she picks up next. Allie Catt has fully won me over and I’m already impatient for book three. No notes... mark me down as obsessed.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Marin Ireland ⏱ Duration: 10 hours Genre: Contemporary Fiction 🏷️ Publisher name: Simon & Schuster / Atria Publishing

Reading Fredrik Backman is not really reading. It's something closer to absorbing a person's whole heart over a few hundred pages, and then carrying it around with you for weeks after you've finished. I don't know how he does it. Twenty six letters, rearranged, and somehow you end up crying on your kitchen floor over a fictional bank robber.

This one starts with a premise that sounds almost like a sitcom setup. A failed bank robbery. An apartment open house. A group of strangers who get taken hostage by someone who can't even rob a bank properly. Nine people, or eight, or maybe seven. The book keeps circling back to that number like it's a joke it's not quite ready to let go of, and honestly, that's part of the fun.

What got me wasn't the mystery of it (though I did want to know how it all shook out). It was watching these people, who would never in a hundred years have spoken to each other, end up saying things out loud they'd never said to anyone. A retired couple who spend their weekends touring other people's broken homes because it's easier than looking at their own marriage. A banker who's spent so long chasing money she's forgotten what it's for. A young couple about to have a baby who can't agree on where to live or even how they met in the first place, which, if you think about it, is its own kind of alarming. Add to that an old woman who's not afraid of anything anymore, a bank robber who can't seem to pull the trigger, a real estate agent who is completely clueless, and a man in the toilet (??). This is the unlikely bunch of hostages, around whom the story revolves.

There's something about a stranger that lets people say the real thing. Not the polished version you give your friends. The actual, messy, underneath version. Backman gets that completely, and he builds an entire book around it without it ever feeling like a gimmick. There's also a backstory running underneath the whole thing, quietly, that ties everything together by the end. I won't say more than that. Just know it's there, and it's precious, and it makes the ending land so much harder than you expect it to.

I also have to talk about Marin Ireland, because this audiobook would not have hit the way it did without her. A blah narrator can kill an emotional book like this one, no matter how good the writing is underneath it. Marin does the opposite. Every character has its own weight in her voice, every pause lands exactly where it needs to. Honestly, I don't think I would have cried the way I did if someone else had narrated this. She matches Backman's writing beat for beat, which is not a small thing to say.

And one more callout, because he doesn't get mentioned nearly enough: Neil Smith, the translator. This book was originally written in Swedish, and if it hadn't been translated this well, English readers like me would never have gotten anywhere close to this level of satisfaction. Translation work like this is so easy to overlook when it's done right, which is exactly the point.

By the end I wasn't just reading about these people. I felt like I'd been locked in that apartment with them.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Obviously yes. I don't think "recommend" is even a strong enough word for what I want to do with this book, which is put it in every single person's hands and refuse to let go until they've read it. I finished this one in tears, the good kind, the kind where you're sad it's over and grateful it happened at all. This is a book I will read again. And again.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Eilidh Beaton ⏱ Duration: 13 hours Genre: Cozy romance 🏷️ Publisher: Harper Collins / Avon

I started this series on a high note. I thoroughly loved Nina's journey in the first book. That feeling of being lost and finding your way was so relevant to where I was in my own life at the time, and moving on to book 2 felt like the natural next step.

But then the same formula applied. Immediately, from the get go, I recognized the pattern. I know where a love story is going to end up, sure, that's kind of the point of the genre. But for it to be so similar to the book I had just finished minutes earlier really put a damper on the mood.

I gave it up to 10% before calling it and DNF'ing. I loved the first round. I can't do the exact same cycle all over again with almost the same cast of characters around it. I even had book 3 queued up, and ended up giving up on that one before I'd even started it.

Would I recommend it? This isn't really a knock on Bookshop on the Shore itself so much as it is a case of reading it too close to book one. If you space these out, you might not notice the repetition the way I did back to back. I'll try another Jenny Colgan series down the line, but this particular formula in the Scottish highlands only worked for me once.

DNF at 10% — no rating

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Helen Lloyd ⏱ Duration: 10 hours Genre: Cozy Romance 🏷️ Publisher: William Morrow / HarperCollins

I found this one completely by accident. It popped up in the recommendations on my Libby app, and because I’d already read a Jenny Colgan before (and met her, and heard her speak, and I still have a signed copy of one of her books sitting on my shelf like a small treasure), I thought, why not. So I hit play on The Bookshop on the Corner on a random Wednesday evening while I was starting to cook dinner.

Good thing I didn’t burn that dinner. Honestly.

This book was so good. I fell in love with Nina almost immediately, and then I fell in love all over again when she fell in love with the Scottish Highlands. There’s a community feel to this book that just wraps around you. Helen Lloyd’s narration deserves its own paragraph, actually, because her accent work is glorious. Girl, you rock. I loved this book more because of what she did with it.

And then there’s the bookshop itself. A bookshop on wheels, driving from village to village. If that image alone doesn’t do something to you, I don’t know what will.

But my favorite thing, the thing I keep coming back to, is Nina’s gift. She recommends books to people based on what she quietly picks up about them, and they resist at first (of course they do), and then they read the book and end up loving it anyway. I want that so badly for myself. I want to walk into her bookmobile and let her hand me a stack of books I didn’t know I needed.

There’s a small foreword at the start of the book where Jenny Colgan talks about new beginnings, about having faith while you’re walking blind through the hard parts, because things do turn right eventually and it gets bright again. I’m going through a difficult stretch of my own right now, and those words landed somewhere deep. I actually reached out to Jenny Colgan afterward just to tell her that. To say that her book found me at the right moment and became a small beacon of hope in a dark patch.

At its heart this is a straightforward love story set in the Highlands, but it’s told with that particular Jenny Colgan warmth that makes even the familiar feel new. I loved every page of it. Every single one.

Would I recommend it? Yes, without hesitation. This is the kind of book you press into someone’s hands (or in this case, their earbuds) and say trust me. Nina, the bookmobile, the Highlands, Helen Lloyd’s narration, that foreword. There wasn’t a single thing in this listen that I didn’t love, and it landed at exactly the right moment for me too.

📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 484 pages ⏱ Duration: 4 hours 🎟️ ARC via NetGalley 🏷️ Published September 26, 2024 by Dolce Villa Press 📚 Genre: Fantasy

The hook that attracted me to this book delivered fully. An "ordinary" woman, a sentient bookshop, and a mystery that refused to stay buried. Maida Westabrook's slow unraveling from 'can't even believe in a crossed-finger wish', to 'fairies and shape shifters are her family' was brilliant. Primrose Court is the real star in the story. Ciara Blume built a world stuffed with faeries, dragons, shape-shifters, a delightfully chaotic cast made me truly not want to leave the world. Arthur, Will, Buffalo, Miranda, Zephyr, Granny Luna all made sure I am invested in the storyline. There's a coziness to the magic here that makes it all feel like a warm blanket on a cold day.

However, I still can't give this book the 5 star I thought it deserved. At almost 500 pages, this book could have used a little bit of trimming. Mulitple POVs retelling the same storyline made it feel padding heavy rather than having depth to the story. Around the 75%, I found myself checking how much runway was left rather than getting excited about the upcoming storyline. The ending does land, but I closed the book feeling more relieved that it's finally over than being swept away by the story.

Still, Primrose Court has a hold on me. Book 2 is calling, even though I am bracing myself for another long haul.

Would I recommend it? If you love immersive, character-stuffed fantasy worlds and don't mind a slow burn, this is a cozy-meets-magical mystery worth sinking into. The world-building is enthralling. just prepare for a marathon, not a sprint.

📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 248 pages ⏱ Duration: 3 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Storm Publishing 📚 ARC provided by NetGalley Genre: cozy mystery

The Novel Detectives Mystery series and I hadn't gotten off to a good start. Book one did not hook me, book two only loosened my grip a little, and by the time this one landed in my queue, I was ready to quietly bow out. Only loyalty to Ellie Alexander won, and this time, I am so glad it did.

This installment finally puts the mean on the bones of this cozy mystery series. Nothing here feels forced. The plot, the characters, and the mystery itself lands so well Annie and Fletcher are sent to investigate the disappearance of a recluse heiress from her sprawling family estate, and what unfolds is a genuinely well-built whodunit stacked with family secrets, rival heirs, and a house full of people who all see to be hiding something. The side characters have teeth, the pacing has purpose, and the crime is layered enough to keep you guessing till the end.

What struck me most is that this book finally brought back the charm from The Secret Bookcase Mystery series. By the final chapter, I was already anticipating the next book. There's a small teaser tucked in near the end that has me building theories on the next story possibility, and if I am reading it right, the next chapter for Annie and Fletcher is going to be a good one.

Would I recommend it? This is the book that turned me from a lukewarm follower of this series into someone actively counting counting down to to the next release. The mystery is sturdy with beautiful atmosphere, and the character work finally clicks in this one. This is the cozy mystery equivalent of a series finding its footing and sprinting.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Rosa Escoda ⏱ Duration: 6 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Books on Tape / Ace (January 21, 2025) 📚 Genre: Fiction / Translated Fiction

There is something about translated fiction that hits differently. The story wears a slightly different coat, and you can't stop noticing how well it fits anyway. The Rainfall Market is exactly that kind of read. A "What is you could start over" story dressed in gorgeous, dreamlike world-building that made me want to move in immediately, rain and all.

The similarities are there. Shades of The Midnight Library and DallerGut Dream Department Store are all over this one. If you've read either, you'll see where Serin's story is headed before she does. But knowing the destination didn't dull the the trip one bit. The magic here isn't in the twist. It's in the wandering, through bookstores that shouldn't exist, perfumeries that bottle memories, and a cat companion who might be the real main character (sorry, Serin!)

Rosa Escoda's narration is the whole reason this landed as hard as it did. She gives Serin this quiet, aching hopefulness that had me rooting for her from the first word. Her voicing of Issha is pure charm. Six hours flew by like they were nothing, and I kept wishing I could go to The Rainfall Market to experience it all over again.

Would I recommend it? This is a comfort read with just enough melancholy to keep it from feeling weightless. The kind of book you finish and immediately want to hand to someone with "just trust me" energy. If you love translated fiction, whimsical premises, or stories that ask you what you'd change about your life, this one's a must-listen.

📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 312 pages ⏱ Duration: ~5 hours 🏷️ Publisher: McClelland & Stewart

This anthology opens with Margaret Atwood, and her piece alone is worth talking about. The woman's genius just drips off the page, sharp and unbothered in a way that immediately tells you this collection is not messing around. Unfortunately, that's exactly where I hit a wall Elbows Up! is a hard-hitting, unflinching collection of essays wrestling with the Canada-US trade war, the "51st state" rhetoric, and what national identity even means when the ground feels this unstable. It's political, it's urgent, and it does not soften a single blow. But it's also just not my lane. I gravitate towards lighter non-fiction, memoirs, ways-of-life stuff, things with a gentler hand. This one asked more of me, politically and emotionally, than I had the bandwidth for. So, with a heavy heart, I made the call to set it down. Sometimes, a book is genuinely good and you are still the wrong reader for it.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Ell Potter ⏱ Duration: 8 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio

I went into this book blind, without reading the blurb or even any expectations, and for the first stretch, the book had me hooked. Ex-spy-turned-mom Kendal Carter is a great premise on paper, with espionage disguised as playdates, betrayal lurking behind PTA smiles, a woman juggling covert ops, and Rosie's school pickup line. Ell Potter's narration kept things brisk in those early chapters, and I could feel the propulsive thriller energy the book promises right out of the gate.

And then, it just... wandered off. The story I thought I was getting took a detour, and not of a fun kind. The midpoint twist was visible from a mile away, which I don't mind when the ride is fun, but then the pacing sagged and never quite recovered. What should have a tense slow burn turned into a slog I had to push through out of sheet stubbornness (and an already-too-tall DNF pile I refused to add to). By the final act, I wasn't invested so much as I was determined to finish.

Would I recommend it? I wanted to love this one. The setup is sharp, the narrator does solid work, and the concept of spy-mom-disguised-as-spy is exactly the kind of hook that should've kept me glued to my headphones. Instead, a sagging middle and a telegraph twist turned excitement into endurance. For me, it was a case of great pitch but underwhelming payoff.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Carlotta Brentan ⏱ Duration: 10 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Severn River Publishing / Spotify Audiobooks

I was expecting a witty PI romp with a body count and a side of banter. What I got instead was 10 hours of terrible pent up sexual angst so bad I half expected the audiobook to come with a fire extinguisher. The mystery itself, Javier's murder, Miami's freedom on the line, Verona jetting off to sniff out the real killer, is there, buried somewhere under all that unresolved anger due to lack of sex. Why oh Why?

If you ignore the unnecessary sexual jaunts, the dual timeline structure in this book works well. The pre-murder build up and post-murder unraveling does the trick in garnering attention. When it leans into just the investigation, there's a decent little whodunit humming along. But I never found the "wickedly funny" promise on the back cover. The humor felt bolted on rather than baked in, like someone told the story to be funny instead of letting it to be funny.

Real talk: the only reason I finished this one is that my ARC copy corrupted. I flagged it under "will not review" on NetGalley and my brain would not let me leave a book unfinished on principle. That's not a five-star review. That's a hostage situation with myself as both hostage and negotiator.

Would I recommend it? No, I wouldn't. The mystery is too predictable to carry the weight of a plot that kept getting sidelined by everyone's crotch headaches (her word, not mine). It's not unreadable, it's just exhausting in a way a mystery shouldn't be. However, one thing I would call out is how proud a Canadian Verona is. Those two lines, I genuinely cheered!

📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 516 pages ⏱ Duration: 10 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Ace Genre: Urban Fantasy

I started reading this book thinking I was an urban fantasy girl through and through. Turns out, I am just a Harry Dresden girl, and Brief Cases is exactly the book that taught me the differences. This anthology gathers a pile of previously published Dresden Files short stories, some from Harry's point of view, some from the people orbiting his chaotic wizard life including Gentleman Johnnie Marcone, plus one brand new novella written just for this collection.

My confession though - I skipped the non-Harry stories. Not because they are bad, (this is Jim Butcher we are talking about, the man doesn't miss) but because I wanted my wizard, not supporting characters. And the ones that I did stick with, the Harry ones, were really so good, especially the BigFoot trilogy. There's something so satisfying about Harry stumbling into monster-of-the-week chaos in bite-sized form, all snark and fireballs intact.

I'd still nudge other readers to give the non-Harry stories a shot. I have no doubt they are excellent. They just weren't what I came for.

Would I recommend it? If you are already a Dresden Files fan, this is a snack tray of everything you love, no commitment required. If you are new to the series, skip this one and start with Storm Front instead. You'll want context before trying this bite. For me, sticking to the Harry-centric stories, this was an easy, joyful read that reminded me exactly why I fell for this series in the first place.

📚 Read as a book 📃 272 pages ⏱ 4 hours 📱📖 Read on Kindle ARC via NetGalley 🏷️ Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Yes, I know this is a spin-off. Yes, I know Lee Berrett Mondello isn't in the book. Yes, I know all that, but I still wanted Lee. I still craved for those visions in the shiny surfaces. I still yearned for magic in the mystery. Aunt Ibby game me mystery, but without the magic.

Aunt Ibby and her two friends go about solving a crime in this book, which kicks off a brand-new series where these three amateur sleuths take centre stage. And look, the mystery itself works. It's a straight-cut cozy with all the drama, fun, and sleuthing you would look for: stolen paintings, a shady cult-adjascent art group, a body in the woods, the whole deal. There's real craft here.

But as a true Carol J. Perry fan, I kept waiting for that spark, the paranormal kind. It never showed up. I enjoyed the journey. I really did. Ibby's tech-savvy sixty-something energy is charming, and O'Ryan the cat is doing his best. But I don't think Aunt Ibby is the one I'll be following into book two. I'll take the mystery. I'll just keep missing the magic.

Would I recommend it? If you love a clean, well-plotted cozy with no paranormal elements, this one delivers. It has solid pacing, a fun cast of amateur sleuths, and a satisfying whodunit. But if you are coming from Witch City series hoping for a taste of Lee's magic, temper your expectations. It's a good mystery. Just not the mystery I was hoping for.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Krysta Gonzales ⏱ Duration: 12 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Crooked Lane Books / Spotify Audiobooks

I was expecting a genre mashup that would blow up my mind. Cozy mystery meets time loop sci-fi. What's not to love? Katie Siegel's premise is genuinely original. A woman stuck reliving September 17th for two years, finally freed just in time to investigate her neighbor's murder. On paper, it's the kind of high-concept cozy mystery that should have had me obsessed.

Instead, I got stuck in a loop. The book never explains how Amie got stuck in the loop in the first place. But, I could roll with that, if the mystery had leaned into it. But another disconnect happened, and it was that every clue in the murder investigation exists entirely outside of the loop. Amie solves this case the same way any amateur sleuth would, loop or no loop. The central hook of the book, the thing that should have set it apart from every other small-town whodunit, ends up being narrative decoration instead of a plot engine.

Would I recommend it? This one is a tough pass for me. The premise promised so much and the execution just didn't connect dots. Pick it or leave it, but for me, it was a case of high expectations meeting a disappointing payoff.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Christine Rendel ⏱ Duration: 12 hours (DNF'd around 20%) 🏷️ Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

I wasn't expecting much about this book, and followed this after 'Theo of Golden'. For some reason, I felt like it might be a similar book. But that wasn't so. By the time I hit the 20% mark, I couldn't figure out if the book was a romance, or a family drama, or an adventure story. And the real problem was that I really didn't care enough to stick around to find out.

Meanwhile, Vicki Delany's new release was sitting right there, practically vibrating with cozy mystery energy. So I made the call every reader eventually has to make: life is too short and my audiobook queue is too good, to force my way through something that isn't earning my time.

📱📖 Read on Kindle | 📃 336 pages | ⏱ 5 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Crooked Lane Books | ARC by Netgalley Release Date: October 6, 2026

Here’s the thing about Minnie Niswander: she is DEEPLY, unapologetically me. The way her brain wanders off mid-crisis, the way she finds herself caring about seventeen different things when she’s supposed to be focused on just one. I feel seen in a way that should probably concern both of us. Fourteen books in, Laurie Cass still writes Minnie like someone she genuinely loves, and it shows on every single page.

The surrounding life in this book is what kept me completely hooked. Aunt Frances attempting to teach Minnie to cook is one of the most CHAOTICALLY DELIGHTFUL reading experiences I’ve had this year. Disasters in the kitchen have never been this funny or this oddly moving. Then there’s the nickname game Eddie’s humans are playing with each other, trying on pet names the way you try on ridiculous hats in a shop, sweet, funny, and somehow deeply romantic without trying too hard. The bookmobile scenes, the library drama, Eddie’s absolute refusal to behave: all of it is warm and lived-in and wonderful.

The mystery, though, that’s where I have to be honest. The central case leans heavily on decades of backstory and a web of connections that felt more complicated than compelling. I wasn’t bored, but I wasn’t riveted either. The resolution was tidy, which I appreciated, but getting there felt more like wading through archives than chasing a killer. When a book’s actual mystery is the LEAST interesting thing in it, that’s both a compliment to the writing and a gentle nudge to the plotting. Still, Minnie, Eddie, and Chilson, Michigan will always get four stars from me.

Would I recommend it? If you’ve been following Minnie and Eddie from the beginning, Murder on Thin Ice is the cozy, heart-full installment that reminds you exactly why you started. The mystery runs a little cold (pun intended), the plotting leans heavy on history and tangled connections that don’t quite ignite. But the warmth of this world more than makes up for it. Add this to your TBR, especially if you need a book that feels like a weighted blanket in novel form.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Genevieve Cocke ⏱ Duration: 11 hours (DNF at 45%) 🏷️ Publisher: Del Rey and Books on Tape

The premise had everything I was looking for. The title somehow gave me the impression of magical cats, but I could pivot with a magician with a magical shelter for cat instead. That wasn't a problem. There was a small-scale magical mischief, grumpy-meets-organized dynamic, a Montreal setting full of atmosphere. It was interesting when it started, and Genevieve Cocke's narration kept me going. But 'pleasant narration' can only carry the book so far when the plot refused to arrive even close to 50% of the book. By then, I wasn't invested, I wasn't curious, and I wasn't rooting for anyone. I was just waiting.

I don't like DNF'ing a book but life is too short and my TBR is too tall to keep circling a story that isn't going anywhere. This isn't a 'bad' book. It's just 'not my pace' book, and I'd rather tell you honestly than force my way through 11 hours of obligation.

I read this as a part of Goodreads challenge and I really wanted to like this. A darkly funny feminist deep dive into Scottish witch trials, narrated by the actual podcast hosts is exactly my kind of non fiction. However, 30% into the book, roughly 2 hours into an eight hour listen, and I had to tap out.

The problem wasn't the writing or the research, both of which felt to be genuinely sharp in the moments I could follow. It was the narration. The accent was heavy enough that even dropping the speed all the way down couldn't keep me in the understanding zone of what was actually happening. And when you can't follow a nonfiction book's through-line, you're not really absorbing the argument. You're just struggling to hear the words.

So this isn't a 'book failed me' DNF. It's a 'format failed me' DNF. If you've got an easier time with Scottish accents than I do, or if you are someone who reads instead of listens, I genuinely think there's a great book in here. I just couldn't find my way to it through the audio.

I won't rate a book I couldn't read.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Tim Carroll ⏱ Duration: 11 hours 🏷️ Publisher: William Morrow 📅 Published: September 10, 2024

Frederick Fife walked into my ears and set up permanent residence in my chest. I did not see him coming. I queued up this audiobook expecting something gentle and life-affirming. The kind of story you put on while you fold laundry and feel vaguely good about humanity. What I did NOT expect was to be stopped cold, undone, ugly-crying into a throw pillow at what I can only describe as one of the most quietly devastating scenes I have encountered in literary fiction in years.

It is the kind of writing that makes you put down whatever you’re doing (or in my case, rip out an earbud and just SIT there) because the truth of it lands so hard you need a moment to breathe around it. Anna Johnston, I do not know under what rock I was living to not have found you sooner, but I am here now and I am NOT leaving.

And then there is Tim Carroll. When I say he EMBODIED Frederick Fife. I mean they became one person. There was no separation between narrator and character, no performance, no artifice. Tim Carroll simply WAS Fred: the gentle cadence, the old-world warmth, the quiet dignity of a man who gives everything he has and asks for nothing back. Listening to this audiobook is, I would argue, the superior way to experience it. The voice IS Frederick Fife.

And as for the ending! I have a very specific policy about perfect endings, which is that if you change so much as a comma, I will find you. This ending earns every single thing it asks you to feel. It is the only ending this story could have had, and Anna Johnston knew exactly what she was doing.

Would I recommend it? OBSESSED. Send help. Frederick Fife is the literary father figure none of us knew we needed, and this novel is a gut-punch wrapped in the warmest hug you’ll ever receive. Tim Carroll’s narration turns an already extraordinary book into something transcendent. This is a gem in literary fiction. The kind you press into someone’s hands (or earbuds) and say trust me with your whole chest. A perfect five stars, and I would give it six if the scale allowed.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Sara Van Beckum ⏱ Duration: 10 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Kensington Cozies 📅 Published: October 22, 2024

I stumbled into this one completely by accident, and I am SO glad I did. Because here’s the thing: Allie Catt. JUST the name. And then Daryl Wood Gerber hits you with literary-themed dinner parties AND a cozy mystery AND food descriptions that made me pause the audio-book to go raid my kitchen. This book knew EXACTLY what it was doing, and it did it beautifully.

What I didn’t expect was how much I’d fall for the friendships at the heart of this story. Allie and Tegan’s dynamic is the kind of ride-or-die energy I am always here for in a cozy. They’re not just friends, they’re the kind of friends who will apparently commit mild amateur detective crimes for each other. And Chloe, the third wheel of this little trio, slots right in like she was always meant to be there. The aunt, Marigold, is so warmly written that her absence HURTS! You feel the loss in the way the town feels it, which makes the mystery land with real emotional weight. I was just as invested as Allie in finding out who did it.. And I Did NOT see the reveal coming. Satisfying in the best possible way.

And then there’s Sara Van Beckum. I genuinely think this audiobook narration elevated the entire experience for me. Every character had their own distinct voice and presence. Allie’s nervous energy, Tegan’s bulldozing determination, the warmth of the smaller town characters. It all came alive in a way that made the ten hours fly by. If you’re an audiobook reader even slightly intrigued by this premise, DO NOT skip the audio version. It’s the full package.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, this is the cozy mystery series debut I didn’t know I needed. Books, food, friendship, a cat named Darcy, and a mystery that actually surprised me? Add this to your TBR immediately. It’s charming without being saccharine, clever without being smug, and the Asheville mountain setting is the perfect backdrop for a story this warm and twisty. I’m already eyeing book two.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Allyson Ryan ⏱ Duration: 12 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Macmillan Audio / Flatiron Books

I almost didn't make it. The first 40% of the book is a slow burn, and I mean slow. I kept waiting for the story to tell me where it was going, and it just... didn't. And yet, for reasons I genuinely can't explain, I stayed. I have abandoned books at 20% for far lesser crimes, so whatever invisible force kept me in Nora's world, I am grateful.

Because once this book decides to move it, it MOVES. he cult-like pull of Dynasty Ranch, the suffocating weight of Nora's mental load, the maternal exhaustion layered under professional ambition. Chandler Baker writes the drowning woman so precisely it's almost uncomfortable. You don't just feel bad for Nora. You understand her. And that understanding is exactly what makes the story so unsettling, because when she starts making choices you're not sure you'd make yourself, you catch yourself thinking: wouldn't I though?

What sets this apart from your typical domestic thriller is the specificity of its gender politics. This isn't just a twisty neighbourhood mystery. It's a sharp, almost surgical look at the second shift, at couples therapy as performance, at what women quietly give up so that everyone else's lives can run smoothly. Allyson Ryan deserves her flowers for this narration. She doesn't just read Nora. she inhabits her in a way that makes the audiobook format feel like the definitive way to experience this story. And that ending? Do NOT rush the epilogue. Read it slow. That last line will rearrange something in your brain and you won't see it coming. I promise you won't.

Would I recommend it? Yes, with one honest caveat: patience is required upfront. If you can push past the slow start (and I know that's a big ask), The Husbands pays you back with interest. It's the kind of domestic thriller that lingers, the kind that makes you glance sideways at your own life and wonder. For fans of sharp feminist fiction with a thriller edge, this is a must-listen.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Philip Battley ⏱ Duration: 8 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Tantor Media | Published: June 16, 2026 (Print copy self-published: September 23, 2025)

Where has G.B. Ralph been all my life? I am being completely sincere when I say that reading an introvert written BY an introvert is a spiritual experience. From the very first scene, Addison Harper thinks EXACTLY like my brain does, and listening to him spiral over audience participation while on a date is the most relatable thing I've encountered in fiction this year. I did not expect to feel so personally seen by a cozy mystery set in New Zealand, and yet, here we are.

The mystery itself is genuinely fun. A Halloween variety show gone horrifyingly wrong, a drag queen at the centre of the chaos, and a cast of Milverton locals who are as nosy and lovable as ever. Addison and Mabel are an absolute dream duo, and watching them piece things together while navigating small-town dramatics is the cozy mystery formula working at its absolute BEST. G.B. Ralph has this incredible gift for balancing laugh-out-loud moments with a mystery that actually keeps you guessing, and this installment delivers on both counts.

And then there's Jake. JAKE. Listen, yes, the romance between Addison and Jake moves fast in this one. I clocked it, I noted it, and then I completely surrendered to it because they are SO good together. Is it a little clichéd? Sure. Do I care even a little bit? Not even slightly. The slow burn has been simmering across four books and watching it develop here was everything I needed. Philip Battley's narration is the perfect vessel for all of it. Warm, witty, and completely in sync with the tone of the series. This audiobook format is genuinely the IDEAL way to experience Milverton. You can see that by how I waited for the audiobook instead of reading the already-published book. Philip Battley is that good, you guys!

Would I recommend it? If you have been sleeping on the Milverton Mysteries, this is your sign to fix that IMMEDIATELY. Fright on Stage Right is cozy mystery firing on all cylinders. A clever whodunit, a delicious small-town setting, queer representation that feels joyful rather than performative, and a slow-burn romance that finally, FINALLY delivers. G.B. Ralph, the publishing world does not deserve you, but we readers absolutely do. Go get your copy. Don't walk! Run.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Vikas Adam, Tyla Collier, Logan Rozos, Nicky Endres ⏱ Duration: 11 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Books on Tape / Sourcebooks & Poisoned Pen Press 📅 Published: June 2, 2026 📖 Read as part of the MOTIVE 2026 books lineup & Goodreads Pride Month Challenge

Okay, I'll admit it: I almost passed on this one. The blurb did not sell me. It reads like a quirky rom-com with a body count, and I wasn't sure I was in the mood. But MOTIVE 2026 put it on my radar, and then the Goodreads Pride Month Challenge sealed the deal, and I am so glad both of those things exist because this book absolutely blindsided me with how much fun it is.

The four-narrator audiobook setup is where this one truly comes alive. Vikas Adam, Tyla Collier, Logan Rozos, and Nicky Endres each own their character completely, which matters enormously because the book's signature move is replaying the same pivotal moments through each of the four friends' perspectives. On the page that might feel repetitive; in audio, it genuinely works. You're not re-listening to the same scene, you're re-experiencing it, and there's a real difference between how Brandon catastrophises, how Nicole compartmentalises, how Ollie catastrophises while also being high, and how Ian catastrophises while hate-stalking his ex. (The group chat scenes, by the way, was peak chaos. I would die for this friend group.)

What got me, though, was the found family energy radiating off every scene. These four are messy, dramatic, and deeply devoted to each other in that specific way that makes you grieve the group chats you don't have. The middle section loses some momentum, which is the only thing standing between this and five stars, but the character warmth carries you through it. This is the kind of book Pride Month was made for.

Would I recommend it? The found family dynamics are genuinely special, the multi-narrator audio cast is perfectly matched, and Lev AC Rosen clearly had a blast writing something this delightfully unhinged. If you’re here for a twisty queer mystery with strong found family vibes and layered storytelling, this absolutely deserves a spot on your TBR. It’s not perfect (the middle drags slightly) but the emotional payoff and character work more than make up for it.

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Hillary Huber ⏱ Duration: 9 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Books on Tape / Berkley | March 11, 2025

I almost didn't read the book. Twice. Let that sink in.

I stumbled across this book entirely by accident, spotted in a library I wandered into mid-travel, in a town I can't even name on a map. My first reaction to the title was genuinely judgemental. 'Who reads a book with a name that long?' Then I read the blurb, saved it on my holds, and promptly forgot about it. But then, I pressed play, and lost myself completely.

This book grabbed me by the collar within minutes and refused to let go. Colleen Oakley has written something that defies its own genre labels. This isn’t romance. I’ll stand by that. And while there are elements of mystery, calling it that feels like missing the point. This is a marriage story: raw, familiar, and uncomfortably accurate at times. Jane and Dan feel like every couple who’s been together long enough to know each other too well and not enough at the same time. Their dynamic is equal parts frustrating and deeply endearing. The miscommunication is peak realism, and the silent assumptions are even better.

The dual POV narration is seamlessly executed, with each perspective adding a new layer of context that keeps you constantly reframing everything you just read. And then there's Hillary Huber. I cannot overstate what she brings to this audiobook. She doesn't just switch between Jane and Dan, she inhabits them. The frustration, the dry humor, the quiet ache underneath every exchange. Huber renders it all with such precision and emotional intelligence that I forgot, more than once, that I was listening to one narrator.

This is one of those rare reads that leaves you wondering how you almost missed it entirely.

Would I recommend it? Whether you're a fan of domestic fiction, hostage-situation thrillers, or just stories that remind you why human beings are both exhausting and completely worth it, this one delivers. Funny, tender, twisty, and impossible to put down (or in my case, pause). This is one of those books that quietly becomes a favorite before you even realize it.