Jeff Sexton

Like Great Gatsby: SLOW Start, Explosive Ending, *NOT* Neurodivergent. I tell the story often of my experience with The Great Gatbsy. Back in sophomore year of HS, it was actually assigned as summer reading before the school year. I didn't read it. Every time I tried to open it, the first chapters were just SO UTTERLY BORING that I literally couldn't keep my eyes open. Managed to bullshit through the discussion of it during my International Baccalaureate level English class that fall. Switched to a school without an IB program in Spring Semester, where now I had one of those old school even then (late 90s) slap-the-knuckles-with-a-ruler type English teachers. This lady *forced* me to read the book via making it a point to call on me to read out loud during class. She knew I HATED it, I wasn't subtle about my disdain at all, and I had a superiority complex at this new school to boot.

But god DAMN if she didn't wind up getting me through those first boring chapters, where the tale then woke up and became truly one of the great American books, particularly of its period and truly quite possibly ever.

I tell that story here because it directly applies to this book. This book is S L O W at first and utterly, completely, mind bogglingly BORING. There simply is no way around that. Even at 20% in, I was commenting on social media (without naming that I was reading this book) that it was horrible.

And then...

And then you get to the point - roughly halfway in - where you find out WHY the front half was so utterly boring.

And like Gatsby, this point turns the novel on its head and makes it a truly great book. No, it still isn't Gatbsy's level, but this is where it is going to make you *feel*. It is going to make the room so dusty you'll be verifying that the walls around you haven't suddenly collapsed, because you're going to be crying so hard during some of this next section that you're going to be snotting all over the place and finding it very difficult to breathe. Mayne manages to utterly bore your mind before absolutely DESTROYING your heart worse than a direct hit from a G2 Research RIP round would.

This back half is truly what makes the book, so fight through the boredom of the front half - it really does get so very much better.

Oh, and the neurodivergent thing; A lot of reviewers (I'm somewhere right around the 1,000th review on at least one review site) have mentioned that this book features a neurodivergent protagonist. It does not. The words "neurodivergent", "spectrum", "Autism", or even "Asberger's" are nowhere in the text of this tale, and while the front part of the book in particular (and to a slightly lesser extent the back part as well) characterize our protagonist as *stereotypically* neurodivergent, just because someone acts according to a stereotype does not mean they actually *are* whatever the stereotype is supposed to be of. Indeed, we actually get an explanation in that back half of the book that is *not* any form of actual neurodivergence so much as ... something else that is directly explained and explored (part of what makes the heart shatter so much), but which would be a spoiler to reveal here.

Overall truly a tale of two halves as far as the reader experience goes, but absolutely one you should read.

Very much recommended.

Comprehensive. Dense. Short. Slightly Lacking Bibliography. This is an utterly fascinating look at the history and current issues involving political (and thus legal) life after death, in all kinds of different ways. Some ways you have probably heard of (Wills, Advanced Directives, etc). Other ways may be new to you, including the idea of posthumous reproduction. Everything is covered in a sort of "primer" manner - we get a broad overview, a few specific examples, a decent discussion of the overall subfield... and then we're moving... and we're moving. Which is to be somewhat expected given the overall brevity of the book and just how many different posthumous topics Ginsberg manages to discuss at all.

Indeed, the only weakness here is simply that at 13% bibliography, I simply expect at least a *touch* more - even, perhaps, as low as 15% (on an already expanded window that was once 20-30%).

Beyond this particular quibble, read this book - you're going to learn a lot and have a lot to think about. I know I did and do.

Very much recommended.

Taylor Swift != "Modern Day Elvis Presley"! I came into this book wanting to read about the American Government on the Fourth of July. Honestly, as an avowed Anarchist and former Libertarian Party official at both the State and local levels + 2x rural small town City Council candidate... I probably should have known better. ;)

It isn't that this book isn't illuminating nor well documented - it actually is reasonably good at both, with a bibliography clocking in at 21% of the overall text. Seriously, if you've never considered the topic of land zoning as it is practiced in the United States and how it is used to control you, your neighbors, your town, even to a slightly lesser (direct) manner your State and even the entire Country... you need to read this book.

Bronin truly does a great job of examining the history of zoning as practiced in the US, including how it came to be and why and how it has been used over the century or so since it first came into being. (Indeed, according to Bronin, the Supreme Court cases that effectively legalized the practice are still not quite a century old at either the writing of this review in early July 2024 or when the book is scheduled to be released in early October 2024.)

My issue, and I think it is objective enough (if, perhaps, barely) is that Bronin approaches this topic as a Chair of a Zoning Board who wants Zoning Boards to be even *more* active in limiting what you can do with the property that you legally own and actively encourages strategies to accomplish a very progressive agenda, including "Climate change" and mass transit theories that barely work in the extremely densely populated "Boshwash" (Boston - Washington DC) corridor she rules the aforementioned Zoning Board in - theories that could never work in the *far* less densely populated areas of South Georgia or even Central South Carolina that I've lived in, much less west of the Missisippi River where population densities (until you get to the Pacific Coast) largely truly plummet. And yes, there are *reasons* I mentioned my political background up front in this review. :)

As but an example, I point to the title of this review - at one point in this text, Ms. Bronin does in fact claim that Taylor Swift is a "modern day Elvis Presley". To be clear, if she had compared Ms. Swift to say the Beatles or the Rolling Stones or even Johnny Cash himself, that would have been a fair comparison and I would have had to find another example of where she is particularly outlandish without going into the actual details of the book (ie, spoilers). But as Ms. Swift never had to so much as register for the Draft - much less be selected by it and forced to serve in the US Military, this alone shows that Elvis was a different breed entirely. And to be clear, lest any Swifties attack this review just because of this paragraph, I'm not actually criticizing Ms. Swift. She is indeed a global phenomenon and is clearly quite talented in her own right. I am not saying otherwise or taking anything from her. I'm simply noting that for all she has done and all the fans she has, Elvis was *still* on another level from her.

Overall, read this book. Seriously. You're going to learn a lot, no matter your own political leanings or how you feel about the sanctity of private property. But "if you feel as I feel" (to quote the always amazing V for Vendetta), know there will be many points you will want to defenestrate this book forthwith and from the highest available window. But unless you've had the experience of myself or Ms. Bronin or the admittedly *numerous* people like us who *have* actively dealt with zoning boards at some direct level before... you really are going to learn some things here. Clearly, even *I* learned a few things here myself, even *with* a few years of directly relevant experience.

Recommended.

Slow Start Leads To Rollercoaster Twists. This is one of those books that starts out almost disaster movie slow. Other than the prologue that reveals an intriguing setup, a lot of the front of the book is solid enough in slowly building tension in an idyllic setting. But it really is more the back half, or maybe even the last third, of the book where it seems to become more of a cat and mouse, what the hell is going on, who can the reader actually trust kind of tale, one that ends with a deliciously ambiguous ending that would be intriguing to see a follow up to - IF Ms. Wood can manage to replicate the almost lightning in a bottle feel she has going on here, particularly through the last bit of the book.

Ultimately, this tale won't be for everyone, for a variety of reasons. But if you're looking for an interesting tale in a beautiful location and aren't averse to a fair amount of onscreen sex (and not always exactly of the missionary-position-only-with-lights-off variety), this may be a book for you.

Very much recommended.

For Some Reason I'm Having A Tough Time Writing This Review. I finished this book 5 days ago as I write this review. I've read three other books (that I also need to write reviews for) since then, and for some reason there's just nothing flowing for this book.

To be clear, there is nothing technically wrong with this book. It is solid, with perhaps a misstep or two.

I think what it comes down to, for me, is that the most interesting question in the description: "That is…if Julia truly is a person." doesn't really feel as explored as I think I wanted it to be. And I don't know if that is on me as the reader or Satterthwaite as the writer. I don't know if it was that I was wanting a harder probe or harder questions or more forceful thinking on the subject or some such, or if Satterthwaite really did do more telling than showing or perhaps not enough telling to make me really think deeply philosophically as maybe I was hoping to be forced to or what.

Ultimately, more time was absolutely spent of the murder mystery/ reality TV side of the tale than the synth side, even as the synth side plays key roles and is genuinely interwoven with the other components of the tale. So if you're looking for a more reality TV/ murder mystery tale than a scifi synth tale... yeah, this one may work better for you.

Perhaps most damning, particularly for a debut - although perhaps one that was never meant as a series starter - is that I'm also not sure whether I would want to come back to this world or not. I'm sure that I think Satterthwaite has done enough here that I'm willing to read the next book and see if she grows as a storyteller with more experience, I'm just not sure with what she leaves us with here if I necessarily want to come back *here*. Although if that is in fact where her sophomore effort brings us, I'm absolutely going to be back for the ride.

So read the book for yourself, reader of my review. And maybe tag me in your own review so I can see if my own questions are *me* or if others are having similar difficulties with this book?

Recommended.

Interesting And Comprehensive Examination Marred By Leftist Ideology. If you can overlook (or if you like) the *frequent* bigotries against "males", "white males", and/ or "rich white males" and if you agree with Greta Thunberg re: "Climate" "Change" (or whatever the hell they're calling it now as you read this review), you're going to love this book. The star deduction comes specifically because of such slanted "reporting". (I read the Audible version of this book and thus can't comment on the length of its bibliography one way or another.)

If the above doesn't apply to you, you should read this book anyway.

Because when it stays on subject about the efforts to map the seas and specifically the deepest parts of them, both cutting edge and throughout history, this book actually is quite good. Tretheway manages to show both the necessity of the effort and just how dangerous it can be in both academic and very real senses, along with all of the problems associated with having the data or not as well as gathering the data in the first place. Along the way we're going to encounter quite a few legendary people, some truly globally famous even well outside their exploratory regions, others famous only within very narrow, sometimes quite niche, fields - but famous nonetheless. She manages to make the reader care about both the historic exploration and the current efforts, up to and including even using AI drones to get data humans otherwise can't easily obtain. And all of this is quite remarkable indeed.

It is simply a shame that she had to integrate so much bigotry into this reporting - it truly could have been a truly remarkable work otherwise. And yet, the tale as written is still strong enough even with the integrated bigotry to still warrant a read by truly everyone remotely interested in the oceans for any reason.

Recommended.

Romeo And Juliet. But Lesbian. With Mob Families. In Boston. Without Suicide. Seriously, that's most of what there is to this book, without going too deep into spoiler territory (as many other reviews have done, to my mind). Will this book be a Shakespeare level classic, nearly single handedly redefining literature for centuries to come? No. Is it an interesting spin on a tale that *did* do that? Yes. And honestly, for that reason alone it is one you should read.

Now, one flaw here that didn't quite raise to the level of a star deduction, but does deserve to be mentioned, is the casual misandry of the text. It is one thing to be a feminist and want equal treatment for both sexes - an ideal I too share. But when you go so far as to be so overtly bigoted against either sex... you've stepped too far, and this book does that a fair amount. Again, not so pervasive as to warrant a star deduction, but often enough that a discussion in the review is warranted.

Overall, an interesting spin on a beloved classic that does enough blending of classic tale and modern stylings to be entertaining on both levels. Very much recommended.

Story Tries Hard But *Just* Misses + Story/ Cover Mismatch. This is one of those reviews where the review and rating may not seem to align, because for the vast majority of this book, I thought it was pretty damn good. It does a LOT - even more than similar Soraya M. Lane books usually do - and *for the most part*, it does those things quite well. We've got a romance tale in the 2000s era New England that alternates between 2022 (current) and 2008 (the halcyon summer where the couple first fell in love). We've got a historical fiction tale that alternates between the 1952 Great Cairo Fire/ Black Saturday period and early WWII period. Either one of those tales could be an entire book in and of itself, and yet we've also got a 23 And Me type DNA mystery that links the two (and which admittedly is a spoiler mentioning, sorry). I've read many entire books that would use any one of those three elements to tell an entire tale, and yet we get all three tales in one book here. And *for the most part*, it all works.

Where it fails, and the cause of the first star deduction, is that the climax of the Cairo tale is rushed and its fallout effectively buried in service of the New England romance and 23 And Me mystery. This book could have been *so much more* with maybe as little as 10 extra pages flushing out the Cairo tale in 1952 rather than the 2022 manner in which we get that information, and I think this is a close enough to objective opinion to merit a star deduction here.

The other star deduction is one I don't encounter often, but *have* done a time or two before, and is warranted here for the same reasons I've used it before - the stories told here and the cover as it exists at publication (June 25, 2024) do not match. At all. The 1952 tale in Cairo -the era this cover screams to me - doesn't really have even a pool scene at all, much less one involving a diving board. Even the 2000s era tales don't actually involve any real pool activity, again particularly with a diving board. There are some ocean/ beach scenes that play key roles, but that isn't what this cover evokes. Even in tone, this cover leads the reader to believe that this will be some 1950s era glam tale of some form... and it isn't, not really. Yes, the Cairo tale is played as "exotic"... but that isn't the tone I get from this cover.

So a lot of words, maybe too many words, to say that you really do need - as one 2* reviewer also noted - to read the description of the book to really know what you're getting into here, and judging this book by its (admittedly great looking, in and of itself) cover may get you into a bit of a letdown situation with this particular book.

Overall, I actually really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it did a lot, and for the most part did well on damn near all of it. It simply lacked execution in a final detail and needed a cover that ties to the story more than the current one does.

Very much recommended.

Solid Series Starter. This has pretty much everything one would want in a family based PI / police procedural type drama series starter. Complicated family dynamics, a compelling case - where in this particular instance (series?) family members find themselves on different sides of the case -, an interesting mystery, and the storytelling to put it all together quite well indeed.

As is typical of such a series, this is clearly going to be a "freak of the week" type with an overall lore and mythos, and both look to be compelling going forward.

Fans of the genre generally will find a lot to like here, and those who haven't really dabbled in this kind of tale before will also find a lot to like that could potentially bring in new fans.

Ultimately, this is one of those series starter books that does everything it needs to do and does it all quite well.

Very much recommended.

Aspiring Autistic Author Accomplishes Astounding Act of Adoration. Ok, so that was a very painful and forced alliteration by an Autistic reviewer that actually gives an idea of what this book may be like for at least some non-Autistic readers.

Personally, I found that most of this book worked quite well - it does in fact have the far-too-common tacked on baby-in-epilogue that always leaves a sour "aftertaste" for me when the book never really mentioned even wanting kids in its overall story, but other than this quibble the book actually does work well as a story of both finding oneself and rediscovering the love one had for one's partner along the way. But part of what made it work so well - if perhaps a *touch* stereotypically - is that North worked in so many real-world examples of what life as an Autistic in the corporate world can truly be like at times, particularly as it relates to understanding others and working to be understood by them.

The emphasis on improv comedy and its "Yes, and" philosophy is a driving force in the overall narrative here and yes, perhaps is very nearly a crutch/ preachy at times about the philosophy and its purported benefits, but again, within the overall structure of the story as told... eh, *every* such story has some overarching narrative device, this one simply happens to be improv.

Overall this was a solid debut effort in the romance space, and absolutely leaves me wanting to see more from this author - which is the number one (or maybe two, after sales of this book itself) goal of any debut book. So in that regard, it did its job quite well indeed. And for those looking for "diverse reads", again, here's a neurodiverse author for you to give a shot!

Very much recommended.

Sociopathy vs Psychopathy vs Revenge. If the first "Mrs Parrish" book was a study in psycopathy vs sociopathy with a "normal" person caught in the middle - and it was -, this one is in some ways more of the same, but with the added twist of adding a new character who is just as cunning as both the sociopath and the psychopath, but a more 'normal' person with the added motivation of pure revenge.

Thus, the action tends to be just as despicable here as in the first book, and for that reason many who did not like the first one may in fact not like this one either - so if that is you, seriously, just spare the author the 1* review and skip this one.

But for those who are willing to endure the despicable acts knowing that this book *is* more revenge focused and *does* have some significant (and seeming conclusive, for at least some of the players involved) payoffs... this book is actually quite delicious. Where the first one was more slow and methodical, this one almost seems like a director who has only now learned about quick scene cutting, particularly relative to just how slow the first book was. Almost like an old school, plodding, hours long chess match... and then the next match is over in a brilliant storm of lightning. Not one that will necessarily leave you breathless, but absolutely one where you begin to wonder just how much you've seen and how fast you've seen it. Particularly, again, after the utterly glacial pace of the first book.

Whereas the first book had almost no redeemable qualities about almost none of the characters, here we do get to have a bit more sympathy for at least some of the characters, and that alone will make this book better than the first one for some readers - but you absolutely have to read the first book to be able to fully understand this book.

Ultimately, this was truly well done, and some parts of the ending were truly delicious indeed given all that had happened to that point.

Very much recommended.

All The Feels - Including A Few Very Dusty Rooms. Payne is very much making a career out of intricate character stories that pack a lot of emotional depth and complexity in with a fair amount of drama and action, and this book is exactly in that vein. Here, we get truly visceral looks at the emotions surrounding death and abandonment, emotions which will be difficult for some and will cause the aforementioned dusty rooms for more. The way Payne can bring these things to life via her words is truly remarkable, and that she can do so in such a story without ever appearing preachy - if anything, pretty much the exact opposite - is even more remarkable.

If you're looking for a light and breezy "beach read", this isn't that. If you're looking for a "beach read" in that you can read this book while on a beach... and bawl your eyes out in the process... yeah, this is that kind of book.

Very much recommended.

Well Documented History Of The Origins Of An Acclaimed Program. Coming in at 32% documentation, this is one of the better documented nonfiction tales I've read of late. Given that it doesn't actually make many claims that require larger amounts of evidence, this is actually even more astounding - the authors documented seemingly more just to provide the data than to necessarily "prove" their claims. Which is to be commended.

The actual narrative of the tale as told though... could use some better editing, and perhaps the final version of this text - vs the Advanced Review Copy edition I read - has that better editing. But for the edition I read, the narrative could get a touch disjointed at times, often switching between authors and perspectives from paragraph to paragraph and even seemingly at times within a given paragraph. Which makes the overall reading experience a bit tougher, which is a shame given that the very story we're learning here is the creation of a program that would become truly legendary in getting kids excited about reading.

Those looking for a large presence of host LeVar Burton are going to be disappointed, as while the book discusses how his involvement came about and then references him a few times as it progresses through the timeline of the show, there are only a few scant quotes directly from him - most seeming from the very documentation the authors cite in the end.

Instead, this book focuses more on coauthor Tony Buttino's own history and efforts to get the show up and operational, including deep dives into his family and neighborhood as he grew and developed as both a person and a television professional.

Still, for anyone interested in learning the backstory of Reading Rainbow and how it came into existence, this book is a treasure trove unlike any other. Very much recommended.

Action Packed Thrill Ride For The War On Terror Era. If you're like me, you see a title like "The Paris Widow" and you're thinking this is going to be some WWII historical fiction novel that tends to blend into each other because it has both been done so much and because you've read so many of them.

Well, you'd be wrong, in this case.

Because *this* is actually one of those "who can I trust" action packed suspense thrillers where everybody has secrets and literally no one - not even the maid - can be trusted. It is one you're going to sit up reading well past bedtime because Belle has mastered the art of leaving the chapter on just enough of an edge that you *need* to read the next chapter to see what happens next... only to now find that you're a dozen chapters and a couple hours after you said "just one more chapter".

Set primarily in Paris, with some flashbacks to earlier interludes in Atlanta, Georgia (US) and others in a few different locations in and around the Mediterranean, this is one of those tales where while the settings don't become characters themselves, they are described so beautifully that you're going to wish you were there yourself.

Fans of the "ho hum this is just another story that oh fuck oh Fuck Oh FUck OH FUCK!" type of tale are going to have a particularly fun time with this one. (And let's be real here, that sentence was also fairly fun to write. :) )

So pick this book up, sit down in that beach chair right there on the pool deck, and prepare for the sunburn of your life as you get engrossed in this book for several hours until you finish it in one sitting. You've been warned. :)

Very much recommended.

Cathartic Trippiness. Imagine a Stanley Kubric type acid trip - and now imagine it in full virtual reality 8K. That is what reading one particular pivotal scene of this book is like, and it is in this sequence in particular that Lonsdale pulls out storytelling elements that even after having read literally every book she's written to date, I didn't know she had. Which is one of the reasons I love checking in every year for her annual release and seeing what she has come up with now - she is a master of evolving and expanding her skillset while still remaining true to the emotional depth and complexities of characters that she has crafted in every book, no matter the particulars or particular mechanics of the book at hand.

This is one of those books where the current fad of "magical realism" is done particularly well, even competing with one of my favorite scifi based such scenes in any medium ever, where in the movie Frequency (2000), the ending sequence features things happening in two timelines at once at a pivotal moment and the past being shown to directly impact the present in a key way. What Lonsdale manages to do is almost the opposite yet also quite the the same in a sense, and eventually we get to where we can almost *see* the character at hand's neurons re-wiring as all that has happened becomes known.

And then there is the catharsis on so many levels. As noted above, Lonsdale excels in creating particularly complex characters, and this tale is no exception. That she manages to create *so many* characters that are each equally complex shows true skill - I've read quite a few books even just when counting as starting around the same time I read my first book from Lonsdale, and rare indeed does a book have quite this level of depth and "flavor".

Overall truly an intriguing book that will likely be remembered for many years by at least some.

Very much recommended.

Sometimes One Shot Really Can Change Everything. This is one of those tales where it should have been over from the very beginning - these two people are just *so* broken by their lives to this point that it *shouldn't* work...

And yet it does, because this is a romantic comedy and that is the very *purpose* of romantic comedies, to give the rest of us hope that something like this *can* work - even in our own completely broken states. And hell, *particularly* when the book is meta enough to actively make *that very same point* within its text. (Helped by the overall plot of... actively writing a romantic comedy movie. ;) )

Yes, some of the things that both characters do are horrible. Yes, perhaps some (or even much) of this tale doesn't or even can't happen in real life. Well, again as pointed out within the text here, neither can zombies or space aliens or some such... and yet people love those movies for somewhat similar reasons as to why they love romantic comedies.

So sit back and enjoy the ride and the feels. If you have to turn your brain off and enjoy the spectacle for sheer spectacle, *do that*. But don't criticize a book that many will truly love and find catharsis in over your own hangups. Particularly don't review bomb something just because "that can't really happen". *Particularly when one of the main issues in the book is exploring how reality doesn't really apply in romantic comedies, including this one.*

Overall a strong tale with complex and complicated characters, with a lot of laughs, some smiles, and even a few dusty room scenes to boot. Come in expecting to laugh and perhaps wet your eyes a bit, and you truly won't be disappointed here.

Very much recommended.

Dense Yet Optimistic Treatise Calls For Revival Of Long-Lost Ideals. In American political discourse, the tide turned significantly towards a more Jeffersonian approach based on liberal ideals such that most all American political discourse for quite some time now is mostly based on rights - who has them, who needs them, whose should have them, who should defend them, etc.

Here, Levin argues that this focus on Jeffersonian thoughts has led us to the current divisive era, one that threatens to tear the American nation apart.

Levin, instead, has a suggestion: the revival of Madisonian thoughts regarding *republican* ideals- somewhat (but not completely) analogous to some modern foci on pluralism, but with the added focus of making pluralism work within a functioning government. After all, it was this very tension between these two competing camps that originally allowed the nation to come together under "e pluribus unum"... and Levin has some thoughts on how that can work again.

Levin does a detailed look at the ideas, how we got to where we are, how each plays out in each realm of American polity, and how a renewed focus on republicanism could heal our divided land. It is a dense look mostly written for scholars and deep thinkers, but for those that can hang with density akin to some substance just shy of lead... this promises to be quite illuminating indeed. And it is one that more Americans *should* read than likely actually *will*.

The single star deduction here is simply due to the shorter than expected bibliography, clocking in at about 13% of the Advance Review Copy of the text I was able to read, where even in a relaxed posture on that point I would still expect around 15%. Splitting hairs at that point, perhaps, but I've had these standards since I began reviewing books several years ago, and it wouldn't be fair to either this book or all the others to not hold to the same-ish standard.

Very much recommended.

Moving Thriller Set Against Family Trauma. There are times when you find a thriller tale that has genuine heart, when a book that is supposedly intended to make your heart beat faster also manages to make the room quite dusty at times. This is one of those tales.

There is quite a bit to unpack about this story, but to reveal the things that truly make it as powerful as it is could delve too far into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that the setup itself is done well - we are many years after a massive trauma for a family and even their small community, and the trauma reverberates to this day in many different ways. Stone manages to craft a story that is pitch perfect thriller - more bodies are piling up *now*, and it seems they may be connected to the original trauma, at least if some people are to be believed. It is the way she goes about executing this story, exploring the various internal dynamics within our main character and the larger dynamics within her family and community, that give this book its heart and its soul.

Overall a strong tale, though perhaps not *so* atypical as to be heads and shoulders standing above others of its form and genre. Still, for those that enjoy this type of tale - or even those open to exploring if they like this type of tale - this is certainly a strong entry within the space, and a worthy read indeed.

Very much recommended.

Solid Susan Mallery Tale Of Finding Friends Even In Difficult Situations. I admit, I'm a bit weird here due to how my own family was as I was growing up, and even how my wife's family is to this day. You see, my grandparents divorced well before I was ever born. I never knew them married. And yet, my grandmother and step-grandfather lived on my grandfather's property, at times even inside his own house, at a few different points of my childhood. Similarly, my wife's mom's best friend... is the ex-wife of her husband (my wife's stepdad).

Thus, when I find myself reading a tale such as the one here, where a new wife suddenly finds that her only real chance at moving forward is the generosity of her husband's ex-wife (prodded on by their daughter)... it actually isn't that far out of the realm of "normal" for me. :D

So maybe I had an easier time accepting this plotline than some, but for me it absolutely worked quite well. Yes, it could get a touch repetitive at times as Mallery was driving home her major thematic elements, but... that is kinda part of Mallery's style, at least of late. Yes, her books - including this one - could easily be 20 or more pages shorter without all of the repetition, but I honestly think that many of Mallery's bigger fans appreciate this to some level.

Ultimately, this is a tale of hope and found family/ found friendship and how these can make life bearable even under difficult and somewhat unusual circumstances. This is a tale of women bonding even in situations that would likely tear many female bonds apart, and it is a tale of the power of friendship. I for one thoroughly enjoyed it, even if, yes, it did run perhaps a touch too long. But again, that is just something one comes to expect from Mallery, who I'm beginning to think has some kind of deep seated aversion to publishing a book with less than 400 pages in it.

Very much recommended.

Short Cozy Family Drama Sets Up Series Well. This is one of those barely 200 page books that packs quite a bit in it - but is also one of those books where everyone is lying to someone about something, which is where much of the drama comes in. Meant to be more of a cozy coastal foodie vibe primarily, it actually does work as that down the stretch... it just takes a bit to get there. The titular Lighthouse Cafe really comes into its own eventually - kinda sorta ala settlement building in Fallout 4. Yes, the pieces are there and broken when you first encounter them, but this is where a lot of the beauty for a lot of people comes in, seeing just how these people mend themselves as they mend the building and business.

Overall a breezy book with perhaps more drama than many would want on a "beach read", but also great for those cold winter nights when you need to be transported to a more tropical location in your mind.

Very much recommended.

Fascinating Blend Of Rare/ Unique Spin On Vampire Lore With Action. This is one of those debut books you don't get very often at all, one where very nearly everything within it works to perfection to make you want that next book... ummm... now please. We get an almost Without Remorse by Tom Clancy storyline going on... that quickly transitions to include vampires. Except when we get into the vampire lore of this particular tale... it isn't the usual stuff. Griffin has taken some usual concepts and worked them his own way, adding his own touches along the way, and produced a very different and very intriguing take on the idea.

And yes, like any book claiming to be a noir, we get the hard boiled detective and his storyline connecting pretty well everything in the book as well.

But then, surprise... *more* interesting developments of a type not often seen these days in particular, used late in perhaps a bit of a rush... but apparently meant to setup a rather explosive Book 2.

The last third of this book in particular, you're going to be racing through, breathless as you can't wait to see what happens next...

And then that tease of an ending, in the most delicious ways. Yes, this book does its primary purpose of making you want the *next* one quite well, so let's all help this debut author know that we want to get that next book ASAP... go buy the book already, read it, and help spread the word!

Very much recommended.

Solid, If A Touch Generic, Beach Read. You know those tales where you go into it knowing roughly what is going to happen from the get-go, but also knowing you're going to enjoy the experience because you know this type of tale and know nothing too shocking or controversial will be a major plot point? In other words, a somewhat Hallmark Movie type plot, but more on the women's fiction side and featuring multiple storylines in one?

Yeah, this is pretty well exactly that, in coastal Cape Cod + NYC as the "big city". Solid enough to be a solid, inoffensive choice for lounging at the pool or on a beach reading while relaxing as the kids make a fool of themselves in the water... in other words, fairly idyllic "summer read". And what do you know, positioned to release right at the beginning of the "summer season" in the US, just over a week after Memorial Day and when many - particularly more Yankee-area - schools are getting out of school for the summer later that week.

So if this is the kind of tale you're looking for - and based on the Hallmark Channel's success, clearly there is a fairly substantial market for this type of tale - then you're going to enjoy this one and it is pretty well going to be everything you expect it to be. For those looking for something with more teeth... look for some of my other reviews, wherever you may find them. :)

Very much recommended.

More Dusty Rooms Than Usual. This is one of those romcoms where guys are going to encounter more dusty rooms than usual, and women may outright cry more than usual. Because Dineen does one character in particular so unbelievably well, we truly *feel* this character's motivations - and hesitations.

Which, perhaps, makes up for what for at least some readers will be a cancellable offense for Dineen, who has this character make a joke that... well, there are many out there today who won't find the joke funny and yes, will probably/ likely call for her cancellation over it. Me, apparently I'm going to Hell right there with Dineen, because I thought it was one of the more hilarious moments of the book, and there was enough contrition later (indeed, bordering on preachiness, which is perhaps a step *too* far) that it *should* mollify most critics of it.

Overall though, another solid entry in this series that technically *can* be read as a standalone, though significant events play out in the book immediately before this one in this series that directly impact the story here, and are referenced frequently in this story. But for those who don't mind mild spoilers of other books, eh, this one could truly work standalone.

Truly a fun, shortish (at under 300 pages) romcom, perfect for a breezy summer afternoon relaxing... just watch out for the dust. Very much recommended.

Better Sipped Than Shot, Intense Political "Flavor" Means Taste Will Vary With Reader. There are times when you're drinking (even non-alcoholic beverages) where you just plow through them. Maybe it is your first coffee of the day and you need that caffeine NOW! Maybe it is a hot summer day and that glass of lemonade disappeared *real* quick. Or maybe you just broke up with your significant other, and yeah, that tequila hit the spot.

A lot of books are like this. Action thrillers where reading at a frenetic pace to match the action being shown is part of the fun, for example.

This... is not that book.

This, instead, is one of those fine bourbons where you're going to lose a lot of the nuance if you shoot it down too fast. One of those women's fiction tales that feels like it is taking forever to have any real plot at all, but feels so *immersive* in the tale even still. One of those quasi-memoir/ quasi-religious pondering books (exactly what this is) where you really need to, as Wilbert did in taking inspiration for the overall narrative here, sit at your window and ponder the forest outside.

Read in such a manner, Wilbert's struggles are more understandable and even relatable, as you consider your own similar struggles - and here, the things Wilbert struggles with really are things most all of us do at some level. The overarching forest narrative is a genuinely good guide for such contemplation, at least as Wilbert has written it here.

But what could ruin the taste - or make it truly exquisite - is the intense politics that are never far from the narrative, to the point that if there isn't a political comment on *every* page, it certainly feels like at least some comment is made on at least the *majority* of pages. And yes, Wilbert's politics are, to put it mildly, "left of center". So know that going in.

This noted, where Wilbert eventually arrives... is a place we all probably need to, even if, again depending on your own political tastes, perhaps she arrives there a bit condesceningly.

Overall an intriguing read that truly urges us to slow down in this hectic world, it is one that we should all likely ponder - though I suppose few enough actually will.

Very much recommended.

Explosive Sequel With Humor And Heart From The New God Of Science Fiction. This is one of those sequels that does its jobs quite well indeed. Picking up shortly after the events of The Lost Tribe, we find our team testing out new strategies and techs when the action suddenly finds them. Splitting up the team ala his much earlier Chesspocalypse novellas, but within one book, we get a variety of mix and match scifi based action and adventure in a similar vein as some of the best sequences from Avengers: Infinity War.

And then... that final battle and its outcome. Robinson has crafted some truly action packed and mind bending sequences for this part of some of his recent tales (such as in 2023's FAMINE, available only within the HUNGER: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY collection), and this one at minimum matches the insane and inventive action sequences there.

Finally... particularly if you pick this trilogy up after Book 3 (whose title is revealed at the end of this book) is released... you're going to want that Book 3 in your hands *immediately*, because the setup for this winner-takes-Earth-and-likely-the-universe battle royale is excellently done.

Overall truly yet another really fun tale from The New God Of Science Fiction, showing just how he has earned that title. Very much recommended.