Book Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Mad Mabel
Author: Sally Hepworth
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: April 21, 2026
Length: 348 pages
Genre: Thriller
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley (also won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway)
Rating:

From New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth comes a twisty tale of justice, redemption, and one irrepressible woman who’s not done breaking the rules just yet.

Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea—or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.

Because Elsie hasn’t always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller—Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she’s kept her secret buried for decades.

Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest—the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.

So Mabel does what she’s always done best—she takes matters into her own hands.

Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who’s finally ready to tell her side of the story?

Sharp, surprising, and wickedly funny, this is the unforgettable story of a woman who’s spent a lifetime being underestimated—and is about to prove everyone wrong. Again.

What a dark, twisted delight it is to have a new book by Sally Hepworth to read! To read? Maybe I should say to devour. I could not put this book down once I started.

As Mad Mabel opens, we meet grouchy 81-year-old Elsie, who lives on Kenny Lane, a quiet Melbourne street close enough to a seedier part of town to have to deal with the occasional miscreants who stumble through. Still, it’s mostly a predictable life, as Elsie spends time with her best friend Daphne, feuds with her neighbor over his yappy dog, and exchanges nasty little notes with the nosy woman across the street. When 7-year-old Persephone decides that Elsie is her new best friend, despite Elsie’s clear resistance, the door is opened to chaos.

First, the dog-owner next door dies and Elsie finds the body. Next, the nosy neighbor lets it be known that she knows the truth about Elsie’s past. Soon, the police want to talk to Elsie about the body, and packs of reporters are staking out her house. Elsie, it turns out, is Mad Mabel, the youngest convicted murderer in Australian history. Has Mad Mabel struck again?

When a pair of persistent podcasters show up on her doorstep, Elsie decides to finally tell her story. After all, she’s 81 years old! What does she have to lose?

The story Elsie tells is dark and tragic, as the truth about her family and her alleged crimes is revealed. The stories of the murders she was rumored to be responsible for as well as the murder for which she was convicted are shared over the course of her interviews with the podcasters, which we see doled out in small doses in “then” chapters interspersed throughout the book. The story of Mabel’s childhood and early teens is shocking and heartbreaking, and we’re fully on Mabel’s side long before the more sordid events come to pass.

The flashback chapters are fascinating; it was jarring to be forced to return to the “now” chapters. And yet, Elsie’s “now” story is also terrific, with much more humor as well as some rising tension. I couldn’t help but laugh at Persephone’s persistence and Elsie’s utter inability to drive her away. Elsie reveals a tender, nurturing heart underneath the cranky exterior as it becomes clear that she does, in fact, care about her neighbors, that they care about her, and that’s she’s more than willing to take action to protect those who need it.

Elsie is a fabulous character, and her story held me tight from start to finish. The balance of now and then is masterfully managed, with just enough revealed chapter by chapter to keep readers on the edge of their seats. I had plenty of guesses about where the story was going — and while some may have been in the general ballpark, I was delighted by just how many twists and surprises the book had in store for me.

Mad Mabel ranks right up at the top of my list of favorite Sally Hepworth books, along with The Good Sister and The Things We Keep — although you really can’t go wrong with any of her books. I have just one of her books yet to read, The Secrets of Midwives (2015), and I’m going to make it a priority to finally pick it up this year.

Mad Mabel is a compelling story that will keep you hooked. Highly recommended — don’t miss it!

*Australia edition – which cover do you prefer?*

Interested in this author? Check out my reviews:
The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth
The Mother’s Promise by Sally Hepworth
The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

19Apr2026

Audiobook Review: The Name Game by Beth O’Leary

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Name Game
Author: Beth O’Leary
Narrator: Harriet Cains and Arty Froushan
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: April 7, 2026
Print length: 379 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 55 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Audible (eARC via NetGalley)
Rating:

A man and a woman with the same name are looking for a fresh start only to discover they have landed the same job in this charming new romance by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

Charlie couldn’t be happier to take the job of farm-shop manager on the remote, wild Isle of Ormer. She’s grieving, a little lost, and in desperate need of a fresh start.

Jones has come out of a difficult breakup and is looking forward to some peace away from the noise of his city life. Moving to Ormer couldn’t have come at a better time.

But when Charlie Jones and, ahem, Charlie Jones both turn up at Ormer’s one and only farm shop, claiming to have been offered the role of manager, everyone is baffled. How could this have happened? And just who is the real Charlie Jones?

In The Name Game, a seemingly simple mix-up leads to a wild mix of truths, deceptions, accidental discoveries, and found community, all set on a small island in the English Channel that’s known for its farms, wild donkeys, natural beauty, and isolation.

When Charlie Jones and Charlie Jones both turn up for the job of shop manager at Bramblebay Farm on the Isle of Ormer, the farm owners, married couple Rosie and Marley, are perplexed. Yes, they sent a job offer to Charlie Jones — but having conducted the entire process via letters, they have no idea which is the intended Charlie. She (Charlie) is a bubbly woman who seems unprepared for island life; he (Charlie, but prefers to be called Jones) is a bit more taciturn but seems solid enough. There’s only one job, and only one accommodation available. The obvious solution? They’ll need to share — the job and the lodgings — until they can figure out which one is actually right for the job and for the island.

As Charlie and Jones settle in, the mystery of which one the job offer was intended for remains murky, but as both prove they’re capable, a solution of sorts is offered: If they can get the shop to be profitable enough to support co-managers by the time the fall harvest festival rolls around, they can both stay.

At first rivals, Charlie and Jones eventually warm up enough to get past resentment and hostility and achieve the start of a friendship. Forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine tropes anyone? The islanders are a mixed group, with everything run by committee, and the most resistant of all is a super ornery store employee and long-time Ormer resident who seems determined to undermine everything Charlie and Jones set out to do.

As the story progresses, we get flashback chapters showing earlier moments in Charlie and Jones’s lives, explaining the pain and secrets each has brought with them to Ormer and shedding a bit of light on why and how they’ve both arrived at this moment.

I must be honest and say that until somewhere a bit past the midpoint of this book, I would have given The Name Game a 3-star rating at best. Nothing much happens. There are the expected fish-out-of-water moments — such as dealing with an errant pig and getting stuck on a hike after a change in tides — showing how little these people (especially Charlie) are suited for the life they seem to be pursuing. But of course, they settle in, begin to make connections with the islanders, and make a positive difference in the life of the community.

Just when my impatience was really reaching a boiling point, things turn around. Without entering spoiler territory, I can’t say why… but the last third or so of the book kept me pretty enthralled and made the reading experience — even the less interesting parts — worth it in the end.

One aspect I found myself more than a little annoyed by is the characters’ approach to wellness and mental health. While on Ormer, and with prodding from Jones, Charlie acknowledges to herself that she has anxiety. Although she asks the local doctor a question about it, she never seeks treatment, and instead finds ways to self-heal and get to a place where she can manage the anxiety when it spikes. Jones, meanwhile, is an alcoholic whose arrival on Ormer marks day one of sobriety. Like Charlie, he seeks no professional help and does not participate in meetings or counseling, choosing to manage his addiction through his own powers of self-healing and control. Both of these situations disturbed me. It’s nice to think that people could address issues of anxiety or addiction on their own, but a healthier version might have shown them seeking actual help.

I listened to the audiobook of The Name Game, and enjoyed the dual narrators, who alternate as the POV changes between Charlie and Jones. I will say, though, that the story complications late in the book can be a bit challenging to follow via audio — listeners may want to keep a print edition handy as backup!

I’ve loved some of Beth O’Leary’s books more than others, and have found my opinions of some changing once I have more time to think and digest. For example, I was surprised to look back and discover that I gave her previous book, Swept Away, four stars! In retrospect, I have a LOT of issues with the plot, but I suppose in the moment, I was caught up in the story enough to go high on the rating. Regardless, I had to chuckle while listening to The Name Game and coming across this line, which just has to be a wink at the previous book:

“Being stranded together in the sea sounds romantic but is actually just quite inconvenient, surely?”

Overall, my early frustration with the story was redeemed by the fun of the confusion and resolution closer to the end. I wouldn’t say this is the best of Beth O’Leary’s books, but it’s a good one! Be patient with it, and you’ll get to a good payoff. Silliness mixed with more serious emotional moments and a highly unusual and quirky setup make The Name Game an entertaining read/listen.

For more by Beth O’Leary:
The Road Trip
The Flatshare
The Switch
The No-Show
The Wake-Up Call
Swept Away

18Apr2026

Book Review: Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Cherry Baby
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: April 14, 2026
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction / romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Everybody knows that Cherry’s husband, Tom, is in Hollywood making a movie . . .

Almost nobody knows that he isn’t coming home.

Tom is the creator of Thursday—a semi-autobiographical webcomic that’s become an international phenomenon.

Semi-autobiographical. That means there’s a character in this movie based on Cherry . . . “Baby.”

Wide-hipped, heavy-chested, double-chinned Baby.

Cherry never wanted this. No fat girl wants to see herself caricatured on the page—let alone on the big screen. But there’s no getting away from it. Baby looks so much like Cherry that strangers recognize her at the grocery store.

While her soon-to-be ex-husband is in Los Angeles getting rich and famous and being the internet’s latest boyfriend, Cherry is stuck in Omaha taking care of the dog he always wanted and the house they were going to raise a family in . . . and wondering who she’s supposed to be without him.

Cherry had promised to love Tom through thick and thin.

She’d meant it.

One night, Cherry decides to leave all her problems, including Tom’s overgrown puppy, at home. She ventures out to see her favorite band play her favorite album . . . and someone recognizes her from across the room.

Russ Sutton knew Cherry when she was a young art student with a fondness for pin-up dresses and patent leather heels. Before Tom.

Russ knows Cherry. He likes Cherry.

And best of all . . . he’s never heard of Thursday.

Tender, funny, and utterly human, Cherry Baby is Rainbow Rowell’s richest, most surprising—sexiest—novel yet.

Cherry Baby is a beautiful depiction of the stages of love — beginnings and endings, and all the messy stuff in between. Main character Cherry is a delight — the middle of five sisters from a devout yet raucous family, Cherry knows she’s gorgeous, accepts that she’ll always be fat, and knows she deserves to be happy… although getting there seems almost impossible.

As Cherry Baby opens, Cherry lives alone in the Omaha home she once shared with her husband Tom. Well, alone except for their outrageously large dog Stevie (as in Stevie Nicks), who really was Tom’s dog before he headed to LA and left Cherry to deal with the aftermath. Cherry and Tom met as art students, and while she went on to have a successful career in marketing, he unexpectedly found fame and fortune when Thursday, the webcomic he’d created as his own little creative outlet, suddenly became a huge sensation.

And now, Cherry is alone, because Tom left for Hollywood to work on the movie version of Thursday and never came back. Making matters worse all these months later is that the trailer for Thursday has dropped, and once again, Tom’s version of Cherry, via the character Baby, is everywhere. Cherry can’t avoid the exaggeratedly fat depiction of herself that apparently shows how Tom truly sees her.

When Cherry decides to treat herself to a night out listening to a favorite nostalgia band, she runs into someone she once had a crush on during college, and learns that he had a crush on her as well. As they begin to date, Cherry wonders if she has a new chance at happiness. But then Tom comes back to Omaha to pack up his belongings, and the more time he spends at their house, working with Cherry to dismantle the physical remnants of their lives together, the more their unfinished business looms over them both.

There’s a beauty in seeing the past and present unfold through the chapters of this book. We’re firmly rooted in Cherry’s present, as she deals with the men in her life and struggles to hold onto her sense of self — yet we also see flashbacks to the start of Tom and Cherry’s love story, from their first meeting through their early relationship and into the years of their marriage. It’s not sugar-coated, and yet it’s incredibly touching. Rainbow Rowell’s depiction of marriage is gritty and real. Love is wonderful, but it doesn’t fix everything, and we see time and again all the ways in which Tom and Cherry get derailed from the life they thought they were working toward.

Cherry Baby surprised me in all sorts of ways. Based on the synopsis, I expected a certain basic story arc, but in fact, that’s not what the book ended up being at all… and honestly, I loved it. I think Cherry Baby is best experienced without a lot of foreknowledge — not because there are dramatic reveals or shocking plot twists, but because its focus on people figuring things out is just such a powerful journey.

Cherry is a fantastic, funny, complex character, and I loved seeing all the ways in which she believes in herself, and all the ways in which doubt and pain creep in. She’s realistic and strong and vulnerable, and an utter delight.

A minor quibble for me is the overly graphic sex scenes — which, on the one hand, show the intricate levels of intimacy involved and also illustrate Cherry’s ease/discomfort dynamic with her own body… yet on the other hand, I think the point could have been made even without the close-up-and-personal details. Then again, I recognize that each reader has their own preferences when it comes to spicy scenes — your mileage may vary.

I can’t say I’ve ever been disappointed by a Rainbow Rowell book, and Cherry Baby is no exception. The banter between Cherry and her sisters is absolutely delicious, and even the more serious scenes include clever quips and dialogue. At the same time, this book is a heartfelt look at love and trust and commitment, and includes a powerful mix of heartbreak and joy. Highly recommended.

15Apr2026

Book Review: The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Book Witch
Author: Meg Shaffer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: April 7, 2026
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

She can hop into any novel, she just can’t stay there. Come along with the book witch in this magical and inspiring love letter to reading from the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game.

Rainy March is a proud, third-generation Book Witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps in and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes like a modern-day magical Nancy Drew.

Book Witches live by a strict code: Real people belong in the real world; fictional characters belong in works of fiction. Do not eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world, lest you become part of the story. Falling in love with a fictional character? Don’t even think about it.

Which is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series. If she’s ever caught with him again, she’ll be expelled from her book coven—and forced to give up the magical gifts that are as much a part of her as her own name.

But when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, there’s only one person she trusts to help her solve the case: the Duke. Their quest takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Great Gatsby, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.

We all know that books are magic, right? In the world of The Book Witch, it’s the job of the local coven to make sure that fictional characters stay where they’re supposed to and to fight the malicious intentions of Burners, the book witches’ arch-enemies who seek to destroy stories from within. What’s at stake? Why, only the very existence of books that we know and love. A real-world book burner might burn copies of a book, but the book itself still exists. When a Burner destroys a book from the inside, it’s as if it’s wiped from existence: all copies, everywhere, are erased, and all memory or knowledge of the book is gone too.

Shudder.

That may make The Book Witch sound like a grim tale, and it’s anything but. In this quirky, whimsical novel, Rainy March is a lovely, bubbly book witch who has swooped to the rescue over and over again, landing inside a story thanks to her magical umbrella, accompanied by her cat familiar Koshka, and making sure the story and characters remain true to themselves.

All stories are love stories if you love stories. And I do love stories. As a Book Witch, you kind of have to love them. It’s on our recruitment posters, after all.

Rainy knows the rules — the eight Black and Whites — as well as anyone… but when she enters the noir fiction world of the Duke of Chicago in order to save him and his book series, she can’t help wobbling from the straight and narrow. Duke is a dashing, suave, sexy detective who always solves his cases, and Rainy has had a crush on him since she read the very first book in his series. When she meets him inside his story, things go a bit sideways, and before she can prevent it, he’s became self- aware — meaning, he knows he’s fictional — and they’ve fallen into a secret relationship that isn’t allowed to have a happily ever after.

Duke said that once he learned he was a fictional character, he became subtly aware of his readers. He felt their watchful eyes and sensed their quiet, gentle presence. He knew his stories were being read when the light had a certain warmer quality to it. And when the lights dimmed, he longed to be read again.

When Rainy’s prize edition of a special book — all she has left of her late mother — goes missing, she’s faced with a confusing array of clues. Who better to assist than her favorite fictional detective? Once on the trail, Rainy and Duke jump in and out of various storylands, desperately seeking elusive answers that seem always just out of reach.

There’s so much to love about The Book Witch. First and foremost, this is a book for booklovers. It speaks to the heart of anyone who’s fallen in love with fictional characters, anyone whose life has been changed because of the right book at the right time, anyone who’s ever found themselves inspired or empowered by a book, or even just gotten a reason to smile during dark times thanks to stories on a page.

An unread book is a caged animal, trapped between paper walls. They want reading, need it. To open a book is to set a story free.

The writing here is clever and funny, with banter that fits the various fictional characters who cross Rainy’s path — and yet, it’s not a silly book. Rainy’s feelings are deep and genuine, and the connections she forges are quite special. I won’t give anything away, but there’s a section toward the end that had me wiping away a few awkward tears. The Book Witch beautifully shows the delicate threads binding readers, writers, books, and characters.

I’ve been a fan of Meg Shaffer’s since picking up The Lost Story on a whim (and then immediately feeling the need to dive into her previous novel, The Wishing Game). Her stories are full of heart, and explore all the various and intricate ways that fiction changes lives.

The Book Witch is another stellar example of Meg Shaffer’s creativity. While the plot gets so meta by the end that it made my head spin, I love it in all its (occasionally) baffling glory. Rainy is a fabulous character, and The Book Witch made me really wish that the two key book series so central to the plot were in fact real books I could pick up and read. Even without being able to read those, I loved how The Book Witch shows how real lives are changed by books. Just lovely.

For more by this author:
The Wishing Game
The Lost Story

11Apr2026

Audiobook Review: Just Kiss Already by Lily Chu

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Just Kiss Already
Author: Lily Chu
Narrators: Phillipa Soo & Simu Liu
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publication date: March 12, 2026
Print length: n/a
Audio length: 9 hours 30 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Audible download
Rating:

Enemies. Coworkers. Accidental Icons.

Dr. Ben Song likes his life orderly, predictable, and blissfully private. By day, he’s a forensic anthropologist running a controversial research project. By night, he’s the anonymous author of a bestselling cozy mystery series. What he absolutely doesn’t need? One viral moment turning him into the internet’s new favorite grumpy heartthrob.

Lauren Wei has built her career in the spotlight—and paid for it. A former teen star turned serious filmmaker, she’s determined to prove she’s more than her past persona. With her first feature film about to premiere and a press tour that could make or break her future, she can’t afford distractions. Especially not the brilliant, infuriating author whose book she adapted…and whose visibly unimpressed reaction to her movie just made him a viral meme.

When the studio forces Ben and Lauren to share the press circuit to capitalize on the moment, sparks fly. But between industry politics, public scrutiny, and a growing sense they might actually be perfectly imperfect for each other after all, their reluctant partnership soon turns into something far more complicated….

Lily Chu’s audiobooks are always a treat, and Just Kiss Already is no exception! This clever story about a film star and a scientist (who’s secretly a bestselling author) hits familiar beats of the celebrity romance and enemies-to-lovers tropes, but keeps things fresh with engaging characters and interesting dilemmas.

Lauren Wei is a former teen star, known for playing a chaotic character on a popular TV show until her reputation took a hit. Now, Lauren is reestablishing herself by directing and starring in a movie adaptation of the first book in the popular Lady Petronella mystery series. The success of the film will help her make sure the world sees her as a serious talent.

Dr. Ben Song is a forensic anthropologist who runs a lab devoted to studying the decomposition of bodies… and is also the secret author of the Lady Petronella books. When he attends the advance press screening of the movie, he’s annoyed by what he sees as some factual errors — and when his sour expression is caught on camera and turned into a meme, it could spell disaster for the movie’s success and Lauren’s future.

Desperate to capitalize on Ben’s viral moment and turn it into social media gold, the studio strong-arms Ben and Lauren into doing a press tour together leading up to the film’s premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Ben is opposed at first, but is won over by both his lingering crush on Lauren’s TV character and by Lauren herself, who is smart, funny, and not at all the Hollywood snob Ben had expected. Naturally, they get past their initial hostilities and discover both friendship and chemistry, but challenges in their respective careers seem to put up roadblocks before their relationship can really get started.

Just Kiss Already sets up the connection between Lauren and Ben really well, quickly moving past their grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers dynamic and focusing on the deeper ways they communicate and understand one another, offering support to each other in a way that’s refreshing to see. Their careers seemingly couldn’t be more different, yet each faces professional hurdles that an outsider’s perspective helps them to overcome. Ben and Lauren work as a couple because they take the difficult steps needed to establish trust and friendship first, and even when they have the inevitable misunderstandings so typical of the romance trope, they’re able to quickly clear things up through open communication. Honestly, I wish more third-act break-ups/fights could be resolved so maturely!

The Lady Petronella books sound like they’d be so much fun to actually read (and it’s a nice little treat that each chapter opens with a line from Lady P). Likewise, I’d love to see Lauren’s movie! Just Kiss Already establishes these fictional elements so well that they seem believable, and Ben’s work sounds both fascinating and important. A side plot about a community trying to undermine his research site is also interesting, and gives Ben professional challenges to overcome that balance his parts of the story nicely against Lauren’s.

As always, Phillipa Soo is an amazing narrator (she’s narrated all of Lily Chu’s audiobooks so far), and the pairing here with actor Simu Liu for the Ben chapters offers great listening entertainment,

I really enjoyed Just Kiss Already (despite being annoyed by the title, which has nothing to do with the story). It’s currently available only through Audible. Lily Chu’s previous novels were released the same way, and then released in paperback about a year later. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I always look forward to a new Lily Chu audiobook! The Comeback and The Stand-In remain my favorites, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Purchase links: Amazon
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

9Apr2026

Book Review: A Deadly Inheritance by Kelley Armstrong

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: A Deadly Inheritance
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: March 24, 2026
Length: 424 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

After discovering she’s an heiress to a billion-dollar corporation, seventeen-year-old Liliana finds herself at a new boarding school where she must navigate secret societies and a deadly competition. Not to mention two handsome boys.

In the wake of her mother’s death, Liliana Chamberlain’s estranged (and very wealthy) grandparents swoop in. Or their lawyer does. Her grandparents aren’t ready to meet her, but they want her to have the life her mother walked away from, starting with Westdale Academy, the elite boarding school her mother attended. It should be a Cinderella dream come true, but Lili has serious misgivings. Yet she doesn’t have a choice, being under eighteen and dead broke.

Westdale Academy is a school of secrets as well as intriguing classmates, including Hollywood golden boy Theo Dubois and the mysterious Maddox Moreno. As she gets to know them all, Lili realizes there’s more to the school than elite-level networking. Something deadly.

For the new girl at school, investigating the deaths of past students — including Maddox’s own sister — is a very dangerous game. Do those deaths have something to do with why her mother fled Westdale at the cost of her inheritance?

When a fun night out turns bloody, Theo is the prime suspect, and Liliana must race against time to connect the past with the present and discover the truth behind her inheritance.

While YA thrillers are not my typical jam, I had no hesitation when it came to picking up this newest book by author Kelley Armstrong. A Deadly Inheritance provides the twisty, complicated plot and fascinating characters that are hallmarks of her writing, and delivers a thrilling drama with enough devious clues to make a reader’s head spin.

In A Deadly Inheritance, 17-year-old Liliana is desperately selling everything not nailed down in her shabby apartment in order to keep paying the rent and keep up appearances. Orphaned after her mother’s death, Liliana just has to fake it a few more months until she turns 18 and can avoid the foster system. A gifted student, she already has a free ride to college waiting for her, if she can only make it through to her high school graduation and legal adulthood.

All that seems to come crashing down when Child Protective Services comes knocking at her door — but the CPS representative is stymied by the appearance of a lawyer who claims to speak on Liliana’s behalf. In short order, a huge secret is revealed: Liliana is actually the granddaughter of the Chamberlains of Chamberlain Enterprises, and heiress to a fortune in the billions. In the blink of an eye, Liliana is whisked away from her former life and enrolled at Westdale Academy, a boarding school for the children of the ultra rich and powerful, where having the right allies and connections is the most sought-after prize.

At Westdale, Liliana is wooed by the members of the Lilith Society, whose members are the school’s top female students. She’s also drawn to two very different boys: Theo, the golden-child son of Hollywood power players, and Maddox, an emotionally complex young man descended from a tech fortune, whose family’s past contains its own share of trauma.

Liliana settles into her new environment and begins to form deep connections, but there’s immediate danger as well. Someone tries breaking into her room. a fellow student tries to push her down the basement stairs, and at an off-campus event, she’s attacked and wounded. Why is someone trying to hurt Liliana, and is this connected to mysterious events from Westdale’s secretive history?

A Deadly Inheritance is an absolute page-turner, as the clues come fast and furious, with new suspects and theories around every corner. Something very bad is going on… but the answers will keep you guessing right up until the final chapter. I know I had plenty of theories… and most of them turned out to be dead wrong!

I really enjoyed Liliana as a lead character. As someone raised with no knowledge of her mother’s true past, she has no idea that she comes from money, and therefore has none of the snobbishness or entitlement so often seen in stories about privileged teens. Liliana’s entry into the world of Westdale is shown through her eyes, so we get to experience both her wonder and confusion at the wealth around her and the casual acceptance of a world of instant, constant luxury.

There’s a romantic subplot that is not what you’d expect, and I ended up really enjoying it. I can’t say I’ve come across this particular approach in YA fiction before… and that’s about all I’ll say about it, but trust me, it’s very well-written, innovative, and fun to see unfolding.

The mystery/thriller aspects are very well constructed. There are just enough clues to keep a reader guessing, but never enough to be obvious. When the answers do come, they require full concentration — the plot is clever and intricate and full of sharp little details to throw us off course.

I did have a few minor quibbles — just certain details about Liliana’s earlier life and how her new status as an heiress unfolded that felt glossed over and fully explained. In an adult novel, these elements probably would have felt more substantial, and the lack of detail might have been less easily overlooked. Here, with a YA vibe, the missing details can be more readily pushed aside in favor of the focus on Liliana’s experiences and feelings. It works!

I’ve read quite a bit of Kelley’s Armstrong recent novels for adults, including the outstanding Rockton and Haven’s Rock series, several terrific stand-alone horror novels, and even a couple of rom-coms. A Deadly Inheritance is my first experience with her young adult writing. I’m happy to confirm that it was just as good as I’d expected!

While marketed as YA fiction, A Deadly Inheritance makes a great read for adults too. I really enjoyed this thriller, and highly recommend it.

5Apr2026

Book Review: The Gathering by C. J. Tudor

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Gathering
Author: C. J. Tudor
Publisher: Ballantine
Publication date: April 9, 2024
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Horror
Source: Library
Rating:

A detective investigating a grisly crime in rural Alaska finds herself caught up in the dark secrets and superstitions of a small town in this riveting novel from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man

Deadhart, Alaska. 873. Living.

In a small Alaska town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The inhabitants of Deadhart haven’t seen a killing like this in twenty-five years. But they know who’s responsible: a member of the Colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs living in an old mine settlement deep in the woods.

Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called in to officially determine if this is a Colony killing—and authorize a cull. Old suspicions die hard in a town like Deadhart, but Barbara isn’t so sure. Determined to find the truth, she enlists the help of a former Deadhart sheriff, Jenson Tucker, whose investigation into the previous murder almost cost him his life. Since then, Tucker has become a recluse. But he knows the Colony better than almost anyone.

As the pair delve into the town’s history, they uncover secrets darker than they could have imagined. And then another body is found. While the snow thickens and the nights grow longer, a killer stalks Deadhart, and two disparate communities circle each other for blood. Time is running out for Atkins and Tucker to find the truth: Are they hunting a bloodthirsty monster . . . or a twisted psychopath? And which is more dangerous?

In the world of The Gathering, vampyrs are a protected species, living in small, isolated communities called Colonies, with certain rights but also many restrictions — such as being forbidden to mix with human or to hold jobs. Alaska is a natural choice for a vampyr settlement, given the long hours of darkness and the remote landscape.

When the town of Deadhart reports a vampyr killing — the first it’s experienced in 25 years — the Department of Forensic Vampyr Anthropology sends veteran detective Barbara Atkins to investigate. If her investigation confirms that vampyrs are responsible, she’ll be authorized to call for a cull — a government-sanctioned hunt to kill the vampyrs of the nearby Colony in order to remove a deadly threat to the humans in the area.

Deadhart residents are ready to start the hunt immediately, but Barbara senses that there’s more to the story, and very quickly finds inconsistencies related to the murder that lead her to dig deeper. Through her investigation, she discovers new facts related to the previous vampyr killing in Deadhart, including highly unsavory information about the town’s sordid treatment of vampyrs decades earlier. The pressure is on — if Barbara doesn’t sanction a cull quickly, the townspeople may just take matters into their own hands. But the more she uncovers, the more Barbara believes that the culprit may not be a member of the Colony after all — and as the bodies pile up, her own safety is on the line as she makes fresh enemies among the humans of Deadheart.

The Gathering has a terrific premise — the existence of vampyrs, the protections around them, but also the laws allowing them to be hunted and destroyed if warranted. It’s a fascinating dynamic, especially once we’re introduced to members of the Colony and see inside their settlement.

The claustrophobic nature of winter in Deadhart is vividly portrayed. The town is isolated, cut off by unpredictable weather, and very insular. Its residents go back generations, and there are countless old rivalries and grudges to unpack. Barbara makes an excellent viewpoint character, arriving as an outsider into a community already on edge, seeking to carry out her work despite the mounting tensions and lack of cooperation from the townspeople.

I was intrigued by the history of the town and the Colony. Likewise, I found the descriptions of the supporting cast of characters endlessly interesting, with trouble-prone teens, a rabble-rousing preacher, old-timers who remember the bad old days, and people just trying to get by. Still, the characters themselves are perhaps my one small area of complaint — there are so many named characters that keeping them and their backstories straight can be challenging at times.

Overall, though, I loved reading The Gathering. The Alaska setting and the unique status of vampyrs combine to provide a truly fresh take on a vampire story. There’s gore, but it’s not overwhelming — I’d consider this book something of a horror/mystery mashup. Both genres are well-represented, and blend together seamlessly for an absorbing read.

The epilogue ends on a note that leaves the door open for another story set in this world. I’d love to read a sequel! Meanwhile, this was my first book by C. J. Tudor, and now I’m eager to explore more of her books. If you have recommendations, please let me know!

4Apr2026

Book Review: The Last Devil to Die (The Thursday Murder Club, #4) by Richard Osman

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Last Devil to Die
Series: The Thursday Murder Club, #4
Author: Richard Osman
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication date: September 14, 2023
Length: 362 pages
Genre: Mystery
Source: Library
Rating:

Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.

An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.

With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?

The Thursday Murder Club books are so much fun, and book #4, The Last Devil to Die, is no exception.

The story kicks off with a (literal) bang. An antique dealer, who assisted our favorite gang of septuagenarian murder enthusiasts in the previous book, is inadvertently entangled in an international smuggling scheme that goes disastrously wrong. When his body is found, apparently the victim of a professional hit, it becomes a personal matter for the Thursday Murder Club folks. They’re outraged, they’re grieved, and they’re determined to figure it all out. Is there any doubt that they’ll succeed?

As Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron tackle the clues, in conjunction with their police connections Chris and Donna, the web of information, suspects, and plain old baddies gets more and more complicated. Is their local cocaine dealer, now imprisoned but still running an impressively efficient empire, somehow pulling the strings? Was their friend involved in shady business practices, or just the wrong person in the wrong place and time? And why is a national crime-fighting division trying to take over the case and boot out the locals?

Meanwhile, Elizabeth faces a personal challenge more intense than anything she’s had to deal with in all her years of international spying. As her friends rally round, a dramatic moment arrives, and it’s poignant and heartbreaking.

It’s hard to describe these books without giving anything away, which would be (sorry) a crime. The investigation has just as many twists and turns as we’ve come to expect with this series, and while I managed to figure out a few elements, there’s just no predicting where the solution truly lies. Meanwhile, there are side quests, new characters, personal developments, and more, and the dialogue and character quirks remain as entertaining as ever.

This series as a whole is highly recommended! Start at the beginning — the books are fast, engaging reads, and it’s easy to whip through them without a huge time commitment. I’m eager to start the 5th book, which is the last one currently available although, based on the author’s notes, not the last in the series. Yippee! I hope there will be more Thursday Murder Club shenanigans to look forward to for many years to come.

*Up next: Book #5, The Impossible Fortune*

30Mar2026

Book Review: Butterfly Effects (InCryptid, #15) by Seanan McGuire

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Butterfly Effects
Series: Incryptid, #15
Author: Seanan McGuire
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: March 10, 2026
Length: 432 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Seanan McGuire’s New York Times-bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated InCryptid series continues with the fifteenth book following the Price family, cryptozoologists who study and protect the creatures living in secret all around us.

Chaos, noun:
1. The inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system.

Chaos theory, noun:
1. A branch of mathematical and physical theory that deals with the nature and consequences of chaos and chaotic systems.
2. The study of unpredictable systems.
3. See also “impossible math.”

Sarah Zellaby is a Johrlac, a member of a species of psychic ambush predators colloquially referred to as “cuckoos.” Eight years ago, she survived the difficult, painful process of becoming a cuckoo queen…although not without costs. In the wake of her transformation, the man she loved was entirely erased from his own mind, forcing her to reconstruct him from the memories of the people who knew and loved him.

Sarah has been struggling to come to terms with her actions ever since. But there’s no one else on the planet with the power to hold her accountable―until the Johrlac authorities show up. It’s time for her to stand trial for what she’s done, something which can only happen on Johrlar, home world of her species, where the population is controlled by a system of unyielding hiveminds and crime is punishable by erasure.

With Sarah’s life on the line, her family will need to find a way to cross dimensional borders and survive a hostile, telepathic world in order to get her back―before the Sarah they know ceases to exist.

But no matter what happens, actions have consequences… and Sarah Zellaby is about to learn that lesson the hard way.

Fifteen books in, the Incryptid series remains wildly inventive, with a stunningly huge array of characters and nonhuman species to keep track of. The Price-Healy family remains at the center of it all, but the details and mythology at this point are so complex that it feels next to impossible to talk about this book specifically in any sort of way that makes sense.

But I’ll try.

Butterfly Effects is the 3rd book in the series to focus on Sarah Zellaby as the main character, which is tricky. Despite appearances, Sarah is not human — she’s what’s known as a “cuckoo”, a descendent of a group of Johrlacs exiled generations earlier from their home dimension Johrlar. Johrlacs are telepathic, and cuckoos are considered ambush predators here on Earth. Through the power of their minds, they can take over anyone else’s thoughts and rewrite them — so a cuckoo child, for example, can convince a new family that they’re loved, that they belong, and that they’ve always belonged. And that’s among the least harmful examples. When a cuckoo wants to influence someone, the person being influenced has no defenses and won’t even know it’s happening.

The Price family has been studying and interacting with cryptids — non-humans — for generations, and is uniquely suited to providing Sarah with a home. Sarah is the adopted daughter of one of the family matriarchs, and has been raised to use her abilities responsibly. What’s more, Sarah was raised with love — she’s part of the family. But eight years before the events in Butterfly Effects, she evolved into a cuckoo “queen”, and her powers essentially exploded beyond her control, causing damage that she never intended. Now, years later, Sarah has been forcibly extracted back to Johrlar, supposedly to be held accountable for her actions… but more sinister motivations are at play.

When Sarah is taken, her family springs into action — including her cousin Antimony, Antimony’s boyfriend Sam, and her grandparents Alice and Thomas who — for… reasons — appear to be no older than their grandchildren. This team of fighters and sorcerers heads off on a rescue mission, but once on Johrlar, finds themselves in grave danger as well.

Like I said, it’s complicated. Fortunately, this book has Sarah share the narration, so while she’s the main POV character, there are sections where Antimony takes the lead. Honestly, it’s a relief. Not to be all speciesist… but Antimony’s human mind is a much less headache-inducing place to be than Sarah’s. Sarah thinks in math and equations, and her telepathy and worldview can be insanely twisty and hard to relate to.

I do love this series as a whole, but it’s so wide-ranging that it can be hard to keep track of. With books focusing on so many different characters, I constantly need a refresher on where we left off, where the major players are, and whose lives are dealing with which crises. (Books #13 and #14 were told from the perspective of the family’s ghost babysitter… to give you an idea of just how strange a series this is!)

Maybe it’s just because they were introduced first, but the core Price family siblings and their immediate families remain my favorites, and when they’re off-page for too long (or for entire books, except for brief drop-bys) I miss them. Butterfly Effects seems to provide a definitive wrap-up to most of Sarah’s ongoing issues (at least, for now), so I’m hoping the next books in the series will move back to focusing elsewhere within the family.

Butterfly Effects took a while to draw me in. Eventually, I was hooked on the latest adventure and started feeling like I was reading a page-turner… but there were definitely moments where I felt like I was reading this one more out of obligation than enjoyment. Still, Seanan McGuire is a terrific storyteller, and overall, I’m sticking with the series, even though I didn’t connect with this particular book quite as much as with some of the earlier installments.

Once again, I’ll point out the obvious: This is not a book to start with! The Incryptid series is so complicated by now that it can only be appreciated by starting at the beginning — which I recommend! It’s a truly creative series with lots of entertainment value, interesting plot twists, and deeper emotional beats. And for those devoted to this world, there are countless spin-off/prequel stories available via the author’s Patreon and elsewhere, so you’ll never run out of Price-Healy family history to explore.

So, while book #15 wasn’t actually my favorite… I’ll certainly be back for #16, and can’t wait to find out whose story we’ll be getting next!

As with other books in the Incryptid series, this one includes a novella at the end, We Sing It Anyway. This story is really more of an epilogue to the main book, although with a different character in the lead role, who deals with the immediate aftermath of the events of Butterfly Effects. It’s a sweet conclusion, and provides both closure and healing to Sarah’s story’s impact on other family members.

Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

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29Mar2026

Audiobook Review: And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: And Then There Was You
Author: Sophie Cousens
Narrator: Kerry Gilbert
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: November 18, 2025
Print length: 352 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 10 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

She’s found the perfect man . . . There’s just one big twist.

Stuck in a Production Assistant job and living at home with her parents after a painful breakup, thirty-one-year-old Chloe Fairway isn’t where she wants to be in life. The last thing she needs is to face the people who once voted her “most likely to succeed” at her upcoming ten-year college reunion. And she definitely doesn’t want to see her former best friend, Sean Adler, who is now a hotshot film director living the life Chloe dreamed of. Desperate to make a splash—and to save face in front of the man who might be the one that got away—she turns to a mysterious dating service.

Enter Rob, her handsome, well-read, and charming match, the perfect plus-one to take to her reunion. The more she gets to know him, the more perfect he appears to be. Could it be that this dating service knows her better than she knows herself? And can she overlook the one big catch? As Chloe reconnects with old friends, she begins to question everything she thought she wanted. Maybe, just maybe, revisiting the past is exactly what she needs to move forward.

After really enjoying my last audiobook by Sophie Cousens (Is She Really Going Out With Him?), I grabbed her newest when I saw it was available through the library. And while I enjoy her upbeat storytelling and the terrific narration by Kerry Gilbert, this romance had certain elements that just didn’t work for me.

Ten years after graduating from Oxford, Chloe feels like a failure. Once considered most likely to succeed, sure of a brilliant career ahead of her as an actress and playwright, Chloe now lives with her parents and works as the personal assistant to a highly unpleasant man at a mediocre production company. All of her old schoolmates have gone on to do amazing things, especially Sean, once her best friend and writing partner, now practically a stranger, who’s a big-time Hollywood director. With the reunion looming, Chloe’s instinct is to hide and avoid it all. A chance encounter with a friend who seems to be radiantly happy leads Chloe to an exclusive matchmaking company that promises to find her the man of her dreams, someone who’ll be perfect for her. And when Chloe meets Rob, they just click. He’s gorgeous, smart, and sweet… so maybe attending the reunion with this impressive guy on her arm will be just the confidence boost that Chloe needs?

There’s a catch, of course… and here’s where I’m going to insert a big, fat…

SPOILER ALERT!

I’m guessing Goodreads reviews will already have spilled the beans, but in case you don’t want to know, here’s where to look away.

Seriously!

I’m going to get into the details of what I really did not like about this book.

SPOILERS COMING RIGHT NOW!

Okay, you’ve been warned.

The reason that Rob seems perfect for Chloe is that… he is. Rob is an AI robot created to Chloe’s exact specifications, based on an exhaustive questionnaire that she’s required to complete as part of her intake at the matchmaking company. She (and we) have no idea what she’s signing up for until after she’s signed an NDA and is introduced to Rob, who instantly impresses her with his good lucks, excellent manners, and sensitivity. He’s everything she thinks she wants in a man… because he’s been built and programmed that way.

Taking Rob to her reunion seems like a crazy idea. And it is. Convincing herself that she could have a future with Rob also seems ridiculous. And it is. Chloe spends a lot of mental energy trying to figure out whether a robot boyfriend might be her best bet for a happy life. Meanwhile, the entire reunion weekend is rife with moments when Rob’s perfection or stilted manners or weird affect threatens to reveal Chloe’s secret and undermine everything she’s trying to achieve.

From the moment of the reveal about what Rob really is (somewhere around the 15% mark), I was kind of over this book. I stuck with it because I liked certain elements of the story — but this was very nearly a DNF. The sad thing is that I don’t think this story needed the robot storyline at all. Rob could have simply been a date-for-hire, and the plot could have played out practically the same way. The AI/robot piece is a distracting novelty that just doesn’t work at all.

It’s a shame, because there are other elements that are very good. Who can’t relate to the feeling that everyone else is doing better at life than you are? Or the anxiety of reuniting with people who were once the center of your world? It’s not exactly surprising that at the reunion, Chloe discovers romantic feelings for an old friend and learns secrets that change what she thought she knew about their past. This part was very good! I liked Chloe’s process of understanding her past, admitting where she’d made mistakes, and getting past the roadblocks that had her feeling stuck professionally and emotionally.

END SPOILERS

All in all, And Then There Was You has some very engaging bits and pieces that unfortunately get swamped by a ridiculous overarching storyline. Sticking with this book all the way to the end tried my patience, despite the great audiobook narration and the generally interesting, quirky characters. The clever and entertaining bits just can’t save an unconvincing storyline. My eyes hurt from too much rolling.