Brain Boost: 365 Brain Games for Adults: Crosswords, Word Searches, Logic Puzzles, Sudoku, and More

by Brendan Quigley

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Dozelina 666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

E‑ARC received via NetGalley—thank you!

If you love word searches, cryptograms, Sudoku, and logic puzzles (as much as I do :D), this is exactly the kind of book you need. Brain Boost delivers 365 puzzles (one for every day of the year) with a great balance of challenge and relaxation. I especially enjoyed the word searches and flower puzzles, and cryptograms consistently kept me on my toes.

It’s the kind of book that’s perfect when you just want to decompress: pull it out with your morning coffee, or wind down at night. Visually clean and easy to use, it’s thoughtful in layout and variety. While a few puzzle types felt repetitive by the end, the overall mix kept things fresh.

Bottom line? A fun boost for your brain — ideal for puzzle lovers or anyone wanting a daily mental stretch. Definitely worth picking up!

[Jessica Mather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brain Boost aims to keep the brain occupied for hours on end! Even just a few minutes a day can be beneficial to our brains later on in life.

Unfortunately it was difficult to test the puzzles due to the digital version.
However, the layout was well thought out. The colours were nice, and weren’t too distracting from the puzzles. I appreciated the instructions of all the puzzle types in the beginning of the book, but it would have been nice to see them at the beginning of the actual puzzles. There was a fair bit of bookmarking so i could flip back and forward.
The puzzles were fairly difficult for the most part, with some clues being quite vague and convoluted, especially whith the crossword type puzzles. And I didn’t like that the code words had no starting letters. I have plenty of experience with this type of puzzle, but they felt impossible without some kind of start.

I was unfamiliar with the shell, flower, and star puzzles and for the most part could not wrap my head around them, but I really loved that Sudoku and Word Searches were interspersed throughout. These are puzzles that most will be familiar with.

I would have appreciated a “Easy” “Medium” “Hard” beside each puzzle to indicate difficulty.

This is a fantastic book for those that have good experience in many of these puzzles. While they can be hard, there is usually a clue that start you off on the right direction. I love puzzle books and, with a bit more experience, I would come back to this in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cider Mill Press for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Brain Boost: 365 Brain Games for Adults via Netgalley, hoping for a fresh and engaging way to keep my mind sharp every day and in many ways, it delivered. Brendan Quigley gives readers a steady stream of puzzles that are accessible and satisfying, especially when you want something quick to break up your day.

However, the book’s limitations became more noticeable. While there are 365 puzzles, they lean heavily on just about nine distinct puzzle types. That repetition means that after you’ve done a few months, you begin seeing the same formats over and over. The novelty wears off a little when the book doesn’t push you into new territory.

That said, there’s still a lot to like. The instructions are clear, and the puzzles range in difficulty—some are quite simple, others more challenging—so you can pick your level of brain workout for the day. On the tougher ones, I found myself stretching my thinking in ways I hadn’t expected. Also, the fact that the puzzles are already organized by days is convenient: no need to hunt around or choose what to do.

In summary: Brain Boost is a solid choice if you want reliable daily mental exercise. It’s user-friendly and consistent, but it could benefit from a wider variety of puzzle types to keep things fresh. I’m giving it 4 stars—because despite its repetition, it still offers value and keeps you engaged.

Thanks go to Netgalley and Cider Mill Press

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This proved to be a lively selection of traditional puzzles, with a page or two of dressing to get into the 'this is good for brain-training' mindset. There are puzzles that obey typical crossword rules, as opposed to the (American-style) crosswords elsewhere here, things in code, quotes of jumbled letters to unravel, sudoku and another kind of global, clueless grid to fill in, codewords and word searches.

The instructions are given, briefly, but the heart of the book is as it says, 365 puzzles for you to ration across the year to keep your brain active. What could also keep it keen is that the puzzles are jumbled so we get a random-seeming selection, only for the answers to show the solutions to all of one type, irregardless of where they came in the book, then the next type, then the next… That seemed peculiar to me, to say the least. But if you prefer the American crossword to the British format (and boy is there a difference!) and have adapted to their style of clue-giving, there is a lot of value here, presented nicely on the page (alright, review file screen in my instance) and giving a lot of time-passing pleasure.

Oh, and brain-training pleasure; don't forget the brain-training.

[A Bookworm Crafts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of puzzles with a puzzle for every day of the year. The book opens with a brief explanation of the nine different puzzle types, which I found helpful as I was not familiar with all of them. It’s designed as a large-print, screen-free way to keep your brain busy and mixes classics like crosswords, Sudoku and word searches with cryptograms, logic grids and a few more unusual formats.

In practice, the format works well. I enjoyed discovering the “shell”, “flower”, and “star” puzzles.. A few quirks to note: the instructions sit at the front (so you may flip back and forth at first), and the answer section is grouped by puzzle type rather than by page, which isn’t the most user-friendly when you’re stuck. The codeword puzzles give no starter letters, which can make them tough to crack, and the crosswords tend towards North American conventions in both clues and spelling. It would also have been helpful if the puzzles were assigned different layers of difficulty.

A recommended read for fans of puzzles looking for a daily brain workout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reviewed a digital copy of this puzzle book, so I can’t comment on the size or quality of the printed version. The book offers a good variety of puzzles—Sudoku, Code Word, Crosswords, Mini-Crosswords, Flower Puzzle, Shell Puzzles, Word Search, Star Battle, and Quote Box.

On the downside, all puzzle instructions are grouped at the front, so you have to flip back and forth. The Code Words felt nearly impossible—perhaps due to my inexperience with that puzzle type—but a starting letter would have helped. Answers are in the back by puzzle type, but there’s no key on each puzzle page to show where to find them.

A solid mix of puzzles, but the layout could be more user-friendly.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brain Boost: 365 Brain Games for Adults by Brendan Quigley
What I found interesting in this book was the format of the puzzles available. I am very new to a lot of these different types of puzzles so it was interesting to figure out how they all work. There are instructions at the very beginning that explain how to put your letters into a circular motion sometimes the counterclockwise depending on the puzzle you're playing.. There are so many to choose from and there are answers to each one. There are also brain games at the back of the book that I couldn't quite Figure out.
Received this review copy from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

[Simi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the age of chronic doom scrolling, our brains need more exercise than ever. This book had many short but challenging puzzles that really make you think and that require more than just 30 seconds of your attention. There's one for every day of the year and I can't wait to get through more of these! Great for a holiday, or anytime you would normally pull out your phone for entertainment.

Thank you to Cider Mill Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

So many of these books have the most impossible puzzles, that this one is exactly right. Crossword puzzles, word puzzles and suduko. Too bad I can't do the puzzles on the NetGalley app. I will just have to buy the book if I want to fo them!

[Glo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining variety of challenging puzzles including crosswords, mini-crosswords, quotes to guess, cryptograms about different topics, codes to decipher, sudokus, ...
I have reviewed a digital version, and cannot assess the paper quality, however, the book appears to be well-structured and the layout is neat.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Beautifulday4makeup The-book-and-Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-arc from netgalley. Therefor I couldn't fill the whole book, but I did a few tests.
I like the fact you have a puzzle for every day of the year and that there is some variability within these puzzles. Some were also more difficult then others. For me it was lovely to play around with these puzzles and I will keep on doing these until I'm done.