Ekta R. Garg (Author of The Truth About Elves)

Ekta R. Garg wrote a new blog post Maybe the 7th time is the charm…? Hello, Write Edge readers! Add a thinking emoji to the end of that blog post title, because, honestly, I have no idea at this point how many drafts it Read more of this blog post »
Apr 21, 2026 03:22AM · like
Ekta entered a giveaway Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen (Goodreads Author) 50 copies available, ends on May 01, 2026 Enter to win »
Apr 20, 2026 02:00PM · like · see giveaway
Ekta rated a book really liked it Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars An influencer finds herself in an altered version of her life and doesn’t know how she got there. As she battles memories of her charmed past and the harsh realities of her present day, she tries to figure out how she got where she is and ho ...more
Apr 08, 2026 04:44PM · 1 like · like · see review
Ekta rated a book it was ok Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A woman suffering from a recent loss joins a support group and meets someone who becomes her new object of desire. As she gets closer to him, she begins to realize that her obsession is becoming dangerous—for her. Author Georgia McVeigh offers a fami ...more
Apr 03, 2026 02:18PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ekta rated a book it was ok The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2.5 stars A young woman forced to live in a government facility after society collapses learns that she and the others in the compound are being used as pawns. With her head full of memories of her family and her hands itching to pursue her art, she d ...more
Mar 25, 2026 07:40PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ekta rated a book it was ok When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2.5 stars Three friends who have access to a special book that predicts the future grapple with the challenges of growing up. As they deal with confusing situations and changing friendships, they will have to figure out what’s important to hold on to ...more
Mar 18, 2026 04:09PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ekta rated a book it was amazing The Curse of Great Winter Academy (Choose Your Own Adventure New Classics) by Jessika Fleck (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
For parents who spent hours becoming the protagonists of the Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) books in the ‘80s, the next generation of CYOA books is alive and well in the capable and deft writing hands of authors like Central Illinois’s very own Jes ...more
Mar 16, 2026 02:47PM · like · see review
Ekta rated a book it was ok Once and Again by Rebecca Serle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A woman with a unique gift finds herself facing a life-changing decision, literally. As she wrestles with what to do and memories of the past, she must also contend with her responsibility to her family and what it means to put herself first. Author ...more
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Ekta rated a book liked it The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives by Elizabeth Arnott (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Three women in an unofficial and unlikely club realize they may be the only ones who have the insight to solve a series of horrific crimes. With their instincts guiding them and their courage bolstering them, the women refuse to let their gender or t ...more
Mar 04, 2026 02:42PM · like · see review
Ekta rated a book really liked it A Good Animal by Sara Maurer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
When two teens get caught up in the heat of first love, they find themselves facing the hardest question of life: what happens when you know you’re meant to be together but you’re not meant to stay in the same place? Author Sara Maurer takes a measur ...more
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Ekta R. Garg wrote a new blog post

Maybe the 7th time is the charm…?

Hello, Write Edge readers! Add a thinking emoji to the end of that blog post title, because, honestly, I have no idea at this point how many drafts it Read more of this blog post »

Ekta entered a giveaway

Paper Ghosts
by Sarah Addison Allen (Goodreads Author)

50 copies available, ends on May 01, 2026 Enter to win »

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Yesteryear
by Caro Claire Burke

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4.5 stars

An influencer finds herself in an altered version of her life and doesn’t know how she got there. As she battles memories of her charmed past and the harsh realities of her present day, she tries to figure out how she got where she is and ho 4.5 stars

An influencer finds herself in an altered version of her life and doesn’t know how she got there. As she battles memories of her charmed past and the harsh realities of her present day, she tries to figure out how she got where she is and how to get home. Debut author Caro Claire Burke offers readers an explosive yet thoughtful look at the influencer culture, particularly at those who promote the bygone era way of life, in her novel Yesteryear.

Even though most people would use the term “tradwife” to describe her, Natalie Heller Mills is anything but. Sure, she lives on a farm in rural Idaho and shows her millions of followers how the family uses its own vegetables for an organic meal. And she’s very clear that faith and family—in that order—are the center of who she is. But it’s easy to show the tradwife life when she isn’t living it in reality.

She’s curated her feed to make her followers think her husband, Caleb, is a farmer even though Caleb doesn’t know a rutabaga from a zucchini. No one sees all the immigrant farmhands who do the real labor on the farm. Her producer takes all of the artistic photos and the beautifully shot reels and manages her social media accounts that promote raw milk and ultra organic meals. Natalie also lets the world believe she’s the sole caretaker of her gaggle of six kids, but no one sees the two nannies on the screen.

Some people look at her life and think Natalie is living in heaven on Earth; the Angry Women, as she and Caleb call them, love to comment on every single post and video to let her know how she’s an embarrassment to women everywhere. Only she knows what it takes the production of the Mills family going and how it’s her influencer lifestyle that keeps them afloat. And none of Natalie’s followers know about the family’s dirty little secrets.

That’s why when she wakes up in the farmhouse and discovers that all the modern plumbing and electricity are gone, and that Caleb looks like a weirdly altered version of himself, and that her kids kind of look like hers but also don’t, Natalie believes she’s been kidnapped. Nothing else makes sense. She’s been kidnapped and dropped onto a real farm somewhere for some bizarre reality show. Or maybe she’s discovered time travel. Or something else. There’s no other explanation for how a prominent influencer like her who has been trying to spread the word about a life that goes back to America’s roots could end up in this mess.

A devastating injury knocks loose memories of her former life, and as Natalie tries her hardest to remember just what brought her to this awful place she also faces what life in the 1800s was really like. It definitely wasn’t as charmed as she made it out to be through Instagram. The lighting is all wrong, and she can’t, for the life of her, bake a decent loaf of bread. Which would have made her followers go nuts; now it just makes Natalie sad and deeply upset for the life that’s somehow disappeared right before her eyes.

Debut author Caro Claire Burke shows a confidence with this nonlinear storyline that seasoned authors would do well to study carefully. While readers may not know where Burke’s unusual plot is going, the author’s self-assurance will keep them glued to pages and screens as they try to figure it out. In her protagonist, Burke has offered readers a model for the thousands of influencers trying to stand out from their peers while also allowing Natalie to embody a searing critique of those same people—sometimes through Natalie’s own observations.

The book’s pace slows down a touch in the middle as the mundanity of Natalie’s current life eclipses the explosiveness of her influencer self. At times it feels like Natalie isn’t completely sure of her own life’s truths. Some readers may interpret this as a plot hole or two on the author’s part. Others may read it as the unraveling of Natalie’s mind as she finds herself way out of her depth on a farm that’s the reality of the fake life she built before.

For the most part, though, Burke doesn’t let the tension slip. What results is a book that will leave readers stunned by the big reveal and also sitting with some big feelings about how social media has affected the world at large. Those who enjoy unreliable narrators and unlikeable protagonists will definitely want to pick this up. ...more

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Sorry for Your Loss
by Georgia McVeigh (Goodreads Author)

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A woman suffering from a recent loss joins a support group and meets someone who becomes her new object of desire. As she gets closer to him, she begins to realize that her obsession is becoming dangerous—for her. Author Georgia McVeigh offers a fami A woman suffering from a recent loss joins a support group and meets someone who becomes her new object of desire. As she gets closer to him, she begins to realize that her obsession is becoming dangerous—for her. Author Georgia McVeigh offers a familiar plot with an unreliable narrator and a story that starts to go sideways in the ultimately lackluster novel Sorry for Your Loss.

In England Iris Jones is still trying to figure out how to manage her grief after the tragic death of her boyfriend, Freddie. She and Freddie worked together and had so much in common; they were a natural fit. Iris was convinced he was on the verge of proposing to her, so when a horrible accident took his life she felt as though her world was ending.

The one thing that has brought her back from the brink is the weekly grief support group she’s started attending. Even though some people seem to be there more for performative reasons than actual healing, Iris likes that she can talk about her relationship with Freddie whenever she wants and everyone has to listen to her. Iris has a captive audience week after week.

The day Jack walks into the group, though, is the day Iris believes she can move past Freddie. Ridiculously handsome and clearly wealthy, Jack has recently lost his wife to cancer. When he shares the date of his wife’s passing, Iris feels a jolt of electricity: Jack’s wife and Freddie died on the same day. Surely this is fate or the universe or some higher power signaling that Iris and Jack need to be together.

Iris knows Jack is still in the active grief stage, so she takes her time to get to know Jack and the two strike up a friendship. It’s clear he could be her ticket out of her miserable life—a life where Iris is the surviving daughter of a pair of twins in a family where her sister was their mother’s favorite. A life where her mother is an alcoholic and something of a hoarder and her father has since fled the family, found himself a new wife, and had two other children. A life where Freddie was sweet and such a good match for Iris, but Jack is so much better.

As they get closer, Iris is thrilled that Jack feels the same draw to her and thinks she’s hit paydirt. Until Jack starts acting wildly out of character. A recovering alcoholic himself, Jack starts drinking again and he’s definitely a mean drunk. He says and does things that shock Iris, and it isn’t long before she starts to wonder whether to believe the story that his first wife died from natural causes. Because if there’s one thing Iris knows, it’s how there are multiple versions of the truth that normal people just wouldn’t understand—except this time, she might be the one caught in the center of a lie. Like a fly in the middle of a spider’s web.

Author Georgia McVeigh’s debut hits all the right beats for a domestic thriller with an unreliable narrator, but Iris’s caginess as a protagonist feels like so many other books where the main character takes the lead on the storytelling. Astute readers of the genre will find it easy to guess the finer details of Iris and Freddie’s relationship, which sets up expectations for Iris’s relationship with Jack that are ultimately unmet. More than unmet, in fact, the relationship takes a jarring left turn that may pull some readers out of the story and leave them scratching their heads in confusion.

Once Iris and Jack establish their romance, the narration takes on a strangely frenetic quality that has more to do with Jack’s unpredictability as a character and much less to do with the actual plot moving forward. Like many other thrillers, McVeigh chooses to tell her story with Iris as the first-person narrator and the book suffers for it. A narrow POV means readers only have Iris’s thoughts and actions to analyze, which brings up too many questions that leave room for exiting the novel altogether. The book would probably have been much better off told in third person to keep readers guessing a little longer on the bigger plot pieces.

While the intention is clear in the narration of what this book is supposed to be, the execution needed much more work. Readers looking for grounded domestic thrillers may want to check out T.M. Logan or Louise Candlish instead. ...more

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The Danger of Small Things
by Caryl Lewis

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A young woman forced to live in a government facility after society collapses learns that she and the others in the compound are being used as pawns. With her head full of memories of her family and her hands itching to pursue her art, she d 2.5 stars

A young woman forced to live in a government facility after society collapses learns that she and the others in the compound are being used as pawns. With her head full of memories of her family and her hands itching to pursue her art, she decides to take a chance to set off a revolution. Author Caryl Lewis returns with a book that closes itself off to readers by using the wrong narrative point of view in The Danger of Small Things.

In a future where climate change has irrevocably changed the world, Jess has been taken to a compound where she and other girls are forced to hand pollinate fruit trees for hours every single day. The younger girls work all year round to keep the trees alive; the older girls who have reached puberty are carted off to be paired with young men to have babies. Jess arrives in this place after being separated from her brother and mother, frightened for her brother’s safety and worried about where her mother might end up.

At the compound, Jess befriends Cass who sleeps in the bunk above hers. Day after day, Jess, Cass, and the other girls follow the same routines of getting dressed in the morning, partaking in the meager meal the government has allotted them, and then going to work. Every effort of everyone goes toward food cultivation and production. No one is allowed to enjoy any leisure activities, like reading or art.

Yet Jess had art, before. She sketched and painted, giving her small family artworks to marvel at. Now she still has brushes, but they’re used to make sure the apple trees and the peach trees and all the other trees are cared for so they will produce the fruit the government uses as trade goods. The girls’ efforts, declares compound head Father Renatus, keeps everyone alive and safe.

Jess suspects otherwise. When a chance encounter with a friendly guard yields illegal access to paint and proper paintbrushes, Jess uses them to show the girls what a different life might be like. Suddenly murmurs begin crossing the compound. No one knows who put up the painting, but everyone wants to know what the artist will do next—if they decide to do anything at all.

The act of expressing herself with her art again brings a part of Jess to life that she’d forgotten existed. With the handful of friends she can trust in her bunkhouse and the guard who has proven to be trustworthy, Jess knows it’s only a matter of time before they begin to fight back. The only question is when will the revolution begin.

Author Caryl Lewis states in her author’s note that her background as a beekeeper set her on the path to write this climate fiction novel. She sees it as her form of protest against those who are careless with the environment. While Lewis’s careful detailing of pollination and trees and natural resources are well on display, the rest of the book feels severely limited by the narrative choice to tell the story through Jess in first person.

Without access to anything more than Jess’s memories or descriptions of the day-to-day workings of the larger world at hand, readers may come away with the sense that Jess’s world feels controlled but not nearly as bad as it might actually get. Wide gaps exist in this supposedly totalitarian government’s mandates and their actual enforcement. Many story questions are raised with no acknowledgement.

For instance, it’s clear that young girls are being used as manual labor in their early years and as breeding machines when they reach maturity. How are boys being treated in this story world? What about children with disabilities? What about the adults who are able to work? If the government’s restrictions are forcing the girls to stay in this particular way of life, why don’t the Mothers and the ancillary staff at the compound keep a much closer eye on everyone? If the girls are performing all the manual labor all day, what are the Mothers and Father Renatus doing?

These questions and many, many more interrupt the reading process of what is, at times, a compelling character portrait. Some readers in the target audience may stick with the book all the way to the end, only to feel, quite possibly, that the climax was anticlimactic. Lewis’s facility with the language is clear and obvious, but Jess’s passivity in many places where other characters are clearly taking charge is somewhat of a letdown. Readers interested in climate fiction may want to consider picking this up; others may want to skip. ...more

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When Tomorrow Burns
by Tae Keller (Goodreads Author)

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Three friends who have access to a special book that predicts the future grapple with the challenges of growing up. As they deal with confusing situations and changing friendships, they will have to figure out what’s important to hold on to 2.5 stars

Three friends who have access to a special book that predicts the future grapple with the challenges of growing up. As they deal with confusing situations and changing friendships, they will have to figure out what’s important to hold on to and what they need to let go. Author Tae Keller’s prose is as beautiful as ever in a book that is at times confusing in its goals in When Tomorrow Burns.

Nomi, Vi, and Arthur are best friends—well, they used to be, until Arthur got all weird last year and stopped talking to Nomi and before Vi decided she no longer wanted to go by “Violet” and changed her wardrobe. Nomi loves her friends, but she can’t figure out what on earth is going on with them. She and Vi used to tell each other everything, but now Vi spends most of her time texting someone nonstop. Nomi doesn’t know anything else about it, and she misses her friend.

Vi wants to tell Nomi that she’s been chatting with Lucas, one of the most crushed-on boys in school, but she also likes having something to herself for a change. Lucas sees Vi as something special, and she doesn’t want to mess that up. And Nomi would never understand anyway. She’s too obsessed with the book of prophecies the three friends found years ago. Nomi is convinced it tells the future, and even though Vi can’t argue with Nomi’s logic she also wants to do more grown up things. Like talk to Lucas.

Arthur misses Nomi and Vi as best friends. The three of them used to do everything together. Then about a year ago, Arthur looked at Nomi and got a funny feeling inside. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her ever since, but he doesn’t want to make things weird between them. Better to stop talking to her completely. It sucks, but it’s way less complicated than this squishy way he feels about her.

Then the wildfires around their home city of Seattle kick into high gear, and the friends are forced to change to life mostly indoors. Nomi is positive the fires are a sign from the prophecy book she and the others found years ago, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before the world collapses in total annihilation. She has to figure out how to stop it all, and the book is the only way to do it. If only that meant she didn’t have to see Arthur and try to ignore how sad she is about the end of their friendship.

Despite her better judgment, Vi gets on board with Nomi’s quest too but she keeps getting distracted by Lucas and his casual suggestion. Vi knows doing what he asks takes a lot of trust, and she’s flattered by Lucas’s trust in her but also scared by it. If only it didn’t take so much courage. But that’s what all three friends need these days, whole buckets of it, if they’re going to figure out how to save the world and their friendships all at the same time.

Author Tae Keller’s prose is an absolute delight, but the novel flounders in its main goal. Keller gives the friends their own alternating chapters, which allows readers to follow the kids, but she intersperses them with Greek chorus-style interludes from ancient trees. It’s not clear whether the book is meant to tell the story of the trees or the friends, whether it’s trying to make a comment on climate change or the difficulties of growing up in the current era. What is clear is that the book is trying to do too much.

In her author’s note, Keller says she wanted the book to reflect all the big life questions middle grade readers might face in these times. There’s no doubt the novel does that. However, without clarity in its teaching moments, the book feels like it’s covering too much.

The narration touches on the dangers of toxic masculinity and how harmful it is to young boys, but it doesn’t stay long enough on the subject. Keller also hints at the implied peer pressure young girls face as well as how the climate crisis and world events can weigh on young teens and affect their mental health. Yet none of these topics are examined to a great extent, which is a shame because all three of them on their own would have made compelling novels.

Fans of previous Tae Keller books may want to check this one out. Others new to her work should read her previous book, _Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone_, instead. ...more

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The Curse of Great Winter Academy by Jessika Fleck

The Curse of Great Winter Academy (Choose Your Own Adventure New Classics)
by Jessika Fleck (Goodreads Author)

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For parents who spent hours becoming the protagonists of the Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) books in the ‘80s, the next generation of CYOA books is alive and well in the capable and deft writing hands of authors like Central Illinois’s very own Jes For parents who spent hours becoming the protagonists of the Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) books in the ‘80s, the next generation of CYOA books is alive and well in the capable and deft writing hands of authors like Central Illinois’s very own Jessika Fleck. Her latest CYOA book, The Curse of Great Winter Academy, continues the tradition of the original books while keeping the concept fresh.

In The Curse of Great Winter Academy, students at Great Winter Academy for the Extraordinarily Talented possess supernatural powers. Every year, a handful of students are chosen to try to break the Impossible Curse. This year, it’s your turn along with your best friend, Annie, and the new kid, Lyle. The three of you are required to break the curse before the first full moon. The catch? No one has ever broken it and lived to say how they did so.

That doesn’t stop the mysterious group called The Misfits at the school from picking students every year to try. Everyone at Great Winter Academy has to break a curse at some point as part of their time at the school, but not everyone is picked to tackle the Impossible Curse. This year, you, Lyle, and Annie have the “honor” with assistance from your other best friend, Arthur. All you have to do is find your way into Great Winter Academy’s biggest rival, Old Willow Boarding School, and steal back the brooch of Great Winter’s founder. Apparently, it was taken by Old Willow students ages ago and holds secrets about Great Winter. “If you fail, you die” the instructions state simply.

As if that’s supposed to be some sort of cheerful motivation.

The night you’re given your instructions about the Impossible Curse, however, you receive an Alternative Curse. You have a choice, the first of many, and every single decision you make after that will test your mettle and your abilities. You can animate dolls and make them do whatever you will them to do. Annie is a perfect mimic, including facial structures and voices, and Lyle can breathe underwater. Arthur has the ability control the weather, but he’s not allowed to directly help with breaking the curse. If The Misfits find out he’s helping even as much as he is, you could all get in trouble.

Only your choices will decide your fate as to whether you live or die, break the curse or keep it going, and time is running out to get it all right.

Author Jessika Fleck’s storytelling style will take adult fans of the books right back to their childhood, and just like the original CYOA books The Curse of the Great Winter Academy will keep readers guessing about the outcomes of each choice made. Readers who want an immersive experience short of jumping into the story themselves will be delighted with this interactive way to read. The charm of getting to start the story over if a negative outcome occurs hasn’t worn off at all. Young readers have compared CYOA books to a video game; it definitely has that essence but with the more measured pace and thoughtful considerations that reading offers.

Parents who find they have reluctant middle grade readers might want to seriously consider The Curse of Great Winter Academy, which itself is a companion to the CYOA book Murder at the Old Willow Boarding School also by Fleck. Technology may have offered advancements we couldn’t have imagined in the ‘80s, but the thrill of a CYOA book is still the same as ever! ...more

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Once and Again
by Rebecca Serle (Goodreads Author)

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A woman with a unique gift finds herself facing a life-changing decision, literally. As she wrestles with what to do and memories of the past, she must also contend with her responsibility to her family and what it means to put herself first. Author A woman with a unique gift finds herself facing a life-changing decision, literally. As she wrestles with what to do and memories of the past, she must also contend with her responsibility to her family and what it means to put herself first. Author Rebecca Serle returns with a plot that tries too hard to do and be everything all at once and ultimately doesn’t succeed in nearly any of those endeavors in her newest novel Once and Again.

California born and bred, Lauren has always known about the secret she shares with her mother and maternal grandmother: they’ve each had access to a silver ticket that allows them to undo a single situation in life. Lauren’s mother, Marcella, used hers to turn back the clock when Lauren’s father, Dave, got into a fatal car crash. Dave doesn’t remember anything about the accident; instead, he spends his days surfing the waves in Malibu and doting on Lauren.

Lauren’s grandmother, Sylvia, has never revealed what she used her ticket for, no matter how many times Lauren has asked about it. Lauren herself still has her ticket. Despite having her heart broken by boy-next-door Stone after a romance that lasted a decade, Lauren still hasn’t run across a situation that she believes drastic enough to use the ticket. She wants to save it for when she really needs it.

In the meantime, Lauren and her husband, Leo, are trying to have a baby. The struggles with infertility have challenged their marriage in ways they never thought possible. Leo says he’s happy for their family to be the two of them, but Lauren is becoming more desperate for a child of her own. When Leo, who works in television, gets a job in New York City for the summer, the two decide the break might do them some good. Their marriage isn’t in peril, not yet, and they recognize that to keep it that way some absence might be in order.

The couple turn the house into a short-term rental for extra cash, and Lauren moves back in with her parents for the summer. Then she runs into Stone, and everything about their time together for all those years comes rushing back. Before she knows it, Lauren is putting herself into emotionally charged waters. Unlike Leo, who has never had much love for surfing, Lauren grew up on a board. For 10 years, she and Stone surfed together. Now they can do so again.

Then Lauren finds herself in the most compromising position of her entire adult life, and she wants to undo everything. Knowing she has the capacity to accomplish that means it’ll be like it never happened. Except using her ticket creates other complications that she could never have imagined. Now Lauren, Marcella, Sylvia, and Dave will all have to grapple with what Lauren did and decide what family really means.
Author Rebecca Serle creates characters who are fairly well-rounded, but the rest of the book leaves enough room for questions that readers may find themselves yanked out of the story more than once by asking them. The most obvious might be why Lauren doesn’t use her ticket to solve some of the infertility issues she and Leo are facing. A major plot twist related to that story problem dropped in the last few pages of the book may leave readers scratching their heads. If that solution was an option, why wasn’t it considered or proposed before?

It’s fairly obvious where Lauren and Stone are headed from the moment he appears on the page, and the predictability is disappointing. It feels engineered for another plot twist that creates opportunities for conversations between the women of the family. The narration also bounces from Lauren in the first person to an unnamed, unknown third person narrator to Sylvia much later in the book. The effect is jarring at times; Lauren’s voice is so clearly developed that readers may wonder in the first few third-person chapters whether she’s the one telling the story.

The magical realism element of the silver tickets feels more like an afterthought and, again, a convenient plot device that actually complicates the story unnecessarily. Diehard fans of Rebecca Serle who are used to her storytelling style and story choices will probably enjoy this one. Other readers may want to pick up other romance or women’s fiction books instead. ...more

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The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives
by Elizabeth Arnott (Goodreads Author)

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Three women in an unofficial and unlikely club realize they may be the only ones who have the insight to solve a series of horrific crimes. With their instincts guiding them and their courage bolstering them, the women refuse to let their gender or t Three women in an unofficial and unlikely club realize they may be the only ones who have the insight to solve a series of horrific crimes. With their instincts guiding them and their courage bolstering them, the women refuse to let their gender or the cops stand in the way of helping. Seasoned author Elizabeth Arnott tries her hand at writing thrillers in the interesting but sometimes too even-handed new book The Secret Lives of Murders’ Wives.

In the Los Angeles suburbs of 1966, Beverly, Margot, and Elsie have formed a friendship under bizarre circumstances: all three are the ex-wives of serial killers. Fortunately for society, the husbands were all caught and convicted. Unfortunately for the women, they’re bearing the brunt of their husbands’ crimes. Neighbors give them the evil eye. Beverly’s children deal with mean kids on the playground. And all three women have questions, particularly how they could have missed signs of the monsters living in their own homes.

Still, they have to go on living. Beverly spends her days scrapbooking articles about her husband’s crimes as well as those of Margot and Elsie’s husbands. She knows it’s a strange hobby, but putting everything in order helps her maintain some semblance of control.

As a politician’s wife, Margot continues to party hard. She goes to all of the biggest parties, mingling with celebrities and drinking away the memories. The whole time her husband was gladhanding people and staying out late, Margot thought he was just having an affair. Oh, how she wishes now her troubles were as simple as that.

British transplant Elsie makes coffee and answers the phone at the newspaper where she works, even as she wishes to be a real working reporter. Her modest income takes care of her, but she has more to give. In the age of mostly all-male newsrooms, however, Elsie knows it’ll take more than repeated requests to make her editor give her a chance.

Their personal lives were splashed in all the papers, including the one where Elsie works, but the three women still hold their heads high. Their husbands did their damage. The women are not going to spend their lives lamenting the cracks and scars.

The seams on both start to come undone in the height of the summer when a young woman is murdered in an especially gruesome way. Soon more murders follow, and the police fumble for answers. As the friends begin discussing the crimes, they realize they may be able to help with the investigations.

Except no one wants to listen to them. The police don’t want civilians, especially women, interfering. No matter that Margot, Elsie, and Beverly have firsthand knowledge of how serial killers function in their daily lives.

Determined to make sense of the situation, even if no one asked them to, the three friends begin their own investigation. They use their insights with their husbands as well as their common sense, their instincts, and the few contacts they have to find out what’s happening. They don’t care if no one will listen to them. The women will make themselves heard one way or the other.

Author Elizabeth Arnott’s careful detailing of Los Angeles in the 1960s shows in the various artifacts mentioned of the era, such as publications and appliances. At times, however, the research feels a little too obviously placed, as if to remind readers that the book is set 60 years in the past. Arnott’s prose is likable enough, so some readers may feel a little frustrated that she chooses to go by the route of more “telling” rather than “showing” the plot and story through the scenes at hand.

The same issue arises in the three main characters themselves. Despite book and marketing descriptions giving all three women equal billing, there’s little doubt that Beverly is the main character of this story. She gets the most amount of time on the page, which means Margot and Elsie’s stories rely more on flashbacks and broad-strokes narration rather than scene-to-scene development.

Still, the premise of three women formerly married to criminals who must work together to solve a similar crime is intriguing enough to draw readers in and keep them, mostly, engaged. Although various plot twists may feel like they get equal weight as they’re unfolded, making it harder to discern which one is really important, Arnott builds a book with a fair amount of suspense. Those who enjoy domestic thrillers set in the past may want to check this one out. ...more

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A Good Animal
by Sara Maurer (Goodreads Author)

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When two teens get caught up in the heat of first love, they find themselves facing the hardest question of life: what happens when you know you’re meant to be together but you’re not meant to stay in the same place? Author Sara Maurer takes a measur When two teens get caught up in the heat of first love, they find themselves facing the hardest question of life: what happens when you know you’re meant to be together but you’re not meant to stay in the same place? Author Sara Maurer takes a measured approach to answer this question for her protagonist through the lyrical prose, albeit somewhat plodding pace, of her debut A Good Animal.

Everett Lindt was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in the state’s Upper Peninsula. For generations, the Lindt family has lived on the same farm and raised prize-worthy sheep. It’s all Everett knows, but it’s also all he wants. He can’t imagine life anywhere else. Then the new girl comes to town.

Everett has known her cousin, Kylie, forever. Everett and his best friend, Charlie, do the labor-intensive work of haying Kylie’s father’s farm every summer. Everett hasn’t given Kylie much thought, even though Charlie believes Kylie is worth a second look. Dating Kylie is on Charlie’s list for their senior year of high school, and he thinks Everett should find a fling for senior year too. Everett thinks Charlie is full of it, but when Mary moves to Sault Ste. Mary Everett can’t think of anyone else.

Thanks to her dad’s work with the Coast Guard, Mary has lived in all sorts of places. She finds Sault Ste. Marie charming the way a tourist would, but she can’t believe that Everett and Charlie and all the other kids are so committed to staying in town. There’s a big world out there, she argues, and she’s determined not to be tied down to one place.

Everett is enamored with Mary, but he knows he’ll never live anywhere else. The Lindts have always lived in Michigan; they’re not going anywhere. But he also knows Mary is the only girl for him. The more time they spend together, the more he wants of her, mind, body, and soul.

Mary does her best to resist him at first, but eventually Everett’s gentle, kind ways draw her in. The two become inseparable, finding moments away from inquisitive eyes and gossiping tongues to get lost in one another. When Mary becomes pregnant, their entire world turns upside down.

As Everett scrambles to figure out how to take care of Mary and she struggles with whether she wants to commit to him, the young couple must navigate the reality of first love marred by adult responsibilities. They have to face the question of whether that love is enough to carry them through life’s challenges or whether one or the other will be willing to give up everything they want out.

Author Sara Maurer’s charming prose draws readers in, and she has the knack of making unfamiliar topics, like sheep farming, incredibly engaging. Maurer’s time and care with her characters and every single scene is evident in her narration. Literary fiction authors are often known as excellent wordsmiths, and Maurer’s work is no exception. Her ability to create well-rounded characters will hold her in good stead in her future work.

Marketing materials for the book sound as though Everett and Mary make some earth-shattering discovery that will change the face of the community, but in reality their story is that of first love and how looking to the future can be painful when it runs contrary to the here and now. Maurer’s treatment of her characters’ story is caring and thoughtful, but at times the thinness of the overly simplistic plot shows. The supplemental information about sheep farming and Everett’s commitment to it and his family’s legacy is refreshing, going against the trend of stories of young people who can’t wait to leave their small towns. Still, the book could have been about a quarter shorter and still engaged readers.

Those looking for a debut literary fiction book showcasing a new voice will definitely enjoy this one. It’s also a great read for those who like to learn about various walks of life. ...more

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